View Information Collection Request (ICR) Package

OMB Control No: 0970-0589	ICR Reference No: 202205-0970-017
Status: Historical Active	Previous ICR Reference No: 202202-0970-003
Agency/Subagency: HHS/ACF	Agency Tracking No: OCS
Title: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Quarterly Performance and Management Reports
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Approved with change	Conclusion Date: 10/12/2022
Retrieve Notice of Action (NOA)	Date Received in OIRA: 06/03/2022
Terms of Clearance: sent comment on need for tribal flexibilities 8/16

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	10/31/2025	36 Months From Approved	10/31/2022
Responses	206	0	206
Time Burden (Hours)	7,416	0	7,416
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0

Abstract: As part of the response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, Congress authorized two separate supplemental appropriations for LIHEAP. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Public Law 116-136) appropriated $900 million, and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act (Public Law 117-2) appropriated an additional $4.5 billion. On May 8, 2020, the Office of Community Services (OCS) awarded 100% of the LIHEAP CARES Act funding, or $900 million, to grant recipients. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, five U.S territories, and more than 140 Native American tribes and tribal organizations received a supplemental award. States and the District of Columbia received $884,987,516, Territories received $4,526,642, and Tribes received 10,485,842. Per the CARES Act legislation, funds needed to be obligated by September 30, 2021. LIHEAP issued guidance that grant recipients had at least 90 days following the end of FY21 to draw down previously obligated LIHEAP CARES Act funds from the federal Payment Management System (PMS). In the summer of 2021, OCS noticed that grant recipients were slowly obligating and making drawdowns of the CARES Act funds in PMS. The initial unobligated balances among States, Tribes, and Territories were $241,685,025, $5,424,862, and $4,020,237, respectively. OCS responded with an intensive technical assistance and training (T/TA) strategy to help grant recipients reduce the amount of unobligated LIHEAP CARES Act funds at risk of being returned to the Treasury. As a result of these efforts, the total unobligated balance was reduced to $8,832,566 based on grantee reporting (this represents approximately 1.00% unobligated). In addition to the supplemental ARP funds, OCS also released the normal LIHEAP Block Grant funding for FY22, nearly $3.37 billion, on October 29, 2021. In response, OCS implemented a quarterly report to help monitor grant recipient progress on spending ARP and regular appropriation funds to ensure they are used efficiently and effectively to maximize assistance to low-income households. While monitoring obligation in FY22 is particularly important given the historic level of funding available, being able to monitor obligation in future fiscal years remains crucial to ensuring all available funding reaches eligible households. OCS implemented LIHEAP quarterly reporting helps strengthen the program and improve our ability to highlight the impact LIHEAP is having on households across the program. The quarterly reports help OCS track key information in near real time. Previously, OCS did not receive comprehensive performance and management data until approximately three months after the end of each federal fiscal year. The LIHEAP Quarterly Report assists OCS in receiving data and information about LIHEAP during the federal fiscal year. This almost real time data is particularly important this year as LIHEAP grant recipients both administer historical levels of LIHEAP funding and develop and implement plans to reach the most vulnerable households amidst ongoing energy price increases. Now and in future years, these reports are critical in helping us address challenges in a timely manner including unmet T/TA needs, approaching obligation deadlines, and challenges related to outreach and intake such as reaching newly eligible populations. OCS is submitting this extension request to continue using quarterly reports, as the information collected is incredibly helpful in our administration and oversight of LIHEAP.

Authorizing Statute(s): None

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	87 FR 8843	02/16/2022
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	87 FR 33796	06/03/2022
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? Yes

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Approved	Previously Approved
Annual Number of Responses	206	206
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	7,416	7,416
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Increase Due to:

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement:

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $61,325

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? Yes

Agency Contact: Molly Buck 202 205-4724 mary.buck@acf.hhs.gov

View ICR - OIRA Conclusion