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 Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living
 DATES: The deadline date for the submission of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021: Grants to Enhance Adult Protective Services to Respond to COVID-19 Letter of Assurance is 11:59PM EST March 3, 2021.
                        ( print page 7727) I. Funding Opportunity Description The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is establishing the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021: Grants to Enhance Adult Protective Services to Respond to COVID-19 funding opportunity to implement Section 2042(b) of Subtitle B of Title XX of the Social Security Act, otherwise known as the Elder Justice Act (EJA) as authorized and funded through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021. In accordance with these statutes, the purpose of this opportunity is to enhance and improve adult protective services provided by States and local units of government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds awarded under this opportunity will provide Adult Protective Services programs (APS) in the States and territories with resources related to their response during the Coronavirus Public Health Emergency. This funding is intended to enhance, improve, and expand the ability of APS to investigate allegations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation in the context of COVID-19. Examples of activities consistent with the purposes of the authorizing legislation include: Improving and supporting remote work, such as the purchase of communications and technology hardware, software, or infrastructure;
Costs associated with establishing new, or improving existing processes for responding to alleged scams and frauds, especially related to COVID-19 vaccine or cure scams;
Costs associated with community outreach;
Costs associated with providing goods and services to APS clients related to COVID-19;
Acquiring personal protection equipment and supplies;
Paying for extended hours/over-time for staff, hiring temporary staff, and associated personnel costs;
Training costs related to COVID-19;
Funds for travel related to or required by COVID-19.
Costs associated with assisting APS clients secure the least restrictive option for emergency or alternative housing, and with obtaining, providing, or coordinating with care transitions as appropriate. Awards authorized under the EJA Section 2042(b) shall be provided to the agency or unit of State government having the legal responsibility for providing adult protective services within the State. This funding must supplement and not supplant existing funding for adult protective services provided by States and local units of government. Additionally, award recipients will be required to submit semi-annual federal financial reports and annual program reports related to the activities performed. To be eligible to receive this grant, the agency or unit of State government having the legal responsibility for providing adult protective services must submit a Letter of Assurance to ACL containing all of the assurances required, and an initial outline of a plan to spend the funds (see below “Section III. Eligibility Criteria and Other Requirements” and “Section IV. Submission Information”). II. Award Information 1. Funding Instrument Type These awards will be made in the form of formula grants to the agencies and units of State government with the legal responsibility to provide adult protective services. 2. Anticipated Total Funding per Budget Period Under this program announcement, ACL intends to make grant awards to each State and territory, and the District of Columbia. Awards made under this announcement have an estimated start date of April 1, 2021 and an estimated end date of September 30, 2022, for an 18-month budget and performance period. The total available funding for this opportunity is $93,880,000. Funding will be distributed through the formula identified in Section 2042(b) of the Elder Justice Act. The amounts allocated are based upon the proportion of elders living in each state and territory, as defined in statute, and will be distributed based on the formula. There are no cost-sharing nor match requirements. Below are the projected award amounts: State/territory
Projected amountAlabama
$1,367,545Alaska
704,100Arizona
2,034,877Arkansas
831,205California
9,476,701Colorado
1,390,039Connecticut
1,022,558Delaware
704,100Dist. of Columbia
140,809Florida
6,896,415Georgia
2,490,713Hawaii
704,100Idaho
704,100Illinois
3,324,229Indiana
1,765,688Iowa
884,872Kansas
768,741Kentucky
1,216,527Louisiana
1,211,268Maine
704,100Maryland
1,571,936Massachusetts
1,893,433Michigan
2,868,691Minnesota
1,501,422Mississippi
788,509Missouri
1,712,169Montana
704,100Nebraska
704,100Nevada
795,772New Hampshire
704,100New Jersey
2,401,390New Mexico
704,100New York
5,306,382North Carolina
2,813,974North Dakota
704,100Ohio
3,319,395Oklahoma
1,022,727Oregon
1,212,402Pennsylvania
3,839,908Rhode Island
704,100South Carolina
1,490,158South Dakota
704,100Tennessee
1,842,330Texas
6,174,152Utah
704,100Vermont
704,100Virginia
2,205,652Washington
1,962,724West Virginia
704,100Wisconsin
1,655,767Wyoming
704,100American Samoa
93,880Guam
93,880Northern Marianas
93,880Puerto Rico
1,037,800Virgin Islands
93,880
 III. Eligibility Criteria and Other Requirements 1. Eligible Entities The eligible entity for these awards is the agency or unit of State government legally responsible for providing adult protective services in each state and territory (EJA Section 2042(b)). 2. Other Requirements A. Letter of Assurance A 
                    *Letter of Assurance*
