Process
This CIS process is only applicable to the BPHC Health
Center
Grant Program. For other HRSA
grant programs or other programs such as
the FQHC Look-Alike program refer to those
programs respective guidance related to
the change in scope process.
Following is the process
for submitting a CIS Phase II request through
the HRSA
EHBs (refer to Figure 1
):
1.
The project director and authorizing official
must register with HRSA
EHBs (if not already registered). (See 2.2
).
2.
Read all documentation related to the CIS
process including PIN, FAQs and this submission
guide.
3.
Complete the evaluation questionnaire in HRSA EHBs to determine if a CIS request is needed.
This step is optional but recommended before
significant time is spent in preparation of
the CIS request (See 2.3.3
)
4.
If a CIS request is necessary, prepare the
CIS application through HRSA
EHBs. (See 2.3.4
)
5.
Once the CIS request is complete, submit it
electronically through the HRSA
EHBs. (See 2.3.5
)
6.
HRSA
Project Officer (PO) will receive the CIS
request and validate it for completeness.
If the CIS request is deemed incomplete,
HRSA
may request a change from the grantee. (See
2.3.6
)
7.
When HRSA
has completed its internal processing, the
grantee will either receive a Notice of Grant
Award (NGA) or a disapproval email depending
on the decision. These notifications are sent
to the project director and the point of contact
for the CIS request.
In order to submit the CIS
request in HRSA
EHBs, existing Health Center Cluster Program
grantee organization users must register within
the EHBs. The purpose of the registration
process is to collect consistent information
from all users, avoid collection of redundant
information and allow for the unique identification
of each system user. Note that registration within HRSA EHBs is required only once for each user. Note that HRSA EHBs now allow the user to use his/her single
username and associate it with more than one
organization.
Registration within HRSA
EHBs is a two-step process. In the first step, individual users from an
organization who participate in the grants process such as applying for
noncompeting continuations must create individual system accounts. In
the second step, the users must associate themselves with the appropriate
grantee organization. To find your organization record use the 10-digit
grant number from the Notice of Grant Award (NGA) belonging to your grant.
Note that since all existing grantee organization records already exist within
EHBs, there is no need to create a new one.
To complete the registration quickly and efficiently we
recommend that you have the following information handy:
1. Your
role in the grants management process. HRSA
EHBs offer the following three functional roles for individuals from
applicant/grantee organizations:
·
Authorizing Official (AO),
·
Business Official (BO), and
·
Other Employee (for project directors, assistant
staff, AO designees and others).
For
more information on functional responsibilities, refer to the HRSA EHBs online help.
2. 10-digit
grant number from the latest NGA belonging to your grant (Box 4b on NGA). You must use the grant number to find your organization during
registration. All individuals from the organization working on the grant must
use the same grant number to ensure correct registration.
In order to access the grant handbook, the project director
and other participants have to register the specific grant and add it to their
respective portfolios. This step is required to ensure that only the authorized
individuals from the organization have access to grant data. Project directors will need the last
released NGA in order to complete this additional step. Again, note that
this is a one-time requirement.
The project director must give the necessary privileges to
the authorizing official and other individuals who will assist in the CIS submission
process using the administer feature in the grant handbook. The project
director should also delegate the “Administer Grant Users” privilege to the
authorizing official.
Once you have access to your grant handbook, use the “New/Existing
CIS” link under the Change Grant section to access the CIS Request.
For assistance in registering with HRSA
EHBs, call 877-GO4-HRSA
(877-464-4772) between 9:00 am to 5:30 pm ET or email callcenter@hrsa.gov.
You must use your 10-digit grant number (box 4b from NGA) to
identify your organization.
General Instructions
for the CIS Function
To access the CIS function,
login to HRSA
EHBs. Select the ‘View Portfolio’ link under
the ‘Grants Portfolio’ section. (You must
be a registered HRSA
EHBs user and must have added the grant to
your portfolio. See 2.2
.)
From the list of grants, select the Health Center Cluster
grant and click on ‘Open Grant Handbook’ link. Note that CIS requests can only
be submitted for the Health Center Cluster grants. (Grant number beginning with
H80.)
Once in the grant handbook, you will see a link on the left
navigation menu for “New/Existing CIS”.
Click on this link to get to the CIS
section of the grant handbook. From here,
you can edit or view the status of existing
CIS requests, as well as create new CIS requests.
Manage Access to
CIS Function
Use the ‘Administer/Existing Users’ section to manage the
privileges required for CIS. There are four
privileges related to CIS:
1. Create
CIS Request - allows the user to create CIS requests for this grant.
2. View
CIS Request - allows the user to view CIS requests already in the grant portfolio.
3. Edit
CIS Request - allows the user to work on CIS requests already in the grant portfolio.
