Will ACF be extending the approved Tribal plans?

Yes, ACF will be extending the approved FY 2014-2015 Tribal Plans for one year.  In March 2014, we notified tribal leaders and Tribal CCDF Administrators of our proposal for an alternative submission cycle for CCDF Tribal Plans.  Under the previous plan cycle, States, Territories, and Tribes all submitted Plans at the same time.  ACF intends to “stagger” the Plan submission cycle beginning in 2015 so that Tribal Plans would be submitted on a different schedule than State and Territory Plans.  We received positive feedback on this proposal.  Given the comments and the priority we are placing on tribal consultation, we decided to adopt the alternative submission cycle for Tribes.

The new law extends the Plan period from 2 years to 3 years.  We will extend the current Tribal Plans for one year, which means that Tribes will submit new 3-year Plans for the FY 2017-2019 in the summer of 2016, with an effective date of October 1, 2016.  The new submission cycle will have no impact on the tribal funding allocations.  Tribes will continue to submit their annual child count for funding in July 2015 in order to receive funding for FY 2016 funding, which is consistent with current regulations regarding child counts.  If Tribes wish to change their policies before the beginning of the FY 2017-2019 Plan cycle, they may submit Plan amendments to their current approved CCDF Plans.