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United States Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education — The Assistant Secretary (January 28, 2021)

Summary

A letter dated January 28, 2021 from the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education to a HEERF Project Director, thanking the recipient for spending CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund money responsibly. It reminds grantees that reporting on the use of funds is an important responsibility and that the HEERF Annual Reporting Data Collection Tool opened on January 5, 2021, covering expenditures from March 13 through December 31, 2020. It extends the reporting deadline from February 1 to February 8, 2021, describes a CARES Act Reporting Help Desk, and says grantees that do not report or show a reasonable effort may face administrative actions.

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Issuer
Congressional materials
Document type
Department Of Education Here Www Ed Gov Bab43Eb4B7
Case
Department Of Education Here Www Ed Gov Bab43Eb4B7

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“United States Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education — The Assistant Secretary (January 28, 2021).” Original at www.ed.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/department-of-education-here-www-ed-gov-bab43eb4b7/, SHA-256 0418f40fd991fe7c3537d043d1ecd9417419aedc9355329d193751bdbfa5259f.

Full text

                           UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
                                       OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

                                                                               THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY




January 28, 2021


Dear HEERF Project Director:

Thank you for your efforts to responsibly and equitably spend funds received under the Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund
(HEERF). HEERF provides funding to institutions to, among other things, offer emergency financial aid
grants to students whose lives have been disrupted, many of whom are facing financial challenges and
struggling to make ends meet. We recognize that this has been a challenging time for educators,
administrators, students, and families, and we acknowledge your work to ensure safe and supportive
learning environments in a variety of forms. An important responsibility related to the receipt of these
CARES Act funds is reporting on the use of funds. Transparency to Congress, the Department, and most
importantly to the public, is critical.

In December 2020, the Department notified all grantees of the process for submitting the information
through the HEERF Annual Reporting Data Collection Tool which opened on January 5, 2021, with a due
date of February 1, 2021. The report should include expenditures from March 13 through December 31,
2020.

Thank you to all institutions that have already submitted their data. The Department is committed to
supporting grantees in meeting these reporting requirements. To provide institutions more flexibility we are
extending the reporting deadline until February 8, 2021 for reporting HEERF data.

Additionally, the Department has set up a CARES Act Reporting Help Desk for your questions or concerns.
You may reach the Help Desk via phone at (888) 673-7310 or at CARESActReportingHelpDesk@ed.gov. In
addition, Department staff have been available and are reaching out to grantees to help support the
submissions.

We wish to emphasize the importance of meeting this February 8 deadline. We are available to provide
support to grantees who are having technical issues, so please reach out as noted above. Grantees that do not
report or cannot demonstrate a reasonable effort to report may be subject to one of several follow-up
administrative actions available to the Department. It is important to contact the Department, either through
the Help Desk or your assigned Program Specialist, if you are having any difficulties reporting or do not
expect to meet the deadline. Please note the Help Desk will accept emails only over the weekend.
Our goal is to support grantees in submitting timely and accurate CARES Act data to demonstrate to the
public that funds are being used for allowable purposes such as advancing safe, effective instruction. Please
let us know how we can help you meet that goal.




Tiwanda M. Burse
Acting Assistant Secretary for
Postsecondary Education




                                        400 MARYLAND AVENUE. S.W., WASHINGTON. D.C. 20202
                                                         www.ed.gov

              The Department of Education’s mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness
                                        by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access

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