ACF-OCS-LIHEAP-AT-2024-05 Carryover and Reallotment Report for FY 2024

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

Action Transmittal

AT#: ACF-OCS-LIHEAP-AT-2024-05

DATE: July 22, 2024

TO: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Grant Recipients

SUBJECT: LIHEAP Carryover and Reallotment Report for federal Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24)

ATTACHMENT(S): A. Instructions for completing the Carryover and Reallotment Report for FY24

PURPOSE:

1. To provide instructions to Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) grant recipients on how to submit their estimated and final federal Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Carryover and Reallotment Report (CRR)
2. To inform grant recipients that, when FY23 LIHEAP funds get reallotted, then the Office of Community Services (OCS) will revise this report in the Online Data Collection (OLDC) system to reflect those awards
3. To confirm for grant recipients that 1) the estimated version of this report is due no later than August 9, 2024 and 2) the final version of this report is due December 31, 2024
4. To inform grant recipients that they will be able to make future allowable changes to this report to reconcile audit disallowances, OCS monitoring findings, vendor refunds, and other financial events that affect their unobligated balances
5. To inform grant recipients that they must ensure that data reported on their final Carryover and Reallotment Reports (CRRs) reconciles with the data reported on 1) their Standard Form 425 reports and Federal Financial Reports (FFRs),2) their final Quarterly Reports, and3) for state grant recipients, the Grantee Survey modules of their LIHEAP Performance Data Forms
6. To announce to grant recipients that OCS will begin its FY24 reallotment award review process in early January 2025, based on reallotment amounts reflected in their final CRRs, FFRs, and Quarterly Reports

BACKGROUND:

Section 2607(b)(2)(B) of the LIHEAP statute (42 U.S.C. § 8626(b)(2)(B)) requires that “No amount may be held available… for a State from a prior fiscal year to the extent such amount exceeds 10 percent of the amount payable to such State for such prior fiscal year. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the amount payable to a State for a fiscal year shall be determined without regard to any amount held available under this paragraph for such State for such fiscal year from the prior fiscal year.”

The LIHEAP statute and regulations require LIHEAP grant recipients report information to OCS concerning funds to be carried forward and funds subject to reallotment. They further require that the CRR for one FY be submitted to OCS by returning grant recipients before the allotment for the next FY may be awarded.

Grant recipients may request to carry over from one FY to the next FY up to 10% of the amount payable to them for the first FY. The total funds payable for FY24 include all regular block grant awards in FY24, plus all Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) grant awards in FY24, plus any reallotted FY23 funds that OCS redistributes in FY24. Up to 10% of the total FY24 resources may be carried over for use in FY25, and those funds must be obligated no later than September 30, 2025. Grant recipients must obligate funds that are carried over by the end of the FY following the year in which they are awarded. At least 90% of the funds allocated in FY24 must be obligated by September 30, 2024, the end of FY24. Please note that this requirement applies to obligation only, not expenditure of funds.

Any funds carried over from the previous year are not to be included in the base for calculating carryover in the following year. If more than 10% of a grant recipient’s funds payable remains unobligated at the end of the FY in which they were allotted, then those excess funds must be returned to OCS and are subject to reallotment to all grant recipients in the next federal fiscal year.

OCS made non-substantive changes to the LIHEAP CRR for FY24 that pre-populate Line 1.5 at $0 and closed that line to user entry. OCS also changed the wording of Lines 1.1 and 1.2 to exclude non-IIJA supplemental funds. OCS otherwise made only minor, non-substantive changes to the form.

Grant recipients must take reasonable steps to mitigate the risk of returning FY24 federal LIHEAP funds. OCS will accept all necessary properly executed adjustments after this date. Please review the LIHEAP Terms and Conditions (PDF) of this award for additional obligation and liquidation information.

CONTENT:

Completing and Submitting the Carryover and Reallotment Report.

All but nine FY24 grant recipients are required to submit the LIHEAP CRR for FY24 via the Online Date Collection system (OLDC) .

