FVPSA Supporting Statement A -2024 Revision_5.23.24

Family Violence Prevention and Services: Grants to States; Native American Tribes and Alaskan Native Villages; and State Domestic Violence Coalitions

OMB Information Collection Request

0970 - 0280

Supporting Statement Part A - Justification

May 2024

Type of Request: Revision

Submitted By:

Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services

Administration for Children and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary

The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) grant program within the Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services (OFVPS) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) provides formula grant funding to States, Tribes and State Domestic Violence Coalitions. States, Tribes, and State Domestic Violence Coalitions are required to submit applications for the formula grant funding (42 U.S.C. 10402(a)(2), (b)(2)) and implementing regulations (45 CFR Part 1370).

In accordance with the FVPSA statute, OFVPS is required to collect and report data on the provision of family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence services, including assistance and programs supported by Federal funds (42 USC 10404 (b)(3)(B)) and establish reporting requirements (42 U.S.C. 10404 (a)(3)). ACF collects this information through the FVPSA Performance Progress Reports (PPRs).

Current Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) and the FVPSA PPRs will expire in May 2024 (OMB #0970-0280). This information collection request is submitted to OMB for approval of an extension with proposed revisions to the notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs) (Appendices A, B & C) and PPRs for the FVPSA grant programs authorized under FVPSA (42 U.S.C 10401 et seq.) (Appendices D & E).

There are minor changes proposed to the previously approved States and Tribes PPRs including:

• Updated content to reflect newly formed Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services (OFVPS) through the document

• Subawardee List: replaced the open text box for underserved and linguistically-specific population with a selection chart; adding primary services check box to help identify type of subrecipient serving underserved populations; adding FVPSA funding type to identify type of FVPSA grant the subrecipient has received

• Added the following items:

  • Section C- Shelter Services and Crisis Calls: requesting number of crisis/hotline digital communications to table

  • Section D - Services to Victims:

    • requesting number of adult victims receiving accessibility accommodations or disability assistance to table

    • requesting number of child victims receiving accessibility accommodations or disability assistance to table

    • requesting number of adult victims who were referred to external services (i.e. medical, legal, social services, etc.) to the table

    • added definition to accessibility accommodations or disability assistance

  • Section F – Narrative Responses:

    • modified and simplified evaluation of effectiveness of activities (H-05)

    • requesting community collaborations or partnerships (H-06)

    • Requesting information on efforts to ensure accessibility of services for survivors with disabilities (H-08)

There are minor changes proposed to the previously approved Domestic Violence Coalition Grant PPRs including:

• Updated content to reflect newly formed Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services through the document

• Updated Narrative Questions

  • Questions 1, 3 and 6: wording updated for clarity

  • Question 5: deleted

  • Added one optional question (#7) to provide space for including consolations and collaborations

• Updated Summary of Activities Table

  • Added “Accessibility Accommodation or Disability Assistance” and “Online Harassment, Abuse, or Safety”

  • Separated “Mental Health & Substance Abuse” into two priority areas: “Substance Use (i.e., disorder, coercion)” and “Mental Health & Behavioral Health”

• Updated Underserved and Culturally-Specific populations to clarify and align with Congressional Reporting

• Added “Shelter Operational Policies, Protocols, or Rights and Responsibilities” to Trainings section

2. Purpose and Use of the Information Collection

ACF uses the information collected to: a) make grant awards to eligible applicants who meet the statutory requirements and comply with other applicable regulations; b) collect uniform data on FVPSA funded programs and services from State, Territory and Tribal grantees; and c) assess the progress and impact of programs and services funded through FVPSA. The information requested allows FVPSA program staff to monitor grantee compliance with program requirements, to assist grantees, and to collect information on program services and outcomes that are used to prepare statutorily required biennial reports to Congress on the effectiveness of FVPSA grant funding in preventing and responding to family violence.

These PPRs will be used in the same format by FVPSA State, Territory, Tribal, and Coalition grantees to submit a separate annual report in accordance with the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act which allocated $10 million in supplemental funding for disaster assistance for FVPSA grant recipients impacted by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian.

