LAL-ECT Released: How to Open It and More
July 8th, HRSA issued Notice of Awards (NoA) to those who applied for the FY2020 Health Center Program Look-Alikes: Expanding Capacity for Coronavirus Testing (LAL-ECT) grant. All Look-Alikes were eligible to apply, however, the window between announcement and filing was only a week. Consequently, a handful of our fellow Look-Alikes did not apply. In total, HRSA announced an award of $17,255,760 to 78 Look-Alikes.
Because the government was intent on releasing all monies, no matter the pool of applicants, all LALs who applied received an additional $16,123, as the money set aside for those who did not apply was evenly distributed to applicants in order to exhaust the funds. HRSA is the administrator of this grant and will be your primary contact, though the money is being routed from an emergency pool under the Social Security Act, made possible via the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (see page 8).
For those of you who were awarded, you may have noticed all you’ve received is a NoA letter in your email and while we’re sure you read it carefully, it is fairly vague as to: 1) how to open your application; 2) what to do to begin drawing down the funds. So let us help you out.
HOW DO I OPEN THE LAL-ECT GRANT IN THE ELECTRONIC HAND BOOK (EHB)?
Login to the EHB with the account of the Authorizing Official (AO) listed on the NoA. Most likely your CEO or Executive Director.
Click on the Grants tab at the top of the page.
Click Add Grant to Portfolio
Select the Registration Option titled Register as Project Director (PD)
The grant will auto-populate in the list. The code for the grant will look like this: L1CSXXXXX
Under the Options Column, click Register
Note: Your name, as its listed in your EHB profile, might not match what’s listed on the NoA. For example, your profile includes your middle initial but your NoA does not. If this is the case, you will receive an error. There will be a hyperlink under the error to change your profile details. Match it to how your name is listed on the NoA to clear this error.
Enter the issue date of 6/30/2020, not the date you were emailed the NoA.
Enter your EIN, without dashes.
Check mark both boxes listed under Financial Report Access.
Certify and submit.
This will bring you to the LAL-ECT grant home page. When you log back into the EHB, you can click on the Grants tab at the top to see your LAL-ECT grant. Under the Options column, select Grant Folder to get back to the Grant Home page. Remember, any reports coming due will populate under your Tasks tab. You won’t see anything due right now so make it a habit to regularly check your EHB for LAL-ECT tasks.
Remember too, you - the Project Director - are the only one in the EHB who can view this grant application and its associated tasks. Others must request permission to view/edit items within that folder.
HOW DO I BEGIN TO DRAW DOWN FUNDS?
You need to register in the Payment Management System (PMS). Until you do this, you will not be allowed to draw down any of the funding. In your NoA, under Grant Specific Terms, read the last two sentences of item #6. The NoA will provide a hyperlink to register with PMS. Register ASAP, as it takes a few days to process.
WHO ARE THE TWO PEOPLE LISTED AT THE END OF THE NoA?
At the end of the NoA are two contacts: Program Contact and Division of Grants Management Operations (GMO). The Program Contact is your HRSA Project Officer. The individual listed under GMO is known as your Grants Management Specialist (GMS). Your Project Officer and GMO will communicate regularly. You can contact the GMO for grant draw down questions or anything LAL-ECT related that your Project Officer is unable to answer.
ANYTHING WEIRD IN THE NoA I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?
NA for Look-Alikes, Part I: The NoA mentions “Noncompeting Continuation Applications” in a few spots. That is language specific to 330 grantees, not Look-Alikes. Look-Alikes file the LAL Annual Certification application in years two and three of their three year project period. The Non-Competing Continuation Application is a FQHC grantees version of that report.
NA for Look-Alikes, Part II: Under Grant Specific Terms #6, where it notes you should register in the Payment Management System (PMS) to draw down the grant, the third sentence and a couple following it, note “if your organization previously received a grant under this program…” This is not applicable to you as a Look-Alike. However, do read the sentences before and after that chunk, as they are vital to setting you up in the PMS.
Prior Approval, Part I: If you plan on spending any of that additional $16,123 on equipment (definition: an item with a per unit price over $5,000), you need to request PRIOR APPROVAL (PA) from the Grants Management Specialist (GMS) listed under contacts, end of the NoA, below your Project Officer’s details.
Prior Approval, Part I: You are required to request a PA from the GMS if you propose “significant re-budgeting of project costs.” Translation: if you’re going to rebudget in excess of 25% of the total award, you need permission from the GMS to do so.
Federal Financial Reports (FFR): Under Reporting Requirements is a schedule of FFRs. These are small reports, due quarterly and annually, within the Payment Management System (PMS). This demonstrates details of your grant draw down.
Website Notice of Federal Funding: Read #3 under standard Terms on the NoA. Put that attestation in the footer of your website.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Check the LAL-ECT Technical Assistance webpage DAILY.
Attend the webinar this Wednesday!
Fiscal & Grants Management Technical Assistance Webinar (Post-Award)
July 15th, 2020
2:30 - 4:30 PM EST
Conference Line: 888-566-7701
Participant Passcode: 9747226
Clean up Forms 5A, 5B, and 5C. This is a condition of the award, to make certain all the LAL-ECT activities you’re proposing line up with services, sites, and other activities as they’re reported to HRSA.
Read the finance reviewer’s chapters of HRSA’s Operational Site Visit (OSV) and begin revising your financial policies and procedures to meet all the requirements for grantees. Don’t wait.
