33830 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 102 / Thursday, May 25, 2000 / Notices

ALLOCATION TABLE FOR PROGRAM YEAR 2000 NATIONAL FARMWORKER JOBS PROGRAM—Continued

State PY 1998 allotments

Formula allocation w/o

hold harmless

adjustment

Formula

percentage

share w/o

hold harmless

(in percent)

PY 2000 allocation with

hold harmless

adjustment

Cost to

bring states

to PY 1998

levels

Recission

action

(7.293)

PY 2000 allotments

Oklahoma ..................................... 608,145 1,276,891 1.97723 702,695 .................... 0 702,695

Oregon ......................................... 1,087,697 1,452,311 2.24886 1,195,236 .................... 0 1,195,236

Pennsylvania ................................ 1,221,441 1,549,985 2.40010 1,336,212 .................... 0 1,336,212

Rhode Island ................................ 0 38,832 0.06013 2,875 .................... 0 2,875

South Carolina ............................. 1,080,106 391,046 0.60552 972,095 108,011 7,877 1,072,229

South Dakota ............................... 692,869 456,831 0.70739 623,582 69,287 5,053 687,816

Tennessee ................................... 957,799 720,217 1.11523 862,019 95,780 6,985 950,814

Texas ........................................... 5,979,800 6,697,752 10.37126 6,475,747 .................... 0 6,475,747

Utah .............................................. 245,354 288,106 0.44612 266,687 .................... 0 266,687

Vermont ........................................ 213,134 105,217 0.16293 191,821 21,313 1,554 211,580

Virginia ......................................... 1,036,441 708,789 1.09754 932,797 103,644 7,559 1,028,882

Washington .................................. 1,705,576 2,262,216 3.50297 1,873,085 .................... 0 1,873,085

West Virginia ................................ 219,325 100,275 0.15527 197,393 21,932 1,600 217,725

Wisconsin ..................................... 1,229,201 953,157 1.47593 1,106,281 122,920 8,965 1,220,236

Wyoming ...................................... 201,911 232,207 0.35956 219,105 .................... 0 219,105

Total Center United States ... 63,933,384 64,579,952 100.00 64,579,952 2,753,713 200,828 67,132,836

Conterminous United States ........ 63,933,384 64,579,952 95.53755

Hawaii .......................................... 251,607 204,254 4.16028 204,254 47,353 3,453 248,154

Puerto Rico .................................. 2,938,827 2,812,202 .30217 2,812,202 126,625 9,235 2,929,592

Subtot. (HI+PR) .................... 3,190,434 3,016,456 4.46 3,016,456 173,978 12,688 3,177,746

Total United States ............... 67,123,818 67,596,408 100.00 67,596,408 2,927,691 213,517 70,310,582

[FR Doc. 00–13154 Filed 5–24–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–30–P

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training

Administration

Work Incentive Grants

AGENCY: Employment and Training

Administration (ETA), DOL.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds;

Solicitation for Grant Applications

(SGA).

This notice contains all of the necessary

information and forms needed to apply

for grant funding.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor

(DOL), Employment and Training

Administration (ETA) announces the

availability of $20 million to award

competitive grants designed to enhance

the employability, employment and

career advancement of people with

disabilities through enhanced service

delivery in the new One-Stop delivery

system established under the Workforce

Investment Act of 1998. The Work

Incentive Grant program will provide

grant funds to consortia and/or

partnerships of public and private nonprofit entities working in coordination

with a state and/or local One-Stop

delivery system to augment the existing

programs and services and ensure

programmatic access and streamlined,

seamless service delivery for people

with disabilities.

DATES: Applications will be accepted

commencing on the date of publication.

The closing date for receipt of

applications under this announcement

is Tuesday, August 1, 2000, at 4:00 p.m.

Eastern Standard Time (EST) at the

address below. Telefacsimile (fax),

telegraphed, or electronic applications

will not be honored.

