liheap overview and grantee responsibilities 060515 · 2017-06-22 · 6/10/2015 1 liheap overview...
TRANSCRIPT
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LIHEAP Overview and Grantee Roles and Responsibilities
Lauren Christopher and Akm Rahman
June 17, 2015
• Lauren ChristopherDirector, Division of Energy AssistanceOffice of Community Services (OCS)
• Akm RahmanOperations Branch ChiefOffice of Community Services
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Speakers
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WHAT IS LIHEAP?
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• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)– Federally-funded program that helps manage home energy costs
• Provides payment assistance with home heating and cooling bills
• Provides assistance during energy crises
• Provides funds for weatherization and home energy-related equipment repair and replacement
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What is LIHEAP?
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• Low Income Household Eligibility– The federal rules permit States, Tribes, and Territory LIHEAP grantees
the ability to set income eligibility for LIHEAP within a cap
– Federal Maximum• Up to the greater of:
150% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL) OR
60% of estimated State Median Income (SMI)
• Not lower than 110% of FPL
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What is LIHEAP?
Source: http://www.liheapch.acf.hhs.gov/delivery/eligibility_graph.htm
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State Examples of Eligibility Limits
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• Categorical Eligibility– LIHEAP grantees also have the option to determine certain types of
households as “categorically eligible” for LIHEAP based on the household’s participation in any of the following:
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Means-tested veterans’ benefits– 38 USC 1315
– 38 USC 1541
– 38 USC 1542
– 38 USC 1521
– Background document: https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS22804.pdf
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What is LIHEAP?
• Provide the highest level of assistance to people: – With the lowest incomes
– Who have the greatest home energy need
• Reduce health and safety risks related to inadequate home heating and cooling
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LIHEAP’s Primary Goals
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HISTORY OF LIHEAP
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• 1973: Project Fuel – Helped low income homes meet increased energy costs
• 1975-1979: Emergency Energy Conservation Program (EECP)– 1975-1978:
Focused on weatherization and allowed funds for fuel vouchers
– 1979:Provided emergency assistance and weatherization largely to Department of Energy (DOE)
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History of LIHEAP
1973 1975 1979 1981 19821973 1975 1979
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• 1981: LIEAP – Deemed that funds could be used for heating bill
assistance and medically necessary cooling
– Allowed assistance to be given to vendors/utilities or directly to individuals
– Late 1981: Congress replaced LIEAP with LIHEAP
• 1982: First year of operation for LIHEAP
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History of LIHEAP
1973 19821973 1975 1981 19821973 1975 1979
Similarities to LIEAP– Block grant structure
– Same funding formula
Differences from LIEAP– Cooling programs not just based
on medical necessity
– Weatherization allowed
– Eligibility levels could be set as high as 150% Federal Poverty Guidelines or 60% State Median Income
– Overall allowed more flexibility
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History of LIHEAP
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BLOCK GRANTS
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• Federal Block Grant
– Funding allocated by the Federal government based on a formula
– Allows grantees greater flexibility when designing and administering their programs
– Only State, Tribal, Territory governments are eligible to receive funding through these grants.
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What is a Block Grant?
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• Compliance with the Assurances– LIHEAP statute has 16 assurances with broad requirements.
– The federal LIHEAP requirements are few in number compared to discretionary programs.
– This requires each LIHEAP grantee to develop state/tribe/territory specific definitions, policies and procedures.
– The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) usually defers to the grantee’s interpretation of the federal law unless HHS considers the interpretation “clearly erroneous”.
