The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) allocated $2 billion specifically for health center infrastructure and operations. Other funding contained in the stimulus package could be accessed by or for the benefit of health centers through specific workforce, technology or service investments. ARRA also includes extensive reporting requirements. This page is home to information about health centers and accountability.
What's New on the Stimulus and Accountability
- The Office of Management and Budget Issues New Agency Guidance for ARRA Recipients
On May 4, 2010, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued new guidance to federal agencies entitled "Holding Recipients Accountable for Reporting Compliance under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" (M-10-17). The guidance was issued in response to an April 6 Presidential Memorandum, which directed federal agencies to identify and hold accountable ARRA recipients who have failed to comply with the government-wide quarterly reporting requirements. The OMB guidance requires federal agencies to:
1. Contact new recipients no later than 10 business days prior to the beginning of each reporting period to remind them of their reporting obligations and the consequences of non-compliance.
2. Prior to the beginning of a new reporting period, contact existing recipients who were non-compliant in the prior period and follow-up with them throughout the reporting period to pursue compliance.
3. Use available tools to actively monitor recipients during the quarterly reporting period and contact those that have not filed required reports at least 3 business days prior to the close of the report submission period.
4. Inform recipients about the potential consequences of non-compliance, provide assistance to ensure compliance in the next reporting period, and if the recipient is non-responsive, take appropriate actions including draw-down restrictions and/or additional sanctions and remedies applicable to non-compliant grant recipients.
5. Report non-compliant ARRA recipients to OMB within 5 business days of the close of the quarterly agency review and comment period, which follows report submission by the recipient.
Health centers can access the full guidance at www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda_default/. As of this date, BPHC has not issued guidance on interpretation for and application of the OMB memorandum to health centers. Given that the next reporting deadline is July 10, 2010, however, it is advisable for health centers to review the OMB memorandum and to check the BPHC website at www.bphc.hrsa.gov/recovery/hcqr/ for updated reporting guidance.
- HRSA Issues Updated ARRA Reporting Guidance Consistent with New OMB Guidance (1/4/09):
As previously reported, on December 18, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released updated guidance that modified -- among other things -- the methodology to calculate and report the number of ARRA-supported jobs created and/or retained. On December 30, HRSA issued an updated Health Center Quarterly Reporting (HCQR) Manual (as well as an updated HCQR Frequently Asked Questions and HCQR User Guide) reflecting these changes. In the updated Manual, HRSA states that it is "aware that this will create certain inconsistencies with the prior data and this will be taken into consideration when reviewing your HCQR report." The agency further emphasizes that the changes impact only the number of ARRA-supported jobs reported.
The updated HCQR Manual applies to third quarter reports (for the period ending December 31, 2009) for which grantees will submit program-specific information on activities included in their NAP, IDS, CIP, and FIP grants as applicable. HRSA’s Electronic Handbook (EHB) will combine these reports into a summary report covering all ARRA funded activities.
Because of the changes in calculating and reporting FTEs, both OMB and HRSA extended the due date for government-wide and program specific reports, respectively, from January 10, 2010 to January 15, 2010. Health centers should note that this extension to the fifteenth of the month applies solely to the third quarter reports; the next set of reports will be due April 10, 2010.
Health centers can access the updated HCQR Manual, as well as the other updated HRSA reporting guidance at http://www.bphc.hrsa.gov/recovery/hcqr/.
- Updated Guidance on ARRA Government-Wide and Health Center Quarterly Reports Includes an Extension of Submission Deadlines for Upcoming Reporting Period:
In November 2009, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report which found significant reporting and quality issues in connection with the government-wide reports submitted in October 2009 by recipients of funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In particular, GAO found that:
(1) significant numbers of recipient reports included erroneous or questionable data entries which merit further review (e.g. reported funding amounts received or expended (or not received/expended) that do not appear to match up with the presence or absence of reported jobs created or retained);
(2) about 10% of recipients did not submit any reports;
(3) about 75% of reports underwent post-submission data quality review by the awarding agencies versus less than 1% that underwent post-submission data quality review by recipients, demonstrating potential issues with the data quality review process; and
(4) the reporting on jobs-related data was inconsistent across recipients (e.g., differing interpretations of how to report "full-time equivalents" or "FTEs").
