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[Federal Register: June 26, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 123)]
[Notices]
[Page 43154-43169]
From the Federal Register Online via
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26jn02-103]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of Disability Employment Policy;
Customized Employment
Grants
AGENCY: Office of Disability
Employment Policy (ODEP), Department of
Labor.
ACTION:
Notice of availability of funds and Solicitation for Grant
Applications (SGA 02-13) for Customized Employment Grants.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL or the Department),
Office
of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announces the
availability of
$3.5 million to award up to seven competitive grants
for strategic
planning and implementation activities designed to
improve the
employment and career advancement of people with
disabilities through
enhanced availability and provision of
customized employment services
through the new One-Stop delivery
system established under the
Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA)
(Pub. L. 105-220, 29 U.S.C. 2801
et seq.).
This Customized
Employment Grant program will provide funds to
selected Local
Workforce Investment Boards (Local Boards), or, if
appropriate, the
WIA grant recipient or fiscal agent for the local area
on behalf of
the Local Board. The Local Board will be the lead entity
in a
consortium/partnership of public and private entities, to build
the
capacity in local One-Stop Centers to provide customized employment
services to those persons with disabilities who may not now be
regularly targeted for services by the One-Stop Center system. Grants
funded under this program will also provide a vehicle for Local
Boards
to systemically review their policy and practices in terms of
service
to persons with disabilities, and to incorporate new and
innovative
practices, as appropriate.
Grants are for a one-year
period and may be renewed for a period of
up to four additional years
at varying funding levels (see Section V)
depending upon the
availability of funds and the efficacy of the
project activities. All
forms necessary to prepare an application are
included in this SGA.
If another copy of a Standard Form is needed, go
online to
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.whitehouse.gov/OMB/grants/forms.html.
DATES: One (1) blue ink-signed original, complete grant
application
plus two (2) copies of the Technical Proposal and two (2)
copies of the
Cost Proposal must be submitted to the U.S. Department
of Labor,
Procurement Services Center, Attention Grant Officer,
Reference SGA 02-
13, Room N-5416, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20210,
not later than 4:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight
Savings Time (EDST) August
12, 2002. Hand-delivered applications must
be received by the
Procurement Services Center by that time.
ADDRESSES: Applications must be directed to the U.S. Department of
Labor, Procurement Services Center, Attention: Grant Officer,
Reference
SGA 02-13, Room N-5416, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC
20210.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Applications will not be mailed. The
Federal Register may be obtained
from your nearest government office or
library. All applicants are
advised that U.S. mail delivery in the
Washington, DC area has been
erratic due to the recent concerns
involving anthrax contamination.
All applicants must take this into
consideration when preparing to
meet the application deadline. It is
recommended that you confirm
receipt of your application by contacting
Cassandra Willis, U.S.
Department of Labor, Procurement Services
Center, telephone (202)
693-4570, prior to the closing deadline. [This
is not a toll-free
number].
Acceptable Methods of Submission
The application
package must be received at the designated place by
the date and time
specified or it will not be considered. Any
application received at
the Office of Procurement Services Center after
4:45 p.m., EDST,
August 12, 2002, will not be considered unless it is
received before
the award is made and:
1. It was sent by registered or certified mail not
later than the
fifth calendar day before August 12, 2002; or
2.
It was sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day
Service-Post
Office to Addressee, not later than 5 p.m. at the place of
mailing
two (2) working days, excluding weekends and Federal holidays,
prior
to August 12, 2002; or
3. It is determined by the Government that the late
receipt was due
solely to mishandling by the Government after receipt
at the U.S.
Department of Labor at the address indicated.
The
only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a
late
application sent by registered or certified mail is the U.S.
Postal
Service postmark on the envelope or wrapper and on the original
receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. If the postmark is not legible,
an application received after the above closing time and date shall
be
processed as if mailed late. ``Postmark'' means a printed, stamped
or
otherwise placed impression (not a postage meter machine
impression)
that is readily identifiable without further action as
having been
applied and affixed by an employee of the U.S. Postal
Service on the
date of mailing. Therefore, applicants should request
the postal clerk
place a legible hand cancellation ``bulls-eye''
postmark on both the
receipt and the envelope or wrapper.
The
only acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at
the U.
S. Department of Labor is the date/time stamp of the Procurement
Services Center on the application wrapper or other documentary
evidence or receipt maintained by that office.
Applications sent by other
delivery services, such as Federal
Express, UPS, etc., will also be
accepted; however, the applicant bears
the responsibility of timely
submission.
All applicants are advised that U.S. mail delivery in
the
Washington, DC area has been erratic due to concerns involving
anthrax
contamination. All applicants must take this into
consideration when
preparing to meet the application deadline.
Therefore, it is
recommended that you confirm receipt of your
application by contacting
Cassandra Willis, U.S. Department of Labor,
Procurement Services
Center, telephone (202) 693-4570, (this is not a
toll-free number),
prior to the closing deadline. Persons who are
deaf or hard of hearing
may contact the Department via the Federal
Relay Service, (800) 877-
8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
I. Authority
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2001, Pub. L. 106-554,
114 Stat.
2763, A-10, 29 U.S.C. 557(b); DOL, HHS, Education &
Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2002, Pub. L. 107-116, 115 Stat.
2177.
