LIHEAP AT-2022-02 LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2021
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Action Transmittal
AT#: LIHEAP-AT-2022-02
DATE: March 14, 2022
TO: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) State Grant Recipients, Including the District of Columbia, and Other Interested Parties
SUBJECT: LIHEAP Performance Data Form for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021
ATTACHMENT(S):
A. Instructions for the LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2021 (PDF)
B. Excel Template of LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2021
RELATED REFERENCES:
Section 2610(b) of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Act, Title XXVI of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, Public Law 97-35, as amended; ACF’s annual LIHEAP Performance Data Form (OMB Control No. 0970-0449; form Expiration Date — February 28, 2025).
PURPOSE:
- To advise state LIHEAP grant recipients and the District of Columbia that the deadline for submitting the LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2021 (for the period of October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021) is March 31, 2022.
- To advise state LIHEAP grant recipients and the District of Columbia that the LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2021 must be completed using a designated Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet and submitted to OCS using the online Basecamp platform.
- To advise state LIHEAP grant recipients and the District of Columbia that HHS has made substantive, OMB approved changes to the LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2021. These changes include revising Module 2 to include three submodules: Module 2A will collect data on all households, Module 2B will collect data on the subset of households that received assistance from LIHEAP CARES Act funds, and Module 2C will collect data on the subset of households that received assistance from LIHEAP American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. In addition, minor changes were made to Module 1, including: (1) adding one reporting field for reporting previous-year Residential Energy Assistance Challenge (REACH) funds; (2) removing three reporting items that are redundant; and (3) implementing minor wording or label changes.
- To advise state LIHEAP grant recipients and the District of Columbia that the data items in Optional Module 3 remain unchanged from the prior LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2020.
- To advise state LIHEAP grant recipients and the District of Columbia that OCS has pre-populated information in Module 1 (the Grantee Survey). All fields in Section III “Estimated Sources of LIHEAP Funds” are pre-populated based on OCS records. Grant recipients should review the pre-populated values to verify they are correct. Section III Line 5 and Line 11 are editable and can be updated by grant recipient, but all other lines are locked from editing.
- To provide state LIHEAP grant recipients and the District of Columbia with resources to assist with completing the FY 2021 Performance Data Form, including the instructions document, a Microsoft Excel Template, key reporting tips, and reporting reminders.
- Also, to advise state LIHEAP grant recipients and the District of Columbia about technical assistance that is available through OCS in completing and submitting the FY 2021 LIHEAP Performance Data Form.
BACKGROUND:
The LIHEAP Performance Data Form is an annual report in response to Section 2610(b) of the LIHEAP statute (42 U.S.C. § 8629(b)) which requires the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to submit, no later than June 30 of each federal fiscal year, a Report to Congress on LIHEAP for the prior federal fiscal year. The completeness, accuracy, consistency, and timeliness of responses to data collections are needed for HHS to do the following:
- Provide reliable and complete fiscal and household data to Congress in the Department’s LIHEAP Report to Congress for FY 2021; and
- Respond to questions from the Congress, Department, OMB, White House, and other interested parties in a timely manner; and report LIHEAP performance results as part of the Administration’s annual Congressional Justification.
The LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2021 will consist of three modules:
Module 1 (Grantee Survey)
Module 2 (Performance Measures) [Consists of Modules 2A, 2B, and 2C]
Module 3 (Optional Performance Measures)
Module 1 (Grantee Survey) collects LIHEAP data on sources and uses of funds, average benefits, and maximum income cutoffs for four-person households for each type of LIHEAP assistance provided in FY 2021. All state LIHEAP grant recipients and the District of Columbia are required to complete Module 1.
Module 2 (Performance Measures) collects LIHEAP data on energy burden targeting, the restoration of home energy service, and the prevention of loss of home energy service during FY 2021. All state LIHEAP grant recipients and the District of Columbia are required to complete Module 2.
Module 3 (Optional Performance Measures) allows state LIHEAP grant recipients and the District of Columbia to voluntarily report additional LIHEAP data on energy burden targeting, the restoration of home energy service, and the prevention of loss of home energy service during FY 2021. Module 3 is optional.
Please note that neither Indian tribes/tribal organizations nor territories complete this form.