ADDRESSES: Applications shall be

mailed to the U.S. Department of Labor,

Employment and Training

Administration, Division of Federal

Assistance, Attention: Ms. B. Jai

Johnson, SGA/DFA 00–107, 200

Constitution Avenue, NW Room S–

4203, Washington, DC 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions should be faxed to Ms. B.Jai

Johnson, Grants Management Specialist,

Division of Federal Assistance, Fax

(202) 219–8739. This is not a toll-free

number. All inquiries should include

the SGA number (DFA 00–107) and a

contact name, fax and phone numbers.

This solicitation is also being published

on the Internet on the ETA’s disability

On-line Home Page at wdsc.org/

disability, or the ETA homepage at

doleta.gov. Award notifications will also

be published on the ETA homepage.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Authority

Provisions relating to the One-Stop

delivery system are at Section 121,

134(c) of the Workforce Investment Act

(29 USC 2841, 2864); Wagner-Peyser Act

53(c)(1) (29 USC 496(c)(1)) and

Department of Labor Appropriations Act

2000 (Pub. L. 106–113). Regulations

governing the Workforce Investment Act

are at 20 CFR parts 660–671. An Interim

Final Rule was published in the Federal

Register at 64 FR 18662 (Apr. 19,1999)

with issuance of final rule planned for

the summer of 2000.

II. Background

The Workforce Investment Act of

1998 establishes comprehensive reform

of existing Federal job training programs

with amendments impacting service

delivery under the Wagner Peyser Act,

Adult Education and Literacy Act, the

Rehabilitation Act and supersedes the

Job Training Partnership Act. A number

of other Federal programs are also

identified as required partners under the

One-Stop delivery system with the

intention of providing comprehensive

services for all Americans to access the

information and resources available to

them in the development and

implementation of their career goals.

The intention of the One-Stop system is

to establish programs and providers in

co-located, coordinated and integrated

settings that are coherent and accessible

for individuals and businesses alike in

approximately 600 workforce

investment areas which will be

established throughout the nation.

The Workforce Investment Act

establishes State and Local Workforce

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 102 / Thursday, May 25, 2000 / Notices 33831

Investment Boards focused on strategic

planning, policy development, and

oversight of the workforce system with

significant authority for the Governor

and chief elected officials to build on

existing reforms in order to implement

innovative and comprehensive

workforce investment systems.

Although systemic change of the

magnitude envisioned by the Workforce

Investment Act is a long term process,

State and local planning processes are

required to be in place by July 1, 2000.

The Work Incentive Grants will

facilitate model service delivery for

people with disabilities involving

coordination of the multiple programs

and agencies which frequently impact

their ability to achieve self-sustaining

employment, skill attainment and long

range career opportunities. Recognizing

that many One-Stop delivery systems

may not currently have the capacity to

provide comprehensive services to

people with disabilities, the Work

Incentive Grant is designed to provide

seed monies for the enhancement of

service delivery in the One-Stop

delivery system.

Many people with disabilities are

looking to the new workforce

investment system to address their

employment and training needs in a

progressive, enlightened environment

with cutting-edge technologies. They

also expect the One-Stop delivery

system to provide comprehensive

services to meet multiple barriers which

frequently limit their access to a

productive, economically rewarding

work life. These may include, but are

not limited to, the availability of basic

and skill development; vocational skill

training or advanced educational

opportunities; apprenticeship and

entrepreneurial training; transportation

assistance to reach training or

employment; housing assistance or

advise on retaining existing housing

upon employment; and access to

medical health coverage upon

employment.

Additional Background Information

There are approximately 50 million

Americans with disabilities, 30 million

of whom are of working age. Of the

latter, many are relegated to lives of

poverty and reliance on public

assistance and supports. The economic

boom of recent years has had little to no

impact on the more than 70% of those

with significant disabilities of working

age who are not employed. In addition,

many people have hidden disabilities

which may or may not be recognized or

officially diagnosed but which impact

their ability to obtain, retain or advance

in employment.

Approximately 10 million people

with disabilities are recipients or

beneficiaries of Supplemental Security

Income (SSI) or Social Security

Disability Insurance (SSDI). Many other

individuals with disabilities receive

public assistance under the Temporary

Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

program. The benefits or payments to

these individuals are generally at or

below Federal poverty income levels.

