AVA/OVW Conference Call – March 2015
Summary of Conference Call Meeting between AVA & OVW
Date: Monday, March 2, 2015
Time: 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
OVW Staff: Associate Director Michelle Brickley and Program Managers Kim Galvan and Omar Mohammed
AVA Board Members: MaryEllen Garcia, Michelle Bynum, Cecilia Miller
AVA Coordinator: Dorene Whitworth
ISSUES DISCUSSED:
Annual Conference
Discussion around conference planning: Currently OVW and ALSO are holding calls to discuss logistical information for the conference. ALSO will be doing calls with administrators as in previous years to help shape the agenda. AVA previously surveyed administrators for topics and sent ALSO a list that included many of the same topics identified by OVW, e.g. new VAWA 2013 criteria, PREA, 20% sexual assault set-aside, etc. OVW would like AVA’s assistance in pairing new and seasoned administrators for a roundtable session similar to what was done previously. OVW also indicated they will be conducting a conferral session on the first evening of the conference.
OVW will not be hosting a conference for coalitions this year. They still recognize the importance of a joint conference however the conference costs and approval process makes it impossible to host such a conference. They are discussing whether they could hold a joint conference in the future if states can pay their own travel, and coalitions use their set-aside funds. The respective technical assistance providers would have a small pot of funds to offer travel assistance to those grantees that are unable to support their attendance at the conference. If this were to occur, states could bring a second person if the state is able to absorb the costs of sending two persons. There will be no SASP meeting this year.
Muskie Forms
AVA identified one outstanding question following the Muskie webinars held recently – how should states report services to victims under the “youth” definition? Michelle will check on this and get back with Dorene with information as soon as possible. Some folks are expressing concern about the forms not working, e.g. can’t save the populated document. It was discussed that this could be due to more agencies using MAC-based systems rather than PC. The MAC programs will default to their software which is not fully compatible with the Muskie form. Administrators and subgrantees must use Adobe reader to complete the form. Those using a MAC system will need to change their default to Adobe.
AVA inquired as to whether OVW is interested in learning about PREA activity even if no actually monies have yet been awarded? Michelle suggested states only report on activities that have received funding.
OVW also discussed that the use of the narrative sections for this year’s reporting is a stopgap measure. They are working on form revisions for next year. Michelle will reach out to AVA when they get further into this process.
OVW Peer Grant Review
AVA inquired into the process for state administrators who wish to get involved in the OVW peer review process for discretionary grants. Michelle indicated there is a form on the OVW website (under grant programs section) if folks are interested in signing up for peer review. Submitting this form is preferred over simply emailing the program manager as this ensures the info gets into the system. The form as well as peer review guidelines are on the website.
Further discussion centered around states who are applicants on discretionary programs (sometimes acting as a pass through for a statewide program) as the solicitations do not seem geared to state applicants. Michelle is willing to bring this question forward to the team responsible for the discretionary programs.
STOP/SASP Solicitation
The estimated release dates have not changed since our last call:
STOP estimated release date 3/26/2015 – due 5/7/2015
SASP estimated release date 3/12/2015 – due 4/23/2015
Document of Collaboration – revisions
The AVA board reviewed and accepted OVW’s proposed changes. The formatting was modified somewhat and a “revised” date was added in the footer. The final form was then sent back to Marnie Shiels.
Next Meeting: April 13th