Sneak Preview: VA Plans To Revise GPDP Application Procedures

(The following was excerpted from an article in the Federal Grants Management Handbook.) The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to update its Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program (GPDP) application and oversight procedures within the next year in response to VA Office of Inspector General recommendations to improve the program’s effectiveness and address security concerns.
Harsh Words for the Single Audit

The Office of Management and Budget Circular A-133 single audit took a beating Tuesday during a session during the National Grants Management Association’s annual training conference in which federal representatives asked attendees their reactions to the potential changes in OMB’s recent notice of proposed guidance.
A Truly Difficult Balancing Act

On Monday, the National Grants Management Association kicked off its annual training conference in Alexandria, Va., with a hefty discussion on the Office of Management and Budget's notice of proposed guidance. The importance of this notice and the potentially dramatic changes it could bring to the grants management and single audit process cannot be understated. This is why the OMB has the unenviable task of eventually concluding on changes that everyone can live with, whether they like them or not.
Health Care in the Dock: What’s at Stake for Education?

(This post was written by guest blogger Julia Martin, legislative director of the Brustein & Manasevit law firm.) The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the constitutionality of the 2009 health care law will have wide-ranging effects on health care policy and may even tip the balance of the 2012 Presidential election. But the Court’s decision, expected in June, could also have a profound effect on education.
Sneak Preview: Mich. Aims To Boost Youth in Transition Outcomes

(The following was excerpted from an article in the Single Audit Information Service.) Michigan human services officials plan to work with the federal government to evaluate data and surveys on youth transitioning from foster care to self-sufficiency to ensure the program achieves desired outcomes.
Let’s All Meet Next Week in Alexandria

Planning to be in the D.C./Alexandria, Va. area next week? If so, drop by the National Grants Management Association’s annual training conference April 22-25 in Alexandria. The NGMA will be welcoming walk-in registrations, so if you didn’t register ahead of time, no need to worry.
Get Set, OMB, You’ve Got Some Reading To Do!

Keep ‘em coming, folks, keep ‘em coming! I’ve had a chance to look over many of the comments already submitted to the Office of Management and Budget on the notice of proposed guidance related to grants management and single audit reforms and I have to say, the OMB already has much to consider.
Sneak Preview: DOJ To Boost Oversight of Body Armor Programs

(The following was excerpted from the Federal Grants Management Handbook.) The Department of Justice intends to reclaim unused funds and increase monitoring activities this year for grant programs that provide body armor to state and local law enforcement agencies, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.
Good Comment, Now Who Said It?

Is it just me or is our nation’s reliance on technology creating more problems than offering solutions? Ladies and gentlemen, I present Regulations.gov as the current culprit.
Sneak Preview: FNS To Emphasize Fraud Prevention in SNAP Program

(The following was excerpted from an article in the Single Audit Information Service). Upcoming Food and Nutrition Service guidance will emphasize that states should take greater steps to limit potential fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.