SSA - ACF Generic PPR - Renewal 2019 - 1.15.20_clean

Generic Program-Specific Performance Progress Report (PPR)

OMB Information Collection Request

0970 - 0490

Supporting Statement Part A:

Justification

December 2019

Administration for Children and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary

This information collection request (ICR) is to extend data collection under the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Generic Program-Specific Performance Progress Report (PPR) (0970-0490). This overarching generic allows ACF program offices to collect performance and progress data from recipients who receive funding from ACF under a discretionary grant or cooperative agreement. This information is required under 45 CFR 75.342, monitoring and reporting program performance; 45 CFR 75.301, performance measurement; and the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (Pub.L. 111-352, Sec  12). The generic program-specific PPR was originally approved in January 2017. This request is for an extension with minor updates based on the experiences over the previous three years of approval. For example, burden estimates were revised to reflect the needs of ACF program offices.

ACF is primarily a grant-making agency that promotes the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals and communities with partnerships, funding, guidance, training and technical assistance.

In FY 2019, ACF awarded a total of $12.9 billion in federal financial assistance through 7,447 discretionary awards, according to HHS’s GrantSolutions.gov. Prior to the use of this generic program-specific PPR, a standard ACF PPR (#0970-0406) was used for all ACF discretionary grant and cooperative agreement awards for post award reporting. Historically, on the standard ACF PPR form, ACF required grantees to only respond to a common set of broad questions, which often resulted in qualitative or incomplete information. This one-size-fits-all approach did not adequately collect the specific data needed for particular grant programs or allow program offices to assess continuous quality improvement. Different grant programs vary in purpose, target population, and activities. Therefore, a need for program offices to customize performance measurements was identified and the generic program-specific PPR was developed.

ACF program offices have benefited from the ability to create and use a program-specific PPR that is more effective and includes specific data elements that reflects a specific program’s indicators, demographics, priorities and objectives.

2. Purpose and Use of the Information Collection

The overall purpose of the information collections and uses of the data remain the same under this current request for renewal.

A generic program-specific PPR that can be tailored for program-specific needs allows program offices to collect useful data in a uniform and systematic manner. The reporting format allows program offices to gather uniform program performance data from each grantee, allowing aggregation at the program level to calculate outputs and outcomes, providing a snapshot and allowing for longitudinal analysis.

Data from a tailored program-specific PPR that demonstrates a program’s successes and challenges have been useful for accountability purposes, such as required reports to Congress. Moreover, it has been useful for program management and oversight, such as identifying grantees’ technical assistance needs and ensuring compliance with Federal and programmatic regulations and policies.

All ACF grantees will continue to be required to submit the standard ACF PPR (0970-0406) on a periodic basis. Program offices that decide to develop standardized performance measures for their program can submit the generic program-specific PPR, which would be reviewed and approved under this generic clearance. In those specific instances where approval is granted, the program-specific PPR will be used by grantees for periodic reports. Submission of reports under the program-specific PPRs will be required to retain a benefit (ie. the ACF grant) (45 CFR 75.342, 45 CFR 75.301, Pub.L. 111-352, Sec 12).

The program-specific PPRs will be uncontroversial, low burden, and provide a significant benefit and ensure Federal stewardship and oversight of grant activities. While submission of these reports is required, applying for a grant is a voluntary activity.

Attachment B includes the standard ACF-required PPR instrument with data elements.

A program-specific generic IC (GenIC) will be submitted to OIRA for each individual request, along with the Generic PPR submission template (Attachment A). GenICs approved during the first three years of approval are available for review on RegInfo.gov: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAICList?ref_nbr=201703-0970-007.

3. Use of Improved Information Technology and Burden Reduction

Some program offices may use some of form of electronic collection. This could include web pages, email or other online data management systems. Grantees may be required to enter and retrieve information pertinent to their grants through electronic forms closely resembling the paper forms (i.e., fillable PDFs or tailored online data management systems). Such technology support is expected to improve standardization and timeliness of grantee reporting and to ease further analyses of reported data.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information

No similar data are available.

5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities

These collections will not have adverse impact on small entities.

6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently

ACF program offices may require reporting occur on a quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis. Less frequent submission would mean grantees provide less current information on performance and progress to ACF.

7. Special Circumstances Relating to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5

There are no special circumstances.

8. Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice and Efforts to Consult Outside the Agency

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR Part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995), ACF published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the agency’s intention to request an OMB review of this information collection activity. This notice was published on August 2, 2019, Volume 84, Number 149, page 37880, and provided a sixty-day period for public comment. During the notice and comment period, we did not receive comments.

9. Explanation of Any Payment or Gift to Respondents

There are no payments of gifts to respondents.

10. Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents

We will protect respondents’ information and data obtained to the extent allowed by Federal law. Additionally, all grantees must adhere to 45 CFR § 75.303 (e) to take reasonable measures to safeguard protected personally identifiable information of program participants.

11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

There are no questions of an inherently sensitive nature included in the PPR forms. As noted in the previous section, all grantees must adhere to 45 CFR § 75.303 (e) to take reasonable measures to safeguard protected personally identifiable information of program participants.

12. Estimates of Annualized Burden Hours and Costs

Total burden, including previously approved collections that are ongoing in addition to requested burden over the next three years is 6,912 hours (1,989 + 4,800 = 6,789).

Previously Approved and Ongoing Information Collections

The following generic PPRs were previously approved under 0970-0490 and are still in use.

Generic PPR Title	Number of Respondents	Responses per respondent	Hours per response	Burden hours
Office of Refugee Resettlement Refugee Family Child Care Microenterprise Program Performance Data	12	2	2	48
Survivors of Torture Program Data Points	34	1	5	170
Preferred Communities Program Data Points	9	3	5	135
Refugee Individual Development Accounts (IDA) Program Indicators	20	4	2	160
Refugee Health Promotion Data Indicators	41	1	3	123
Refugee Resettlement Refugee Career Pathways Program Performance Data	12	2	5	120
Head Start Collaboration Office Annual Report	54	1	3	162
Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program (RAPP)	15	2	2.2	66
Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) Renewal Grant Performance Progress Report	47	1	3	141
Community Collaborations to Strengthen and Preserve Families Semiannual ACF Performance Progress Report; Appendix B - Program Indicators	13	2	8	208
Ethnic Community Self-Help (ECSH) Program Data Indicators	20	2	2	80
Microenterprise Development Program Indicators	21	2	2	84
Wilson-Fish Alternative Program Fiscal Year Recipient Report	13	2	2	52
Office of Refugee and Resettlement (ORR)/Department of Unaccompanied Children Operations (DUCO); Home Study (HS) and Post Release (PRS) Grantee Data Collection	11	4	10	440
	Total Respondents: 322	Average # of Responses: 2.07	Average Burden Hours per Response: 3.87	Total Ongoing Burden Hours: 1989

Requested Burden for New Generic Information Collections

The burden estimate for the next three years of approval is estimated based on generic PPRs submitted during the first three years of approval (see above) in addition to internal discussions regarding the program office needs in the upcoming years.

Instrument	Number of Respondents	Number of Responses per Respondent	Average Burden Hour per Response	Total Burden Hours	Average Hourly Wage*	Total Cost
Program Specific PPRs	600	2	4	4,800	$60.42*	$290,016

*This amount accounts for fringe benefits and overhead.

The cost to respondents was calculated using an average of the following Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) job codes:

• 11-9151: Social and Community Service Managers ($34.46)

• 11-9031: Education Administrators, Preschool and Childcare Center/Program ($25.96)

The average mean hourly wage is $30.21. To account for fringe benefits and overhead the rate was multiplied by two, which is $60.42.  The estimate of annualized cost to respondents for hour burden is $60.42 times 4,800 hours or $290,016.

https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm#11-0000

13. Estimates of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents and Record Keepers

There are no monetary costs to respondents in completing and submitting the program-specific PPR.

14. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government

Costs to the Federal Government are estimated based on about 5% time of a GS-13¹ for initial creation of the form, data collection and review. This is an estimate of $4,958.60 per information collection. Based on the past three years, we have multiplied this by 15 collections to estimate a cost of $74,379.

15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments

This is a request for an extension to a previously approved collection. Adjustments to burden estimates reflect updates based on experiences over the past three years. See A12, subsection Previously Approved and Ongoing Information Collections for additional information.

16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule

Any plans to publish results will be described in individual ICs under this generic clearance.

17. Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate

Not applicable.

18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

No exceptions.

1 Step 1, adjusted for DC area: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2019/DCB.pdf