To address these issues, GAO recommended that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clarify and standardize the FTE definition and period of measurement, specify that jobs-related information should be reported as hours worked and directly paid for by ARRA funds, and generally work with federal agencies to increase recipients' understanding of reporting requirements and related guidance. Health centers can access the full GAO report at http://www.gao.gov/recovery/related-products.
On December 18, OMB issued updated guidance on ARRA government-wide reporting, addressing the OMB recommendations and focusing on 3 key areas: data quality reviews, non-reporting recipients and reporting of job estimates. The OMB guidance includes guidance to federal agencies on improving quality of data reported, identifying non-reporting recipients and bringing such recipients into compliance with the reporting requirements, as well as guidance to recipients on simplifying the manner by which job estimates are calculated and reported. Specifically, recipients will no longer report job estimates on an aggregated basis across all quarters; rather, job estimates will be reported on a quarterly basis by dividing the number of actual hours worked in an ARRA- funded job during the reporting quarter by the number of hours representing a full-time schedule for that job during the quarter. The guidance also clarifies the definition of a job created or retained - while past guidance required recipients to make a subjective judgment as to whether a specific job would have existed if not for ARRA, the new guidance eliminates this subjective analysis and defines jobs created or retained as those for which the wages or salaries are directly funded or reimbursed (in whole or in part) during the reporting quarter by ARRA. Both of these changes are explained in detail in the guidance, which can be accessed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/memoranda_2010/m10-08.pdf.
Additionally, the government-wide reporting website implemented several system enhancements to assist recipients in developing and submitting their reports.
Health centers should review these changes prior to submitting the next round of ARRA-related reports by accessing the federal reporting website at http://federalreporting.gov.
Finally, HRSA is working on revising the Health Center Quarterly Reporting (HCQR) Manual to align with the government-wide changes and will post updated technical assistance materials shortly.
Health centers should note that, because of these changes, the submission deadlines for both the government-wide reports and the HCQR reports have been extended to January 15, 2010.
- HRSA Issues Updated Health Center Quarterly Report Manual for ARRA Reporting: Last week, HRSA issued an updated Health Center Quarterly Report (HCQR) Reporting Manual in connection with the submission of ARRA-related reports for the quarter ending December 31, 2009 (reports are due to HRSA on January 10, 2010). The updated manual includes the same guidance as previous manuals with respect to the required information for the NAP and IDS grants (for which health centers will report cumulative information) and was revised to include required information regarding the expenditure and use of CIP and the just-announced FIP funds. Given that the deadline for reporting is fast approaching, health centers are encouraged to review the manual as soon as possible. The updated HCQR Reporting Manual can be accessed at http://www.bphc.hrsa.gov/recovery/hcqr/. (12/10/09)
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Health Center Reporting Deadline Approaches: The deadline for health centers to submit both the government-wide Section 1512 ARRA quarterly report (Recovery Act reporting) and the HRSA/BPHC Health Center Quarterly Report (HCQR) is October 10. Please note that the HCQR and the Recovery Act reporting are two distinct reports. Grantees are able to submit both reports beginning October 1 and are encouraged to submit data as soon as possible to minimize last minute delays. It is important to note that these quarterly reports are for ARRA-related funds only.
Registration is required for the government-wide ARRA reporting system and for access to the reporting templates.
To learn more about how to submit your ARRA quarterly report, please click here.
To learn more about how to submit your HCQR, please click here.
Information on your specific ARRA related funds can be obtained here.
If you are just getting started, more information is available here.For more information related to submitting reports, contact John Ruiz at jruiz@nachc.com.
- HRSA Issues Updated Health Center Quarterly Report (HCQR) Reporting Manual: On September 16, HRSA issued the second edition of the HCQR Reporting Manual, which replaces the earlier edition issued June 30, 2009. This manual includes updated reporting requirements for the submission of programmatic information regarding projects supported by the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) as well as separate tables to report on each of the health center ARRA funding opportunities. HRSA has stated that its goal is to collect programmatic information on ARRA supported health center programs without duplicating information reported to the government-wide ARRA reporting system. Health centers can access the new manual here.
