Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Carryout and Reallotment Report

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) statute requires grantees to obligate no less than 90% of total LIHEAP funds appropriated for a federal fiscal year (FFY). Section 2607(b) of the LIHEAP statute (42 U.S.C. 8626(b)) requires each grantee (1) to notify HHS of the amount (if any) of these funds that it fails or will fail to obligate; and (2) to return any unobligated funds above 10% of the FFY's total to the federal government. Grantees may carry over the amount, up to 10%, that they fail to obligate for use in the following FFY. Grantees use the LIHEAP Carryover and Reallotment Report on an annual basis to notify HHS of these amounts. The CARES Act (Public Law 116-136) appropriated $900,000,000 for LIHEAP for FFY 2020. This law lifted, for these funds only, the requirement of Section 2607(b). Legislation pending in Congress proposes to do likewise for additional supplemental funds. Consequently, grantees may obligate any share of their LIHEAP allotment under the CARES Act, and potentially additional supplemental acts, in FFY 2020 and carry over the full remainder to FFY 2021. This means FFY 2020 LIHEAP funds fall under at least two funding streams--one with a 90% obligation requirement and the other with a 0% obligation requirement. As a result, ACF, which administers LIHEAP for HHS, must require grantees to report LIHEAP funds appropriated through the CARES Act separately from those appropriated under other appropriations mechanisms. Accordingly, ACF asks that OMB approve the attached, non-substantive change to the LIHEAP Carryover and Reallotment Report for FFY 2020.

The latest form for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Carryout and Reallotment Report expires 2022-04-30 and can be found here.