CONTENT:
NEW FORM CHANGES FOR FY 2021 REPORTING — Module 1
In March of 2021, the President signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ( ARP ) (Public Law No: 117-2). As part of the ARP, Congress appropriated approximately $4.5 billion in supplemental funds for LIHEAP. On May 4, 2021, HHS awarded the supplemental ARP funds to grant recipients and published a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) announcing the release of these funds. The DCL notified grant recipients that “LIHEAP grantees must track, account for, and report on their [ARP] Act supplemental funding separate from the rest of their FY 2021 funding; and any FY 2020 CARES Act funding that they obligate in FY 2021.”
The new reporting items for Module 1 (the Grantee Survey) include the following:
- In response to the release of the ARP funds, Line 12 of Section III has been updated to report the “American Rescue Plan Act Allotment (Net of Indian Tribal Set-Asides)”. This is pre-populated and locked from editing.
- In response to the release of the ARP funds, previously reserved lines in Parts G to I of Section IV are now open and required fields to report on ARP supplemental LIHEAP funds obligated for different types of assistance and other permitted uses.
- Line 7b has been added to Section III to report previous FFY REACH Program award funds obligated in the FFY. This is pre-populated and locked from editing.
- Line 11 of Section III has been updated to report the “Previous unobligated CARES Act Allotment, not Subject to 10% Carryover Limit”. This is pre-populated, but open for editing.
- Lines 5, 19, and 30 in Section IV have been removed.
NEW FORM CHANGES FOR FY 2021 REPORTING — Module 2
To allow ACF to report information on the impacts of the supplemental LIHEAP funds, ACF has updated Module 2 to now include three submodules. Each submodule is presented on a different tab in the Excel spreadsheet each grant recipient will receive.
- In Module 2A, grant recipients will report Performance Measures data in the same way that they have in previous years. All households with data should be included regardless of funding source.
- Module 2B is identical to the layout of 2A EXCEPT that the data reported in 2B will only be applicable to those households who received assistance sourced with LIHEAP CARES Act funds. Include households that received a benefit that was fully or partially funded with CARES Act funds. Exclude households that did not receive a benefit that was fully or partially funded by CARES Act funds.
- Module 2C is identical to the layout of 2A EXCEPT that the data reported in 2C will only be applicable to those households who received assistance sourced with LIHEAP ARPA funds. Include households that received a benefit that was fully or partially funded with ARPA funds. Exclude households that did not receive a benefit that was fully or partially funded by ARPA funds.
Households that received funding from multiple sources should be reported in each of the relevant submodules, but the average benefit amounts reported for CARES and ARP households should include only the portion of benefits funded through those funding sources.
For grant recipients that did not serve any households using either CARES or ARP funds during the applicable fiscal year, those submodules will be left blank, but a note should be included explaining that no households with Performance Measures data were served with that funding source during the fiscal year.
NEW SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
The submission approach for the Performance Data Form for FFY 2021 will include four steps.
- OCS will provide each state LIHEAP grant recipient and the District of Columbia with a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet. Each grant recipient will receive their own specific spreadsheet that includes pre-populated information on the sources of available funds during FFY 2021.
- Each state LIHEAP grant recipient and the District of Columbia will need to enter their final report information into their designated Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet.
- Each state LIHEAP grant recipient and the District of Columbia will be contacted by their regional LIHEAP liaison and provided with access to HHS’ online Basecamp platform. The completed Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet must be submitted by uploading the file to the online Basecamp platform by March 31, 2022.
- Once your LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2021 has been submitted, HHS’ contractor APPRISE will review your submitted report and notify you of any reporting questions and assist with resolving any potential reporting issues. Each state LIHEAP grant recipient and the District of Columbia will be notified to confirm their report is considered complete.
As described above, the FY 2021 Performance Data Form will be submitted using a designated Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet that must be uploaded to the online Basecamp platform. The Online Data Collection System (OLDC) will not be used, and the report is not available in OLDC at this time.
OCS recognizes the value of maintaining each year’s official report in the OLDC system. Therefore, OCS plans to contact each state LIHEAP grant recipient and the District of Columbia at a later date to request they enter the final approved report into the OLDC system .
REPORTING RESOURCES
This Action Transmittal includes two attachments to assist grant recipient with preparing their report.
- Attachment A (PDF) provides the detailed instructions for completing the report.
- Attachment B provides a template version of the Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet. [Please note: Each state grant recipient and the District of Columbia will be provided with a customized version of this spreadsheet to use for completing and submitting their final report].
On behalf of OCS, APPRISE recently conducted multiple training webinars on completing the FY 2021 LIHEAP Performance Data Form. Training webinar recordings are published on the ACF LIHEAP Tools Training Resources webpage as they become available. Please contact APPRISE to receive copies of the training webinar slides.
