Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Return to Search

LIHEAP AT 2020-01 Performance Data Form FY 2019

Guidance for completion of FY 2019 Performance Data Form

Final

Issued by: Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

< Back to Search

LIHEAP AT 2020-01 Performance Data Form FY 2019

Published: February 3, 2020
Audience:
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
Category:
Guidance, Policies, Procedures, Action Transmittal
(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1&appId=193707667731321"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); window.twttr = (function (d,s,id) { var t, js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js=d.createElement(s); js.id=id; js.src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); return window.twttr || (t = { _e: [], ready: function(f){ t._e.push(f) } }); }(document, "script", "twitter-wjs"));

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

Action Transmittal

AT#: LIHEAP-AT-2020-01

DATE: February 3, 2020

TO: LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP) GRANTEES AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES

SUBJECT: LIHEAP Performance Data Form for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019

ATTACHMENT(S)Instructions for the LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2019


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; from Expiration Date – March 31, 2021).

PURPOSE

To advise State LIHEAP Grantees and the District of Columbia that the deadline for submitting the LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2019 (for the period of October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019) through the Online Data Collection (OLDC) is February 14, 2020.

To advise State LIHEAP Grantees and the District of Columbia that there are no changes to the reporting items in the FY 2019 Performance Data Form from the prior FY 2018 Performance Data Form.

To advise State LIHEAP Grantees and the District of Columbia about submission of the Performance Data Form for FY 2019 using the ACF Online Data Collection (OLDC) systemVisit disclaimer page, a component of Grant Solutions.

Also, to advise State LIHEAP Grantees and the District of Columbia about technical assistance that is available through OCS in completing and submitting the FY 2019 LIHEAP Performance Data Form.

BACKGROUND

State LIHEAP Grantees and the District of Columbia are required to submit their LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2019 to OCS via OLDC no later than February 14, 2020. Neither Indian tribes/tribal organizations nor territories complete this form.

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 2019; 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 2019 will consist of three modules:

Module 1 (Grantee Survey)
Module 2 (Performance Measures)
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 2019. All State LIHEAP Grantees 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 2019. All State LIHEAP Grantees and the District of Columbia are required to complete Module 2.

Module 3 (Optional Performance Measures) allows State LIHEAP Grantees 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 2019. Module 3 is optional for all State LIHEAP Grantees and the District of Columbia.

There are no proposed changes to the reporting or data items in the FY 2019 Performance Data Form from the prior FY 2018 Performance Data Form.

State LIHEAP grantees and the District of Columbia will be required to submit their FY 2019 LIHEAP Performance Data Form through OLDCVisit disclaimer page.

We have contracted with APPRISE to assist State grantees and the District of Columbia in completing their LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2019. APPRISE also will contact you, if necessary, to correct data errors and/or missing data identified through OLDC. The goal of the technical assistance available from our office and our contractor, APPRISE, is to assist grantees with both identifying and resolving issues in order to facilitate successful and timely submission of data through OLDC.

OLDC has built-in validations in the LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2019 to help grantees ensure that data submitted to OCS is accurate. Once all data is entered and the Form is validated in OLDC, State LIHEAP grantees will be notified of validation issues, if any. The OLDC system will not allow grantees to submit their LIHEAP Performance Data Form if it contains certain validation issues. There are two types of validations in OLDC – "Warnings" and "Errors": These alert the grantee to the following problems and remedies:

A "Warning" notifies the grantee of a possible inconsistency or mistake in the data. Grantees are encouraged to double check the fields described in the "Warning" to make sure all information is correct and include a note in the ‘notes’ section of the form to explain the inconsistency. Nevertheless, grantees will be able to "Certify" and "Submit" the report without changing any data that led to a "Warning."

An "Error" notifies the grantee of a mistake that must be corrected prior to the report being submitted to our office. OLDC will not allow a report to be "Certified" and "Submitted" until the Error has been addressed.

CONTENT

The deadline to submit the LIHEAP Performance Data Form is February 14, 2020.

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:

  1. Meet the reporting deadline – once announced. If necessary, contact our office before the deadline if the data will be delayed. We will consult with your office to establish a reasonable alternate date. Timely follow up in meeting this alternate date will help in 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.
  1. 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 1.
  1. 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 2019 need to be consistent with what is indicated in the State Plan for FY 2019, as amended. Indications of unobligated funds carried over to the next FY in the Performance Data Form should match the State’s FY 2019 Carryover and Reallotment Report.
  1. 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 Points

  1. "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 FY.
  1. Report the annual or annualized maximum income cutoff for a four-person household in effect on October 1, 2018 for each type of LIHEAP assistance provided in FY 2019.
  1. Exclude the U.S. Department of Energy’s weatherization assistance funds in reporting on obligated LIHEAP weatherization assistance funds, if any, in Section IV, A. 4 of the Form.
  1. 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.
  1. Report on all 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 increase the amount of SNAP benefits that they received. Report these obligations in Section IV, B. 6 of the Form.
  1. HHS has pre-populated the figures in Lines 1, 3, and 6 of Section III. Make sure that the figures on these lines agree with those of your records. Please review the instructions for further guidance on pre-populated data.

SUBMISSION

LIHEAP data is submitted through ACF’s Online Data Collection (OLDC) system, a component of GrantSolutions. After signing into OLDC, select the LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2019. When completing the form in OLDC, changes and updates will only be recorded when "Save" is clicked. Therefore, it is important to regularly click "Save" to retain newly recorded information and prevent the loss of information. The instructions for completing this form are built into the form itself through hyperlinks.

The staff members who completed and submitted other reports may be different from the staff member who will complete and submit this form. Consequently, your LIHEAP Director may need to set up an additional OLDC account for the person who will complete this form.

Once your LIHEAP Performance Data Form for FY 2019 has been submitted, we will notify you of any reporting deficiencies not identified or resolved through OLDC and request a plan for remedial action. At the same time, we will continue to work with you on this form and your other forms.

INQUIRIES TO:

For questions regarding accurate completion of the LIHEAP Performance Data Form, contact:

Peter Edelman
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 OLDC, contact your regional LIHEAP liaison.

Thank you for your attention and 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

Download

Last Reviewed: September 30, 2020

HHS is committed to making its websites and documents accessible to the widest possible audience, including individuals with disabilities. We are in the process of retroactively making some documents accessible. If you need assistance accessing an accessible version of this document, please reach out to the guidance@hhs.gov.

DISCLAIMER: The contents of this database lack the force and effect of law, except as authorized by law (including Medicare Advantage Rate Announcements and Advance Notices) or as specifically incorporated into a contract. The Department may not cite, use, or rely on any guidance that is not posted on the guidance repository, except to establish historical facts.