Generally eligibility for Medicaid,

access to subsidized housing and other

benefits are automatically tied to receipt

of SSI or TANF, while Medicare and

some other public supports are closely

linked to SSDI benefits. Public policy

systems, particularly those related to

necessary health coverage, have for

many years encouraged dependency on

income supports and created many

obstacles to employment and economic

independence.

The loss of health care benefits and

other structural disincentives to

working and achieving self-sufficient,

living wages have been partially

addressed in the Ticket to Work and

Work Incentives Improvement Act of

1999 (TWWIIA) [Public Law 106–170]

which, among other provisions,

encourages States to enact expanded

and more readily accessible health care

coverage for working age individuals

with disabilities. Although not

authorized under the TWWIIA, the

Department of Labor intends for the

Work Incentive Grant program to further

support the employment objectives of

TWWIIA for SSI and SSDI recipients by

enhancing the State and local workforce

investment system for all people with

disabilities.

The Department of Labor has worked

with the Social Security Administration

(SSA) and the Department of Health and

Human Services (HHS) in designing the

Work Incentive Grant program, in a

coordinated and strategic effort to

support the issuance and objectives of

separate SSA’s cooperative agreement

and HHS’s grant programs authorized

under the TWWIIA. The SSA will be

awarding $50,000 to $300,000 grants for

a $23 million Planning, Assistance and

Outreach program to establish the

capacity to provide comprehensive

information on work incentives to SSI

and SSDI recipients throughout each

State. Workforce Investment Boards and

One-Stop systems, among other entities,

are eligible applicants for the SSA

Planning, Assistance and Outreach

Cooperative Agreement program. The

HHS Medicaid Infrastructure Grant

program is authorized for five years

with approximately $40 million to be

awarded annually to State Medicaid

Agencies for establishing Medicaid buyin opportunities for individuals who are

working. Each of the three grant

programs is administered separately by

its respective agency but are expected to

be implemented in Fiscal Year 2000.

The Department of Education also

provided input for the requirements of

this Solicitation for Grant Application.

The Presidential Task Force on

Employment of Adults with Disabilities,

established under Executive Order

13078, facilitated and provided

guidance to this multi-agency process as

part of their charge to design a

coordinated and aggressive national

policy that will bring working-age

individuals with disabilities into gainful

employment at a rate approaching that

of the general population.

III. Submission of Applications

Late Applications. Any application

received after the exact date and time

specified for receipt at the office

designated in this notice will not be

considered, unless it is received before

awards are made and it—(a) was sent by

U.S. Postal Service registered or

certified mail not later than the fifth

calendar day before the date specified

for receipt of applications (e.g., an

application submitted in response to a

solicitation requiring receipt of

applications by the 20th of the month

must have been mailed/post marked by

the 15th of that month); or (b) was sent

by the U.S. Postal Service Express Mail

Next Day Service to addressee not later

than 5 p.m. the place of mailing two

working days prior to the date specified

for receipt of applications. The term

‘‘working days’’ excludes weekends and

Federal holidays. ‘‘Post marked’’ means

a printed, stamped or otherwise placed

impression (exclusive of a postage meter

machine impression) that is readily

identifiable, without further action, as

having been supplied or affixed on the

date of mailing by an employee of the

U.S. Postal Service.

Withdrawal of Applications.

Applications may be withdrawn by

written notice or telegram (including

mail gram) received at any time before

an award is made. Applications may be

withdrawn in person by the applicant or

by an authorized representative thereof,

if the representative’s identity is made

known and the representative signs a

receipt of the proposal.

Hand Delivered Proposals. It is

preferred that applications be mailed at

least five days prior to the closing date.

To be considered for funding, handdelivered applications must be received

by 4 p.m., EST, August 1, 2000, at the

specified address. Failure to adhere to

the above instructions will be basis for

a determination of nonresponsiveness.

