Home Energy Assistance Program Evaluation Jackie Berger July
Home Energy Assistance Program Evaluation Jackie Berger July 28, 2010
APPRISE 2
APPRISE • Mission: APPRISE is a nonprofit research institute dedicated to collecting and analyzing data and information to assess and improve public programs • Focus: Low-Income Energy Programs • Location: Princeton, NJ 3
Research and Evaluation Experience • LIHEAP (Federal, NEADA, CO, WA) • REACH (VT, PA, NH, CO, OH, IL) • Energy Assistance Programs (NJ USF, PGW, PECO, PPL, Niagara Mohawk, IL PIPP, PG Energy, TW Phillips) • Hardship Funds (NJ SHARES, Energy Outreach CO, PA Utilities) 4
Research and Evaluation Experience • Energy Efficiency Programs (Ameren, CO, National WAP, NH WAP, NJ Comfort Partners, Ohio EPP, PECO LIURP, PPL WRAP) • Other Residential and Commercial Energy Efficiency Programs (NJ RNC Baseline, NJ ENERGY STAR Homes, We Energies C&I Programs) 5
NJ HEAP Evaluation 6
Research Goals • Assess the fiscal integrity of LIHEAP/USF. • Investigate level of service provided to low-income participants. • Determine opportunities for increased efficiency and/or effectiveness in program operations. 7
Complexity • Administrator: Office of Home Energy Assistance • Intake: 40 LIHEAP Sub Grantee Outreach Centers (30 agencies) – Nutrition Assistance Households also screened • Database: Office of Information Technology • USF Implementation: 7 utilities work with OIT on eligibility and benefit calculation • Crediting Customer Accounts: 7 utilities work with OIT and OHEA to credit HEAP and USF to customer accounts 8
Research Tasks • OHEA Assessment • Agency Assessment • Develop Assessment Procedures • Implement Assessment • Report 9
OHEA Performance Assessment 10
OHEA Assessment Research Goals • Program responsibilities, performance standards, and reporting requirements • Program policies and procedures • Allocation of staff responsibilities • Investments in staff training • Other potential models 11
Assessment of LIHEAP Requirements • Review LIHEAP State Plan • Review other NJ LIHEAP documentation – Current NJ program design and implementation • Interview HHS LIHEAP Compliance Staff – LIHEAP grantee requirements • Interview DCA Management – NJ requirements for Federal grant programs 12
Assessment of USF Requirements • Review Memorandum of Understanding with BPU • Review other USF documentation – OHEA program administration requirements – Current USF program design and implementation • Interview BPU USF Manager – BPU expectations for USF management • Interview DCA Management – NJ requirements for state-funded programs 13
Implementation Status and Barriers • Interview LIHEAP/USF Program Staff – Status of each identified requirement – Barriers to accomplishing program requirement – Potential changes/improvements 14
Assessment of DCA Resources • Review Documents – DCA organizational chart, OIT agreements, utility agreements, other partner agreements • Interview DCA Managers – office/agency responsibilities and fulfillment of responsibilities • Interview DCA Staff – roles and responsibilities, self-assessment, and resource sufficiency 15
Assessment of Partner Resources • Interviews to assess – Availability of resources • Staff time and skill level • Other resources needed – Barriers to meeting program requirements • Interviews – OIT Management – Utility Management (3) – CBO Management (3) 16
Identification of Best Practices • 3 LIHEAP Managers from other states with payment assistance program responsibility – Program management model – Number of staff and skills available – Data management system – Utility interface – Local program partner systems 17
OHEA Assessment Report • • • OHEA Performance Requirements OHEAP Performance Assessment Indicators Resource Requirements Resource Gaps Options and Recommendations 18
Agency Performance Assessment 19
Agency Assessment Research Goals • Service delivery – Requirements – Policies and procedures – Performance • Best practices – Identification – System-wide implementation 20
Service Delivery Requirements • • • Client outreach Client intake Application processing Benefit distribution Client problem resolution 21
Agency Assessment Activities • • • Document Review Data Review Interview Review Agency On-Site Assessment LIHEAP Client Survey 22
Document Review • LIHEAP plan – Responsibilities assigned to local agencies • Local agency contracts – Commitments made by local agencies • Other state LIHEAP director interview summaries – Responsibilities assigned to local agencies in other states 23
Data Review • Census data analysis – Geographic analysis of eligible clients • Agency statistics – Administrative costs – Service delivery statistics • Program statistics – Application approval rates – Grant approval time 24
Interview Review • Review DCA Interviews – Local agency responsibilities • Review CBO Interviews – Understanding of responsibilities – Approach to program implementation 25
LIHEAP Intake Agency On-Site Assessments • Agency interviews and observations • 15 agencies around the state • Assessment of resource requirements and staffing • 4 agency subset – assessment of computer system capability and usability 26
LIHEAP Client Survey • • • Client perspective Ease of application/enrollment Barriers Assistance and information provided Satisfaction 27
Agency Assessment Report • LIHEAP/USF Service Delivery Requirements • LIHEAP/USF Agency Assessments • Application Distribution, Processing, and Verification • Computer System • Telephone System • Performance Measurement System 28
Contact Jackie Berger Director of Program Evaluation APPRISE 32 Nassau Street, Suite 200 Princeton, NJ 08542 609 -252 -8009 jackie-berger@appriseinc. org 29
- Slides: 29