GAO Recovery Act Weatherization Assistance Program Survey

U.S. Government Accountability Office

This document is a companion to GAO's issued report entitled Recovery Act: Progress and Challenges in Spending Weatherization Funds, GAO-12-195 (Washington, D.C.: Dec. 16, 2011). We conducted a web-based survey of weatherization program recipients to help determine the extent that the weatherization program, which received Recovery Act funds, spent those funds, met monitoring requirements, and achieved program goals. We asked recipients in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, 5 territories, and 2 tribes to provide information on their experience with the program and the extent to which they found certain aspects of the program implementation challenging from April 2009 through the end of the funding in 2012.

View the full report at http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-195

Introduction

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), a research arm of Congress, has been asked to review the use of Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) funds awarded through the Recovery Act. As part of this study, we are sending this questionnaire to all WAP Recovery Act fund recipients. GAO would like to understand your experience and progress using the funds. Your participation is extremely important to us and will help inform Congress on the progress of achieving Recovery Act goals and ways to improve WAP. While your participation is voluntary, we encourage 100 percent participation. Please note your survey responses will not be individually identified in the report. To learn more about completing the survey, printing your responses, and who to contact if you have questions, click here for help. Thank you in advance for your assistance in taking part in our survey.

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General Information

	Please note that all questions below are in reference to your state's experience with the ARRA-funded Weatherization Assistance Program.

	1. Please provide the following information for the organization and the person primarily responsible for completing this survey in case we need to contact you to clarify a response.

	Contact name (first and last):
	Title:
	Organization name:
	Telephone (Include area code):
	E-mail address:

	2. Has your state received the remaining 50% of ARRA funds from DOE?
			Yes
			No (Go here)
			No response

	a. If yes, when did you receive the remaining funds?

Month (mm)

Day (dd)

Year (yyyy)

	b. If no, please indicate the reason you have not received the remaining funds.

		Yes	No	Don't know	No response
	i. 30 percent of homes planned not yet weatherized
	ii. Other requirements not met (Please specify below)

Please specify the other requirement(s) not met.

	3. For each of the categories below, please fill in the appropriate number of ARRA-funded FTEs for your state program staff. Count the state program staff FTEs in the same way you calculated FTEs for the 1512 reports. Please do not round the FTE numbers.

Staff Type	As of September 30, 2009	As of March 31, 2011
a. Monitoring
b. All Other

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Use of Funds

	4. Did you use Recovery Act funds as leverage to obtain other funds for weatherization activities?
			Yes
			No (Go here)
			Don't know
			No response

	a. If yes, did you obtain additional funds from the following entities?

		Yes	No	Don't know	No response
	i. Utility
	ii. Landlord
	iii. Property owner
	iv. States
	v. Other (Please specify below)

Please specify the other entity.

	5. Which of the following, if any, were challenges for ______ in the use of ARRA funds for weatherization in the following periods?

	April 1, 2009- March 31, 2010	April 1, 2010- March 31, 2011	Remaining challenges as of April 1, 2011
a. Complying with historic preservation requirements	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
b. State-level energy auditors lacking training or expertise	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
c. Determining methodology for calculating $6,500 maximum average cost per home	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
d. Determining and documenting income eligibility	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
e. Implementing Davis-Bacon requirements	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
f. Having insufficient number of administrative staff	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge

	April 1, 2009- March 31, 2010	April 1, 2010- March 31, 2011	Remaining challenges as of April 1, 2011
g. Implementing new program requirements that were developed as program progressed	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
h. Lacking expertise in weatherizing multi-family units	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
i. Lacking infrastructure at state level to handle the large influx of money from the Recovery Act	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
j. Planning for "cliff effect" (i.e., decline in funding after ARRA funding expires in March 2012)	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
k. Other (Please explain below)	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge

If you selected "other" in question 5, please explain:

	6. Which of the following, if any, were challenges for your sub-grantees in the use of ARRA funds for weatherization in the following periods?

	April 1, 2009- March 31, 2010	April 1, 2010- March 31, 2011	Remaining challenges as of April 1, 2011
a. Complying with historic preservation requirements	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
b. Sub-grantee level energy auditors lacking training or expertise	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
c. Having insufficient number of administrative staff	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
d. Implementing new program requirements that were developed as program progressed	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge

	April 1, 2009- March 31, 2010	April 1, 2010- March 31, 2011	Remaining challenges as of April 1, 2011
e. Lacking expertise in weatherizing multi-family units	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
f. Lacking infrastructure at sub-grantee level to handle the large influx of money from the Recovery Act	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
g. Planning for "cliff effect" (i.e., decline in funding after ARRA funding expires in March 2012)	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
h. Other (Please explain below)	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge

If you selected "other" in question 6, please explain:

	7. Other than ARRA funds, did you obtain revenue for your state's weatherization work from the following entities?

		Yes	No	Don't know	No response
	a. DOE Appropriation
	b. LIHEAP
	c. State Programs
	d. Utilities
	e. Other (Please specify below)

Please specify the other sources:

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Monitoring

	8. Between April 1, 2010 - March 31, 2011, on average, how often were you contacted by the following to discuss substantive issues such as reports and data submitted, and program challenges?

a. Telephone	DOE project officers No response Never Once a year 2-10 times per year 11-20 times per year 21-40 times per year More than 40 times per year	DOE monitoring staff other than project officers No response Never Once a year 2-10 times per year 11-20 times per year 21-40 times per year More than 40 times per year
b. Onsite visit	No response Never Once a year 2-10 times per year 11-20 times per year 21-40 times per year More than 40 times per year	No response Never Once a year 2-10 times per year 11-20 times per year 21-40 times per year More than 40 times per year

	9. Between April 1, 2010, and March 31, 2011, did you discuss the following issues or topics with your DOE project officer?