II. Background
The President's New Freedom Initiative
is designed to increase the
number of people with disabilities who
enter, reenter, and remain in
the workforce. It is dedicated to
increasing investment in and access
to assistive technologies, a
quality education, and increasing the
integration of Americans with
disabilities into the workforce and
community life. The Workforce
Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) provides the
infrastructure for
streamlining services and securing employment
through the One-Stop
delivery system. WIA requires multiple programs
and agencies
(including state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies) to:
(a) Form
[[Page 43155]]
partnerships in this effort; (b) share expertise
and coordinate
resources; and (c) provide services to assist people
in gaining and
retaining employment. The One-Stop Career Centers
which comprise this
system are in a position to expand employment
opportunities for people
with disabilities, thus ensuring that the
intent of the New Freedom
Initiative is accomplished. Under WIA,
collaboration with multiple
required partners\1\ is intended to
create a coordinated and
streamlined system for the customer seeking
employment. It is essential
to involve additional states or local
programs as partners with the
One-Stop Center to enable many people
with disabilities to have an
increased opportunity for and choice in
employment. These additional
programs include, but are not limited
to, state programs for Mental
Retardation and Developmental
Disabilities, Medicaid, Mental Health and
Transportation; State
Councils for Developmental Disabilities; state
assistive technology
programs, Small Business Development Centers and
secondary education
programs. While not required partners under WIA,
these programs have
expertise and/or resources that can contribute to
expanding the
employment and business opportunities for people with
disabilities.
In addition, community colleges, University Centers for
Excellence in
Developmental Disabilities, business incubators, lending
institutions, foundations, faith-based organizations, and other state
or local programs may also be critical partners. These agencies and
programs may not be informed about the potential for coordinating
resources and expertise with Local Boards and One-Stop Centers in
order
to increase employment, choice and wages for people with
disabilities.
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\1\ Some of the required partners are adult education and
literacy activities under Title II of WIA; post-secondary vocational
education activities under the Carl Perkins Act (20 U.S.C. 2301 et
seq.); vocational rehabilitation programs authorized under title V
of
the Workforce Investment Act; welfare-to-work programs; veterans
employment and training activities, community services block grant
employment and training activities; U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development employment and training activities; and activities
authorized under Title V of the Older Americans Act (WIA sec.
121(b),
29 U.S.C.A. 2841(b), 20 CFR 662.200).
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In addition, One-Stop Centers may elect to become employment
networks under the Ticket-to-Work Program (42 U.S.C. 1320b-19), thus
making it more likely that they will require expertise in customized
employment strategies in order to successfully facilitate employment
for people with disabilities who are recipients of Supplemental
Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
The Ticket-to-Work is providing increased employment opportunities
for
people with disabilities who receive SSI and/or SSDI benefits
by
addressing some of the major barriers encountered by these
individuals
as they attempt to gain or regain employment.
Approximately eight
million people with disabilities receive SSI
and/or SSDI benefits.
According to the U.S. General Accounting
Office, less than one percent
of these individuals leave the rolls
each year as a result of paid
employment. Of those who do leave,
about one-third return within three
years. The Ticket-to-Work program
provides a variety of work
incentives, including greater choices of
needed employment services,
the continuation of Medicare eligibility
for SSDI recipients and, at
state option, health coverage under the
Medicaid program to certain
workers with disabilities, either by
permitting them to purchase
Medicaid coverage or by extending
Medicaid eligibility to them without
charge. As a result, there is
unprecedented opportunity for these
individuals to enter, or return
to the workforce. Increasing numbers of
individuals with disabilities
will be approaching their local One-Stop
Centers for assistance.
Many strategies exist for securing integrated, competitive
employment
for people with disabilities, including people who
previously might
have been considered ``nonfeasible'' for employment,
and people who
have been segregated in institutions, nursing homes, and
day activity
programs. Attitudes are changing about the abilities of
people with
significant disabilities to work in a variety of jobs,
industries,
and levels. Many exemplary practices and promising
strategies have
emerged through decades of research and demonstration
projects, and
through other public and private activities promoting
increased
choice and self-determination for people with disabilities.
These
include a variety of approaches such as supported employment;
supported entrepreneurship; individualized job development; job
carving
and restructuring; use of personal agents (including
individuals with
disabilities and family members); development of
micro-boards, micro-
enterprises, cooperatives and small businesses; and
use of personal
budgets and other forms of individualized funding
that provide choice
and control to the person and promote
self-determination. These and
other innovations hold the promise of
dramatically increasing both
employment and wages for people with
disabilities, in part by
increasing their choices for integrated,
competitive employment,
business ownership, micro-enterprise
development, entrepreneurship, and
other employment options that were
previously seldom available. An
important focus of these innovations
has been on providing non-
stereotypical jobs that provide increased
earnings, benefits, and
career advancement potential for people, with
significant disabilities.
There is a substantial need for a sustained
and coordinated initiative
to build professional competency within
One-Stop Centers and their
partners, including service providers and
employers, about the use of
customized employment strategies.
Additionally there is a need to: (1) Effectively expand the
availability of personal agents, job development expertise, and other
strategies for achieving customized employment for people with
disabilities; (2) increase the number of eligible training providers
who can provide customized employment assistance; (3) provide
information, technical assistance, training and strategic planning
that
focuses on integrating customized employment strategies into
the
workforce investment system; (4) develop ongoing linkages
with
employers and professional and business service organizations
and trade
associations and market to employers the abilities of
people with
disabilities to work in a variety of jobs; (5) coordinate
all necessary
employment and related supports from WIA partners and
other essential
programs that are not required partners under WIA;
and, (6) research
and demonstrate alternative methods of determining
effective
performance by the workforce investment system in terms of
service to
people with disabilities.
