From:                                         SSVF

Sent:                                           Friday, July 26, 2024 9:49 AM

Subject:                                     SSVF Program Update Friday July 26, 2024

 

This weekly update is targeted towards the SSVF Grantees and shared with valuable partners for awareness.  

July 26, 2024          

 

 

New:  SSVF Guidance on the Use of Overtime Pay 

NEW: SSVF All Program Managers/Directors Call on August 1st 

NEW: Quarterly Certification due in UDPaaS July 26, 2024 

NEWS: VA Legal Services for Veterans awards $26.8M in Grants 

RESOURCE: Repository Uploads – Monthly Reports & Zero Data 

 

 

 

 

New:  SSVF Guidance on the Use of Overtime Pay 

Effective July 1, 2024, SSVF Grantees are authorized to use overtime pay for staff as needed without prior approval from the SSVF Program Office. Overtime pay is required to be used in accordance with federal, state, or local laws; whichever is most favorable to employees. This guidance supersedes the overtime pay guidelines in the current version of the SSVF Program Guide (October 2023). Overtime pay is defined as the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours.  

 

Please note that the use of overtime pay is an agency decision and is not subject to Program Office approval. The use of overtime will not impact grantee funding levels and must be used within the current existing approved budget. Agencies should develop and follow internal policies and procedures.  The SSVF Program Office will not be approving individual agency overtime plans and will direct questions on use of overtime to your federal, state, or local laws. The SSVF Program Office hopes this added flexibility will help us make progress toward our goal of ensuring every Veteran has a safe place to call home. 

 

 

 

NEW: SSVF All Program Managers/Directors Call on August 1st 

The SSVF Program Office is excited to announce the inaugural SSVF All Program Managers/Directors call on Thursday, August 1st at 12pm eastern. All Program Managers and Directors should attend. Please hold the date and time. The theme of the August call will be updates from SSVF Leadership, Program Managers/Directors and their role in the Veteran homelessness response system, and strategies for resource mapping to coordinate and leverage community resources.  

 

SSVF grantees shared feedback that they wanted calls based on roles within SSVF, and this new quarterly call is part of the strategy to support grantee leaders. The registration link will be forthcoming.  

 

 

 

NEW: Quarterly Certification due in UDPaaS July 26, 2024 

The Quarter 3 (April 1-June 30) Certification is available in UDPaaS for completion through July 26, 2024. The SSVF Program Office requires all grantees to complete a Quarterly Certification in UDPaaS as defined in your grant’s signed Memorandum of Agreement. Please ensure accuracy of submission as the Program Office will compare all data provided through repository uploads from Quarter 3 of FY24.  The Companion Guide for completing the certification is available in UDPaaS for reference to complete the activity.  

 

 

NEWS: VA Legal Services for Veterans awards $26.8M in Grants 

On July 1, 2024, the VA awarded $26.8M in grants to support legal services for Veterans experiencing or at risk for homelessness. Legal services grants were awarded to a total of 108 public and non-profit organizations, all with the goal of increasing access to legal services for eligible Veterans experiencing or at risk for homelessness. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOURCE: Repository Uploads – Monthly Reports & Zero Data 

The SSVF Program Office continues to encourage grantees to ensure data uploads are of the highest quality possible.  Did you know that you can have a “Successful Upload” with zero data?  Each month grantees receive 3 reports with your upload.  However, these reports are looking for file errors or data entry errors only.  Before each upload, grantees need to verify the CSV file is reviewed and there is data within the file. For more information about these reports and how best to utilize them to improve data quality, follow the link below.  

 

Link: HMIS & Data Reporting (va.gov)