FR Doc 05-4942
[Federal Register: March 14, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 48)]
[Notices]
[Page 12455-12458]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14mr05-38]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Overview
Information, Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term
Training; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year
(FY) 2005
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.129C, E, F,
H, J, P, Q, and R.
Dates:
Applications Available: March 14, 2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 28, 2005.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 27, 2005.
Eligible Applicants: States and public or nonprofit agencies and
organizations, including Indian tribes and institutions of higher
education.
Estimated Available Funds: $1,600,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $75,000-$100,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $87,500.
Estimated Number of Awards: 16.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The Rehabilitation Long-Term Training program
provides financial assistance for--
(1) Projects that provide basic or advanced training leading to an
academic degree in areas of personnel shortages in rehabilitation as
identified by the Assistant Secretary;
(2) Projects that provide a specified series of courses or program
of study leading to award of a certificate in areas of personnel
shortages in rehabilitation as identified by the Assistant Secretary;
and
(3) Projects that provide support for medical residents enrolled in
residency training programs in the specialty of physical medicine and
rehabilitation.
Priorities: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), these
priorities are from the regulations for this program (34 CFR 386.1).
Absolute Priorities: For FY 2005 these priorities are absolute
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications
that propose to provide training in the priority areas of personnel
shortages listed in the following chart.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priority area (maximum number of
CFDA No. awards in parentheses)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
84.129C.............................. Rehabilitation Administration
(2).
84.129E.............................. Rehabilitation Technology (2).
84.129F.............................. Vocational Evaluation and Work
Adjustment (3).
84.129H.............................. Rehabilitation of Individuals Who
Are Mentally Ill (4).
84.129J.............................. Rehabilitation Psychology (3).
84.129P.............................. Specialized Personnel for
Rehabilitation of Individuals
Who Are Blind or Have Vision
Impairment (3).
84.129Q.............................. Rehabilitation of Individuals Who
Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (4).
84.129R.............................. Job Development and Job Placement
Services to Individuals With
Disabilities (3).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 772.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 34
CFR parts 385 and 386.
[[Page 12456]]
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants
except federally recognized Indian tribes.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $1,600,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $75,000-$100,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $87,500.
Estimated Number of Awards: 16.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: States and public or nonprofit agencies and
organizations, including Indian tribes and institutions of higher
education.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost sharing of at least 10 percent of
the total cost of the project is required of grantees under the
Rehabilitation Training program (34 CFR 386.30).
Note: Under 34 CFR 75.562(c), an indirect cost reimbursement on
a training grant is limited to the recipient's actual indirect
costs, as determined by its negotiated indirect cost rate agreement,
or eight percent of a modified total direct cost base, whichever
amount is less. Indirect costs in excess of the eight percent limit
may not be charged directly, used to satisfy matching or cost-
sharing requirements, or charged to another Federal award.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll
free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free):
1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html
or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.129C, E, F, H, J, P, Q, and
R.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the Grants and Contracts
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 5075, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone:
(202) 245-7363. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD), you may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application)
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that
reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to
the equivalent of no more than 35 pages, using the following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II,
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the
resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must
include all of the application narrative in Part III.
We will reject your application if--
You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the
page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: March 14,
2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 28, 2005.
Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) available through the Department's e-Grants system. For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your
application electronically, or by mail or hand delivery if you qualify
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer
to section IV.6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 27, 2005.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order
12372 is in the application package for this competition.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this competition must be submitted electronically, unless you qualify
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the
instructions in this section.
We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
Applications for grants under the Rehabilitation Training:
Rehabilitation Long-Term Training program--CFDA Number 84.129C, E, F,
H, J, P, Q, and R must be submitted electronically using e-Application
available through the Department's e-Grants system, accessible through
the e-Grants portal page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
While completing your electronic application, you will be entering
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
Please note the following:
You must complete the electronic submission of your grant
application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. The e-Application system will not accept an application
for this competition after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do
not wait until the application deadline date to begin the application
process.
The regular hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site
are 6 a.m. Monday until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. Thursday until
midnight Saturday, Washington, DC time. Please note that the system is
unavailable on Sundays,
[[Page 12457]]
and between 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6 a.m. on Thursdays, Washington,
DC time, for maintenance. Any modifications to these hours are posted
on the e-Grants Web site.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your
application in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
the Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424) Budget
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524) and all necessary
assurances and certifications.
