Increased Application and Reporting Burden for Federally-funded HIV and Hepatitis Programs Undermines the Nation’s Response to the Domestic HIV and Viral Hepatitis Epidemics

Increased Application and Reporting Burden for Federally-funded HIV and Hepatitis Programs Undermines the Nation’s Response to the Domestic HIV and Viral Hepatitis Epidemics

National Organization Representing State and Territorial Health Department HIV/AIDS Program Directors Calls for Reduced Reporting Burden for State Health Department HIV, Hepatitis, and Related Programs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Natalie Cramer, 202-434-8090, ncramer@NASTAD.org

 December 3, 2014, Washington, DC – In 2010, the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) was released with the intention of moving policymakers, Federal partners, and the general public’s response to the HIV epidemic forward.  The fourth goal of the strategy is focused on strengthening the national response to the HIV epidemic through increased coordination of HIV programs across the federal government and between federal agencies and state, territorial, tribal and local governments. To achieve this goal, the NHAS calls for simplification of grant administration activities, standardization of data collection and streamlining of reporting requirements. 

Despite this focus, as of December 2014, state health departments are experiencing significant administrative burden of 238 federal reporting requirements. While not all states are required to complete all 238 federal reporting requirements based on the funding they receive, 41 states are required to meet at least 125 reporting requirements each year.  This magnitude of administrative burden undermines and slows the domestic response to the HIV epidemic at a time when HIV programs nationwide are intensifying prevention, care, and treatment strategies to end the epidemic.  This is no small task and more paperwork is not the answer.

In an effort to better understand and articulate this incongruence, NASTAD is releasing an updated Federal Reporting Requirements Table and Chart which include reporting requirements for major Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) HIV, hepatitis, and other related programs.  The table and chart illustrate the increasing administrative burden on state health departments, including reports and data collection as well as monthly conference calls and annual site visits. Over the past two years, some progress has been made to reduce reporting burden and streamline data reporting requirements on the part of federal agencies, however health departments have yet to experience any significant reduction in the overall administrative effort related to grant or cooperative agreement management as other new administrative and reporting requirements continue to be added.  

“We understand the complex nature of reducing reporting burden across multiple funding streams, particularly in an era of increased accountability,” commented Julie Scofield, NASTAD Executive Director.  “However, health departments should not be forced to invest in paperwork over people.”

“NASTAD will continue to assess application and reporting burden and has offered concrete recommendations to our federal partners that are intended to create meaningful change, thereby enabling health departments to better focus their energy on ending the HIV and hepatitis epidemics,” she added.  “NASTAD calls on our federal partners to examine all of their administrative requirements and work with NASTAD to reduce the reporting burden for health departments,” she concluded.

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About NASTAD

Founded in 1992, NASTAD is a nonprofit national association of state and territorial health department HIV/AIDS program directors who have programmatic responsibility for administering HIV/AIDS and hepatitis health care, prevention, education, and supportive services programs funded by state and federal governments. For more information, visit www.NASTAD.org