CSBG-DCL-2021-14 CSP: 60 Day Comment Period

Community Services Block Grant

Dear Colleague Letter

DCL#: CSBG-DCL-2021-14

DATE: May 14, 2021

TO: CSBG Grantees

SUBJECT: CSBG State Plan: 60 Day Public Comment Period

ATTACHMENT(S): CSBG State Plan 3.0, CSBG State Plan Revisions Guideline, CSBG Eligible Entity List, ACSI for CSBG Eligible Entities

The Office of Community Services (OCS) is requesting feedback from the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Network on the proposed revision of the CSBG State Plan Application (CSBG State Plan). On April 26, 2021, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published the notice for public comment to the Federal Register.

Please review the proposed revisions and submit your comments to infocollection@acf.hhs.gov, as directed in the Federal Register notice. Please submit your comments as soon as possible, but no later than 60 days of the publishing of the notice.

Proposed Revisions

Included in this clearance are the CSBG State Plan, the CSBG Eligible Entity List, and the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Survey for CSBG eligible entities.

CSBG State Plan

The content, format, and order of this revised CSBG State Plan are consistent with the previous version. OCS revised this CSBG State Plan based on responses to prior CSBG State Plans, adding additional clarity and conciseness to the plan. OCS also added three new questions the CSBG State Plan:

• 7.3a. Distribution Method: Select the option below that best describes the distribution method the state uses to issue CSBG funds to eligible entities. This is a select one option question; options include Reimbursement, Advance, Hybrid, or Other.
• 10.13a. Federal Investigations Policies: Are state procedures for permitting and cooperating with federal investigations included in the state monitoring policies attached under 10.2?    This is a yes or no question.
• 10.13b. Closing Findings Procedures: If no, describe state procedures for permitting and cooperating with federal investigations. This is a narrative response.

Lastly, OCS reviewed the response options for all questions for technological improvements, such as skip logic (which ensures that certain fields only need to be completed when applicable), pre-population (which loads information on eligible entities from a master list) and cloning (which allows states to revise and edit responses from prior-year state plans).

Attached please find the revised CSBG State Plan — CSBG State Plan 3.0 — and a guideline explaining all the revisions to the CSBG State Plan.

CSBG Eligible Entity List

OCS revised the CSBG Eligible Entity List to include information about the Executive Director and a website address for each eligible entity.

Attached please find the revised CSBG Eligible Entity List.

American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Survey for CSBG eligible entities

OCS is not proposing revisions the ACSI Survey for CSBG eligible entities. OCS will next administer this survey in 2023.

Attached please find the ACSI Survey for CSBG eligible entities.

Clearance Process and Use of the Revised Forms

At the end of the 60-day comment period, OCS will review all comments received and resubmit the further revised documents to OMB based on your comments and feedback, as applicable. During the second phase of the PRA process, which includes a 30-day comment period, OMB will review and approve the online State Plan for a three-year period (FFY 2019 — FFY 2021).

Once OMB approves the revised CSBG State Plan, OLDC will open for states to submit their FY 2022 CSBG State Plan, as applicable. OCS will provide more details about the opening of OLDC as we draw nearer to approval. It is not anticipated that the revised online State Plan will cause additional burden to the states, given the cloning and pre-population features of OLDC and other efficiencies due to the automation and routine use. OCS will provide technical assistance and training for all states to facilitate the submission process.

Since the overall content of the CSBG State Plan has not changed significantly, states should proceed with their usual State Plan formulation process prior to final OMB approval. OCS encourages states to consider the revisions of this revised CSBG State Plan, to plan for their FY 2022 CSBG State Plan submissions. In order to assist, OCS attached a fillable CSBG State Plan.

Background

In FY 2015, OCS and the CSBG Network — comprised of CSBG eligible entities, State CSBG Lead Agencies, State CAA associations, national partners, and others — collaborated to modernize and revise the State Plan as part of the CSBG Performance Management Framework.

The CSBG Performance Management Framework includes: 1) CSBG organizational standards for CSBG eligible entities; 2) state and federal accountability measures; and 3) National Performance Indicators. For additional background information, please see the following Information Memoranda (IM):

• CSBG-IM-138: State Establishment for CSBG Eligible Entities
• CSBG-IM-144: CSBG State and Federal Accountability Measures and Data Collection Modernization

States first submitted the newly streamlined and automated CSBG State Plan through the On-Line Data Collection system (OLDC) on September 1, 2015.

Additional Information

OCS will host a webinar to discuss the proposed revisions included in this clearance in the upcoming weeks.

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