KEY REPORTING TIPS
Please review the following reporting tips as they will enhance the quality and timeliness of submitting and finalizing reported LIHEAP data to our office:
- Meet the reporting deadline. The deadline for submitting the report is March 31, 2022. If necessary, contact our office regarding challenges or assistance with completing the report.
- Enter Data in the Applicable Fields. Information should be entered in the appropriate location per the instructions. Please note that the Performance Data Form spreadsheet will have cells that are highlighted because they are locked from editing. These cells are not applicable or not subject to editing.
- Read and review the reporting instructions. Contact our office to clarify any instructions that are not clear. Understanding the reporting instructions will minimize our need to contact you for clarification or correction of your state’s reported data, saving both our agencies time and effort. This also will enhance our timeliness in compiling, editing, and reporting the data. These instructions appear in Attachment A (PDF).
- Cross check for consistency. Check that the types of LIHEAP assistance reported on the LIHEAP Household Report and LIHEAP Performance Data Form are consistent with each other. Also, the types of LIHEAP assistance provided in FY 2021 need to be consistent with what is indicated in the state Plan for FY 2021, as amended. Indications of unobligated funds carried over to the next FY in the Performance Data Form should match the state’s FY 2021 Carryover and Reallotment Report.
- Use the ’notes’ section. Clarify data in the ’notes’ section of the Form to explain why there may be missing or incomplete data and what is being done to rectify the problem(s).
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
- "Uses of Funds" represent a state’s obligation of federal LIHEAP funds, not expenditure of federal LIHEAP funds. In some cases, obligated funds are not actually expended until after the end of the federal Fiscal Year.
- The total “Sources of Funds” (shown in Line 15 of Section III) should equal the total “Uses of Funds” (shown in Line 49 of Section IV).
- Report the annual or annualized maximum income cutoff for a four-person household in effect on October 1, 2020 for each type of LIHEAP assistance provided in FY 2021.
- Exclude the U.S. Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program funds in reporting on obligated federal LIHEAP weatherization assistance funds, if any, in Section IV of the Form.
- Report on all federal LIHEAP funds used to provide "other LIHEAP assistance." For the most part, this would include "other crisis assistance" to provide furnace or air conditioner repairs or replacements.
- Report on all federal LIHEAP funds obligated for "Other Permitted Uses of LIHEAP Funds." This includes Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households that were provided a nominal non-crisis LIHEAP payment to maximize the amount of SNAP benefits that they received.
- HHS has pre-populated the “Sources of Funds” figures Section III. Make sure that the figures on these lines agree with those of your records. Section III Line 5 and Line 11 are editable and can be updated by grant recipients, but all other lines are locked from Please review the instructions for further guidance on pre-populated data. editing.
- The data reported in Module 2 (Performance Measures) should include households assisted with federal LIHEAP funds. The average benefit amounts in Part V should reflect all LIHEAP bill payment assistance benefits.
AVAILABLE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
OCS has contracted with APPRISE to assist state LIHEAP grant recipients and the District of Columbia in completing their LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2021. APPRISE also will contact you, if necessary, to correct data errors and/or missing data identified in your report. The goal of the technical assistance available from our office and our contractor, APPRISE, is to assist grant rec with both identifying and resolving issues in order to facilitate successful and timely submission of reports.
Grant recipients requiring assistance to complete their report should contact their regional LIHEAP liaison and APPRISE as soon as possible.
INQUIRIES TO:
For questions regarding accurate completion of the LIHEAP Performance Data Form, contact:
Peter Edelman, Program Analyst
Division of Energy Assistance
Office of Community Services
Administration for Children and Families
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
330 C Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201.
(202) 401-5292 (Voice)
(202)-401-5661 (Fax)
peter.edelman@acf.hhs.gov
For questions regarding accessing the online Basecamp platform, contact your regional LIHEAP liaison.
Thank you for your attention to these matters. OCS looks forward to continuing to provide high-quality services to OCS grantees.
/s/
Lauren Christopher
Director, Division of Energy Assistance
Office of Community Services
Files
- PDF LIHEAP AT-2022-02 Performance Data Form FY 2021 (255.27 KB)
- PDF LIHEAP AT-2022-02 Performance Data Form Instructions FY21 Attachment A (483.79 KB)
- XLSX LIHEAP AT-2022-02 Performance Data Form Template Attachment B (71.99 KB)