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Program Assistance Letter
(PAL) 2008-01 (issued on November 14) described
how the Health Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA) is streamlining and simplifying grantee
reporting processes through the use of enhancements
to current systems for electronic reporting
and filing of grants information. These enhancements
will better support health centers in managing
their Health Center Program grants through improved
processes for applying for grants; easier submissions
for requesting changes in scope of project;
and more efficient performance reporting.
For HRSA, the Bureau of Primary Health Care
(BPHC) is about to embark on a critically important
activity that will substantially improve its
ability to oversee and provide support/assistance
to Health Center Program grantees. During the
period January – March 2008, BPHC and
all health center grantees, will be asked to
verify every grantee’s grant-funded scope
of project. This activity will be known as “Baseline
Scope Verification” (BSV).
BSV is an essential step for each Health Center
Program grantee to establish an accurate and
complete scope of project for sites, services,
and other activities under the section 330 grant.
Accurate, reliable and timely information on
grantee scope will help HRSA staff provide better
customer service to grantees, assure grantees
that accurate information about their grants
is on file, and help assure that the best possible
information is available for programs that use
scope of project data (e.g., Medicare and Medicaid,
340b drug pricing, Federal Torts Claims Act).
In addition, grantees will benefit from the
pre-population of scope of project data into
future grant applications and related electronic
submissions, thereby reducing work duplication.
This one-time BSV activity is the opportunity
for Health Center Program grantees to transfer
information recorded in past paper applications
and other processes, into an electronic format.
The BSV process will be managed through HRSA’s
Electronic Handbook (EHB).
Once in an electronic format, the data will
be stored in a “Scope Repository”
so that it will available for use in future
grant applications and change in scope requests.
The BSV process is not an opportunity for Health
Center Program grantees to add/delete services
or sites from their approved scope of project.
The BSV process is simply a verification of
each Health Center Program grantee’s current
approved scope of project.
A. DATES
All Health Center Program grantees will be required
to verify and document the services and sites
in their federally approved scope during the
one-time BSV. Grantees will be required to enter
data for this process into the electronic system
between January 1, 2008 and no later than February
29, 2008. Note the following timeline requirements:
- It is strongly recommended that applicants
submitting Service Area Competition (SAC)
grant applications for fiscal year (FY) 2009
with project period start dates of November
1, 2008 and December 1, 2008 complete entry
of their scope verification data by January
31, 2008.
- All other current Health Center Program
grantees must complete entry of their scope
verification data no later than February 29,
2008. (This includes SAC grant applicants
with project period start dates in 2009 of
January 1, February 1, March 1, April 1, May
1, and June 1.)
- As the data entered into the scope repository,
once verified by BPHC, will serve as a baseline/reference
for each grantee’s future electronic
grant and change in scope requests, each grantee
must complete the scope verification process
by February 29, 2008, or it will not be able
to submit electronically any future grant
applications for new or continued FY 2009
funding (SAC, Budget Period Renewal (BPR),
New Access Point (NAP), etc.).
B. BASELINE SCOPE VERIFICATION PROCESS
Each Health Center Program grantee will be required
to log into the HRSA EHB system and verify/provide
information as necessary on their current approved
scope of project (services, sites and other
activities). In doing so, please note the following:
- Each grantee’s current approved scope
of project, not any planned or proposed scope
of project changes, will be verified. HRSA
will pre-populate data on current sites from
existing HRSA databases which will be available
for grantee review on January 1, 2008. Only
those sites in the HRSA database as of December
15, 2007 will be pre-populated on Form 5-Part
B for verification.
- If an electronic change in scope request
to add/delete/relocate a site is approved
after December 15, 2007 and a Notice of
Grant Award confirming approval is received
before February 29, 2008, the grantee
will be asked to add/delete this site
during the BSV process, unless the grantee
has already submitted its final data in
the system. (If this is the case, no further
action by the grantee is required.)
- The BSV process is not an opportunity
for a grantee to submit a new change in
scope request or make any changes to its
current approved scope of project.
- Grantees must enter information on services
provided (Form 5-Part A) into the BSV electronic
system. The system will require each grantee
to enter data on services provided in two
sections, required services and optional services.
- Grantees must also enter information on
other activities/locations (Form 5-Part C).
- Grantees will be provided the option to
include supporting documentation for data
supplied on Forms 5-Part A, 5-Part B, and
5-Part C as a part of their BSV submission.
- Grantees will receive an email notifying
them that their baseline scope data submission
is complete. These data will be verified for
grantees by their respective BPHC Project
Officers who may contact grantees for clarification
on questions related to their BSV submissions.
Once a grantee’s BSV data are verified,
the baseline project scope will be confirmed
by an official HRSA e-mail communication.
C. TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
FOR BASELINE SCOPE VERIFICATION
In order to assure the success of the BSV process,
HRSA is committed to providing the following
technical assistance (TA) and training to support
grantees:
- Post information regarding BSV and TA materials
on the HRSA
system help Web page. TA resource links
on the Web site will also include the HRSA
Call Center Help Desk (877-464-4772) and responses
to frequently asked questions.
- Provide a detailed, user friendly instruction
guide on the BSV process on the web site.
- Provide BSV system demonstrations at various
national and state conferences.
- Conduct grantee TA calls to describe BSV
and provide a general orientation to the BSV
process (December 13 and 14, 2:00-3:30 PM
EST).
December 13: Call in numbers
1-630-395-0408 or 877-918-6725 (toll free)
Pass code# 5465477
December 14: Call in numbers
1-630-395-0412 or 800-369-1847 (toll free)
Pass code # 8550781
To facilitate this verification process, HRSA
encourages grantees to take the following steps:
- Assure that all grants.gov and EHB registrations
and officials identified to act on behalf
of the grantee are up to date.
- Locate Forms 5-Part A, 5-Part B, and 5-Part
C from the most recently approved competing,
non-competing or supplemental application
(SAC, BPR, NAP, EMC) or change in scope request.
Collect all related supporting documentation.
- Look for emails from HRSA that contain
important information about BSV.
- Visit the HRSA system help website (http://bphc.hrsa.gov/systemhelp/)
often to access information about upcoming
TA conference calls, as well as training materials
for BSV.
- Participate in the TA conference calls
scheduled for December 13 or 14 from 2:00
to 3:30 PM EST.
- Contact the HRSA Call Center or your project
officer with any questions or problems.
- Go to the EHB portal after January 1, 2008
to begin entering data for project scope verification.
- Participate in the follow up TA conference
call scheduled for January 17, 2008 from 2:00
– 3:30 PM EST.
Call in numbers 1-517-308-9359 or 800-369-1834
(toll free)
Pass code # 8107759
HRSA is committed to working with all health
centers to develop a 21st century information
system that supports the Health Center Program.
We look forward to working with you on this
transition. If you have any questions, please
contact the BPHC's Change in Scope and BSV Help
Line at 301-443-7356.
Issued December 6, 2007
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