These PPRs will be used in the same format by FVPSA State, Territory and Tribal grantees to submit a separate annual report in accordance with receiving American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 supplemental grant awards. In March 2021, Congress appropriated $450 million for FVPSA formula grants for States, Tribes, and state domestic violence coalitions to provide temporary housing, assistance, and supportive services to victims of family, domestic, and dating violence in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency.

3. Use of Improved Information Technology and Burden Reduction

The NOFOs for FVPSA grants are available each year on the internet, at Grants.gov and www.acf.hhs.gov/grants. Additionally, all PPRs are submitted by grantees in an electronic format in the Online Data Collection System (OLDC). This system allows grantees to submit their quantitative and qualitative data all in one central place. Having all the reports and their associated data in one system allows for easier tracking of completed and outstanding reports and reduces errors in data input along the way. Data may be retrieved directly from the OLDC by the FVPSA program staff.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information

While respecting the need to ensure the safety of clients who are victims of domestic violence, subawardees are required to report an unduplicated count of clients served during the fiscal year within that program. When developing the initial drafts of each PPR, the OFVPS held working groups to consult with State, Tribal and Coalition grantees on the proposed reporting requirements. Grantees confirmed that no other report provides the requested information on the scope of domestic violence prevention and intervention services offered by FVPSA grantees.

Subawardees for these programs have multiple federal funding sources. OFVPS worked with other federal funders to assure that requests for data collection were in alignment with data requested by other federal agencies in order to reduce the burden on data collection at the local level.

The efforts described in this section did not request the same information from more than 9 individuals and therefore was not subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act.

5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities

Recognizing that the domestic violence programs funded by FVPSA grants are continually responding to crisis situations and high demand for services, the proposed information collection efforts were kept to the minimum information required to achieve program accountability and oversight. Data clean-up methods completed by OFVPS staff assure that only the minimum of data elements are required for the Tribal PPR, as recipients of those grants are primarily small entities.

6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently

ACF would be unable to exercise oversight and stewardship if the information was not collected. The OFVPS would be unable to make funding determinations, to assess program effectiveness, or to focus monitoring and technical assistance where needed.

7. Special Circumstances Relating to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5

In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (SPD 15), in FY 2025 and FY 2026, OFVPS will lead stakeholder engagement sessions with tribal governments, state governments, and coalitions to discuss the updated categories; obtain feedback from FVPSA grant recipients about data system updates that will be required; and to obtain feedback on training/technical assistance needs in order to implement the new race and ethnicity categories. The information obtained from FVPSA grant recipients will inform the updates to all states, tribes, and coalitions PPRs for 2027-2030.

The average FVPSA grant for tribes is $55,000 and subgrants for local domestic violence shelters is $73,000 to implement FVPSA funded service requirements. Given the limited size of FVPSA funding, it is imperative that OFVPS provide training, technical assistance, and obtain grant recipient feedback on guidance and technical assistance that they will need to collect and report additional race and ethnicity information.

The efforts described in this section will be completed in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act.

8. Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice and Efforts to Consult Outside the Agency

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) and OMB regulations at 5 CFR Part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995), ACF published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the agency’s intention to request an OMB review of this information collection activity. The 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register on February 26, 2024 (89 FR 14079). A specific request for comments on the proposed changes to the state and tribal PPR was sent out to all the current FVPSA grantees through our list servs. The OFVPS received one comment from the Navajo Nation and as a result will be working to convene tribes in 2025 and 2026 to obtain feedback on data collection and data reporting.

9. Explanation of Any Payment or Gift to Respondents

There are no payments or gift provided to respondents.

10. Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents

This information collection only requires the submission of aggregate level data on client services to protect the confidentiality of individual level data regarding victims of domestic violence. Protection of privacy and case files is the responsibility of the grantees, but during site visits ACF may examine grant recipient diligence in this regard through onsite monitoring or other means.

11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

This information collection does not include sensitive questions. Information about client services is requested at the aggregate level.