33832 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 102 / Thursday, May 25, 2000 / Notices

Overnight express mail from carriers

other than the U.S. Postal Service will

be considered hand-delivered

applications and must be received by

the above specified date and time.

IV. Funding Availability and Period of

Performance

The Department of Labor anticipates

awarding 20–40 grants ranging from

$500,000 to $1.5 million. The period of

performance will be approximately 30

months from the date of execution by

the Department. The grant funds would

be available for expenditure until June

30, 2003 when the authority for these

funds will expire. The Department may

make subsequent grant awards, which

would extend grant objectives, to the

original grantees based on satisfactory

performance and the availability of

funds.

V. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants may be a State

and/or Local Workforce Investment

Board(s) (State Board/Local Board(s))

established under the Workforce

Investment Act or other State/local

public entities including, Vocational

Rehabilitation, Mental Health, Mental

Retardation/Developmental Disability,

TANF; and/or a private non-profit

organization including, but not limited

to Centers for Independent Living

(CILs), disability advocacy and provider

organizations, federally-funded

disability grant entities, and other nonprofit organizations which provide

services and/or advocacy for people

with disabilities; or a consortium

thereof.

To the extent practicable and

possible, the Department of Labor is

encouraging consortia of entities to

develop and submit applications under

this grant program. If the applicant is

not the State or Local Workforce

Investment Board, the Board(s) must be

a partner in the consortium.

Applications can be statewide in

scope. Statewide projects must propose

strategies for enhancing and improving

services to people with disabilities

involving all local workforce investment

areas in the State. State-wide grant

projects should obtain and provide

letters of commitment from local

Workforce Investment Boards to the

extent possible. However, a statewide

project must include the State

Workforce Investment Board as a

consortium partner, with applicable

letters of commitment provided in the

application.

Indian and Native American Tribal

entities, or consortia of Tribes, may

apply for Work Incentive Grants. These

would involve coordination of services

and enhancements to a One-Stop system

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. In such cases, letters

of commitment from Local Boards may

not be applicable. Grants to Indian and

Native American tribal grantees are

treated differently because of

sovereignty and self-governance

established under the Indian SelfDetermination and Education

Assistance Act allowing for the

government to government relationship

between the Federal and Tribal

Governments.

VI. Section Format Requirements for

Grant Application

General Requirements

Applicants must submit four (4)

copies of their proposal, with original

signatures. The Application Narrative

must be double-spaced, and on singlesided, numbered pages with the

exception of format requirements for the

Executive Summary. The Executive

Summary must be limited to no more

than two single-spaced, single sided

pages. A font size of at least twelve (12)

pitch is required throughout.

There are three required sections of

the application. Requirements for each

section are provided in this application

package. Applications that fail to meet

the requirements will not be considered.

Section I—Project Financial Plan;

Section II—Executive Summary—Project

Synopsis

Section III—Project Narrative (including

Appendices, not to exceed 40 pages)

Section I. Project Financial Plan

Section I of the application must

include the following two required

elements: (1) Standard Form (SF) 424,

Application for Federal Assistance, and

(2) Budget Information Form and budget

narrative. All copies of the SF 424

MUST have original signatures of the

legal entity applying for grant funding.

Applicants shall indicate on the SF 424

the organization’s IRS Status, if

applicable. According to the Lobbying

Disclosure Act of 1995, Section 18, an

organization described in Section

501(c)4 of the Internal Revenue Code of

1986 which engages in lobbying

activities shall not be eligible for the

receipt of federal funds constituting an

award, grant, or loan. The Catalog of

Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)

number is 17.207. Section I will not

count against the application page

limits.

The financial plan must describe all

costs associated with implementing the

project that are to be covered with grant

funds. All costs should be necessary and

reasonable according to the Federal

guidelines set forth in the ‘‘Uniform

Administrative Requirements for Grants

and Cooperative Agreements to State

and Local Governments,’’ (also known

as the ‘‘Common Rule’’) codified at 29

CFR part 97 (97.22), and ‘‘Grants and

Agreements with Institutes of Higher

Education, Hospitals, and Other NonProfit Organizations’’ (also known as

OMB Circular A–110), codified at 29

CFR part 95 (95.27).