All grant recipients must submit a report, even if no funds are to be carried over or made available for reallotment. In OLDC, under “Low Income Home Energy Assistance” select a report type of “Carryover and Reallotment (0970-0106)” then search by “Period End Date” or “Fiscal Year,” and then search by grant recipient’s name.

Before OCS awards reallotted FY23 LIHEAP funds, please complete Lines 1.3, 1.4, and, if necessary, 1.4)a and 1.4)b irrespective of the amount on Line 1.1. Afterwards, please confirm that the amount on Line 1.1 (total amount payable to you for FY24) that OCS pre-populated on the report is correct. If it is not, then you must launch a new version of your report or re-save and validate the existing version.

The estimated report must be submitted by August 9, 2024. This requirement does not apply to the territory of Guam or U.S. Virgin Islands, nor does it apply to the seven tribes whose programs are integrated under Public Law 477 and administered through the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Remember to save your progress frequently (at least once every 15 minutes), particularly if you enter partial information and intend to finish it later. Remember to click “End OLDC” when you are ready to log out of the system.

The following information, if it is not already pre-populated, must be submitted on the form:

Section 1

On Line 1.1, report or review the pre-population of the total amount payable for FY24 of regular block grant funds, reallotted FY23 funds, and IIJA funds.

On Line 1.2, report 10% of the amount payable (automatically calculated and pre-populated).

You must, on the respective lines, report the funds from these sources that you expect not to obligate by September 30, 2024.

On Line 1.3, report the total amount of unobligated FY24 regular block grant funds and reallotted FY23 funds with a grant award number ending in LIEA.

On Line 1.4, report the total projected amount of unobligated FY24 IIJA funds with a grant award number ending in LIEI.

Lines 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5 (projected unobligated balance…) on the final CRR must reconcile with the amount on Line 10h (unobligated balance of federal funds) of the corresponding FFR. If those amounts do not reconcile, OCS will contact you to edit the report(s).

Line 1.5 will be set at $0 without the option for editing.

Line 1.6 will show the total projected unobligated balance of Lines 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5.

If you reported carrying over any of the funds on Lines 1.3 or 1.4 to FY25, then you must enter the following:

On Line 1.6)a, a statement of the reasons that these funds will not be used in FY24

On Line 1.6)b, a description of the types of assistance to be provided with these funds

Once the data is entered, the submission must be validated, certified, and submitted through OLDC. The individuals who have permission to certify and submit may vary based on how you initially set up your OLDC account, but the user with the role “Grant Administrator” may perform all actions by default.

Upon submission, your report will be reviewed in OLDC first by OCS’ staff and subsequently by OCS’ contractor. Either party may follow up with you if OCS needs clarification or answers to questions. OCS will approve the report after any follow-up.

RELATED REFERENCES:

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 8621 et seq.).; 45 CFR 96.81 in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) block grant regulations; and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Carryover and Reallotment Report (CRR), OMB approval 0970-0106, expires June 30, 2025.

OLDC Assistance

If you experience technical difficulties with Grant Solutions or OLDC, then please contact the Help Desk at help@grantsolutions.gov or 1-866-577-0771 Monday through Friday except federal holidays between 7:00 am and 8:00 pm (Eastern Time). If you need any other assistance with your submission, then please contact your federal LIHEAP program specialist.

Additional Resources

We have attached, as an additional resource, a more detailed set of instructions for such submission through OLDC (PDF).

For more assistance with this form, we also invite you to explore the LIHEAP Training Resources page of OCS’ website.

INQUIRIES:

For questions regarding accurate completion of the FY24 LIHEAP CRR, contact:

Peter Edelman, Program Analyst
Division of Energy Assistance
Office of Community Services
Administration for Children and Families
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
330 C Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
201-401-5292 (Voice)
202-401-5661 (Fax)
peter.edelman@acf.hhs.gov
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/liheap

Thank you for your attention to these matters. OCS looks forward to continuing to provide high-quality services to OCS partners.

/s/
Megan Meadows
Director, Division of Energy Assistance
Office of Community Services