This SGA is designed to
award strategic planning and implementation
grants for customized
employment to develop and/or expand the capacity
of local workforce
systems to provide meaningful and effective
opportunity through
One-Stops for all persons with disabilities
addresses the first of
these activities.
The U.S. Department of Labor also offers Work Incentive
Grants
designed to enhance service delivery throughout the National
One-Stop
delivery system for people with disabilities. Recognizing
that the One-
Stop system generally has limited capacity to serve people
with
disabilities in the comprehensive nature envisioned under the
WIA, the
Work Incentive Grant program has multiple goals which
include but are
not limited to: (1) Establishing the capacity for
[[Page 43156]]
coordinated, seamless service delivery to this
client group for the
many programs and services which typically
impact their entry or
retention in the workforce; (2) Increasing the
availability of
assistive technology in One-Stop Centers; (3)
Ensuring the availability
of trained One-Stop staff to serve people
with disabilities; (4)
Assuring outreach and marketing of One-Stop
services to the disability
community; and (5) Establishing or
expanding linkages with public and
private providers of this client
Work Incentive Grants were awarded in
the last two fiscal years, as a
continuing and on-going process of
building the One-Stop
infrastructure to most effectively meet the needs
of customers with
disabilities. The Work Incentive Grants are
complementary yet
distinct from the Customized Employment demonstration
grants offered
in this SGA. The Work Incentive Grants support systemic
change
through capacity building of the One-Stop infrastructure,
whereas
these Customized Employment Grants will serve as models of
comprehensive service delivery which extends beyond WIA programs and
services for individuals with disabilities who are the most
disenfranchised under current service delivery systems.
This SGA is
designed to develop comprehensive models of direct
service delivery
in the context of a One-Stop setting for individuals
with
disabilities with the greatest barriers to employment, many of
whom
have never been employed, are limited to subsidized employment,
underemployed, or may be considered unable to be employed. The
Customized Employment grants will involve cutting edge approaches
such
as use of customized employment strategies and active
involvement of
essential programs of both mandated and non-mandated
partners of the
workforce system.
III. Purpose
The
purpose of this initiative is to maximize the capacity of, and
outcomes from, One-Stop Centers and their partners to effectively
serve
people with disabilities through customized employment
strategies, and
to integrate those strategies into the policy and
practice of the One-
Stop and its partners in order to increase employment,
choice and wages
for people with disabilities.
For purposes of
this solicitation the Department has chosen to
specifically target
the development and provision of customized
employment to those
people with disabilities identified in this
section. However, the
Department expects that once capacity for using
customized employment
strategies is developed or enhanced, the One-Stop
Centers and their
partners can expand use of these strategies to other
groups of people
with (and without) disabilities.
For purposes of this solicitation, the
target groups are people
with disabilities who are either unemployed
or under-employed and are:
(1) Receiving Supplementary Security
Income (SSI) and/or Social
Security Disability Insurance (SSDI); or
(2) Participating in day
programs (such as day habilitation, day
activity or day health
programs) or participating in facility-based
or community employment
and earning less than minimum wage; or (3)
Participating in segregated
employment and choosing to move to
integrated, competitive employment;
or (4) Awaiting employment
services and supports following a move from
a residential facility,
or as part of a plan to move into a community
under the Supreme Court
decision in Olmstead v. L.C. by Zimring, 527
U.S. 581(1999); or (5)
Transitioning from, or preparing to transition
from, secondary school
under a transition plan under part B of the
Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1400
et seq.), and
who, without access to customized employment strategies,
would likely
be referred to one of the environments identified in (2),
(3) or (4)
above, but who prefers integrated, competitive employment or
self-employment.
For purposes of this solicitation, customized employment
means
individualizing the employment relationship between employees
and
employers in ways that meet the needs of both. It is based on
an
individualized determination of the strengths, needs, and
interests of
the person with a disability, and is also designed to
meet the specific
needs of the employer. It may include employment
developed through job
carving, self-employment or entrepreneurial
initiatives, or other job
development or restructuring strategies
that result in job
responsibilities being customized and individually
negotiated to fit
the needs of individuals with a disability.
Customized employment
assumes the provision of reasonable
accommodations and supports
necessary for the individual to perform
the functions of a job that is
individually negotiated and
developed
IV. Statement of Work
Eligible applicants for these
grants are Local Workforce Investment
Boards (Local Boards) or, if
appropriate, the WIA grant recipient or
fiscal agent for the local
area on behalf of the Local Board under the
Workforce Investment Act.
The Local Board may enter into numerous
partnerships with other
public and private entities, consistent with
the proposed activities
of the grant.
Grantees must implement training and staff development
activities
and demonstration projects designed to develop
organizational capacity
to serve people with disabilities in One-Stop
Centers. These projects
must develop professional competency in
customized employment
strategies and serve targeted people with
disabilities. Workforce
investment system partners and other
non-required but essential
programs must be included in this effort.
Grantees must integrate
customized employment strategies with the
existing services available
through the One-Stop Center and its
partners, including through
demonstrating alternative methods of
measuring performance within the
Once-Stop environment. The result of
these efforts will be an increase
in employment, choice, and wages
for people with disabilities through
the use of customized
employment, and the systemic evaluation and
modification, as
appropriate, of policies and practices to ensure that
customized
employment strategies for people with disabilities are
systemically
included in the services available through the One-Stop
Center.
