[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 245 (Monday, December 27, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73293-73294]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-28125]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Annual Report on 
Households Assisted by the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program 
(LIHEAP) (OMB #0970-0060)

AGENCY: Office of Community Services, Administration for Children and 
Families, HHS.

ACTION: Request for public comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of Community Services (OCS), Division of Energy 
Assistance, is requesting a 3-year extension of the Household Report 
Form (OMB #0970-0060, expiration February 28, 2022). Submission of the 
completed report is one requirement for LIHEAP grant recipients 
applying for federal LIHEAP block grant funds. OCS proposes minor 
changes related to reporting of supplemental funding and to update 
reporting dates and number of respondents.

DATES: Comments may be submitted through February 25, 2022. In 
compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, ACF is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the 
information collection described above.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the proposed collection of information can be 
obtained and comments may be forwarded by emailing 
[email protected]. Identify all requests by the title of the 
information collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Description: States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico are required by the Low-Income Energy Assistance Act of 
1981 (42 U.S.C. 8624, Sec 2610) to report statistics for the previous 
federal fiscal year (FFY) on the following:
     Assisted and applicant households, by type of LIHEAP 
assistance and funding source;
     Assisted households receiving nominal payments of $50 or 
less, by funding source;
     Assisted households receiving only utility payment 
assistance, by funding source; this information will automatically be 
transferred to the grant recipient's Performance Data Form;
     Assisted households, regardless of the type(s) of LIHEAP 
assistance or funding source, excluding households that only receive 
nominal payments of $50 or less;
     Assisted households, by type of LIHEAP assistance and 
funding source, having at least one vulnerable member who is at least 
60 years or older, disabled, or 5 years old or younger;
     Assisted households, by type of LIHEAP assistance and 
funding source, with at least one member age 2 years or under;
     Assisted households, by type of LIHEAP assistance and 
funding source, with at least one member ages 3 years through 5 years; 
and
     Assisted households, regardless of the type(s) of LIHEAP 
assistance or funding source, having at least one member 60 years or 
older, disabled, or 5 years old or younger.
    Indian tribal grant recipients are required to submit data only on 
the number of households, by funding source, receiving heating, 
cooling, energy crisis, and/or weatherization benefits.
    In FFY 2020, OCS updated the form to allow for the reporting of 
households served by separate LIHEAP funding types and benefits 
provided by the following: (1) Funds from regular LIHEAP FFY 
appropriations acts, including any Continuing Resolutions and final 
appropriations acts, reallotted prior year funds, and federal LIHEAP 
funds carried-over to or expended in the current year; (2) supplemental 
funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the 
CARES Act) (Pub. L. 116-136); and (3) funds from any subsequent 
supplemental LIHEAP appropriations acts. ACF proposes similar changes 
to the report for FFY 2022, including the addition of lines that allow 
for the reporting of households served by LIHEAP funds from the 
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. L. 117-2). OCS has also

[[Page 73294]]

updated the request to reflect the current number of expected 
respondents and appropriate reporting dates.
    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 allow the accuracy of 
measuring LIHEAP targeting performance and LIHEAP cost efficiency.
    Respondents: State governments, tribal governments, U.S. 
territories, and the District of Columbia.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                   Total number   Average burden
                   Instrument                      Total number    of responses      hours per     Annual burden
                                                  of respondents  per respondent     response          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assisted Household Report-Long Form.............              56               1              43           2,408
Assisted Household Report-Short Form............             151               1               2             302
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,710.
    Comments: 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 
through February 25, 2022.
    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 8629 and 45 CFR 96.92.

Mary B. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021-28125 Filed 12-22-21; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-80-P