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LIHEAP as a Block Grant
FUND ALLOCATION
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• Grantees have flexibility in allocating funds, but there are certain restrictions:– 10% cap for administrative costs (note: different for Tribes)
– 15% cap for weatherization activities (up to 25% with written waiver)
– 5% cap for energy education and case management activities under Assurance 16
– Up to 10% carryover into the next federal fiscal year
– Reserve reasonable amount of crisis funding through March 15
– Remaining funds must be allocated toward direct assistance
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Grantee Allocation of Funds
• Grantees must: – Certify to 16 assurances in the LIHEAP statute [42 U.S.C. 8624(b)]
– Certification must be by the State Chief Executive Officer/Tribal Chief/Chairperson or his/her designee
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Grantee Allocation of Funds
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ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIESGrantee LIHEAP Offices
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• Responsibilities
– Primary LIHEAP grantee has flexibility to delegate some, but not all, responsibilities in the LIHEAP statute
– Core responsibilities must be maintained by the direct LIHEAP grantee
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Delegation of Grantee Responsibilities
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• The role of each Grantee LIHEAP office is to:– Communicate with OCS
– Develop LIHEAP-Specific Policies/Procedures
– Lead Public Participation on Plan
– Submit Plan
– Negotiate Agreements and Contracts
– Monitor Program
– Develop Budget and Allocate Funds
– Report to OCS
– Draw Down Funds and Track Funds
– Process Refunds from Vendors
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Core Primary Grantee Responsibilities
• Ensure Regular Communication with OCS – Notify OCS when:
• A LIHEAP coordinator is leaving and who OCS should contact until a new coordinator is hired
• A new LIHEAP coordinator is hired - OCS will schedule a training/orientation teleconference
• Changes occur to your contact information (address, telephone number, email address, DUNS, EIN, etc.)
• Times the staff is not available for extended periods (such as vacation, subsistence harvesting periods or cultural events)
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Communicate with OCS
Contact your OCS liaison anytime you have a question about LIHEAP.
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• Must have a LIHEAP-specific manual for grantee
• Examples include:– Definition of crisis and life-threatening crisis
– Definition of administrative costs
– Definition of “obligations”
– Definition of “expenditures”
– Benefit amount
– Eligibility limits
– Fair hearing process
– Monitoring protocol
– Program integrity controls
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Develop LIHEAP-Specific Policies/Procedures
• Vary Benefit Levels by Household– Grantees must have a Benefit Matrix that varies the LIHEAP benefit by
at least three factors:• The number of members of the household
• The total household income
• At least one other factor of home energy cost or need such as fuel type or energy burden
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Develop LIHEAP-Specific Policies/Procedures
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• Obtain public participation and development of annual LIHEAP plan– States: Must hold a public hearing annually
– Tribes/Territories: Must get public participation annually
– Incorporate LIHEAP-specific grantee policies into the plan
– Consider public comments and adjust plan as needed
– Submit complete plan to OCS on September 1 annually through OLDC
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Lead Public Participation on Plan
• Submit and respond to OCS questions about the annual LIHEAP Plan – Set milestones with LIHEAP staff.
• Ensure a LIHEAP Plan is drafted and shared with the community well before the September 1 deadline.
– Discuss feedback on the program and draft Plan with LIHEAP staff. • Revise the Plan before submitting it to OCS in September.
– Ensure the CEO or designee has a working OLDC account. • It must be in his or her own name to timely certify and sign the Plan
electronically in the system prior to September 1.
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Submit Plan
If you need an extension to submit the Plan after September 1, you must submit a written extension request with a specific proposed date.
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• Negotiate Agreements to Administer LIHEAP Effectively
– State/Tribe agreements Voluntary, but can help Tribes and States coordinate their programs to avoid serving the same households and share resources
– Vendor agreementsNecessary to ensure that funds are processed and credited properly, that clients are treated equitably, and that strong program integrity is maintained
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Negotiate Agreements and Contracts
• Negotiate Agreements to Administer LIHEAP Effectively
– Local intake agency contracts/agreementsNecessary to ensure the program administration is consistent throughout the entire service territory
– Agreements with other grantee agencies for administrationEnsure proper use of funds for different types of LIHEAP assistance and sufficient reporting on expenditure of funds and program outcomes.
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Negotiate Agreements and Contracts
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• Negotiate Agreements to Administer LIHEAP Effectively
– Agreements with other State or Federal agencies Try to establish verification and data exchanges to reduce paperwork and improve program integrity.