                     is required to be submitted by the eligible entity in order to receive an award. The Letter of Assurance must include the following: 1. Assurance that the award recipient is the agency or unit of State government legally responsible for providing adult protective services in each state and territory. 2. Assurance that funds will supplement and not supplant existing APS funding. 3. Assurance that funds will be spent in ways consistent with the Elder Justice Act Section 2042(b); the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021; and guidance provided by ACL, including the 
                    ( print page 7728)
                    examples of activities consistent with the purposes of the authorizing legislation: Improving and supporting remote work, such as the purchase of communications and technology hardware, software, or infrastructure;
Costs associated with establishing new or improving existing processes for responding to alleged scams and frauds, especially related to COVID-19 vaccine or cure scams;
Costs associated with community outreach;
Costs associated with providing goods and services to APS clients related to COVID-19;
Acquiring personal protection equipment and supplies;
Paying for extended hours/over-time for staff, hiring temporary staff, and associated personnel costs;
Training costs related to COVID-19;
Funds for travel related to or required by COVID-19. 4. Assurance to provide semi-annual federal financial reports and annual program reports related to the activities performed. B. Initial Spend Plan An 
                    *Initial Spend Plan*
                     must be submitted along with the Letter of Assurance. The Initial Spend Plan should outline how the state/territory intends to spend their allotment in response to the needs and challenges to their APS program brought about by COVID-19. The plan should be consistent with the purpose of the authorizing legislation and examples outlined above. The Initial Spend Plan submitted in response to this opportunity is considered a preliminary framework for how the state/territory will plan to spend these funds. The Initial Spend Plan should have the following format: 2-5 pages in length, double-spaced, with 12pt font and 1′′ margins, with a layout of 8.5′′ x 11′′ paper. C. DUNS Number All grant applicants must obtain and keep current a D-U-N-S number from Dun and Bradstreet. It is a nine-digit identification number, which provides unique identifiers of single business entities. The D-U-N-S number can be obtained from: 
                    *https://iupdate.dnb.com/​iUpdate/​viewiUpdateHome.htm.* D. Intergovernmental Review Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs, is not applicable to these grant applications. IV. Submission Information 1. Letter of Assurance and Initial Spend Plan To receive funding, eligible entities must provide a 
                    *Letter of Assurance*
                     and an 
                    *Initial Spend Plan*
                     containing all the information outlined in Section III A. & B. above. Letters of Assurance and the Initial Spend Plan should be addressed to: Alison Barkoff, Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging, Administration for Community Living, 330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201. Letters of Assurance and the Initial Spend Plan should be submitted electronically via email to the ACL Regional Administrator for each state. The following table identifies the ACL regions for each state and contact information for each Regional Administrator. Covered states
ACL regional administratorRegion I
CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT
Jennifer Throwe, Email: 
                            *jennifer.throwe@acl.hhs.gov,*
                             Phone: 617-565-1158.Region II
NY, NJ, PR, VI
Kathleen Otte, Email: 
                            *kathleen.otte@acl.hhs.gov,*
                             Phone: 212-264-2976.Region III
DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV
Rhonda Schwartz, Email: 
                            *rhonda.schwartz@acl.hhs.gov,*
                             Phone: 267-831-2329.Region IV
AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN
Costas Miskis, Email: 
                            *Constantinos.Miskis@acl.hhs.gov,*
                             Phone: 404-562-7600.Region V
IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI
Amy Wiatr-Rodriguez, Email: 
                            *Amy.Wiatr-Rodriguez@acl.hhs.gov,*
                             Phone: 312-938-9858.Region VI
AR, LA, OK, NM, TX
Derek Lee, Email: 
                            *derek.lee@acl.hhs.gov,*
                             Phone: 214-767-1865.Region VII
IA, KS, MO, NE
Lacey Boven, Email: 
                            *lacey.boven@acl.hhs.gov,*
                             Phone: 816-702-4180.Region VIII
CO, MT, UT, WY, ND, SD
Percy Devine, Email: 
                            *percy.devine@acl.hhs.gov,*
                             Phone: 303-844-2951.Region IX
CA, NV, AZ, HI, GU, CNMI, AS
Fay Gordon, Email: 
                            *Fay.Gordon@acl.hhs.gov,*
                             Phone: 415-437-8780.Region X
AK, ID, OR, WA
Louise Ryan, Email: 
                            *Louise.Ryan@acl.hhs.gov,*
                             Phone: (206) 615-2299.
 2. Submission Dates and Times To receive consideration, Letters of Assurance and the Initial Spend Plan must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on EST March 3, 2021. Letters of Assurance and the Initial Spend Plan should be submitted electronically via email and have an electronic time stamp indicating the date/time submitted. VII. Agency Contacts 1. Programmatic Issues Direct programmatic inquiries to: Stephanie Whittier Eliason, Email: 
                    *stephanie.whittiereliason@acl.hhs.gov*, Phone: 202.795.7467. 2. Submission Issues Direct inquiries regarding submission of the Letters of Assurance to the appropriate ACL Regional Administrator found in the table in “Section IV. Submission Information.” Dated: January 27, 2021. Alison Barkoff, Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging.


[FR Doc. 2021-02091 Filed 1-29-21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4154-01-P