TO:	All State Administrative Agency Heads All State Administrative Agency Points of Contact
FROM:	C. Suzanne Mencer
	Director
SUBJECT:	State Homeland Security Strategy Deadline Extension

ODP has received additional feedback during recent weeks from participants in the State Homeland Security Assessment and Strategy (SHSAS) program about the Online Data Collection Tool (DCT). ODP has been working diligently to address these issues and to improve the tool’s reliability and performance. We are aware that ongoing problems with the DCT have made meeting deadlines challenging. We sincerely appreciate the patience and dedication that users have shown in attempting to complete the SHSAS processes in accordance with the tight schedule set forth in program guidelines.

Guidance provided in the SHSAS Program State Handbook required that all state strategies were to be completed and submitted to ODP no later than December 31, 2003. Due to the ongoing technical difficulties users have experienced, ODP is revising this deadline:

• State homeland security strategies must now be submitted to ODP through the Online DCT no later than January 31, 2004.
• Submission of state homeland security strategies prior to the revised deadline will be accepted by ODP. If necessary, these documents may be submitted in hard copy and uploaded into the DCT. Hard copy submission should be coordinated with your ODP Program Manager.

Please continue to utilize the ODP Technical Assistance Help Line for technical inquiries by calling (877) 612-HELP (4357). Technicians are available to answer inquiries Monday through Friday from 7 A.M. – 9 P.M. Central Standard Time (CST) and 10 A.M. – 6 P.M. CST on Saturday and Sunday. Local users should continue to contact their State Administrator for inquiries regarding assessment and/or strategy content. State Administrators should continue to contact their ODP Program Manager for additional content information. General information can be obtained by calling ODP’s Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk at (800) 368-6498.

Thank you for your patience during this process. ODP will continue to update you on the status of the DCT, and on any further developments regarding the assessment and strategy process.