Q&A – NC DHHS and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

This page presents a forum for presenting issues and answers to DHHS Managers about the ARRA. The purpose is to provide guidance in accomplishing the goals of the Governor, the legislature, and the Secretary to optimally use these federal resources in the service of our citizens. DHHS managers are encouraged to present questions and issues to the department management team in the Office of the Secretary via email to their assigned B&A Budget Analyst. Answers will be vetted by DHHS leadership and presented along with the questions in chronological order below.

DHHS Managers are also encouraged to visit www.NCRecovery.gov for updates and guidance from the Governor and the Office of Economic Recovery and Investment and for valuable links to other sites.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funding
Frequently Asked Questions

1. How will the Office of Economic Recovery and Investment handle proposals for use of funds where a Department is not the primary agency recipient (e.g. DHHS has a proposal for use of recovery funds where the Department of Justice and Juvenile Delinquency is the lead agency for that fund source)?

For purposes of proposing uses of recovery funds, Divisions should submit proposals for any funding source that could potentially be available to meet a Departmental need. The Office of Economic Recovery and Investment will have responsibility for prioritizing and making decisions regarding requests where funding sources may be utilized within multiple agencies.

2. We are in the process of identifying areas where recovery funds will require changes to rules or statutes. In some areas we expect that changes will require quick resolution. What will be the process for pursuing rule or statutory changes in these instances (stand alone bills, use of temporary\emergency rules, etc.)?

Any necessary changes to rules or special provision should be submitted to the Division of Budget and Analysis as soon as you are aware of this need. The Department will be summarizing these needs to report to the Office of Economic Recovery and Investment who will coordinate promulgating any necessary changes.

3) With regard to the posting and hiring of positions and listing positions with the Employment Security Commission, will there be any flexibility for time-sensitive and\or highly specialized needs related to recovery funding? For example, we already know that some recovery funds will include additional monitoring requirements for which we will need to hire staff quickly and\or with specialized expertise.

The Department will be allowed to make exceptions to posting with the Employment Security Commission when justified. Divisions needing an exception should route these requests through the Division of Budget and Analysis who will seek approval from Department management. The Department will also report any exceptions to Daphne Lyon at the Office of Economic Recovery and Investment. Additional written guidance will be forthcoming from the Office of Economic Recovery and Investment regarding this policy.

Last Modified: March 20, 2009