Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Title:

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Household Report.

OMB No.:

0970-0060.

Description:

This statistical report is an annual activity required by statute (42 U.S.C. 8629) and Federal regulations (45 CFR 96.92) for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Submission of the completed report is one requirement for LIHEAP grantee applying for Federal LIHEAP block grant funds. States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are required to report statistics for the previous Federal fiscal year on the number and income levels of LIHEAP applicants and assisted households, as well as the number of LIHEAP-assisted households with at least one member who is elderly, disabled, or a young child.

The statistical report required States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to report on an unduplicated count of assisted households having at least one member who is elderly, disabled, or a young child, and an unduplicated count of assisted households receiving one or more types of LIHEAP assistance. The Administration deleted on the proposal to add the reporting requirement of “assisted households having at least one elderly person who is homebound” based on comments received in response to the first notice.

Insular areas receiving less than $200,000 annually in LIHEAP funds and Indian Tribal Grantees are required to submit data only on the number of households receiving heating, cooling, energy crisis, or weatherization benefits. The information is being collected for the Department's annual LIHEAP report to Congress. The data also provides information about the need for LIHEAP funds. Finally, the data are used in the calculation of LIHEAP performance measures under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. The additional data elements will improve the accuracy of measuring LIHEAP targeting performance and LIHEAP cost efficiency.

The form will remain the same as in the past until Fiscal Year 2010. Start-up for the updated format will require significantly higher burden hours per response. Therefore, the Annual Burden

Estimates below reflect an average of the first two years of this renewal period before the burden changes with the third year of this renewal period during the revisions.

Respondents:

State Governments, Tribal Governments, Insular Areas, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Annual Burden Estimates

Instrument

Number of

respondents

Number of

responses per respondent

Average

burden hours

per response

Total burden hours

Assisted Household Report-Long Form

52

1

190

9,880

Assisted Household Report-Short Form

144

1

1

144

Applicant Household Report

52

1

13

676

Estimated Total Annual Burden Estimates

10,700

Aditional Information:

Copies of the proposed collection may be obtained by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Administration, Office of Information Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW., Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. All requests should be identified by the title of the information collection. E-mail address:

infocollection@acf.hhs.gov.

OMB Comment:

OMB is required to make a decision concerning the collection of information between 30 and 60 days after publication of this document in the

Federal Register.

Therefore, a comment is best assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent directly to the following: Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, Fax: 202-395-6974, Attn: Desk Officer for the Administration for Children and Families.

Dated: October 2, 2007.

Robert Sargis,

Reports Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 07-4968 Filed 10-9-07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4184-01-M