- New Technical Assistance Materials on ARRA Government-Wide Reporting Requirements Now Available: The federal government has posted on the main recovery website new technical assistance materials to assist grantees in submitting their ARRA government-wide reports. During the week of July 20, 2009, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) presented a series of webinars to train federal agencies and recipients of ARRA funding on how to comply with their reporting responsibilities. Both the audio files and the presentations from the webinars are now available to download. Additionally, OMB has posted a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to the implementing guidance it issued on June 22. Other guidance includes a preview of the Data Dictionary describing the data elements which recipients will report and templates for submitting data. Health centers can access all technical assistance documents at www.recovery.gov or www.recovery.gov/?q=content/recipient-reporting. Health centers are encouraged to review these materials in preparing their government-wide reports, the first of which are due October 10.
Further, on August 17, www.federalreporting.gov will go live and recipients of ARRA funds will be able to register as the first step in the reporting process mandated by ARRA. Registration will continue through September 30, with reporting officially beginning on October 1 through October 10.
- Update on ARRA Government-Wide Reporting Requirements: On August 3, 2009, a preview of the Data Dictionary describing the data elements that ARRA recipients will report was posted on the main recovery website (recovery.gov). The templates for submitting data will be posted upon completion of testing to ensure their accuracy and usability, and clarifications to the elements will be published at www.FederalReporting.gov as a set of Frequently Asked Questions. (8/6/09)
- New Information on Government-Wide Reports for ARRA Funds: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Recovery, Accountability and Transparency Board have announced that webinars will be held the week of July 20, 2009 to provide information on implementing the OMB guidance on government-wide reporting requirements (those issued June 22, 2009 - Implementing Guidance for the Reports on Use of Funds Pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009).
Each webinar will focus on a major section of the Guidance as well as on the technology solution.
Health centers should note that these reports are in addition to the quarterly reports that must be submitted to HRSA, the first of which were due July 10, 2009. Unlike the HRSA reports, the government-wide reports will be submitted by health centers beginning October 10, 2009.
Health centers can access the webinar schedule and registration information at http://www.recovery.gov/?q=content/schedule-and-registration-webinars-recipients-reporting-recovery-funds-announced. (7/16/09)
- HRSA has issued the FAQ for ARRA reporting requirements based on the Health Center Quarterly Reporting manual. Follow this link and click on HCQR Frequently Asked Questions. (7/7/09)
- The Health Resources and Services Administration/Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) is pleased to announce that the Health Center Quarterly Reporting (HCQR) Module is available via EHB and that the reporting instructions and data elements are explained in the revised HCQR Manual which is posted at http://bphc.hrsa.gov/recovery/. HRSA will host a technical assistance call for grantees on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 from 3:00 to 4:30 PM EDT. As a reminder, grantees must submit their health center HCQR report to HRSA within HRSA’s Electronic Handbook (EHB) by July 10, 2009.
- New Information on Government-Wide Reports for ARRA Funds:
On June 22, 2009, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published Implementing Guidance for the "Reports on Use of Funds Pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ("Recovery Act")," which addresses the government-wide quarterly reporting requirements included in Section 1512 of the Recovery Act for recipients of grants, loans, and other forms of assistance. These reports are in addition to the quarterly reports that must be submitted to HRSA, the first of which are due July 10, 2009.
Unlike the HRSA reports, the reports required by Section 1512 will be submitted by health centers beginning October 10, 2009.
While these reports do not begin until October, OMB stated that recipients of ARRA-funded grants and cooperative agreements should maintain the data required for a July 10, 2009 report in order to report cumulatively beginning with the October 10th reporting deadline.
The data required for government-wide reports is addressed further in the FAQ posted on the NACHC website on June 11, 2009 (see the bottom of this page), as well as in the Notice of Grant Awards issued in conjunction with the specific ARRA awards. Health centers can access the guidance as well as other pertinent information regarding these reports on Recovery.gov.
NACHC is making available webinars on specific stimulus topics. They can be accessed via the NACHC LiveLearning Center. The webinars available so far are
The documents listed below provide information on accountability provisions of the economic stimulus that pertain to health centers.
| 06-12-2009 |
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ARRA Accountability FAQ
(179kb)
Frequently asked questions about health centers and accountability requirements. |
| 04-13-2009 |
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Economic Stimulus and Accountability
(267kb)
Background on accountability and the economic stimulus. |
