National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research; Notice of final priorities (NFP) for Health and Function Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities; [OSERS]

FR Doc 04-13238
[Federal Register: June 10, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 112)]
[Notices]
[Page 32823-32826]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10jn04-175]

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Part VIII

Department of Education

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Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information; National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research (NIDRR)--Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTC)
Program--Health and Function Outcomes for Individuals With
Disabilities; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal
Year (FY) 2004; Notices

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

RIN 1820 ZA37

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research;
Grants and Cooperative Agreements; Availability, etc: Special Education
and Rehabilitative Services--Rehabilitation Research and Training
Centers Program

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of final priorities (NFP) for Health and Function
Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services announces final priorities under the
Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTC) Program for the
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).
The Assistant Secretary may use one or more of these priorities for
competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2004 and later years. We take this
action to focus research attention on areas of national need. We intend
these priorities to improve health and function outcomes for
individuals with disabilities.

DATES: Effective Date: These final priorities are effective July 9,
2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of
Education, 550 12th Street, SW., room 6046, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 245-7462 or via Internet:
donna.nangle@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the TDD number at (202) 245-7317.
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:

Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers

RRTCs conduct coordinated and integrated advanced programs of
research targeted toward the production of new knowledge to improve
rehabilitation methodology and service delivery systems, alleviate or
stabilize disability conditions, or promote maximum social and economic
independence for persons with disabilities. Additional information on
the RRTC program can be found at: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/res-program.html#RRTC.

General Requirements of Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers

RRTCs must:
Carry out coordinated advanced programs of rehabilitation
research;
Provide training, including graduate, pre-service, and in-
service training, to help rehabilitation personnel more effectively
provide rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities;
Provide technical assistance to individuals with
disabilities, their representatives, providers, and other interested
parties;
Disseminate informational materials to individuals with
disabilities, their representatives, providers, and other interested
parties; and
Serve as centers for national excellence in rehabilitation
research for individuals with disabilities, their representatives,
providers, and other interested parties.
The Department is particularly interested in ensuring that the
expenditure of public funds is justified by the execution of intended
activities and the advancement of knowledge and, thus, has built this
accountability into the selection criteria. Not later than three years
after the establishment of any RRTC, NIDRR will conduct one or more
reviews of the activities and achievements of the RRTC. In accordance
with the provisions of 34 CFR 75.253(a), continued funding depends at
all times on satisfactory performance and accomplishment of approved
grant objectives.
We published a notice of proposed priorities (NPP) for this program
in the Federal Register on March 25, 2004 (69 FR 15305). This Notice of
Final Priorities (NFP) contains no significant differences from the
NPP.

Analysis of Comments and Changes

In response to our invitation in the NPP, we received six comments.
An analysis of the comments and any changes in the priorities since
publication of the NPP is in the Appendix at the end of this notice.

Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which we choose to use one or more of these priorities, we invite
applications through a notice in the Federal Register. When inviting
applications we designate each 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 competitive priority (34 CFR
75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) selecting an application that meets the
competitive 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
invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over other
applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).

Note: NIDRR supports the goals of President Bush's New Freedom
Initiative (NFI). The NFI can be accessed on the Internet at the
following site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/newfreedom/.

These final priorities are in concert with NIDRR's 1999-2003 Long-
Range Plan (Plan). The Plan is comprehensive and integrates many issues
relating to disability and rehabilitation research topics. While
applicants will find many sections throughout the Plan that support
potential research to be conducted under these final priorities, a
specific reference is included for each priority presented in this
notice. The Plan can be accessed on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/index.html.

Through the implementation of the NFI and the Plan, NIDRR seeks to:
(1) Improve the quality and utility of disability and rehabilitation
research; (2) foster an exchange of expertise, information, and
training to facilitate the advancement of knowledge and understanding
of the unique needs of traditionally underserved populations; (3)
determine best strategies and programs to improve rehabilitation
outcomes for underserved populations; (4) identify research gaps; (5)
identify mechanisms of integrating research and practice; and (6)
disseminate findings.