Grantees must demonstrate collaborative activities across relevant
stakeholder groups, including both required and non-required One-Stop
partners, persons with disabilities, their parents and other family
members, advocates, employers, community rehabilitation agencies, and
others as appropriate\2\.
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\2\ These partners may become a subgroup or an advisory group of
the Local Board. They may be specifically charged with coordinating
funding, resources and expertise in order to increase customized
employment for people with disabilities in the community.
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Grantees must:
1. Develop professional competency and capacity for
implementing a
variety of innovative and promising practices through
customized
employment;
2. Mobilize needed services and
supports;
3. Implement systems change demonstrations; and,
4. Implement
other initiatives to ensure that these innovations and
promising
practices become part of the menu of services available
through the
workforce investment system.
Grantees must develop employment opportunities
in a variety of
jobs, industries and at a variety of levels,
including self-employment
and entrepreneurship, based on the
strengths, needs and desires of the
[[Page 43157]]
individual
with a disability. They must organize services and supports
in ways
that provide informed choice and promote self-determination. In
addition, grantees must establish employer involvement; track and
respond to customer service and satisfaction for both persons with
disabilities and employers; and provide services, including follow-up
services to ensure job retention and career development.
It is expected
that each grantee will become a ``model'' for both
the state and the
Nation in terms of demonstrating effective linkages
and strategies
through the One-Stop Center system. These models will
demonstrate
successful strategies for customized employment for people
with
disabilities which result in increased employment and wages. Each
grantee must also review policy and practice as it relates to people
with disabilities, including researching alternative methods for
performance accountability that are relevant to the characteristics
of
this population.
Grantees must pursue the following
objectives:
1. Develop and implement strategic planning and
implementation
activities across the One-Stop required partner
programs as identified
in the Workforce Investment Act, (WIA sec.
121(b), 29 USCA, 2841(b)
(such as Vocational Rehabilitation and
others as appropriate) as well
as other essential programs (such as
Medicaid, Medicare, Mental Health,
Transportation, Small Business
Development Centers, State Councils on
Developmental Disabilities,
community colleges, benefits counseling and
assistance programs,
lending and financial institutions), whose
expertise, services,
and/or funds could contribute to employment
services and supports
needed by people with disabilities in order to
secure customized
employment.
2. Develop local and statewide policy initiatives to ensure
that
customized employment and multiple innovative strategies and
promising
practices become part of the menu of services available to
people with
disabilities including investigating alternative methods
for
performance accountability that consider the characteristics of
the
population.
3. Develop and document the increased capacity of
the One-Stop
system, including WIA required partners, community
providers of
employment services, and other essential programs, to
provide
customized employment for persons with disabilities. Such
capacity
includes enhancing collaboration between required WIA
partners and
building new collaborative initiatives with other
essential programs.
4. Develop and document the capacity of the One-Stop
system to
increase the wages of people with disabilities who are
currently
working at less than minimum wage through the use of
customized
employment strategies.
5. Develop an increased
understanding by One-Stop Centers' staff
about health care, work
incentives, benefits planning, ``tickets'' and
other provisions under
the Ticket-to-Work and Work Incentives
Improvement Act of 1999 (42
USC 1320b-19 et seq.); and document
increased use of these programs
by the One-Stop Center and its partner
programs to secure customized
employment for recipients of SSI and/or
SSDI who are entering the
workforce or returning to work.
6. Document the increasing use of resources
from a number of system
partners and other essential programs,
including providing individual
budgets (e.g., individual training
accounts/contractual services;
tickets; vouchers; and other sources
of individualized funding or
personal funding accounts) for persons
with disabilities to obtain
customized employment.
7. Develop and
leverage linkages with other state and local
initiatives that provide
services and supports for people with
disabilities (including, but
not limited to, state systems change
efforts which promote systems
improvement and comprehensive
coordination; initiatives involving
health care; benefits planning and
assistance; housing;
transportation; education; supported employment;
small business
development; technology-related assistance; initiatives
of private
foundations; and faith-based programs and others as
appropriate).
8. Educate relevant stakeholders, including state and local
policymakers and systems personnel, about needed changes in policy
and
practice in order to increase customized employment and wages
for
people with disabilities.
9. Organize education activities to
enable customized employment
and personalized supports to become
available and used in local
communities, including (as appropriate)
activities necessary to secure
adoption of the Medicaid buy-in in the
state.
10. Develop ongoing linkages with employers, and their
professional
business and service organizations and trade
associations as
appropriate;
11. Collaborate with the national
technical assistance cooperative
agreement funded by the ODEP to
provide assistance and training on
increasing employment for adults
with disabilities.
12. Identify and pursue other activities, as
appropriate, to
achieving the goals of these grants.
13. Provide
ongoing evaluation of project activities.
Funds must be used in a flexible
manner, as determined appropriate
by input from stakeholders and
identified needs. However, grantees must
spend grant funds on
activities that meet the requirements delineated
in this SGA,
including the requirements for outcome and evaluation
data. Moreover,
the grantee must adhere to the allowable cost and
administrative
requirements of Federal statutes, regulations,
administrative
requirements, and OMB Circulars. Activities may include
the
following:
1. Necessary staffing across agencies to implement
grantee
activities and otherwise demonstrate effective partnerships
and
interactions necessary to effectively leverage resources and
expertise
from partnering systems and programs.
