[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 17 (Monday, January 27, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4346-4347]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-01454]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

    Proposed Projects:
    Title: Application Requirements for the Low Income Home Energy 
Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Model Plan and Program Integrity Assessment
    OMB No.: 0970-0075
    Description: States, including the District of Columbia, tribes, 
tribal organizations, and territories applying for LIHEAP block grant 
funds must submit an annual application (Model Plan) that meets the 
LIHEAP statutory and regulatory requirements prior to receiving Federal 
funds. In prior years, in addition to the Model Plan, each grantee was 
also required to submit a Program Integrity Assessment Supplement 
(PIAS) every year, as part of their application. The proposed new model 
plan will combine the content of these two forms into one form, 
eliminating duplicative questions and streamlining the submission 
process. The proposed new format of the model plan is also a departure 
from the previously-approved version. The new model plan will become an 
electronic form, to be submitted through the On-Line Data Collection 
System (OLDC), which is already being used by all LIHEAP grantees to 
submit other required LIHEAP forms. The new model plan will also 
provide grantees the option to respond to many questions by selecting 
one or more check-box responses, rather than providing a free-form text 
response. Grantees will still have the ability to enter free form text 
if none of the provided options are applicable. This new re-formatting 
will reduce the time grantees will spend on completing the form. It 
will also provide the Office of Community Services (OCS) with the 
ability to collect and analyze consistent data across all grantees in a 
streamlined manner. This will improve the information provided by OCS 
in the annual LIHEAP Report to Congress and other related reports to 
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of 
Management and Budget.

[[Page 4347]]

    In order to ensure that data are reported in a consistent format by 
all grantees, OCS will now require that the new version of the model 
plan be used by all grantees. Grantees will no longer have the option 
of submitting their annual application using alternate formats. 
Additionally, grantees will no longer have the option to submit an 
abbreviated model plan. All entries from each grantee's first 
submission of the model plan in OLDC will be saved and re-populated 
into the form for the following fiscal year's applications. Thus, after 
the first year, grantees will only need to make updates to the prior 
year's entries. Grantees will still be able to submit attachments as 
needed.
    Presidential Executive Order 13520, reducing Improper Payments and 
Eliminating Waste in Federal Programs, issued in November 2009, 
encourages Federal agencies to take deliberate and immediate action to 
eliminate fraud and improper payments. As part of the review of 
programs subsequent to this executive order, HHS has determined that 
additional information from each administering agency is necessary to 
assess grantee measures that are in place to prevent, detect or address 
waste, fraud and abuse in LIHEAP programs.
    The revised model plan can be viewed on the OCS Web site at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/programs/liheap.
    Respondents: State, Tribal or Territory Governments.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Number of     Average  burden
                 Instrument                      Number of      responses per      hours  per      Total burden
                                                respondents       respondent        response          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Detailed Model Plan.........................             210                1                2              420
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 420.
    In compliance with the requirements of Section 506(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 
Planning, Research and Evaluation, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, 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. 2014-01454 Filed 1-24-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-P