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Accountability Plan
– Fiscal Integrity
– Operational Integrity
– Program Impact
– NJ SHARES
– Agencies
– Utilities
2

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
3

Client Tracking System
– 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
– 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
– 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
– 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)
8

Client Tracking System
– 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
9

Client Tracking System
– 2002: selected 10 clients and obtained data from PSE&G
– 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 PSE&G
– 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
– 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
– 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
– 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
15

Fiscal Integrity
– Purpose: certify that funds they receive are being used to pay arrearages
– Tools: client tracking system, client interviews
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Operational Integrity
– 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
– Purpose: develop minimum service delivery requirements and confirm that agencies are following those procedures
– Tools: NJ SHARES agency visits, audit, process evaluation
18

Operational Integrity
– Purpose: develop a set of operations procedures and confirm that utilities are following those procedures
– Tools:client tracking system
19

Program Impact
– Purpose: confirm that the participant demographics are consistent with program targets
– Tools: analysis of NJ SHARES database
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Program Impact
– Purpose: confirm that NJ SHARES recipients meet the “program commitment” criteria
– Tools: client tracking system
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Program Impact
– Purpose: see if NJ SHARES has resolved the utility payment problem for clients
– Tools: client tracking system
22

Program Impact
– Purpose: interview a sample of program participants to assess process and impact concerns
– Tools:client interviews
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