		Yes	No	Don't know	No response
	a. Best practices for the weatherization program
	b. Budget issues
	c. Existing barriers to meeting weatherization program goals
	d. DOE monitoring of your state

		Yes	No	Don't know	No response
	e. Scheduling meetings
	f. Reminders for data collection and submission
	g. Amendments to ARRA state plans
	h. State monitoring of sub-grantees
	i. Other issues or topics (Please explain below)

If you select "other issues or topics" in question 9, please specify.

	10. Between April 1, 2010, and March 31, 2011, how frequently did you conduct on-site fiscal and administrative reviews of your sub-grantees?

	11. Between April 1, 2010, and March 31, 2011, how frequently did you conduct desktop reviews of your sub-grantees?

	12. How many on-site inspections for ARRA-funded, completed units did you conduct between April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011? Do not include the number of inspections for "in progress" units.

	Single Family Units
	Mulit Family Units

	13. Which of the following, if any, were comprehensive monitoring challenges for ______ in monitoring sub-grantees during the following periods?

a. Adjusting to changes in existing reporting requirements for monitoring	April 1, 2009- March 31, 2010 No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	April 1, 2010- March 31, 2011 No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	Remaining challenges as of April 1, 2011 No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
b. Conducting the required number of monitoring visits	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
c. Ensuring consistency in monitoring results	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
d. Having additional reporting requirements for monitoring	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
e. Having too few monitoring staff	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge

f. Lacking expertise in monitoring multi-family units	April 1, 2009- March 31, 2010 No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	April 1, 2010- March 31, 2011 No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	Remaining challenges as of April 1, 2011 No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
g. Lacking trained monitoring staff	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
h. Lacking staff to appropriately handle external monitoring (DOE-IG, state-level auditors, consultants)	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
i. Meeting federal reporting requirements (FederalReporting.gov and PAGE)	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
j. Meeting state's requirements to monitor sub-grantees	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
k. Other (Please explain below)	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge

If you selected "other" in question 13, please explain:

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Guidance

	14. During each of the following periods, how helpful was DOE's ARRA weatherization program guidance (which includes the usefulness, clarity, and the methods for communicating program guidance)?

		Not helpful	Somewhat helpful	Very helpful	Don't know	No response
	a. April 1, 2009-March 31, 2010
	b. April 1, 2010-March 31, 2011
	c. April 1, 2011-current

	15. During each of the following periods, how timely was the DOE's ARRA weatherization program guidance?

		Not timely	Somewhat timely	Very timely	Don't know	No response
	a. April 1, 2009-March 31, 2010
	b. April 1, 2010-March 31, 2011
	c. April 1, 2011-current

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Outcomes and Reporting

	16. In what ways, if any, has ______ used the recipient reporting data, such as job and related outcome data, from Recovery.gov?

	17. Are you collecting information from your sub-grantees on how they use recipient reporting data from Recovery.gov?
			Yes
			No (Go here)
			Don't know (Go here)
			No response (Go here)

a. If yes, in what ways (e.g., surveys, phone discussions) are you obtaining this information from subgrantees?

	18. How did you calculate the number of ARRA-funded FTEs for the most recent quarter - beginning January 1, 2011 and ending March 31, 2011? You reported ______ FTEs in Round 7 to FederalReporting.gov.

	a. Describe the tools used to calculate the FTEs.

	19. What data quality review procedures or steps did you follow to ensure the reliability of the total number of FTEs?

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Achieving Program Goals

	20. Which of the following, if any, were challenges for ______ in achieving weatherization program goals during the following periods?

a. Adjusting to changes in existing reporting requirements	April 1, 2009- March 31, 2010 No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	April 1, 2010- March 31, 2011 No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	Remaining challenges as of April 1, 2011 No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
b. Determining how to measure cost savings (i.e., dollar savings)	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
c. Determining how to measure long-term energy savings (i.e., savings measured in MBTUs)	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
d. Balancing training & technical assistance requirements with production targets	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
e. Having additional reporting requirements	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
f. Lacking experience weatherizing multi-family units	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge

g. Balancing the requirements to meet production targets and to ensure the work is done correctly	April 1, 2009- March 31, 2010 No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	April 1, 2010- March 31, 2011 No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	Remaining challenges as of April 1, 2011 No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
h. Meeting certification and training requirements	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
i. Meeting production targets	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge
j. Other (Please explain below)	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge	No response Strong challenge Somewhat of a challenge Not a challenge

If you selected "other" in question 20, please explain:

	21. If you have any comments about any of the topics covered in this survey or would like to elaborate on any of your responses, please use the space below.

	IMPORTANT: Please continue to the next screen to submit your final responses to GAO.

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Submit Your Final Responses to GAO

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	You may view and print your completed survey by clicking on the Summary link in the menu to the left..

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