12. Estimates of Annualized Burden Hours and Costs

Estimates of Burden

Responses to FVPSA NOFOs and PPRs will, in most cases, be completed by existing grantee staff using data collection and reporting procedures currently in place for formula grant recipients. Most grantees spend no more than 10 hours developing and uploading their grant applications and no more than 10 hours developing and uploading their annual PPR. Both the applications and the PPRs are uploaded into the OLDC. The FVPSA Program has 52 total state grantee respondents, 56 total coalition grantee respondents, and 143 total tribal grantee respondents.

In summation, the estimated burden for annual applications and performance progress reports are calculated based on 10-hour estimates for 251 (grantee respondents for states, tribes, and coalitions) respondents for the submission of funding applications and 10-hour estimates for 251 respondents for submission of performance progress reports.

Estimates of Costs

The cost to respondents was calculated using the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) job code for Child and Family Social Workers [21-1021] and wage data from May 2023, which is $28.46 per hour. To account for fringe benefits and overhead the rate was multiplied by two which is $56.92. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm.

Information Collection Title	Total Number of Respondents	Total Number of Responses Per Respondent	Average Burden Hours Per Response	Total Burden Hours	Annual Burden Hours	Average Hourly Wage	Total Annual Cost
FVPSA State Grants Funding Opportunity Announcement	52	1	10	520	173	$56.92	$9,847.16
FVPSA Tribes/Tribal Organizations Grants Funding Opportunity Announcement	143	1	10	1,430	477	$56.92	$27,150.84
FVPSA State Domestic Violence Coalitions Grants Funding Opportunity Announcement	56	1	10	560	187	$56.92	$10,644.04
FVPSA State and Territory Grants Performance Progress Report	52	3	10	1,560	520	$56.92	$29,584.40
FVPSA Tribes/Tribal Organizations Grants Performance Progress Report	143	3	10	4,290	1,430	$56.92	$81,395.60
FVPSA State Domestic Violence Coalitions Grants Performance Progress Report	56	3	10	1,680	560	$56.92	$31,875.20
Estimated Annual Totals:					3,347		$190,497.04

13. Estimates of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents and Record Keepers

Responses to FVPSA NOFO and PPRs will, in most cases, be completed by existing staff using data collection and reporting procedures currently in place for formula grant recipients.

14. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government

Processing the NOFO is part of the normal duties and functions for the OFVPS and therefore no additional costs are projected to be incurred. Based on a written estimate from the GrantSolutions Centers of Excellence, it is estimated that the programming costs for the OLDC for the current proposed changes to this form will be $40,000.

15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments

There are no proposed changes to the estimated time per response or the number of responses per respondent. We have updated the estimated number of respondents to reflect the current number of funding recipients. The total number of tribal grantee respondents has been reduced from 150 to 143 and as such, there is a decrease in the associated total annual time burden since the last OMB approval of the forms.

16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule

Grantees will submit applications within 60 days after the NOFO. Applicants are subsequently notified of awards approximately 90 days after the due date. Annual PPRs are due each year on December 29th. Aggregation, verification, and analysis of PPR data will be completed by May of each year. Analysis will include totals and percentages of clients served, demographic data, client outcomes, and services provided, including tracking of trends in program clients and services. Annual data on FVPSA Program grants and services will be reported through regular budget submissions, intra-Departmental updates, biennial Reports to Congress, and other reports for grantees and the general public.

17. Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate

The expiration date will be displayed.

18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

There are no exceptions to the Certification statements for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions. This information collection does not employ statistical methods as indicated in the Information Collection Request Review and Approval System.

Attachments to Supporting Statement

1. Appendix A: Standing Announcement for Family Violence Prevention and Services/Grants to State Domestic Violence Coalitions

2. Appendix B: Standing Announcement for Family Violence Prevention and Services/Grants for Domestic Violence Shelters/Grants to Native American Tribes (including Alaska Native Villages) and Tribal Organizations

3. Appendix C: Standing Announcement for Family Violence Prevention and Services Grants to States for Domestic Violence Shelters and Support Services

4. Appendix D: State/Territory/Tribal PPR

5. Appendix E: Coalition PPR