2. Outreach to
relevant stakeholders.
3. Strategic planning.
4. Demonstration
activities which provide methods to increase the
employment, choice,
and earning potential of people with disabilities
that are designed
for systemic inclusion (including but not limited to
demonstrating
the use of individual training accounts or contractual
services,
tickets, and individual budgeting initiatives; economic
stimulus
activities including low-interest loans for person-centered
micro-boards focused on increasing economic prosperity for specific
individuals with disabilities; entrepreneurial employment initiatives
that are consumer-owned or operated; demonstrations of innovation and
cutting-edge strategies providing personal control, choice and
customized assistance resulting in employment, including business
ownership, micro-enterprise development or development of
cooperatives
for persons with disabilities; and other supports needed
by specific
individuals with disabilities to increase choice and
wages in
employment).
5. Other activities necessary to address
needs and achieve goals
identified through strategic planning and
implementation, including
collection of necessary data and
evaluation.
6. Collaboration with the education system, parents and
families to
ensure transition of young people with disabilities from
school to
customized employment or training, and documentation of the
outcomes of
such efforts.
[[Page 43158]]
7.
Training and education activities (including training regarding
Medicaid buy-in provisions and other policy implications for
increasing
employment through state activities) designed to further
the goal of
increasing customized employment for persons with
disabilities. These
training activities include the education of
One-Stop and partner
personnel; state systems personnel and
policymakers; developing and
disseminating educational information
and materials; and otherwise
promoting policy and practice to
increase the wide spread community-
based use of customized employment
strategies and personalized
supports.
8. Researching and
demonstrating alternative methods of measuring
WIA performance
outcomes that consider the various characteristics of
people with
disabilities and developing demonstrations of performance
measures
that document new methods for measuring program effectiveness;
and
coordinating the availability of and access to assistive
technology.
9. Establishing connections to and collaborating with
other
entities, including employers, lending and financial
institutions,
foundations, faith-based organizations, institutions of
higher
education, consumer and family organizations, small
business
development centers and others, as appropriate, to further
customized
employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in
local
communities.
10. Educating the media and the general public
about successful
strategies for and the benefits of securing
employment for people with
disabilities. This will assist in
obtaining long-term support for
continuation of grantee activities
following completion of funding.
11. Increasing the availability of
personal agents and job
development personnel offering customized
services through customer-
controlled approaches that result in customized
employment (including
demonstrating effectiveness of paying family
members and/or other
individuals with disabilities to serve as
personal agents when selected
by the individual with a disability to
assist in negotiating and
implementing employment plans and
services).
12. Assisting community providers of segregated employment
services
to develop integrated, competitive options for individuals
with
disabilities, including implementation of conversion and
other
organizational change initiatives conducted with segregated
provider
programs that wish to change their services to integrated
employment.
Upon the award of a grant, grantees must begin a strategic
planning
and implementation process that will address multiple
components of
needed change. Planning, implementation and ongoing
evaluation for
continuous improvement are expected to be implemented
from year one in
recognition that dynamic planning will occur and
evolve over time. By
the end of year five, it is expected that a more
long-term strategic
plan will be in place for expanding the
availability and provision of
customized employment, and for
systemically revising policies and
practices consistent with this
goal. All grantees must provide a
detailed management plan for
project goals, objectives and activities.
All grantees must collect and
provide to the DOL information on the
individuals with disabilities
served under this grant who secure
employment through use of
customized strategies (including information
on types of jobs, wages
and benefits secured by specific individuals
with disabilities, and
other areas addressed through the linkages and
networks facilitated
by grant activities.) Grantees must support the
travel cost
associated with sending at least one representative to the
annual
ODEP Grantees' training conference, to be held in Washington,
DC.
All grantees must agree to cooperate with an evaluation to be
conducted by the Department of Labor. DOL will arrange for and
conduct
this evaluation of the outcomes, impacts, and accomplishments
of each
funded grant as a way to measure the overall effectiveness of
ODEP's
grant program. Grantees must agree to make available records
on all
parts of grant activity, including participant employment and
wage
data, and to provide access to personnel, as specified by
the
evaluator(s), under the direction of the Department. This
independent
evaluation is separate from the ongoing evaluation for
continuous
improvement required of the grantee for grant
implementation.
V. Funding Availability
The Department of
Labor anticipates awarding up to seven grants
with a range of between
$400,000 and $750,000 each. These awards will
be for a one-year
period and may be renewed annually for up to four
additional years
for a total of five years depending upon the
availability of funds
and the efficacy of the grant activities,
established through reviews
conducted by the Department of Labor or its
designee. Proposals must
include budgetary information for a five-year
period. The funding for
Years Four and Five will be at successively
lower levels, with
funding during Year Four could be at up to 80
percent of third-year
funds and during Year Five at 60 percent of the
third years funds.
Grantees are expected to use this grant as seed
money to develop
other public and private resources in order to ensure
sustainability
of grant activities following completion of the funding
period.
Funds must not be used for modifying buildings or equipment for
physical accessibility, although the strategic planning should
address
how resources will be leveraged for such purposes from other
sources,
as appropriate.