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Negotiate Agreements and Contracts
• Oversee Program Accountability through Monitoring
– Establish a monitoring schedule and protocol
– Establish separation of duties
– Ensure there is adequate staff to run the program at different points of the year
– Encourage regular communication and joint training between all staff that have a role in LIHEAP including fiscal/budget staff
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Monitor Program
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• Oversee Program Accountability through Monitoring
– Review the Plan and required OCS reports prior to submission to OCS
– Review the staff’s progress in administering the program throughout the year.
– Work with LIHEAP staff and sub-grantees on discussing audit findings and implementing changes to resolve findings.
– Participate in OCS trainings to be kept informed of federal requirements.
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Monitor Program
• Budget and Allocation– Estimating uses of funds in the plan
– Disbursing funds timely through contractors and sub-grantees
– Tracking obligations and expenditures
– Comparing obligations to the budget
– Reconciliation of funds
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Develop Budget and Allocate Funds
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• Submit required annual reports to OCS– Tracking deadlines
– Quality assurance of data
– OLDC
– Request extensions in timely manner
– Respond to OCS’ request for information
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Report to OCS
• Drawing down funds and tracking funds– Accessing Payment Management System
– Cash Management and Improvement Act
– No co-mingling of funds
– Adequate system or process for tracking by:• Type of cost
• Federal fiscal year
• Line item caps
• Obligations
• Expenditures
• CAN
• Sub-grantees
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Draw Down Funds and Track Funds
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• Processing refunds from vendors– Reconciliation of:
• Original FFY of benefit payments
• Carryover availability
• Reallotment
– Return of funds to OCS
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Process Refunds from Vendors
• Application Intake
• Eligibility Determinations
• Benefit Determinations
• Benefit Payments
• Outreach
• Independent Audits
• Fair Hearing Determinations
• Data Verification
• Systems Development
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What can be delegated?
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RESOURCES
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• OCS “Regional Liaisons”– Central office staff in Washington, D.C.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/resource/division-of-energy-assistance-federal-staff
– Assigned to each LIHEAP grantee to provide one-on-one Training & Technical Assistance (T&TA) support by:
• Phone
• In-person Meetings
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Resources
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OCS Liaison Contact Information
Region Contact Phone Email
Region I – Boston Jamia Furbush 202-401-4853 [email protected]
Region II – New York Josephine Rago-Adia 202-401-4710 [email protected]
Region III – Philadelphia Kate Haydon 202-690-5737 [email protected]
Region IV – Atlanta Jamia Furbush 202-401-4853 [email protected]
Region V – Chicago Kate Haydon 202-690-5737 [email protected]
Region VI – Dallas Rosa Chapman 202-260-6424 [email protected]
Region VII – Kansas City Rosa Chapman 202-260-6424 [email protected]
Region VIII – Denver Josephine Rago-Adia 202-401-4710 [email protected]
Region IX – San Francisco Josephine Rago-Adia 202-401-4710 [email protected]
Region X – Seattle Rosa Chapman 202-260-6424 [email protected]
• Grantee Training Meetings
• OCS-sponsored Work Groups (such as PMIWG, PI)
• Participation/training in NEADA meetings
• Presentation at Annual Conferences
• Action Transmittals, Information Memorandums, and Dear Colleague Letters
• Discussion during on-site monitoring and T/A sessions
• Regional Conference Calls
• Webinars
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OCS Training and Technical Assistance
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• T&TA Contractor– The Briljent team is contracted to support OCS on T&TA activities for
LIHEAP in federal fiscal year 2015.
– Support will include:• Peer-to-peer assistance network
• On-site technical assistance visits
• Webinars
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Resources
• Online Information– Tribal Manual
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/resource/the-liheap-tribal-manual
– LIHEAP Website:http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/programs/liheap
– LIHEAP Clearinghouse Website:http://liheap.ncat.org
– Performance Measures Websitehttp://www.liheappm.ncat.org
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Resources
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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The next session will be
Obligations vs. Expenditures.