Any narrative sections of your application should be
attached as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF
(Portable Document) format.
Your electronic application must comply with any page
limit requirements described in this notice.
Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgement that will include a PR/Award
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
Within three working days after submitting your electronic
application, fax a signed copy of the ED 424 to the Application Control
Center after following these steps:
(1) Print ED 424 from e-Application.
(2) The applicant's Authorizing Representative must sign this form.
(3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the
hard-copy signature page of the ED 424.
(4) Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at
(202) 245-6272.
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
other forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application System
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically submitting
your application on the application deadline date because the e-
Application system is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of
one business day in order to transmit your application electronically,
by mail, or by hand delivery. We will grant this extension if--
(1) You are a registered user of e-Application and you have
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
(2) (a) The e-Application system is unavailable for 60 minutes or
more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date; or
(b) The e-Application system is unavailable for any period of time
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date.
We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to
confirm our acknowledgement of any system unavailability, you may
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If the system is down and therefore
the application deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all
registered users who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions
referred to in this section apply only to the unavailability of the
Department's e-Application system.
Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application
through the e-Application system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the Department's e-Application system; and
No later than two weeks before the application deadline
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application. If you
mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax
your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed
statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Marilyn P. Fountain,
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5028,
Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800. FAX: (202) 245-7591.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you qualify for any exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable
following address:
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.129C, E, F, H,
J, P, Q, and R), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260
or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.129C,
E, F, H, J, P, Q, and R), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-
1506.
Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing
consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark,
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service,
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier, or
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark, or
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original
and two copies of your application, by hand, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.129C, E, F, H, J, P, Q, and R), 550 12th Street, SW.,
Room
[[Page 12458]]
7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8
a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and
Federal holidays. Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications:
If you mail or hand deliver your application to the Department:
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the
Department--in Item 4 of the ED 424 the CFDA number--and suffix letter,
if any--of the competition under which you are submitting your
application.
(2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant
application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition
are from 34 CFR 75.210 and 34 CFR 386.20 and are listed in the
application package.
2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors we consider in
selecting an application for an award are the geographical distribution
of projects in each Rehabilitation Training program category throughout
the country (see 34 CFR 385.33(a)); and, the past performance of the
applicant in carrying out similar training activities under previously
awarded grants, as indicated by factors such as compliance with grant
conditions, soundness of programmatic and financial management
practices, and attainment of established project objectives (see 34 CFR
385.33(b)).
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: At the end of your project, you must submit a final
performance report, including financial information, as directed by the
Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an annual
performance report that provides the most current performance and
financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 34
CFR 75.118.
4. Performance Measures: The Government Performance and Results Act
(GPRA) of 1993 directs Federal departments and agencies to improve the
effectiveness of their programs by engaging in strategic planning,
setting outcome-related goals for programs, and measuring program
results against those goals. The Rehabilitation Long-Term Training
program is designed to provide academic training in areas of personnel
shortages.
The goal of the Rehabilitation Services Administration's (RSA)
Rehabilitation Long-Term Training program is to increase the number of
qualified vocational rehabilitation personnel working in State
vocational rehabilitation agencies or related agencies. Seventy-five
percent of all grant funds must be used for direct payment of student
scholarships. Each grantee is required to track students receiving
scholarships and must maintain information on the cumulative support
granted to RSA scholars, scholar-debt in years, program completion data
for each scholar, dates each scholar's work begins and is completed to
meet his or her payback agreement, current home address, and the place
of employment of individual scholars.
Grantees are required to report annually to RSA on these data using
the RSA Grantee Reporting Form, OMB 1820-0617, an electronic
reporting system. The RSA Grantee Reporting Form collects specific data
regarding the number of RSA scholars entering the rehabilitation
workforce, in what rehabilitation field, and in what type of employment
(e.g. State agency, nonprofit service provider, or practice group).
This form allows RSA to measure results against the goal of increasing
the number of qualified vocational rehabilitation personnel working in
State vocational rehabilitation agencies or related agencies.
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marilyn P. Fountain, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5028, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7346 or by e-
mail: Marilyn.Fountain@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed in this
section.
VIII. Other Information
Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.
Dated: March 3, 2005.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 05-4942 Filed 3-11-05; 8:45 am]
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