| Program – Administrative Data System |
Length of Time between end of Program Year and Submission of Data by State/Grantee |
Length of Time between end of Program Year and Availability of Data |
Reasons for Time Schedule |
Strategy for Eliminating Time Delays where Appropriate |
| TANF participation
rates: TANF Administrative Data |
3 months |
12 months (September) |
The TANF statute allows States 3 months to report data at the end of each quarter. The additional time (9-12 months) is needed to ensure complete and accurate data reporting as well as final compilation and analysis of data. |
FY 2000 was the first year of the new data reporting system. We expect that the timeliness and quality of the data will improve. We will continue to closely monitor State data transmission and provide TA as necessary. |
| TANF High Performance
Bonus Measures |
11 months to provide data for each quarter |
15 months (December) |
The data source for the work performance measures is the State employment wage records. Timing of employer reporting determines the availability of these data. |
Beginning with the FY 2002 bonus (performance year FY 2001), we will have access to national wage records via the Office of Child Support Enforcement’s new database and will match against these records to compile work performance data. Since Child Support relies on State reporting of these wage data, we do not believe time delays can be substantially reduced. |
| DD-Employment, Housing,
and Education |
3 months after end of fiscal year (January) |
6 months (March) |
All grantees submit their Program Performance Report (PPR) by January 1 of the next calendar year. The PPR’s are reviewed by respective regions and then forwarded to ADD office, where PPR’s are stored in central database and reports are compiled. |
ADD provides ongoing training and technical assistance to grantees to ensure updated knowledge of electronic data submission and thorough understanding of data collection methods. Ongoing training and technical assistance improves timeliness and thoroughness of reports and provides a trained expert to respond to problem situations via email or phone. |
| DD – Health |
3 months after end of fiscal year (January) |
16 months (January) |
Health data are collected by a technical assistance contract through manual system of reporting. |
ADD plans to convert the manual data collection to an electronic collection system. |
| RR- State Administered |
Fiscal Year – 45 days after each quarter |
7 months (April) |
Quarterly reporting allows ORR to provide timely responses to issues that arise in the refugee program, to develop refugee assistance and services budget and update forecasting methodologies for determining the number of months ORR can provide cash assistance and medical assistance based on the number of refugees receiving or eligible to receive cash assistance. After receipt of the final report, ORR verifies and validates the grantee information. |
ORR State analysts will make a more aggressive effort to contact ORR State coordinators when reports are past due. A written communication will be sent out from the ORR Director when reports are extremely delinquent. |
| RR – Matching
Grant |
Calendar Year – 4 month reporting cycles in May, September and January |
5 months (May) |
Statistical outcome reports are due at 4-month intervals. ORR uses these reports to provide managerial oversight of the program, develop policies for refugee assistance and services and direction and guidance to the States. The additional 4 months after the end of the calendar year is necessary for ORR to validate and verify the data. |
A written communication will be sent out from the ORR Director when reports are extremely delinquent. |
| SSBG |
Within six months or when State submits its application for funding (which begins subsequent to the expiration of that six-month period). |
15 months (December) |
Block Grant Regulations allow six months to report data at the end of the period covered by the report or at the time the State submits its application for funding which begins subsequent to the expiration of that six month period. |
OCS is working to assure that the concerns expressed in the past about lack of information on the effectiveness of the SSBG in accomplishing its stated program goals will decrease. Work continues with States to improve reporting for services provided with these funds to improve the quality and timeliness of program information. All States were contacted to resolve any data questions and to confirm the State’s methods for counting recipients, total expenditures, and TANF transfers. |
| Child Support Enforcement |
3 months (December) |
9 months (June) |
OCSE allows States 3 months to report data at the end of the fiscal year. The additional 6 months is needed to compile and analyze the data to ensure they are complete and accurate. |
FY 1999 was the first year using the new reporting form. We expect more States will transmit their data electronically which will improve the timeliness and quality of the data. OCSE will continue to provide technical assistance. |
| Child Care – Fiscal
Year Measures |
blank cell |
6 months (April) |
The CCDBG statute allows States until 12/31 of any FY to submit their aggregate and final case level reports. Time is needed to verify and correct their submissions |
CCB continues to provide training and technical assistance to States experiencing reporting difficulties to improve timeliness, reduce errors, improve completeness, and encourage and facilitate development of State data systems |
| Child Care – Calendar
Year Measures |
blank cell |
12 months (September) |