Priorities

The Assistant Secretary announces three priorities for the funding
of RRTCs that will focus on improved outcomes measures, health status,
and rehabilitation of persons with traumatic brain injury to facilitate
the ability of individuals with disabilities to live in the community.
Applicants must select and focus research on one of the following
priorities: Priority 1--Measuring Rehabilitation Outcomes and
Effectiveness; Priority 2--Health and

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Wellness in Long-Term Disability; or Priority 3--Traumatic Brain Injury
(TBI) Interventions. Under each of these priorities, the RRTC must:
(1) Contribute substantially to the scientific knowledge-base
relevant to its respective subject area;
(2) Research, develop, and evaluate interventions or tools to
assist with outcomes for its focus area;
(3) Develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive plan for
training critical stakeholders (e.g., consumers/family members,
practitioners, service providers, researchers, and policymakers);
(4) Provide technical assistance, as appropriate, to critical
stakeholders (e.g., consumers/family members, practitioners, and
service providers) to facilitate utilization of research findings in
its respective area of research; and
(5) Develop a systematic plan for focused dissemination of
informational materials based on knowledge gained from the RRTC's
research activities, and disseminate the materials to persons with
disabilities, their representatives, service providers, and other
interested parties.
In addition to these activities, under each of the priorities, the
RRTC must:
Conduct a state-of-the-science conference on its
respective area of research in the third year of the grant cycle and
publish a comprehensive report on the final outcomes of the conference
in the fourth year of the grant cycle. This conference must include
materials from experts internal and external to the RRTC;
Coordinate on research projects of mutual interest with
relevant NIDRR-funded projects as identified through consultation with
the NIDRR project officer;
Involve individuals with disabilities in planning and
implementing its research, training, and dissemination activities, and
in evaluating the RRTC;
Demonstrate in its application how it will address, in
whole or in part, the needs of individuals with disabilities from
minority backgrounds; and
Articulate goals, objectives, and expected outcomes for
the proposed research activities. It is critical that proposals
describe expected public benefits, especially benefits for individuals
with disabilities, and propose projects that are designed to
demonstrate outcomes that are consistent with the proposed goals.
Applicants must include information describing how they will measure
outcomes, including the indicators that will represent the end-result,
the mechanisms that will be used to evaluate outcomes associated with
specific problems or issues, and how the proposed activities will
support new intervention approaches and strategies, including a
discussion of measures of effectiveness.

Priorities

An applicant under this program must focus research on one of the
following priorities:

Priority 1--Measuring Rehabilitation Outcomes and Effectiveness

This center must conduct research to advance the field of medical
rehabilitation by increasing the utility, efficiency, and relevance of
its outcomes measurement tools and processes. The research funded under
this priority must be designed to contribute to the following outcomes:
Improved measurement tools that can be used to track the
outcomes of individuals across a wide variety of rehabilitation
settings.
Improved measurement tools that incorporate consumer
perspectives to assess long-term community integration outcomes within
a comprehensive model for evaluating rehabilitation effectiveness, such
as the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and
Health (ICF).
Increased efficiency of rehabilitation outcomes data
collection, through the application of strategies such as item response
theory and computer adaptive testing techniques.
Identification of effective methods for translating
outcomes data into information that can be utilized to inform decisions
made by key rehabilitation stakeholders, including consumers, payers,
provider organizations, and clinicians.
The reference for this topic can be found in the Plan, chapter 4,
Health and Function: Research on Rehabilitation Outcomes, pp. 49-50.

Priority 2--Health and Wellness in Long-Term Disability

This center must conduct research that will help to overcome the
health disparities of individuals with disabilities compared to
individuals without disabilities. The research funded under this
priority must be designed to contribute to the following outcomes:
Identification of strategies to overcome barriers that
impede access to routine healthcare for individuals with disabilities.
Identification of interventions in areas such as exercise,
nutrition, pain management, or complementary and alternative therapies,
that promote health and wellness and minimize the occurrence of
secondary conditions for persons with disabilities.
Improved health status measurement tool(s) to assess
health and well-being of individuals with disabilities regardless of
functional ability.
The reference for this topic can be found in the Plan, chapter 4,
Health and Function: Health Care at the Individual Level; Health Care
at the Systems Level, pp. 42-43.

Priority 3--Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Interventions

This center must conduct research to improve long-term outcomes for
persons with TBI. The research funded under this priority must be
designed to contribute to one of the following outcomes:
Identification of interventions that demonstrate efficacy,
or effectiveness, or both, in promoting improved rehabilitation
outcomes for adults with TBI; or
Identification of interventions that demonstrate either
efficacy, or effectiveness, or both, in promoting improved
rehabilitation outcomes for children (under age 16) with TBI.
In addition, for either adults or children, the research funded
under this priority must be designed to develop and evaluate improved
techniques for assessing outcomes associated with TBI.
The reference for this topic can be found in the Plan, chapter 4,
Health and Function: Research on Trauma Rehabilitation, p. 47.