VI. Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants for these grants are restricted to Local
Workforce Investment Boards (Local Boards) or, if appropriate, the
WIA
grant recipient or fiscal agent for the local area on behalf of
the
Local Board as established under the Workforce Investment Act
(WIA
sec.117, U.S.C.A. 2832). The Local Board may coordinate
numerous
partnerships with other public and private entities,
consistent with
proposed activities of the grant and applicable
administrative
requirements.
The U.S. Department of Labor
encourages Local Boards to join with
other State/local entities and
public/private non-profit organizations.
Such entities and
organizations could include state programs for
Vocational
Rehabilitation, Mental Health, Medicaid, Mental Retardation/
Developmental
Disabilities, Housing and/or Transportation; State
Councils on
Developmental Disabilities; Protection and Advocacy
Programs;
University Centers for Excellence in Developmental
Disabilities;
institutions of higher education; Centers for Independent
Living
(CIL's); disability advocacy and provider organizations;
organizations of parents; federally-funded disability grant entities;
Small Business Development Centers; cooperatives and
micro-enterprises;
lending and financial institutions; training
programs; media and
marketing agencies; employers; foundations; grass
roots community,
industry, and faith-based programs; and other
organizations or programs
which provide or support services and/or
advocacy for people with
disabilities. Letters of support and
commitment from these programs
must be included in the Appendix of
the proposal. Indian and Native
American Tribal entities, or
consortia of Tribes, may apply for these
grants. These grants could
involve coordination of services and
enhancement to a One-Stop
system
[[Page 43159]]
approach for people with disabilities
in a specific Indian community or
covering multiple Tribal entities
which may cut across multiple States
and/or workforce investment
areas. Grants to Indian and Native American
tribal grantees are
treated differently because of sovereignty and
self-governance
established under the Indian Self-Determination and
Education
Assistance Act allowing for the government to government
relationship
between the Federal and Tribal Governments.
According to section 18 of the
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, an
organization, as described in
section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, that engages
in lobbying activities will not be eligible
for the receipt of
federal funds constituting an award, grant, or loan.
See 2 U.S.C.
1611; 26 U.S.C. 506(c)(4).
VII. Application Contents
There
are three required Parts and an Appendix of the application.
Requirements for each Part are provided in this application package,
as
are all required forms.
Part I--Project Financial Plan
(Budget)
Part II--Executive Summary
Part III--Project Narrative
Appendices--Letters of Commitment/Support, Resumes, etc.
General
Requirements
A cover letter, one completed blue ink signed original SF
424 grant
application with two (2) copies. Proposals must be
submitted by the
applicant only. Page limits do not apply to the
Project Financial Plan,
the Executive Summary, or the Appendices
(assurances, resumes,
bibliography or references as appropriate, and
letters of support.) A
font size of at least twelve (12) point is
required throughout.
Part I--Project Financial Plan (Budget)
To be considered, applications must include a detailed financial
plan
which identifies by line item the budget plan designed to achieve
the
goals of this grant. The Project Financial Plan must contain the
SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance, (Appendix A) and an
SF-424A
Budget Information Sheet (Appendix B). The Project Financial
Plan
(Budget) must include on a separate page a detailed cost
analysis of
each line item. Justification for administrative costs
must be
provided. Approval of a budget by DOL is not the same as the
approval
of actual costs. The individual signing the SF-424 on behalf
of the
applicant must represent and be able to bind the responsible
financial
and administrative entity for a grant should that
application result in
an award.
Part II--Executive
Summary
The application must contain an Executive Summary limited to
no
more than two (2) single-spaced, single-sided pages which are
not
included in the overall page limit. Each application must provide
a
grant synopsis which identifies the following:
1. The
applicant;
2. The consortium partners; the organizations or systems
they
represent; and their role in grant implementation;
3. Data
on people with disabilities in the area, including, to the
extent it
is available, information about the target group for this
solicitation and other data relevant to the proposed grant;
4. The
geographic service area of the Local Board;
5. The planned period of
performance (projected annually through a
five year cycle, assuming
grant renewals awards);
6. The actions already taken by the One-Stop system
in the local
area to address the needs of people with disabilities,
including
activities related to increasing availability of customized
employment
and leveraging resources and expertise across non-required
partners of
the One-Stop Centers;
7. A brief statement of the
goals of the proposal and how they will
be achieved; and,
8.
Assurances of commitment in support of this proposal from the
fiscal
agent and all partner agencies.
Part III--Project Narrative
The Grant Narrative should provide complete information on how the
applicant will address the requirements of this SGA and is limited to
no more than 75 double-spaced, single-sided, numbered pages (not
including Appendices). Each application must provide, in response to
the objectives of this SGA, a comprehensive strategy and
implementation
plan for developing capacity and providing customized
employment
through the One Stop system.
Appendix--Letters of
Support and/or Commitment, Resumes
VIII. Evaluation
Criteria/Selection
A. Evaluation Criteria: The Project Narrative
should address the
following evaluation elements:
1. Statement of
Need (10 Points)
Applicants must include in their proposed plan the
following items.
a. The current employment circumstances facing people
with
disabilities in the area to be served, including barriers,
programs and
resources, systems and activities that could be
leveraged to address
needed changes.
b. The number of persons
with disabilities in the area who fit the
other requirements of the
defined target group of persons with
disabilities who may be served
under this grant.
c. Related issues that need to be addressed in order to
develop
and/or enhance capacity of the One-Stop system to use
customized
employment strategies to increase employment, choice and
wages for
persons with disabilities, including the contribution the
proposed
grant will make to influence systemic changes in the local
workforce
system.
