CSBG-DCL-2021-06 CARES and Disaster Supplemental Annual Report: 60 Day Open Comment Period

Publication Date: December 8, 2020
Current as of:

Dear Colleagues,

The Office of Community Services (OCS) is pleased to announce the Federal Register Notice for the revised Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) CSBG Annual Report for the CSBG CARES Supplemental and CSBG Disaster Supplemental. The Federal Register is available here . This message will provide information on the:

  • Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Clearance, and
  • Revisions to the previously approved CSBG Annual Report

Background

The CSBG Annual Report is submitted directly to OCS via the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) On-Line Data Collection system (OLDC). The CSBG Annual Report serves as the requirement for an annual report as stipulated in the Section 678E of the CSBG Act. The CSBG Annual Report includes the following four modules:

  • State Administration (Module 1): Completed by State CSBG Administrators — aligns the with the CSBG State Plan and includes information on state administration of CSBG funding, including information on distribution of funds to eligible entities, use of state administrative funds and discretionary funds for training and technical assistance, as well as information on the progress of organizational standards for eligible entities, and the state’s progress meeting accountability measures related to state monitoring, training and technical assistance, and other critical areas.
  • Agency Expenditures, Capacity, and Resources (Module 2): Completed by eligible entities; reviewed, evaluated, and analyzed by state CSBG lead agencies — includes information on eligible entity funds usage on the direct delivery of local services and strategies and capacity development and administrative costs.
  • Community Level (Module 3): Completed by eligible entities; reviewed, evaluated, and analyzed by State CSBG Lead Agencies — includes information on the implementation and results achieved for community-level strategies.
  • Individual and Family Level (Module 4): Completed by eligible entities; reviewed, evaluated; analyzed by State CSBG Lead Agencies — includes information on eligible entity services provided to individuals and families, demographic characteristics of people served and the results of the services.

Revisions to the CSBG Annual Report for CARES and Disaster Supplemental

This OMB clearance is to collect the CSBG CARES Supplemental Annual Report and CSBG Disaster Supplemental Annual Report from states and eligible entities for fiscal year (FY) 2020 — FY 2022. The annual reports included within this clearance will primarily focus on the following revisions:

  • Module 1 is modified to align with the CSBG CARES Supplemental and CSBG Disaster state plans and to help reduce the burden to the states.
  • Modules 2 and 4 are modified to collect specific data for the supplemental funding and to reduce burden, including the removal of questions that were not pertinent to the data collection for the supplemental reports.
  • Module 3 will only be submitted once by respondents through the current CSBG Annual Report; OCS made technical revisions to allow respondents to confirm which funding source they are using—CSBG, CARES, or Disaster.
  • Technical modifications including minor wording, headings, and numbering revisions.

OMB Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) Expedited Clearance Process

The Federal Register notices allow the public to comment on the CSBG CARES Supplemental Annual Report and CSBG Disaster Supplemental Annual Report; specifically on the burden estimate and the clarity of the requested information.

  • Federal Register No. 1: November 19, 2020 — January 19, 2021This is a 60-day clearance that solicits comments from the public to OCS. After the 60-day period, OCS will review all comments and revise the CSBG CARES Supplemental Annual Report and CSBG Disaster Supplemental Annual Report, as necessary.
  • Federal Register No. 2: Estimated late-January 2021This is a 30-day clearance that solicits comments from the public to OMB. After the 30-day period, OMB has another 30-days to approve the CSBG CARES Supplemental Annual Report and CSBG Disaster Supplemental Annual Report.
  • Anticipated OMB Clearance: To be determined.

After OCS receives OMB-approval of the CSBG CARES Supplemental Annual Report and CSBG Disaster Supplemental Annual Report, OCS will open OLDC for submission of the annual reports. States, territories and eligible entities are expected to conduct supplemental data collection and follow standard reporting processes during this OMB clearance.

Feedback and Comments

The Federal Register requests feedback on the following:

  1. Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility;
  2. The accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information;
  3. The quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and
  4. Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Please include supportive comments as well as suggestions for improvement, so that OCS receives a balanced perspective on what works and what needs revision. Please clearly reference your comments by module, section, and page number, as appropriate.

Please submit your comments to infocollection@acf.hhs.gov, as directed in the Federal Register notice, within the 60-day comment period that began November 19, 2020. OCS encourages you to submit your comments as soon as possible, in order to expedite the clearance process.

Training and Technical Assistance for the Network

OCS, with support from our national partners, will provide technical assistance and training to the CSBG Network through a webinar series beginning in January 2021 to discuss the revised CSBG CARES Supplemental Annual Report and CSBG Disaster Annual Report. Please be on the lookout for additional information.

Additional Information

For information about the CSBG CARES Supplemental and CSBG Disaster Supplemental, please review:

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

/s/
Charisse Johnson

Director, Division of Community Assistance
Office of Community Services