The financial plan must contain the

following parts:

—Completed ‘‘SF 424—Application for

Federal Assistance’’ (see Appendix A for

required form.)

—Completed ‘‘Budget Information Form’’ by

line item for all costs required to

implement the project design effectively.

(See Appendix B for these required forms.)

—Budget narrative/justification which

provides sufficient information to support

the reasonableness of the costs included in

the budget in relation to the service

strategy and planned outcomes.

Please note: Work Incentive Grant

project designs which incorporate

development, procurement or

implementation of information

technologies involving linkage, and/or

to assure accessible technologies in the

One-Stop setting, must provide a 50

percent grantee match for those Work

Incentive Grant funds which will be

utilized for this (these) purposes. That

is, if an applicant intends to use $50,000

in grant funds to develop, procure or

implement information technology they

must identify $50,000 to be provided by

the applicant and/or consortium

partner(s). Also, grant funds directed to

development, procurement and

implementation of these technologies

cannot exceed 10% (not including

matching funds) of the total grant

award. Identification of these funds

should be made noted in the remarks

section of the Budget Information Sheet

and described in the budget narrative/

justification, including source of

matching funds.

Section II. Executive Summary—Project

Synopsis

[Format requirements limited to no

more than two single-spaced, singlesided pages]

Each application shall provide a

project synopsis which identifies the

following:

• The applicant;

• The type of organization the

applicant represents;

• Identification of consortium

partners and the type of organizations

they represent;

• The project service area;

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 102 / Thursday, May 25, 2000 / Notices 33833

• Whether the service area is an

entire local workforce investment area,

more than one local area, and/or all

local areas in a State;

• The specific areas of focus in the

announcement which are addressed by

the project;

• The amount of funds requested;

• The planned period of performance;

• The comprehensive strategy

proposed for providing seamless service

delivery, for addressing the multifaceted barriers to training and

employment which affect people with

disabilities, and for improving access for

people with disabilities in the generic

workforce system;

• The ways in which the proposal is

coordinated with a State HHS grant and/

or SSA benefits planner grant;

• How counseling and other support

needs will be addressed in the One-Stop

Center system;

• The actions already taken by the

State or Local Workforce Investment

Board to address the needs of people

with disabilities in the One-Stop

delivery system;

• The extent to which the One-Stop

facilities and satellite site incorporate

physical access for people with

disabilities;

• The extent to which Vocational

Rehabilitation is integrated or

coordinated with the One-Stop delivery

system;

• Data on the extent to which people

with disabilities have been served under

the prior Job Training Partnership Act

program and under the Wagner-Peyser

Act;

• The level of commitment the

applicant and consortium members

have to serving people with disabilities;

and

• The extent to which the needs of

individuals with disabilities from

diverse cultural and/or ethnic groups

will be addressed.

Section III. Project Narrative

[Format requirements limited to no

more than forty (40) double-spaced,

single-sided, numbered pages]

Section III of the application, the

project narrative, must not exceed forty

(40) pages for the Government

Requirements/Statement of Work

section, as described below in the

‘‘Required Content for Work Incentive

Grant Applications—Program Year

2000.’’ The forty (40) page limit

includes any Attachments which are

provided by the applicant. Letters of

general support or recommendation for

a proposal should NOT be submitted

and will count against the page limits.

However, letters of commitment are

required from partner/consortia

organizations, including State and/or

Local Workforce Investment Board(s)

clearly stating their intent to provide

services and resources to the grant.

VII. Program Scope and Objectives

The Department of Labor, in

consultation with the President’s Task

Force on Employment of Adults with

Disabilities, has designed the Work

Incentive Grant program to achieve the

following objectives:

—Provide seamless service delivery

within a One-Stop delivery system for

people with a wide range of disabilities

which may include both documented

and undocumented physical, sensory,

developmental/cognitive (e.g., mental

retardation and learning disabilities,

among others), mental and other health

related functional disabilities.

