AVA/OVW Conference Call – May and June 2012
Hello STOP Administrators,
AVA continues to participate in monthly conference calls with the OVW STOP Team. Below is an update on the topics we’ve been discussing:
I. STOP Administrators Conference
AVA stressed how difficult it was for STOP administrators in having to attend the annual conference at the end of March when they also needed to complete the STOP, SASP, and Recovery Act annual reports as well as the Muskie red flag reports. OVW acknowledged those difficulties and indicated that they will do everything possible to avoid a March repeat in 2013. AVA and OVW acknowledged that it is difficult to avoid the due dates on the discretionary awards since those seem to fluctuate each year. Possible sites for the next conference include Portland, San Antonio, Charleston, SC, and Louisville, KY. Once ALSO narrows down the available dates and costs, a decision on the location will be made.
OVW is looking to possibly revise the first day of the conference for new administrators to avoid duplication of presentations, and they have recognized that some of the information provided may be helpful for seasoned administrators as well. It was suggested that perhaps some of the plenary sessions during the main conference could actually be breakouts with tracks for new administrators vs. tracks for seasoned administrators.
II.AVA’s involvement in future conference content
AVA stressed that we would like more involvement in the planning process for the annual conference. OVW indicated that they will definitely involve AVA and STOP Administrators in the planning process to help ensure the conference meets administrators’ needs. Planning calls will be initiated soon and will be held on a weekly basis. AVA will be soliciting ideas for conference content from STOP administrators.
III. Update on STOP and SASP FAQs
OVW has indicated that the FAQs for STOP will be updated after the re-authorization bill passes. They will include clarification of the cultural and linguistic issues and the outreach to the LGBTQ populations if these appear in the final version of VAWA. They don’t anticipate many changes with SASP except those changes that might affect all programs across the board.
IV. Special Conditions
A question was posed as to whether OVW can provide clarification when new special conditions are added to STOP Awards. This question was more specific to the condition requiring states submit their annual audit reports to the federal audit clearinghouse. OVW explained that this was not a new special condition issued on all awards. It was placed on awards for only those states who had not previously submitted their audit. AVA inquired into what notification is sufficient to satisfy this condition and to whom the notification should be sent. OVW explained that once a state submits their audit, the state’s finance office should be able to provide a letter to the STOP administrator. That info should then be submitted to the OVW program manager or GMS via email with the letter attached. The program manager would then need to issue a GAN showing the special condition had been satisfied. The STOP Administrator should receive a GAN or other notification within a few days – if not, don’t hesitate to contact the OVW program manager.
V. Update on Administrator’s Manual
A final draft of the Administrator’s Manual has been submitted to OVW for review and approval. The STOP team discussed that their review is not yet complete and anticipates some modifications will be provided back to ALSO before the manual can be finalized. The manual will focus both on administrators as grantee recipients of OVW funds and will provide technical assistance in their role as a pass-through entity, e.g. subgrantee monitoring, etc. AVA received no commitment on when the Manual will be completed.
VI. FY2013 budget for VAWA
AVA inquired about the anticipated STOP Budget for FY 2013. Although VAWA is still moving through the re-authorization process, the actual appropriation is a separate issue. There are some indications that there will be a reduction but no details are available at this time.
If you have additional issues or concerns that you’d like AVA to bring to OVW, please contact Dorene Whitworth at 775-721-4691 or dorene.whitworth@yahoo.com. Thank you.