Executive Order 12866

This notice of final priorities has been reviewed in accordance
with Executive Order 12866. Under the terms of the order, we have
assessed the potential costs and benefits of this regulatory action.
The potential costs associated with the notice of final priorities
are those resulting from statutory requirements and those we have
determined as necessary for administering this program effectively and
efficiently.
In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative
and qualitative--of this notice of final priorities, we have determined
that the benefits of the final priorities justify the costs.
Summary of potential costs and benefits: The potential costs
associated with these final priorities are minimal while the benefits
are significant. Grantees may anticipate costs associated with
completing the application process in terms of staff time, copying, and
mailing or delivery. The use of e-

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Application technology reduces mailing and copying costs significantly.
The benefits of the RRTC Program have been well established over
the years in that similar projects have been completed successfully.
These final priorities will generate new knowledge through research,
dissemination, utilization, training, and technical assistance
projects.
The benefit of these final priorities and project requirements will
be the establishment of new RRTCs that generate, disseminate, and
promote the use of new information to improve options and participation
in the community for individuals with disabilities.
Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 350.

Electronic Access to This Document

You may review 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/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.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 84.133B,
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center Program)

Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(b)(2).

Dated: June 7, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.

Apppendix--Analysis of Comments and Changes

We discuss substantive issues under the title of the priority to
which they pertain. Generally, we do not address technical and other
minor changes and suggested changes we are not authorized to make
under the applicable statutory authority.

General

Comment: One commenter praised NIDRR for requiring that RRTCs
articulate goals, objectives, and expected outcomes for the proposed
research activities, but expressed concern about the lack of review
criteria by which such activities can be reviewed objectively. The
commenter suggested that the criteria be added or that these
outcomes be treated as a competitive preference priority.
Discussion: The Department's regulations in CFR 350.54 contain
objective criteria by which applicants' articulation of goals,
objectives, and expected outcomes are reviewed through our peer
review process.
Changes: None.

Measuring Rehabilitation Outcomes and Effectiveness

Comment: One commenter suggested that requiring applicants to
address all four outcomes specified for this priority will result in
pedestrian projects and suggested that applicants be allowed to
chose a subset, perhaps no more than two of these outcomes, on which
to concentrate.
Discussion: NIDRR thinks that the first three outcomes listed
under the priority are interrelated and that it would diminish the
usefulness of the proposed center to allow applicants to
disaggregate the topics. The fourth outcome addresses the
utilization of outcomes data. NIDRR is committed to ensuring
utilization of research findings as documented in its Long Range
Plan. Outcomes data can influence service delivery decisions,
service quality, and payment. For this reason, NIDRR wants to
conduct research that facilitates use of outcomes findings by key
stakeholders.
Changes: None.

Health and Wellness in Long-Term Disability

Comment: One commenter asked whether NIDRR considers mental
health disorders as long-term primary disabling conditions.
Discussion: NIDRR does consider mental health disorders as long-
term primary disabling conditions.
Changes: None.
Comment: One commenter requested that NIDRR define long-term
disabilities for the purpose of a competition under this program.
Discussion: Long-term disability has established definitions in
a number of different contexts. Applicants are free to choose a
definition, provided they give justification for the definition
used. Applicants may specify uses of the term and applicable
reference for the purposes of their proposal. The peer review
process will evaluate merits of the proposals.
Changes: None.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Interventions

Comment: One commenter requested that the TBI interventions
priority encourage the use of the ICF to assess functional outcomes
in treatment of TBI.
Discussion: NIDRR agrees that the ICF is an important framework
for use in assessing functional outcomes in treatment of TBI;
however, NIDRR has no basis for requiring that all applicants use
this framework. Nothing in the priority precludes an applicant from
suggesting such an approach. The peer review process will evaluate
the merits of the applicant's proposal.
Changes: None.
Comment: One commenter suggested that the TBI intervention
priority should require applicants to identify or evaluate
methodological issues that affect the ability to conduct research
and to demonstrate the efficacy or effectiveness, or both, of this
research.
Discussion: NIDRR agrees that better understanding of
methodological issues that affect the ability to conduct research is
important; however, NIDRR has no basis for requiring that all
applicants address this issue. Nothing in the priority precludes an
applicant from incorporating such study in the proposed research
approach. The peer review process will evaluate the merits of the
applicant's proposal.
Changes: None.
[FR Doc. 04-13238 Filed 6-9-04; 8:45 am]

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