NonSub - 1115 Waivers

To: Kelsi Feltz

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

From: Melissa Johnson, Director, Division of Regional Operations

Office of Child Support Services (OCSS)

Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

Date: July 19, 2024

Subject: NonSubstantive Change Request – Tribal Budget and Narrative Justification Template (OMB #0970-0548)

This memo requests approval of nonsubstantive changes to the approved information collection, Tribal Budget and Narrative Justification Template (OMB #0970-0548)

Background

On May 30, 2023, OMB approved the extension of the Tribal Budget Narrative Justification Template (OMB #0970-0548) until May 31, 2026. On February 12, 2024, the Federal Register published the Final Rule for the Elimination of the Non-Federal Share (NFS).

Overview of Requested Changes

With the approval of the Final Rule for Elimination of the NFS, tribes no longer qualify for Section 1115 Demonstration Grants. Tribal child support programs can pursue demonstration projects using Section 1115 Waivers to provide a service not ordinarily approved by regulation.

As part of their Section 1115 waiver request, tribes must provide a budget describing how they will use the funds. Tribes already must provide an annual budget submission to OCSS for their tribal child support program funds. Most tribes use the Tribal Budget Narrative Justification Template (OMB #0970-0548) in Excel when submitting their annual budget.

To reduce the administrative burden for tribes requesting a Section 1115 waiver, OCSS made two small changes to the Excel budget template. The first is to add TAB-5A_1115 WAIVER WORKSHEET where they can include the budget for the waiver. This worksheet is a replica of TAB-5_BUDGET WORKSHEET. The second change is adding lines to each other section headers in TAB-5_BUDGET WORKSHEET that includes the totals from the responding sections from TAB-5A_1115 WAIVER WORKSHEET. This allows the totals from the waiver tab to be included in the annual budget submission totals for a complete award amount.

Time Sensitivities

Many tribes are interested in requesting a Section 1115 Waiver with their FY 2025 budget due on August 1, 2024. They would like to use the OCSS-provided template for both.