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93.564 CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT RESEARCH

FEDERAL AGENCY

ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

AUTHORIZATION

Social Security Act, Section 1110, 42 U.S.C. 1310, Section
1115, 42 U.S.C. 1315, as amended, Public Laws 96-265, 98-378, 100-485, and
100-517.

OBJECTIVES

To discover, test, demonstrate, and promote utilization of
new concepts which will increase cost effectiveness, reduce welfare
dependency, and increase child support collections from absent parents.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE

Project Grants.

USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS

Grants are awarded for innovative research and
demonstrations of regional and national significance that are responsive
to program priorities in Child Support Enforcement, and for coordination,
administration and provision of services to target populations. All
applications must meet standards of excellence in research and evaluation
design. Funds authorized under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act are
limited to State agencies administering the Child Support Enforcement
Program or their umbrella agencies. All applications must outline
explicitly the information sought about the administration, or effects of
the proposed research and how the activity will be evaluated. Funds may
not be used for construction. A Section 1115 waiver of any of the State
Plan requirements under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act may be
granted in connection with any experimental pilot or demonstration project
that will assist in promoting the objectives of the Child Support
Enforcement program and meets certain conditions.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applicant Eligibility

Section 1115 grants may be made only to State Child Support
Enforcement agencies or their umbrella agencies.

Beneficiary Eligibility

State agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations,
and for-profit organizations.

Credentials/Documentation

When appropriate, applicants should present written
evidence of other agencies' willingness to cooperate when the project
involves their cooperation or the utilization of their facilities or
service. Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87
for State and local governments and federally-recognized tribal
governments. For other grantees, costs will be determined in accordance
with OMB Circular No. A-21 for educational institutions, OMB Circular No.
A-122 for nonprofit organizations, and any amendments to the
aforementioned.

APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS

Preapplication Coordination

This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure

This program is subject to the provisions of OMB Circulars
No. A-102 and No. A-110, as appropriate. The standard application forms,
as furnished by DHHS and required by OMB Circular No. A-102, must be used
for this program. Application kits which contain the prescribed
application forms and supplemental descriptive information on the priority
projects are available from: Administration for Children and Families,
Office of Grants Management, Director, Division of Discretionary Grants,
4th Floor, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW., Washington, DC 20447. Telephone:
(202) 401-4577. Contact: Daphne Weeden, Director, Division of
Discretionary Grants. To be considered for a grant award, all applications
must be submitted on the prescribed application forms and submitted to the
Division of Grants Management. The application shall be executed by an
individual authorized to act for the applicant agency or organization and
to assume for the agency or organization the obligations imposed by the
terms and conditions of the grant. As part of the project title (page 1 of
the application form, Form SF-424) the applicant must clearly indicate
whether the application submitted is in response to a priority project
identified in a program announcement and must reference the unique project
identifier (e.g., OCSE-84) for which the application is to compete.
Applications are initially screened for relevance to program interests of
the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE). Ineligible applications
will be returned to the applicant. Eligible applications are reviewed and
evaluated by a review panel of not less than three knowledgeable people.
Applicants may also submit proposals for projects not specifically
identified in a program announcement, but which are relevant to the OCSE
program goals. These applications will be designated as nonpriority, but
will also be subject to the panel review process. A limited number of
projects may be approved pending available funds and will compete with
other nonpriority projects. Written assessment of each application is
made. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Award Procedure

Official notice of approved grant applications is made
through issuance of a Notice of Grant Award. This provides the amount of
funds awarded, the purpose of the award, the term and conditions of the
award, the budget period for which support is given, the total project
period for which support is contemplated, and the total grantee
participation.

Deadlines

Closing dates are established and published as program
announcements in letters to State IV-D directors. Unsolicited applications
may be submitted at any time.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

From 30 to 120 days. Generally, solicited grants will be
acted upon within 90 days.

Appeals

There are no formal appeals procedures. If an application
for a grant is disapproved,applicants may request the reasons for
disapproval. In the case of unsolicited proposals, applicants are free to
resubmit applications with attention to the changes suggested by the
reasons for disapproval.

Renewals

Extensions and continuations of grants with 1-year project
periods are generally not available except under extreme circumstances. If
an application is recommended for approval for 2 or more years, the
grantee must submit a formal request for continuation each year
accompanied by a progress report which will be evaluated prior to a
recommendation of continuation. This is not applicable to contracts.

ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS

Formula and Matching Requirements

Grantees are required to share in the cost of projects.
Grantee costs can be as low as 5 percent without approval by the Secretary
for Health and Human Services.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Some grants are awarded on a 17-month basis. For multi-year
projects, support beyond the first year is contingent upon acceptable
evidence of satisfactory progress and availability of funds.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

Reports

Quarterly narrative program and expenditure reports are
required for all grant projects.

Audits

All fiscal transactions identifiable to Federal financial
assistance are subject to audit by the HHS audit agency, and other Federal
officials. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133
(Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and
Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial
assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a
program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that
expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal
audit requirements for that year except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records

Proper accounting records, identifiable by grant number act
number and including all receipts and expenditures must be maintained for
3 years in accordance with 45 CFR Part 92. Subsequent to audit, they must
be maintained until all questions are resolved, or at the end of the
regular 3-year period, whichever is later.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Account Identification

(Title IV-D) 75-1501-0-1-609.

Obligations

(Grants) FY 05 $1,800,000; FY 06 est $1,800,000; and FY 07
est $1,800,000.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

FY 2005 $83,000 to $120,000.

PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Ten new grants were awarded and 13 grants were continued in
fiscal year 2005. It is estimated that 8 new grants will be awarded and 10
will continue for a second year of funding in fiscal year 2006. It is
estimated that 8 new grants will be awarded and 10 will be funded for a
second year and 6 in fiscal year 2007.

REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE

The pamphlets "Research Grants in Social Security," "Grants
Administration Policies," and application kits may be obtained from the
ACF, Office of Grants Management, Division of Discretionary Grants, 4th
Floor, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW., Washington, DC 20447.

INFORMATION CONTACTS

Regional or Local Office

Regional Administrators. (See Appendix IV of the Catalog
for Regional Offices.)

Headquarters Office

Karen H. Anthony, 1115 Grants Manager,Office of Child
Support Enforcement, Department of Health and Human Services, 4th Floor,
370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW., Washington, DC 20447. Telephone: (202)
690-6275. FTS is not available.

Web Site Address

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cse

RELATED PROGRAMS

93.601, Child Support Enforcement Demonstrations and
Special Projects; 93.558, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; 93.563,
Child Support Enforcement; 93.597, Grants to States for Access and
Visitation Programs; 93.647, Social Services Research and Demonstration;
93.779, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Research,
Demonstrations and Evaluations.

EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS

In fiscal year 2005, 10 projects were funded in the
following areas: using specific collaboration protocols with other
agencies, developing a comprehensive system of early intervention that
will avoid future problems, reducing intervention, and use of adversarial
or formal proceedings while increasing financial security.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS

(1) Objectives and need for assistance; (2) approach; (3)
competence of staff; (4) independent evaluation; and (5) reasonableness of
budget.

General Services Administration
Office of Chief Acquisition
Officer
Regulatory and Federal Assistance Division (VIR)