NOTE: This weekly update is targeted towards the SSVF Grantees and shared with valuable partners for awareness.
§ REMINDER: FY22 Fraud, Waste and Abuse Mandatory Compliance Webinar
§ REMINDER: FY22 Supplemental NOFA Grantees Activities due in UDPaaS, September 2, 2022
§ REMINDER: SSVF Grantee Annual Training Requirement: S.A.V.E. (Suicide Prevention) Training
§ REMINDER: Office Hours Permanent Housing Placement (PHP) National Challenge to House 38,000 Veterans: 2nd and 4th Fridays of the Month
§ RESOURCE: Updated SSVF Supplemental Award Questions and Responses
§ NEW: SSVF Veteran Eligibility Guidance
§ NEW: VA PACT Act
§ REGISTER: Monthly Data Office Hours September 15, 2022, at 12pm EST
REMINDER: FY22 Fraud, Waste and Abuse Mandatory Compliance Webinar
It is incumbent on an SSVF awarded organization to report all instances of potential or actual fraud as soon as your organization is made aware of the issue. Notifying your Regional Coordinator and the Program Office is an essential part of keeping in compliance with the executed Memorandum of Award as outlined in Sections 2, 4, 7, 8, 15 and 20. Please ensure all SSVF staff are required yearly to review the FY22 Fraud, Waste and Abuse webinar which can be found at Slide 1 (va.gov)
All Compliance related webinars and information regarding Finance, Administration, and Auditing can be found at the Compliance section of the SSVF website Compliance (va.gov)
REMINDER: FY22 Supplemental NOFA Grantees Activities due in UDPaaS, September 2, 2022
Grantees who are receiving funds under the FY2022 Supplemental NOFA are required to submit two activities currently assigned in UDPaaS. Grantees must submit a new budget using the template in the activity as well as a Demographic Resolution. Grantees are required to work with their local VAMC in developing the budget and must verify such information at the time of submission. Please begin this process now to comply with the September 2, 2022 deadline for submission.
If you are having trouble connecting with your local VAMC or determining your geography available with this NOFA, please reach out to your Regional Coordinator.
REMINDER: SSVF Grantee Annual Training Requirement: S.A.V.E. (Suicide Prevention) Training
The SSVF Program Office would like to remind SSVF grantees of the requirement for all grant staff to complete annual suicide prevention training. Program Office offers S.A.V.E training on the learning management system Housing Skills Practice Center (HSPC) at Housing Skills Practice Center.
Note: Grantees may need to update their HSPC (LMS) local administrators and staffing access. Grantees should email housingpractice@tacinc.org for any questions that they have.
REMINDER: Office Hours Permanent Housing Placement (PHP) National Challenge to House 38,000 Veterans: 2nd and 4th Fridays of the Month
The next PHP National Challenge to House 38,000 Veterans Office Hours call will be on Friday August 26, 2022. This call will provide guidance on SSVF/HUD-VASH collaboration.
As this call series is intended to provide broad technical assistance and support that integrates all VA and community-partner programs and services towards accomplishing the goal, SSVF grantees are strongly encouraged to participate.
These calls will be held on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the Month at 3pm EST/12pm PT. As this goal will be a major focus of homeless program operations for the remainder of CY 2022.
Recordings to previous calls can be accessed publicly here: https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/38k_National_Housing_Challenge.asp
Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, or Android device
Please click this URL to join. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84802201078
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Join by phone:
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Webinar ID: 848 0220 1078
RESOURCE: Updated SSVF Supplemental Award Questions and Reponses
The SSVF NOFA was released in June 2022 and provides supplemental awards and new authorities to select high priority communities to address housing barriers and support the VA’s 38,000 Permanent Housing Placement (PHP) goal.
The frequently asked questions and responses document has been updated. These frequently asked questions and responses may be found on the SSVF website: About tab, under the News and Events section, and may also be accessed here: https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/ssvf/docs/SNOFA_FAQs.pdf
NEW: SSVF Veteran Eligibility Guidance
Please ensure that you are aware of recent updates to the definition of an eligible Veteran for SSVF purposes. SQUARES will be updated soon to reflect.
It is VA’s expectation that SSVF grantees make an eligibility determination and enroll Veteran families the same day they are screened. For SSVF eligibility, “Veteran” is defined as “a person who served in the active military, naval, or air or space service, regardless of length of service, and who was discharged or released therefrom,” excluding anyone who received a dishonorable discharge from the Armed Forces or was discharged or dismissed from the Armed Forces by reason of the sentence of a general court-martial. 38 U.S.C. § 2002(b).
An Other than Honorable or Bad Conduct discharge can result from a general court-martial or a special court martial. A person with an Other than Honorable or Bad Conduct discharge from a general court-martial is not a “Veteran” as defined in 38 USC § 2002(b) and is thus ineligible to participate based on that period of service. A person with an Other than Honorable or Bad Conduct discharge from a special court-martial is a “Veteran” as defined in 38 USC § 2002(b) and thus is eligible to participate.
Note: The minimum duty requirements do not apply. Veterans in the Reserves may be eligible for SSVF if they are Active Duty for Training (ACDUTRA) only. National Guard who are active duty for training (ACDUTRA) only are not eligible for SSVF. To be eligible, they must have been called to active duty under Title 10.
NEW: VA Pact Act: Passed into law August 10, 2022
On Wednesday, August 10, 2022, the PACT Act was signed into law. The PACT Act is perhaps the largest health care and benefit expansion in the history of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
This new act:
· Expands and extends eligibility for VA health care for Veterans with toxic exposures and Veterans of the Vietnam, Gulf War, and post-9/11 eras
· Adds more than 20 new presumptive* conditions for burn pits and other toxic exposures
· Adds more presumptive-exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation
· Requires VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every Veteran enrolled in VA health care; and
· Helps us improve research, staff education, and treatment related to toxic exposures.
· Survivors may also be eligible for VA benefits based on the PACT Act.
If you’re a Veteran or survivor, you can file claims now to apply for PACT Act-related benefits.
You can learn more about the PACT Act at VA.gov/PACT or by calling the VA at 1-800-MyVA411.
REGISTER: Monthly Data Office Hours
The SSVF Program Office will host monthly SSVF Data Office Hours for SSVF Grantees and their community partners every 3rd Friday of the month at 12pm EST.
The Office Hours are an opportunity to discuss the 38,000 goal and SSVF, to do a “deep dive” into local data to better understand how to address known data quality issues, and to ask data-related questions of the SSVF Program Office and TA staff.
The next Office Hours is scheduled for: Friday, September 15, 2022, at 12pm EST.
Please register using the following link: