80 FR 79901 - Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 246 (December 23, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 246 (Wednesday, December 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79901-79902]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32242]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

    Title: Collection of LIHEAP Recipient Household Data for 2015 RECS 
LIHEAP Administrative Data Matching.
    OMB No.: New Collection.
    For Further Information Contact: Lauren Christopher, Director, 
Division of Energy Assistance, Office of Community Services, 330 C 
Street SW., 5th Floor, Mail Room 5425 Washington, DC 20201. Telephone 
(202) 401-4870; email: [email protected].
    Description: The Office of Community Services (OCS) is planning to 
require the reporting of administrative household data for State LIHEAP 
grantees' FY 2015 LIHEAP recipients.
    The purpose of this request is to provide data that will allow OCS 
to identify LIHEAP recipients that responded to the 2015 Residential 
Energy Consumption Survey (RECS). The U.S. Energy Information 
Administration (EIA) conducts this survey to provide periodic national 
and regional data on residential energy use in the United States. OCS 
uses RECS data to furnish Congress and the Administration with 
important national and regional descriptive data on the energy needs of 
low-income households.
    State LIHEAP grantees have provided household-level recipient data 
in 2001, 2005, and 2010 for similar efforts to identify LIHEAP 
recipients that participated in the RECS for those years. 
Administrative household data already is collected by State grantees 
and used to complete the annual LIHEAP Household Report (OMB Control 
No. 0970-0060) and the annual LIHEAP Performance Data Form (OMB Control 
No. 0970-0449).
    The LIHEAP data collected for this effort will be used by OCS to 
study the impact of LIHEAP on income eligible and recipient households 
in accordance with section 2610(b)(2) of the LIHEAP statute. The 
information is being collected for use in development of the 
Department's annual LIHEAP Report to Congress and the annual LIHEAP 
Home Energy Notebook.
    State LIHEAP grantees will be asked to furnish data for LIHEAP 
recipient households that reside in areas included in the RECS sample.
    The following are the specific data items grantees will report for 
each household:

 Name
 Address (including ZIP code)
 Household or Client ID
 Telephone Number
 Household Size
 Gross Income
 Heating assistance awarded?
 Amount of heating assistance
 Date of heating assistance
 Cooling assistance awarded?
 Amount of cooling assistance
 Date of cooling assistance
 Crisis Assistance awarded?
 Amount of crisis assistance
 Date of crisis assistance
 Other Assistance awarded?
 Amount of other assistance
 Date of other assistance
 Presence of children 5 or younger
 Presence of adult 60 or older
 Presence of disabled

    The following are optional data items that grantees can provide if 
the data are available in your database:

 Tenancy (i.e., own or rent)
 Type(s) of fuel used
 Heat included in rent

    State LIHEAP grantees can provide the data elements in the selected 
format of their choosing.
    The confidentiality of client data will be strictly protected as 
part of the Project. LIHEAP application client waivers allow grantees 
to share information with OCS and its contractors.
    Respondents: State Governments and the District of Columbia.

[[Page 79902]]



   Burden Estimates for LIHEAP Recipient Household Administrative Data
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       Number of       Average burden
    Number of        responses per        hours per       Total burden
   respondents         respondent         response            hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------
             49                  1                 24             1,176
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As LIHEAP is a block grant, there is varying capacity to collect 
and report data among grantees. The estimated burden hours displayed 
above are for the average LIHEAP grantee. All LIHEAP grantees have 
existing data systems to collect, maintain, and analyze this data to 
complete annual reporting requirements.
    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 
Planning, Research and Evaluation, 330 C Street SW., Washington, DC 
20201. 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. 2015-32242 Filed 12-22-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-P