[Federal Register: August 19, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 160)]
[Notices]
[Page 53869-53871]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19au02-111]
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Part III
Department of Education
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Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training--Vocational
Rehabilitation Counseling; Notice
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training--
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priority.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education
and Rehabilitative Services proposes a priority under the
Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training program. The
Assistant Secretary may use this priority for competitions in fiscal
year (FY) 2003 and in later years. We take this action to focus on
training in an identified area of national need. The purpose of this
priority is to increase the partnership activities between
rehabilitation counseling programs and State vocational rehabilitation
(VR) agencies and to increase the number of rehabilitation counseling
programs that provide for students experiential activities, such as
formal internships or practicum agreements with State VR agencies. We
intend the priority to increase the pool of qualified VR counselors
available for employment with State VR agencies.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before September 18, 2002.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this proposed priority to
Christine Marschall, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue,
SW., Switzer Building, Room 3325, Washington, DC 20202-2649. If you
prefer to send your comments through the Internet, use the following
address: Christine.Marschall@ed.gov.
You must include the term ``Long-Term Training Program: Vocational
Rehabilitation Counseling'' in the subject line of your electronic
message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Marschall. Telephone: (202)
205-8926 or via Internet: Christine.Marschall@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the TDD number at (202) 205-8133.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Invitation To Comment
We invite you to submit comments regarding this proposed priority.
We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific requirements
of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of reducing
regulatory burden that might result from this proposed priority. Please
let us know of any further opportunities we should take to reduce
potential costs or increase potential benefits while preserving the
effective and efficient administration of the program.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public
comments about this proposed priority in room 3414, Switzer Building,
330 C Street, SW., Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday of each week except Federal
holidays.
Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the Rulemaking
Record
On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public
rulemaking record for this proposed priority. If you want to schedule
an appointment for this type of aid, please contact the person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
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 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 Secretary; and
(3) Projects that provide support for medical residents enrolled in
residency training programs in the specialty of physical medicine and
rehabilitation.
We propose this priority to increase the number of rehabilitation
counseling programs that provide experiential activities for students,
such as formal internships, practicum agreements, and other partnership
activities with State VR agencies. This proposed priority supports a
close relationship between the educational institution and the State VR
agency by creating or increasing ongoing collaboration in order to
increase the number of graduates who seek employment in State VR
agencies.
We will announce the final priority in a notice in the Federal
Register. We will determine the final priority after considering
responses to this notice and other information available to the
Department. This notice does not preclude us from proposing or funding
additional priorities, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking
requirements.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which we choose to use this proposed priority, we invite
applications through a notice in the Federal Register. When inviting
applications we designate the priority as absolute, competitive
preference, or invitational. The effect of each type of priority
follows:
Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority, we consider only
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference
priority, we give competitive preference to an application by either
(1) awarding additional points, depending on how well or the extent to
which the application meets the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or
(2) selecting an application that meets the priority over an
application of comparable merit that does not meet the priority (34 CFR
75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority, we are
particularly interested in applications that meet the invitational
priority. However, we do not give an application that meets the
priority a competitive or absolute preference over other applications
(34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Priority
Proposed Priority--Partnership With the State VR Agency
Background: According to State VR agency data in the annual
submission of the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD)
plan, a personnel survey conducted by the Council of State
Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), and the
proceedings of the 2002 CSPD national meeting, State VR agencies
throughout the nation are experiencing a personnel shortage of
qualified VR counselors. Rates of retirement and attrition in State VR
agencies reported in the annual CSPD plans indicate that this personnel
shortage will increase. A review by the Rehabilitation Services
Administration (RSA) of employment locations chosen by RSA-sponsored
graduates, as reported by RSA training programs, indicates that only a
small percentage of RSA graduates seek employment with State VR
agencies. However, State VR agencies reported in the CSAVR survey and
at the CSPD national meeting that individuals who are aware of the
distinct role of the qualified VR counselor and benefits of employment
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within a State VR agency are more likely to seek employment with the
State.
Priority: This priority supports projects that will increase the
knowledge of students of the role and responsibilities of the VR
counselor and of the benefits of counseling in State VR agencies. This
priority focuses attention on and intends to strengthen the unique role
of rehabilitation educators and State VR agencies in the preparation of
qualified VR counselors by increasing or creating ongoing collaboration
between institutions of higher education and State VR agencies.
Projects funded under this priority must include within the degree
program information about and experience in the State VR system.
Projects must include partnering activities for students with the State
VR agency including experiential activities, such as formal internship
or practicum agreements. In addition, experiential activities for
students with community-based rehabilitation service providers are
encouraged.
Projects must include an evaluation of the impact of project
activities.
Intergovernmental Review
This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the
regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the objectives of the Executive
order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened
federalism. The Executive order relies on processes developed by State
and local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal
financial assistance.
This document provides early notification of our specific plans and
actions for this program.
Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR parts 385 and 386.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/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.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.129B
Rehabilitation Long-Term Training--Vocational Rehabilitation
Counseling)
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 772.
Dated: August 14, 2002.
Robert H. Pasternack,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 02-21025 Filed 8-16-02; 8:45 am]
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