NJ SHARES

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NJ SHARES ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN Jackie
Berger 2004 NFFN June 7, 2004
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Accountability Plan

• Elements of the Plan
• Fiscal Integrity
• Operational Integrity
• Program Impact
• Partners
• NJ SHARES
• Agencies
• Utilities

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Accountability Plan

• Tools
• NJ SHARES agency visits
• Financial controls
• Documentation of procedures
• Board financial reports
• Audit
• Process evaluation
• Client interviews
• Analysis of NJ SHARES database
• Client tracking system

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Client Tracking System

• Goals
• To measure client payment behavior prior to
  receiving grants
• To measure the impact of NJ SHARES on clients
  served by the program
• To confirm that all grants are credited to
  clients accounts
• To measure the length of time between grant
  application and credit to account

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Client Tracking System

• Data and Data Sources
• Grant data
• Requirements utility, grant amount, application
  date, award date, type of emergency
• Source application/on-line system
• Demographic data
• Requirements annual income, single parent
  household, number of children under 18, elderly,
  unemployed
• Source application/on-line system

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Client Tracking System

• Data and Data Sources (continued)
• Billing and payment data
• Requirements dates and amounts billed, dates and
  amount paid, source of payment, date grant
  credited to account
• Source utility billing and payment data

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Client Tracking System

• Performance Measures
• Status prior to receiving services
• Mean and median level of arrears prior to
  receiving grant
• Percent of households that made 0,1,2,and 3 (or
  more) payments in the 3 months prior to receiving
  the grant
• Mean and median number of payments in the 3
  months prior to receiving the grant
• Percent of households that made at least 100 in
  payments in the 3 months prior to receiving the
  grant
• Mean and median amount of payments in the 3
  months prior to receiving the grant

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Client Tracking System

• Performance Measures (continued)
• Status at 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after
  grant
• Percent of households with utility service
• Mean number of payments made
• Mean percentage of bills covered
• Mean level of arrears
• Mean change in arrears (since before grant)

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Client Tracking System

• Performance Measures (continued)
• Utility performance
• Confirm that all grants have been credited to the
  customers accounts
• Mean and median length of time between
  application for grant and credit to account

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Client Tracking System

• Results
• 2002 selected 10 clients and obtained data from
  PSEG
• Service
• All clients for whom data were available had
  service 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after
  grant was received

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Client Tracking System

• Results
• Mean arrears
• Prior to grant receipt 771
• 3 months after grant receipt 245
• 6 months after grant receipt 239
• Mean percent of bills paid
• 3 months after grant receipt 100
• 6 months after grant receipt 99
• 1 year after grant receipt 100
• One year after grant receipt, all clients paid at
  least 87 of their bills

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Client Tracking System

• Results
• 2003 5 clients selected from each utility, data
  received from SJG, NUI, RE, and PSEG
• Good faith payments
• Mean number of payments made in 3 months prior to
  grant 3
• Mean of payments in 3 months prior to grant
  286
• Percent of clients who did not meet requirements
  20
• Percent of clients who made no payments in 90
  days prior to grant 10

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Client Tracking System

• Results
• Time to receive grant
• Mean number of days 12
• Mean arrears
• Prior to grant receipt 694
• 3 months after grant receipt 719
• Mean percent of bills paid
• 3 months after grant receipt 92

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Fiscal Integrity

• NJ SHARES Financial Controls
• Purpose certify that dollars are spent on
  administration, service delivery, and grants
• Tools financial controls, Board financial
  reports, audit

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Fiscal Integrity

• Agency Financial Controls
• Purpose certify that agencies are performing the
  services for which they are paid
• Tools NJ SHARES agency visits, client
  interviews, audit
• Purpose certify that agencies are not
  fraudulently certifying ineligible households
• Tools audit

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Fiscal Integrity

• Utility Financial Controls
• Purpose certify that funds they receive are
  being used to pay arrearages
• Tools client tracking system, client interviews

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Operational Integrity

• NJ SHARES
• Purpose confirm that NJ SHARES has a documented
  set of operations procedures and is following
  those procedures
• Tools documentation of procedures, process
  evaluation

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Operational Integrity

• Agencies
• Purpose develop minimum service delivery
  requirements and confirm that agencies are
  following those procedures
• Tools NJ SHARES agency visits, audit, process
  evaluation

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Operational Integrity

• Utilities
• Purpose develop a set of operations procedures
  and confirm that utilities are following those
  procedures
• Toolsclient tracking system

20
Program Impact

• Targeting
• Purpose confirm that the participant
  demographics are consistent with program targets
• Tools analysis of NJ SHARES database

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Program Impact

• Commitment
• Purpose confirm that NJ SHARES recipients meet
  the program commitment criteria
• Tools client tracking system

22
Program Impact

• Tracking
• Purpose see if NJ SHARES has resolved the
  utility payment problem for clients
• Tools client tracking system

23
Program Impact

• Feedback
• Purpose interview a sample of program
  participants to assess process and impact
  concerns
• Toolsclient interviews