PHEP Phase - 1

• Additional Guidance

• Contract Monitoring

• Grant Information and Allowability Costs - PHEP

• COVID-19 Staffing Resources - can be found here (added 9/16/21). 

• PHEP Allowability Roadmap (added 10/12/21).

• Can I purchase food and refreshments for staff?

  • No, that is unallowable. 

• Can additional pay be provided to staff retroactively based on new agency policy?

  • No, per 2 CFR 200.430(f) and 45 CFR 75.430(f) compensation must be "pursuant to an agreement entered into in good faith between the non-Federal entity and the employees before the services were rendered". This means that the pay rate must be established prior to the work or services being done. New policies can only impact pay practices moving forward and must be consistently applied across all funding sources, Federal and non-Federal. 

• Please confirm that overtime expenses are allowable? 

  • Yes, they are allowed.

• Denver Sheriff Deputies have been supporting public health enforcement activities (mask enforcement etc.) DDPHE would like to reimburse them for their personnel and time cost with PHEP I funds. Is this allowable? If so, how should we bill/invoice i.e. salaries or contractual? 

  • This is not allowable.

• We’ve been charging payroll for one of our staff to PHEP 1 for her work with CI/CT and infection control. However, last week she transitioned to our Vaccination Branch and will be doing vaccination related work moving forward.  Can we continue to charge her payroll to PHEP 1 or do we need to find a new funding source for her?

  • Yes, they can use PHEP COVID funds for payroll related to vaccination response.

• Can we charge case investigation/contact tracing personnel expenses to PHEP I & II awards? We are currently drawing these expense from ELC funds and would like clarification if it is okay to switch to PHEP funds so that we can fully utilize PHEP funding ahead the 3/21 award deadline? 

  • Allowed. They may have to resubmit budget for PHEP I.

• I don’t believe we will be able to utilize all the funds with personnel expenses alone by the deadline. Are we allowed to claim our other eligible expenses on the December report (contact tracing and grocery expenses for quarantined individuals)? Is there a formal process for changing the original budget between categories?

  • Reallocating any unused funds to cover payroll expenses is fine, just be sure the budget revision indicates this reallocation clearly. 

Supplies

• Are Ancillary COVID vaccine supplies allowable using PHEP Phase -1 funds? 

  • Ancillary COVID vaccine supplies (not the vaccine itself) are allowable under and PHEP Phase -1 funds. These items fall under Capability 8 (MCM Dispensing and Administration) and Capability 14 (Responder Safety and Health).  

• Can PHEP I and PHEP II funding be used for supplies at vaccine clinics? Things like needles, syringes, chairs, carts, tablets and the printing of vaccination information provided to patients.

  • LPHA should use IMM COVID funding first for these expenses, if they need more funding outside of the IMM COVID they can use PHEP.

Equipment 

• Our local law enforcement has been helping us substantially with covid-19. We are wanting to up the communication efforts when serving public health orders, quarantine/isolation. They are accompanying public health on these notices and providing communication. These radios would be for local law enforcement has been helping us substantially with covid-19. We are wanting to up the communication efforts when serving public health orders, quarantine/isolation. They are accompanying public health on these notices and providing communication. This helps them stay in communication with dispatch on any situation. It also aids in disease control compared to their current radios. 

  • Our PHEP grant does not allow police radios, these should absolutely be paid by the county (or however they normally procure responder radios).