4. Submit
CIS Request - allows the user to submit CIS requests to HRSA
for this grant.
The purpose of these privileges is to control which tasks
the user is allowed to perform. Project directors (PD) have all of these
privileges by default and they can manage the access for other users. For
example, a PD may want to allow a subordinate to create and edit the CIS
request, but not allow him/her to submit it. This way the CIS request can be
created in a collaborative manner and be reviewed appropriately before it is
submitted by authorized users.
Some privileges are required before other privileges can be
given. Below is a matrix showing these
requirements.
| Desired Privilege |
Dependent Privilege |
| View |
Edit |
Create |
Submit |
| View |
N/A |
- |
- |
- |
| Edit |
Required |
N/A |
- |
- |
| Create |
Required |
Required |
N/A |
- |
| Submit |
Required |
Required |
- |
N/A |
Figure 2: CIS Privilege Matrix
Using the above table, for each privilege, go across the
matrix to note which privileges are required to have that privilege.
Evaluate CIS Need
To ensure that only qualified CIS requests are submitted
electronically through the HRSA
EHBs, a questionnaire-based wizard is provided to assist grantees in assessing
their CIS need. Grantees are requested to complete this questionnaire each time
they proceed to create a CIS request. Based on the questions answered by the
grantee, the system provided pre-programmed recommendations on whether a CIS
request is appropriate or not. Users who complete this questionnaire are
expected to discuss the results within their organization or with the project
officer as appropriate. The results can be emailed or printed. The results are
not saved within HRSA EHBs.
Figure 3: CIS Evaluation Questionnaire Result
This is an optional but recommended step; it has been
designed to provide grantees with guidance
before significant time and effort is spent
in preparing a CIS request that may not
be appropriate to begin with.
Prepare and Compleet CIS Request
Once you have created the CIS request, you must complete the
request using both the built-in system instructions and the instructions
provided in the PIN. You must complete all sections before you can submit the
CIS request. Note that you can complete the CIS request in a collaborative
manner with other users that have been given privileges to edit a CIS request.
You can also edit the CIS request in parts, save it and return to complete it
later.
For the sections that have templates to download, refer to
section 3.2.2 of this document for further assistance.
For assistance with policy related questions, please contact
your HRSA project officer.
Your CIS request is considered complete when all sections
have been completed as required in the system.
Your CIS request must also address all requirements
of the PIN. Your CIS request will be subjected
to a completeness review by HRSA.
Submit CIS Request
Once all sections of the CIS request are complete, it must
be submitted to HRSA. Unless the CIS
request is submitted, it cannot be considered for review.
The CIS request must be submitted by the Authorizing
Official of the grantee organization or a designee with appropriate authority.
The person submitting the CIS request is also required to electronically sign
the CIS request.
After successful submission, HRSA
EHBs send an email to the project director and the point of contact listed on
the CIS request.
In order to submit a CIS request, all sections must be
complete and the user must have the ‘Submit
CIS Request’ privilege. The CIS request
cannot be modified after it has been submitted
unless a change is specifically requested
by HRSA.
Follow Up or Request Changes
After your CIS request is submitted to HRSA it will be reviewed by your project officer. If your CIS request is not complete, the Project
Officer (PO) can require that a change be made to your CIS request. There are
two ways in which you can find out if a change has been requested:
The first is to monitor the CIS request status on the CIS
list page. This status will change to “Change Requested” if the PO has requested a change. You will also see the edit
button available to edit your CIS request.
The second method is through email. An email will be sent to
your project director and the Point of Contact listed on the CIS request informing
that a change has been requested by the PO.
You must re-submit the CIS request in order for it to
be considered for further review.
Withdraw CIS Request
After
submitting a CIS request, if you wish to withdraw
it for any reason, you can choose to do so
by submitting the withdrawal request online
through the EHBs. Please provide a narrative
description along with the withdrawal request.
If you have not submitted the CIS request,
you can delete it. Deleted requests are permanently
removed from the system and cannot be retrieved.
Withdrawal requests can be submitted as long as HRSA has not made a decision on the CIS request. The
EHBs will prevent a withdrawal request from
being submitted if significant processing
has already occurred.
Results
Each submitted CIS
request can result in one of the following end states:
1.
Approved – The CIS request has been reviewed
within HRSA and approved. You will
get a new Notice of Grant Award communicating the approval. Refer to the NGA
for the details of the approval and any associated conditions or remarks.
2.
Disapproved – The CIS request has been reviewed
within HRSA and disapproved. You
will get an email from the Grants Management Officer.
3.
Withdrawn – The CIS request has been withdrawn
by HRSA upon request from the
grantee. You will get an email when your CIS request is successfully withdrawn.
You can check the status of your CIS request
online within EHBs.
All CIS requests are maintained in the system.
You can search for specific requests over
time.
