LIHEAP AT 2013-1 Grantee Survey FY 2012
Transmittal No. LIHEAP-AT-2013-01 Date: December 4, 2012
TO: LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP) GRANTEES AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES
GUIDANCE INTENDED FOR: X STATES
TRIBES/TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS
TERRITORIES
SUBJECT: LIHEAP Grantee Survey for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2012
LIHEAP Household Report for FFY 2012
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 Grantee Survey, as approved by OMB (Control No. 0970-0076; Expiration Date — April 30, 2014); ACF’s annual LIHEAP Household Report, as approved by OMB (Control No. 0970-0060, Expiration Date —October 31, 2014); LIHEAP Action Transmittal (AT) 2012-7, dated August 3, 2012.
PURPOSE: Complete and email the following state LIHEAP data collections by Friday, December 14, 2012 for FFY 2012 (October 1, 2011-September 30, 2012) to Josephine Rago-Adia in our office (her contact information is listed below):
- LIHEAP Household Report for FFY 2012, and
- LIHEAP Grantee Survey for FFY 2012.
BACKGROUND: Section 2610(b) of the LIHEAP statute requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to submit, no later than June 30 of each Federal Fiscal Year, a report to Congress on LIHEAP for the prior Federal Fiscal Year.
As part of our preparing the LIHEAP Report to Congress for FFY 2012, we require State LIHEAP grantees to complete the above two data collections. The completeness, accuracy, consistency, and timeliness of responses to the data collections are required to:
- provide reliable and complete fiscal and household data to Congress in the Department’s LIHEAP Report to Congress for FFY 2012;
- 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.
LIHEAP AT 2012-7, dated August 3, 2012, reminded LIHEAP grantees to:
- Include the LIHEAP Household Report for FFY 2012 as part of the LIHEAP grant application for FFY 2013. (Estimated rather than actual LIHEAP household data would be accepted with the LIHEAP grant applications so as not to delay the awarding of first quarter LIHEAP grants for FFY 2013.)
- Submit actual household data for the LIHEAP Household Report for FFY 2012 by December 15, 2012 for inclusion in the Department's LIHEAP Report to Congress for FFY 2012.
- E-mail to our office the completed Household Report in an Excel file.
- E-mail to our office the completed Grantee Survey in an Excel file by December 15, 2012.
For the most part, the remainder of this AT deals with completing and submitting the LIHEAP Grantee Survey for FFY 2012 (the Grantee Survey). The Survey uses an Excel Workbook file to collect LIHEAP data on sources and uses of funds, average benefits, and maximum income cutoffs for 4-person households for each type of LIHEAP assistance provided by each state for FFY 2012.
CONTENT: This Grantee Survey is being conducted by email for each state. Within the next day or so you will be emailed your state’s Survey in an Excel Workbook file. Attached are the Survey instructions and a sample of the LIHEAP Grantee Survey for FFY 2012 that includes the Survey Edit Checks that you should use in checking the accuracy of the data.
In the past, we delayed completion of the annual LIHEAP Report to Congress, in part, to obtain or correct State-reported data. We cannot continue to delay completing the state-level data sections of the Report. We need the states’ assistance in reducing and eliminating reporting delays and data errors. We would like to avoid having the annual LIHEAP Report to Congress indicate that a state’s LIHEAP fiscal and/or household data are inaccurate, estimated, or unavailable.
Please contact Josephine Rago-Adia if you do not receive your State’s Survey in an Excel workbook within three days of the date of this AT.
NOTE: When opening your state’s LIHEAP Grantee Survey Excel file, you will see the following on your computer screen which includes the initials of your state, e.g., AZ for Arizona. Click the box, Yes, and proceed.
Reporting Tips
Please review the following reporting tips as they will enhance the quality and timeliness of submitting finalizing state-reported LIHEAP data to our office:
- Meet the reporting deadline. If necessary, contact our office before the deadline if the data will be delayed. We will consult with your office on arriving at a reasonable alternate date. Follow up in meeting this date to ensure compliance with the LIHEAP statute’s Assurance (14) that deals with cooperation in the federal collection and reporting of LIHEAP data to Congress. We will work with states that seek help in a timely manner in completing and submitting their data reports.
- 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.
- Utilize the edit checks. The checks will indicate errors, if any, that need to be corrected prior to submitting the data to our office.
- Cross check for consistency. Check that the types of LIHEAP assistance reported on the Household Report and Grantee Survey match each other. The types of LIHEAP assistance provided in FFY 2012 need to be consistent with what is indicated in the State Plan for FFY 2012, as amended.
- Use the note sections. Clarify data in the note sections to explain why there may be missing or incomplete data and what is being done to rectify the problem(s).
Important Points
- “Uses of Funds” represent a State’s obligation of LIHEAP funds, not expenditure of LIHEAP funds. In some cases, obligated block grant funds are not actually expended until after the end of the FFY.
- Do not change the format of your State’s LIHEAP Grantee survey or household report without first contacting Josephine Rago-Adia.
- Report unobligated funds as carryover.
- Round off to the nearest dollar when reporting financial data; each dollar amount should end in $.00.
- Report the annual or annualized maximum income cutoff for a 4-person household in effect on October 1, 2011 for each type of LIHEAP assistance provided in FY 2012.
- Exclude the Department of Energy’s weatherization assistance funds in reporting on obligated LIHEAP weatherization assistance funds, if any, in Section III, A. 4 of the Survey.
- Report on all 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. Also, this would include Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households that were provided a relatively small non-crisis LIHEAP payment to increase the amount of SNAP benefits that they receive), commonly referred to as “heat or eat” or “cool or eat” programs.
Please e-mail your state’s completed Household Report and Grantee Survey in two separate Excel files to Josephine (Jojie) Rago-Adia by December 14, 2012 (December 15th is on Saturday). Other file formats such as PDF or Word will not be accepted.
INQUIRIES TO: Josephine (Jojie) Rago-Adia, Program Analyst
Division of Energy Assistance, OCS
Washington, D.C. 20447
Telephone: (202) 401-4710
E-mail: josephine.ragoadia@acf.hhs.gov
ATTACHMENTS: (1) Instructions for the LIHEAP Grantee Survey for FFY 2012
(2) Sample of the LIHEAP Grantee Survey for FFY 2012 (with Survey Edit Checks) (PDF)
/s/
Nick St. Angelo
Director
Division of Energy Assistance
Office of Community Services