Data sources are external non-government agencies that report data on a calendar year basis. |
NA |
| Head Start PIR measures |
School Year - May |
1 month (October) |
blank cell |
No Delay |
| Head Start – FACES
measures |
Available on a three year cycle – data submitted by evaluation contractor, yielding longitudinal data on HS program period and follow-up. |
2000/2001 cohort data will be available by October 2002 |
Available on a three year cycle – data submitted by evaluation contractor |
NA |
| Child Welfare – measure
7.1f |
Substantial amount of data are still being reported in May of the following year because 3 reporting periods are required to get one year’s worth of data. |
12 months (September) |
Data are used to calculate adoption incentive awards, which are announced in the summer when total number of adoptions are announced. Data cannot be released until the announcement. |
NA |
| Child Welfare – measure
7.1b |
Voluntary reporting system – calendar year basis |
12 months (September) |
Grantees submitting child abuse data require an extensive length of time to gather data. |
NA |
| Child Welfare – remaining
measures |
November w/second submission due end of March for States whose data are penalized to submit corrective actions |
9 months (June) |
States have 2-1/2 months after end of year to submit data and until March 31 to submit corrective actions. It takes 2 months for data to get to analysts from MIS processing units and for actual analysis. |
NA |
| Youth |
1-2 months |
3-6 months. NOTE: The previously reported 9 months (June) timeframe was applicable only to FY 2000, during which extensive resources were devoted to data collection redesign. |
Community based grantees do not always have the capacity and resources to submit data within thirty days, as required. Technical assistance is provided as needed. Additionally, see note at left. |
Development of a new system for collecting and processing data will result in more complete reporting (the target for proportion of grantees reporting correctly is 95% and above, in comparison with the 45-55% historical levels), as well as more accurate and timely national data. |
| CSBG |
15 months (December) |
21 months (July) |
States are required to report the latest complete 12 months of CSBG data. The 21-month delay in reporting is the result of States and sub-grantees having different reporting periods. Under the CSBG Program, the reporting period coincides with the State fiscal year instead of the Federal fiscal year. Twenty-one months are required to obtain, analyze and aggregate a CSBG report from all States. |
Beginning with the FY 2000 CSBG data, we expect the timeliness for the data will improve. The form used to collect the data was revised and should decrease the time required by States to compile individual State CSBG reports. This revised form should decrease the length of time between the end of the program year and the availability of data to 18 months. |
| Native Americans |
Grantees are on a 6-month reporting cycle from date of award. While ANA grants are awarded throughout the year, the majority are awarded at the end of the fiscal year making the final Progress Report & Financial Report (SF-269) due at the end of October of the following year. Grantees are allowed 30 days to prepare and submit their final report. |
During the third quarter (April-June) |
Office of Grants Management OGM-00-03 and the Grants Administration Manual (GAM) 3.09.413 allows for timely submission of these reports every 6 months. The additional time is required to aggregate, verify and analyze the data. |
NA |
| LIHEAP |
5 months (February) |
9 months (June). There is a statutory requirement that State data on households assisted be submitted as part of LIHEAP Annual Report to Congress that is due each June following the end of the previous fiscal year. |
Length of time of data submission varies as State LIHEAP grantees can submit estimated household data for the previous fiscal year when applying for the following fiscal year’s block grant funding. LIHEAP grant applications need to be submitted by 9/1/01. There are no due data for submission of final data. ACF follows up to obtain final data starting in December of each year. Usually the following February, we have final data submitted from all State LIHEAP grantees. |
Consult with LIHEAP Directors and State agency heads at LIHEAP National Workshops. Consult with LIHEAP Advisory Committee on Managing for Results. Consultations will focus on suggestions about how ACF might obtain more timely final data. |
| Administration – Training |
3 months (December) |
4 months (January) |
Necessary to aggregate prior year data from 24 ACF components and Regional Offices |
N/A |
| Administration – GATES
II |
9 months (June) |
All data submitted to ACF via the GATES II interface will be immediately available to ACF organizations. |
Presently, data are entered as electronic record in multiple program systems. Data are available for each collection once data entry and validation activities are complete. The current process includes manual validation that is time consuming and requires resubmission of data from grantee. Present lag time varies between ACF organizations and is predicated on each organization’s successful completion of data entry and validation. Expected delivery of production version of GATES II will be June 2002. Pilot testing of each data collection instrument (form) is expected to begin in March 2002. |
The GATES II effort presents a data storage solution that provides live reporting on all ACF data collections. As data are supplied by grantees, approved data are then moved to data storage areas where report functions are capable of presenting the collection. |