2. Comprehensive Strategy for Strategic
Planning and Implementation To
Build Capacity for Customized
Employment (25 points)
Applicants must include in their proposed plan the
following items.
a. The technical plan to implement the purpose and
objectives of
this SGA to enhance the capacity of the workforce
investment system to
increase employment, choice and wages for
persons with disabilities
through the use of customized employment
strategies and to ensure that
such strategies are systemically
included in the policy and practice of
the One-Stop Center(s).
b.
The plan for developing, implementing and expanding the
availability
and use of customized employment strategies throughout the
WIA system
of required partners and non-required programs.
c. The plan for how the
expertise of the State Vocational
Rehabilitation program will be
used.
d. The plan to involve appropriate private entities, including
but
not limited to community-based organizations and
faith-based
organizations, as appropriate.
e. The plan for
reaching people with disabilities and their
families, including their
involvement in grant design and
implementation.
f. The plan for
gaining support and assistance of area employers.
g. The plan for meeting
the needs of individuals with disabilities
from diverse cultures
and/or ethnic groups.
h. The plan for expanding the use of customized
employment
strategies over time to:
1. All groups of persons with
disabilities targeted under this
solicitation; and
2. Other
groups of individuals with disabilities (such as
individuals who are
receiving TANF benefits) following completion of
the grant;
[[Page 43160]]
i. The plan for leveraging resources over time in order
to ensure
grant sustainability upon completion of funding, including
the plan for
implementing grant activities during years four and five
at 80% and 60%
funding, respectively.
j. The plan for responding
to the measures by which program success
will be evaluated.
k.
The plan for marketing to and involving employers, and
professional
and business service organizations, and trade associations
as
appropriate.
3. Collaboration and Coordination (15 Points)
Applicants
must include in their proposed plan the following items.
a. Demonstrations
of support and commitment from key organizations
and individuals who
advocate through or on behalf of persons with
disabilities to
participate in this effort.
b. Demonstrations of support and commitment
from One-Stop partners
and non-required but essential programs.
c. Demonstrations of support from area employers and employer
organizations and evidence of their interest in participating in this
effort.
d. Demonstrations of support from persons with disabilities
and
their families for implementation of the proposed activities.
e. Commitment to cooperate with ODEP's planned technical assistance
initiative in a joint effort to develop capacity and disseminate
promising practices so that the national workforce system can profit
from this experience.
4. Quality of Grant Personnel (15 Points)
Applicants must include in their proposed plan the following items.
a. The
names and qualifications of staff and related technical
experts and
consultants to support the objectives of this project for
grantee and
key sub-contractors and consultants.
b. A resume of key staff and
consultants must be included in the
Appendix and must clearly
indicate qualifications of each individual
for designated role in
project implementation.
5. Management Plan (10 Points)
Applicants must
include in their proposed plan the following items.
a. A management plan
adequate to achieve the objectives of the
proposed grant on time and
within budget, including clearly defined
responsibilities, time
lines, and milestones for accomplishing grant
activities;
b. A
plan demonstrating adequate procedures for ensuring feedback
and
continuous improvement in the operation of the proposed grant.
c. A plan
demonstrating the time commitments of key grant personnel
are
appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed
grant.
d. How the applicant will insure that customized
employment
strategies become a part of the menu of services available
in the local
community.
6. Evaluation and Continuous Improvement
(15 Points)
Applicants must include in their proposed plan the following
items:
a. All grantees must agree to participate in the DOL
evaluation
outlined in Section IV of this SGA.
b. In addition,
all grantees must implement ongoing evaluation of
grant activities in
order to determine the effectiveness of grant
implementation efforts
for continuous improvement of the grant. In
determining the quality
of the evaluation for continuous improvement,
the Department
considers the following.
1. The extent to which the methods of evaluation
are thorough,
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives and
outcomes of the
proposed grant.
2. The extent to which the
methods of evaluation and continuous
improvement are appropriate to
the context within which the grant
operates.
3. The extent to
which the methods of evaluation include the use of
objective
performance measures that are clearly related to the intended
outcomes of the grant and will produce quantitative and qualitative
data to the extent possible (including data on wages, wage changes,
benefits, types of jobs, customer satisfaction, resources leveraged
from partner programs, systemic changes implemented to sustain grant
over time.)
4. And, the extent to which the evaluation will provide
guidance
about effective strategies suitable for replication in other
settings.
7. Adequacy of Resources and Budget (10 Points)
Applicants
must include in their proposed plan the following items.
a. The adequacy of
support for grant implementation, including
facilities, equipment,
supplies, and other resources.
b. The extent to which the budget is
adequate to support the
proposed grant.
B. Selection Criteria:
Acceptance of a proposal and an award of
federal funds to sponsor any
program(s) does not provide a waiver of
any grant requirement and/or
procedures. Grantees must comply with all
applicable Federal
statutes, regulations, administrative requirements
and OMB Circulars.
For example, the OMB circulars require, and an
entity's procurement
procedures must require that all procurement
transactions must be
conducted, as practical, to provide open and free
competition. If a
proposal identifies a specific entity to provide the
services, the
DOL/ODEP's award does not provide the justification or
basis to
sole-source the procurement, i.e., avoid competition.
Applications will be
reviewed by a panel using the criteria
described in this SGA.
