16 Performance Goals and Measures, 2605(b)

16.1 Describe your progress toward meeting the data collection and reporting requirements of the four required LIHEAP (Benefit Targeting Index, Burden Reduction Targeting Index, Restoration of Home Energy Service, and Prevention of Loss of Home Energy Service). Include timeframes and plans for meeting these requirements and what you believe will be accomplished in the coming federal fiscal year. The State of Mississippi has updated its centralized client tracking system, known as Virtual ROMA 2 (VR2), to capture, analyze, and submit information regarding energy burden targeting and the restoration/prevention of home energy service losses. The State continues to submit the LIHEAP Performance Measures Report and is collaborating with APPRISE to analyze this report, utilizing the data to enhance the LIHEAP Program. As part of our ongoing Vendor Agreement, we have updated the performance language, and the performance-related fields in the VR system now allow for the collection and reporting of the energy information needed to generate performance data reports and to identify high- energy users. In the current fiscal year, we plan to continue our efforts to effectively target clients with high energy burdens. We will maintain our partnerships with top vendors to obtain performance information on an annual basis. Several specific enhancements have been made for LIHEAP, including: Refund checks are updated at the agency’s level to ensure proper alignment with the Benefit Matrix and the resumption of client services. • The Housing Information Screen has been updated to indicate when the main heating fuel was last updated. • The Housing Information Screen now identifies the type of housing, whether it is Heir Property or Owned. • Equipment has been separated by Purchase and Installation to improve the reporting of households served in county Equipment Domain Reports. • DCS can add and update Poverty Guidelines without needing assistance from the Management Information System (MIS). • A Raw Data Download feature enables the creation of dashboards, tables, and other data manipulations. • Vendor Reissue and Vendor Refund Reports have been implemented. • The system can now capture services requested by existing clients. • A Grants Management component has been added to help monitor and send alerts for better budget tracking for DCS. • Emergency questions have been included to track the type of emergency and the use of the grant. • CWP Updates: Clients with full accounts can now upload documents from the Request for Additional Information Form. • The system can identify the type of assistance for all DCS programs. • • Planned System Enhancements for 2026 include: An Energy Burden Indicator on the Household Profile. • Timeliness Reports (for aged appointments). • Agency Timeliness Report (outlining the lifecycle of an application). • An enhanced Grant Management component to help monitor and alert for budget attainment, including spending tracking at the agency level. • Implementation of text message alerts for service notifications. • • If any of the above questions require further explanation or clarification that could not be made in the fields provided, attach a document with said explanation here.