From: SSVF

Sent: Monday, February 19, 2018 10:53 PM

To: SSVF

Subject: SSVF Program Update Friday, December 8, 2017

Topics:

1. Reminder: Mandatory Return of Funds for 1st Quarter FY18

2. Register Now: SSVF National Webinar December 14, 2017 at 2PM Eastern

3. Save the Date: SSVF National Webinar January 11, 2018 at 2PM Eastern

4. Announcement: Joint Commission Establishes New Accreditation Standards

Reminder: Mandatory Return of Funds for 1st Quarter FY18

As stated in each SSVF grant agreement, at the end of each quarter a grantee’s requests for SSVF funds (also known as draw-downs) must meet the minimum spending percentage rate outlined in the grant agreement. Please note that grantees do not submit physical invoices to the SSVF Program Office; therefore, expenditure rates are assessed using the draw down information in the HHS Payment Management System.

For the first quarter ending on December 31st at 5pm EDT, the minimum spending rate of the overall grant award is 15%. To clarify, a grant is “15% spent” when 15% or more of the SSVF grant funds have been drawn down from the HHS Payment Management System. A favorable lag of 10% (or 5.2 weeks of expenses) has been incorporated into the quarterly minimums. This allows for a grantee to meet the minimum while still reconciling the previous month’s SSVF expenses. For this reason, it is absolutely crucial for grantees to review their spending information frequently; there is no exception to the 15% requirement for grantees that had been on extension during the first quarter of FY18.

The process for identifying grantees that will be required to return funds and for identifying the amount of funds to be swept is as follows: At the start of second quarter (8am EDT on the second business day of the new quarter, which is January 3rd), the HHS Payment Management System drawdown report will be used to calculate grantee expenditure rates. Those grantees that are below 15% spent will be subject to mandatory funding sweeps. Note the expenditure rate calculation will be rounded to a whole number (i.e. 14.4% will be rounded down to 14% and 14.6% will be rounded up to 15%). For any grantee below 15%, the difference between 15% and that grantee’s current drawn down rate will be the amount swept from the OVERALL grant total. For example, if a grantee is 10% drawn down, the difference is 5%, as such, there will be a 5% reduction of each of the subaccounts (ADM, SERVICES, TFA). The end result will move a grantee to, or closer to, the quarterly minimum rate of 15%. The intent of the funding sweep is to 1) reallocate funds from geographic areas where the need is not currently being recognized to areas of higher need where funding is lacking and 2) to assist grantees in moving towards compliance with grant requirements and eliminating the need for an extension. The funds will be swept on that second business day of the new quarter and a grantee will be notified by the SSVF Program Office of the amount of funds that were swept from the grant. Please note that when funds are swept, a grantee may need to submit a Program Change in the subsequent quarter to modify to their budget and/or HHS subaccounts.

How do the minimum quarterly spending rates impact the fiscal staff of SSVF grantees?

The last day of the quarter is December 31st. Payment requests (drawdowns) that are made after 5pm EDT on this day will NOT be included in the HHS drawdown report used to calculate grantee expenditure rates. As a reminder, the grantees identified as spending less than 15% of the total grant will have funds swept on the second business day of the new quarter, January 3rd. These values will stand; there will be no exceptions. Since there will be no exceptions, it is recommended that grantee fiscal staff responsible for completing draw-downs not wait until December 31st to complete drawdown requests, as drawdowns generally required a full day to process. If a grantee finds it is necessary to wait until December 31st, it would be important to enter the request early in the day. (Note that any grantees outside of EDT, including but not limited to the West Coast, Hawaii and Guam, are still held to the 5pm EDT deadline, so plan accordingly).

If you have any questions, please contact the SSVF Program Office at ssvf@va.gov. Please include your grant number and “1st Quarter Mandatory Return of Funds” in the subject of the email; please copy your SSVF Regional Coordinator.

Topic: Returning Home Pilot Project

The Returning Home pilot project was conducted by the local VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) and SSVF providers in the San Francisco Bay Area to assist Veterans who are experiencing homelessness in their community with returning to areas where they have identified permanent housing near family or close friends. Veterans may have been unsuccessful in finding housing in this intensely expensive and tight housing market or have chosen to reunite with supports in a “home of origin”. This is an exciting opportunity to open new doors to Veterans who may have given up hope of finding their own housing by re-introducing them to services in an area where they have positive, supportive connections and more affordable housing options.

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3744641222645989890

Save the Date: SSVF National Webinar January 11, 2017 at 2PM Eastern

Topic: A Review of the Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program Models and GPD Integration with Coordinated Entry Systems

This webinar will review the GPD service models, discuss what services are provided, and clarify targeted clients. The webinar will also discuss how each of these models could align with coordinated entry systems. We hope to have SSVF grantees walk away with an understanding of how they can develop or enhance partnerships through community planning with GPD providers. Registration information will be provided in the next program update.

Announcement: Joint Commission Establishes New Accreditation Standards

Joint Commission has established new accreditation standards requiring both Measurement Based Care (MBC) and Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM) for programs accredited under Behavioral Health Standards. This change will affect SSVF programs seeking accreditation under Joint Commission Housing Support Services Standards. SSVF providers can find information describing the benefits of using MBC and ROM and resources to support implementation of these standards by the contacting the SSVF Joint Commission point of contact Darrel Anderson danderson@jointcommission.org. The revised standard can also be found on The Joint Commission’s website: go to www.jointcommission.org, then hover over “Accreditation” and select “Behavioral Health Care.

Thank you,

SSVF Program Office

NOTE: If you are receiving this email in error, please disregard. We request your patience as the SSVF Program Office continues to address system issues with the grants management database.