2020-16197. Proposed Information Collection Activity; Application Requirements for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Model Plan Application (OMB #0970-0075)

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Request for public comment.

SUMMARY:

The Office of Community Services (OCS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is requesting a 3-year extension of the form OCS-0024: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Model Plan Application (OMB #0970-0075, expiration 9/30/2020). There are no changes requested to the form.

DATES:

Comments due within 60 days of publication. In compliance with the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) 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 [e-mail]. Alternatively, copies can also be obtained by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), 330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. All requests, emailed or written, should be identified by the title of the information collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Description: States, including the District of Columbia, tribes, tribal organizations, and U.S. territories applying for LIHEAP block grant funds must, prior to receiving federal funds, submit an annual application (Model Plan, ACF-122) that meets the LIHEAP statutory and regulatory requirements. In addition to the Model Plan, grantees are also required to complete the Mandatory Grant Application, SF-424—Mandatory, which is included as the first section of the Model Plan.

The LIHEAP Model Plan is an electronic form and is submitted to OCS/ACF through the On-Line Data Collection (OLDC) system within GrantSolutions, which is currently being used by all LIHEAP grantees to submit other required LIHEAP reporting forms. In order to reduce the reporting burden, all data entries from each grantee's prior year's submission of the Model Plan in OLDC are saved and re-populated into the form for the following fiscal year's application.

Respondents: States, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and tribal governments.

Annual Burden Estimates

Instrument	Total annual number of respondents	Total annual number of responses per respondent	Average burden hours per response	Total annual burden hours
LIHEAP Detailed Model Plan	210	1	.50	105

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 105.

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 within 60 days of this publication.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 8621)

John M. Sweet Jr.,

ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.