Applications will be ranked based on the score
assigned by the panel
after careful evaluation by each panel member.
The ranking will be
the primary basis to identify applicants as
potential grantees.
Although the Government reserves the right to award
on the basis of
the initial proposal submissions, the Government may
establish a
competitive range, based upon the proposal evaluation, for
the
purpose of selecting qualified applicants. The panel's conclusions
are advisory in nature and not binding on the Grant Officer. The
Government reserves the right to ask for clarification or hold
discussions, but is not obligated to do so. The Government further
reserves the right to select applicants out of rank order if such a
selection would, in its opinion, result in the most effective and
appropriate combination considering factors such as:
1. Findings of the
grant technical evaluation panel;
2. Geographic distribution of the
competitive applications; and,
3. The Project's Financial Plan.
The
submission of the same proposal from any prior year competition
does
not guarantee an award under this solicitation.
IX. Reporting
The Department of Labor is responsible for ensuring the effective
implementation of each competitive grant project in accordance with
the
provisions of this announcement, the grant agreement and
other
applicable administrative requirements. Applicants should
assume that
Department staff or their designees will conduct at least
one on-site
project review. In addition, all grantees will be
expected to provide
information on individuals with disabilities
securing employment
through use of customized strategies (including
information on types of
jobs, wages and benefits secured by specific
individuals with
disabilities, and other areas addressed through the
linkages and
networks facilitated by project activities). Grantees
will be required
to submit periodic financial and participation
reports under the
[[Page 43161]]
Customized Employment grant
program. Specifically, the following
reports will be required:
1.
Quarterly progress reports, and upon completion of the grant
period a
final report. The quarterly report is estimated to take ten
hours
during the remainder of the grant. The final report is estimated
to
take 20 hours. The Department will work with the grantee to identify
the requirements of the various reports, which will, among other
things, include measures of ongoing analysis for continuous
improvement
and customer satisfaction;
2. Standard Form 269,
Financial Status Report Form, on a quarterly
basis;
3. Final
Project Report, including an assessment of project
performance and
outcomes achieved. This report will be submitted in
hard copy and on
electronic disk using a format and instructions which
will be
provided by the Department. A draft of the final report is due
to the
Department 45 days before the termination of the grant.
DOL will arrange
for and conduct an independent evaluation of the
outcomes, impacts,
and accomplishments of each funded project. Grantees
must agree to
make available records on all parts of project activity,
including
participant employment and wage data, and to provide access
to
personnel, as specified by the evaluator(s), under the direction of
the Department. This independent evaluation is separate from the
ongoing evaluation for continuous improvement required of the grantee
for project implementation.
X. Administration Provisions
A.
Administrative Standards and Provisions
Applicants are strongly
encouraged to read these regulations before
submitting a proposal.
Grants awarded under this SGA shall be subject
to the following as
applicable:
29 CFR Part 95--Uniform Administrative Requirements for
Grants and
Cooperative Agreements with Institutions of Higher
Education, etc.
29 CFR Part 96--Federal Standards for Audit of Federally
Funded Grants,
Contracts, and Agreements
29 CFR Part 97--Uniform
Administrative Requirement for Grants and
Cooperative Agreements to
State and Local Governments
B. Allowable Cost
Determinations
of allowable costs shall be made in accordance with
the following
applicable Federal cost principles:
State and Local Government--OMB
Circular A-87
Nonprofit Organizations--OMB Circular A-122
Profit-making
Commercial Firms--48 CFR Part 31.
Profit will not be considered an
allowable cost in any case.
C. Grant Non-Discrimination Assurances
As a condition of the award, the applicant will comply fully
with
the nondiscrimination and equal opportunity provisions of the
following
laws:
29 CFR Part 31--Nondiscrimination in
Federally-assisted programs of the
Department of Labor, effectuation
of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964. (Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964)
29 CFR Part 32--Nondiscrimination on the Basis of
Disability in
Programs and Activities Receiving or Benefiting from
Federal Assistance
(Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act)
29 CFR
Part 36--Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education
Programs
or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance. (Title
IX of
the Education Amendments of 1972)
29 CFR Part 37--Implementation of the
Nondiscrimination and Equal
Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce
Investment Act of 1998 (WIA)
The applicant must attach the
aforementioned assurances and
certifications.
D. Limitation
on Administrative and Indirect Costs
1. Direct Costs for
administration, plus any indirect charges
claimed.
2. Indirect
costs claimed by the applicant must be based on a
federally approved
rate. A copy of the negotiated, approved, and signed
indirect cost
negotiation agreement must be submitted with the
application.
3.
If the applicant does not presently have an approved indirect
cost
rate, a proposed rate with justification may be submitted.
Successful
applicants will be required to negotiate an acceptable and
allowable
rate with the appropriate DOL Regional Office of Cost
Determination
within 90 days of grant award.
4. Rates traceable and trackable through the
State Workforce
Agency's Cost Accounting System represent an
acceptable means of
allocating costs to DOL and, therefore, can be
approved for use in
grants to State Workforce Agencies.
Signed at Washington, DC this 18th day of June, 2002
Lawrence J. Kuss
Grant Officer,
APPENDIX A. Application for Federal Assistance, Form SF
424
APPENDIX B. Budget Information Sheet, Form SF 424A
APPENDIX C.
Assurances and Certifications Signature Page
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[FR Doc. 02-16098 Filed 6-25-02; 8:45 am]
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