[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 109 (Thursday, June 6, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34105-34106]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-13384]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request
Title: Annual Collection of Three Performance Measures for the Low
Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Transition of
Collection Instrument for Annual Report on Households Assisted and
LIHEAP Grantee Survey.
OMB No: New Collection
Description: In response to the 2010 Government Accountability
Office (GAO) report, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program--Greater
Fraud Prevention Controls are Needed (GAO-10-621), and in consideration
of the recommendations issued by the LIHEAP Performance Measures
Implementation Work Group, the Office of Community Services (OCS) is
planning to require the collection and reporting of three new
performance measures by its State LIHEAP grantees and the District of
Columbia, beginning in FY 2014. These performance measures are:
1. The average reduction in energy burden for households receiving
LIHEAP fuel assistance;
2. The percent of unduplicated households where LIHEAP prevented a
potential home energy crisis; and
3. The percent of unduplicated households where LIHEAP benefits
restored home energy.
Each of the above performance measures will require the reporting
of data elements through a web-based data collection and reporting
system. All State LIHEAP grantees and the District of Columbia will be
required to report the information below through this new web-based
system. This reporting will be optional for Tribes/Tribal Organizations
and Territories. OCS will provide training and technical assistance to
LIHEAP grantees on how to collect and report these new data.
The following lists the specific data grantees will report to OCS
in support of each performance measure:
The Average Reduction in Energy Burden for Households Receiving LIHEAP
Fuel Assistance
The average annual or annualized gross income for LIHEAP
households receiving energy assistance. Gross income includes whatever
LIHEAP grantees determine as countable income.
The average annual total LIHEAP fuel assistance benefit
(includes all bill payment assistance).
The number of LIHEAP households using each of the six
energy sources as their primary heating/cooling source. These include
Natural Gas, Electricity, Fuel Oil, Propane, Wood and Coal.
The average annual primary home energy expenditures of
LIHEAP households for each of the four following energy sources:
Natural Gas, Electricity, Fuel Oil, and Propane.
For each heating fuel type, the number of LIHEAP recipient
households who report using a secondary source of heat.
Annual Heating Fuel Consumption: The grantee would need to
collect information from each client's heating fuel vendor on the
client's annual heating fuel consumption.
Annual Electricity Consumption: For each household that
has a nonelectric main heating fuel and uses cooling equipment, the
grantee would need to collect information from the client's electricity
vendor on the client's annual electricity usage.
The Percent of Unduplicated Households Where LIHEAP Prevented a
Potential Home Energy Crisis
The number of households who had a notice from a bulk fuel
vendor regarding an unpaid or past due balance (e.g., vendor will not
make next delivery) and LIHEAP benefits were used to purchase fuel.
The number of households who inform LIHEAP staff that they
are nearly out of deliverable fuel (firewood, propane, kerosene, etc.)
and LIHEAP benefits were used to purchase fuel. The exact definition of
``nearly out of fuel'' is left to the discretion of each grantee.
The number of households who had a Past Due or Disconnect
Notice from their utility and LIHEAP benefits were used to pay utility
bill.
The number of households where LIHEAP benefits resulted in
repair or replacement of operable heating or cooling equipment.
The Percent of Unduplicated Households Where LIHEAP Benefits Restored
Home Energy
The number of households that are out of fuel and LIHEAP
services result in bulk fuel delivery or purchase.
The number of households that have no utility service and
LIHEAP benefits result in reconnection of services.
The number of households where LIHEAP benefits resulted in
repair or replacement of inoperable heating or cooling equipment.
State grantees will report the data elements on a new form (see
attached) that will be available in a system currently in use by the
Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the On-Line Data
Collection (OLDC) system. Grantees already have the capacity to submit
other ACF forms via OLDC. OCS intends to make all required reports
available for submission via OLDC, including the reporting of six
currently approved data collections:
1. LIHEAP Carryover and Reallotment Report--OMB Control No. 0970-0106;
2. LIHEAP Household Report (short and long formats)--OMB Control No.
0970-0060
3. LIHEAP Grantee Survey--OMB Control No. 0970-0076;
4. LIHEAP Leveraging Report--OMB Control No. 0970-0121;
[[Page 34106]]
5. LIHEAP Program Integrity Assessment Supplement--OMB Control No.
0970-0075; and
6. LIHEAP Model Plan (Detailed and Abbreviated)--OMB Control No. 0970-
0075.
The content and annual burden estimates for the above existing data
collections will remain unchanged. The only modification is the
instrument of the data collections, which will now be through OLDC.
The information is being collected for the Department's annual
LIHEAP Report to Congress. The data also provides information about the
need for LIHEAP funds. Finally, the data are used in the calculation of
LIHEAP performance measures under the Government Performance and
Results Act of 1993. The data elements will improve the accuracy of
measuring LIHEAP targeting performance and LIHEAP cost efficiency.
Respondents: State Governments and the District of Columbia
Annual Burden Estimates for Performance Measures
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Number of Average burden
Performance measure Number of responses per hours per Total burden
respondents respondent response hours
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Percentage of Reduction in Household 51 1 60 3,060
Energy Burden..........................
Number of Utility Service Restorations.. 51 1 20 1,020
Number of Crises Averted................ 51 1 20 1,020
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 5,100.
As LIHEAP is a block grant, there is a wide spectrum of capacity to
collect and report data among grantees. The estimated burden hours
displayed above are for the average LIHEAP grantee, assuming data
collection systems and agreements already in place. For those grantees
that would need to establish such agreements and systems, estimated
burden for the initial year of reporting would more closely resemble
400 hours for each performance measure. However, after the systems are
in place, estimated burden for the collection of these data will more
closely reflect the figures in the table above.
In compliance with the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Administration for Children and
Families is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the
information collection described above. Copies of the proposed
collection of information can be obtained and comments may be forwarded
by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of
Administration, Office of Information Services, 370 L'Enfant Prmenade
SW., Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. Email
address: [email protected]. All requests should be identified
by the title of the information collection.
The Department specifically requests comments on: (a) Whether the
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the
information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of
information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information
to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection
of information on respondents, including through the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted
within 60 days of this publication.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013-13384 Filed 6-5-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-P