—Maintain a referral source of diverse

services and information that commonly

impact the employability of people with

disabilities, such as transportation,

housing, education and training

programs, access to technology, and

health care coverage;

—Provide model One-Stop service

delivery through availability of—

• comprehensive services and

programs designed to meet multiple

needs and common employment

barriers such as a procedures for

identifying those individuals with

hidden disabilities through appropriate

screening and diagnostic testing;

• state-of-the-art, fully accessible

technologies and/or other

accommodations that would be

available for use in the One-Stop setting

as well as establishing a process for the

availability of accommodations in

training settings; and

• knowledgeable, experienced and

skilled staff support on a broad range of

disability issues.

—Ensure access to knowledgeable

benefits counselors who can do the

following

• provide information on education

and training program options and

opportunities available under a broad

array of programs such as Adult

Education; Individuals with Disability

Education Act for those under 22

without a high school degree;

Vocational Education and School-toWork programs;

• address the impact of employment

on individual benefits such as SSDI,

SSI, TANF, Medicaid, Medicare,

subsidized housing, and food stamps;

• provide accurate information on the

availability of Social Security work

incentive programs and Ticket-to-Work

options available to SSDI and SSI

recipients;

• make available to employers

detailed information on the array of tax

benefits and incentives to employers of

people with disabilities that provide

financial support for workplace

modifications and accommodations; and

• leverage the diverse range of

program resources that may be critical

to successful employment, retention and

career advancement such as medical or

psychological testing or transportation

subsidies available to One-Stop

customers in local areas, as applicable.

—Establish and carry out extensive

and wide-ranging outreach to the

disability community, including those

with physical, sensory, developmental/

cognitive (mental retardation and

learning disabilities, among others),

mental and other health related

impairments, so that core and Title I

workforce services are readily available

and welcoming to customers with

disabilities;

—Ensure linkages and technical

assistance to public and private

providers of services to people with

disabilities such as centers for

independent living; State

Developmental Disability Councils;

State and local mental health agencies;

Federal Social Security Agencies, State

Medicaid Agencies, Mental Retardation/

Developmental Disabilities Offices,

TANF agencies; public special

education and adult education

programs, private schools and training

programs designed to meet the needs of

persons with disabilities, and other nonprofit organizations which support

integration into the One-Stop delivery

system and which have knowledge

regarding the benefits of employment

and training information and services

available through the workforce system.

—Develop One-Stop capacity as a

valued provider of choice for

beneficiaries of SSDI and SSI, and to

facilitate One-Stop eligibility to be an

Employment Network provider

established under provisions of the

TWWIIA, which assumes responsibility

for coordination and delivery of services

under the Ticket to Work program,

meets professional and educational

qualifications, where applicable, and

provides appropriate employment

services, vocational rehabilitation

services, or other support services either

directly or by entering into agreement

with a qualified entity.

• Leverage available funds and

services, including TANF and public

education resources, currently available

to individuals with disabilities under a

variety of public and private non-profit

resources to achieve the individual

objectives of these customers; and

33834 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 102 / Thursday, May 25, 2000 / Notices

• Provides individual customer

choice as a primary, key component of

program availability and delivery which

provide models for how Individual

Training Accounts (ITAs) under Title I

of WIA, SSA Ticket-to-Work vouchers,

Vocational Rehabilitation resources, and

other appropriate funding sources can

be used to provide seamless service

delivery that is responsive to the

customer.

—Implement information

technologies which may be used to

facilitate linkage or consolidation of

information or services provided by

existing State, local and other Federal

program providers; and/or establish

innovative accessible technologies in

the workforce system to assure universal

access to One-Stop information and

resources for individuals with

disabilities. Please note: Work Incentive

Grant project designs which incorporate

development, procurement or

implementation of information

technologies involving linkage, and/or

to assure accessible technologies in the

One-Stop setting, must provide a 50

percent grantee match for those Work

Incentive Grant funds which will be

utilized for this (these) purposes. Also,

grant funds directed to development,

procurement and implementation of

these technologies cannot exceed 10%

(not including matching funds) of the

total grant award.

To the extent appropriate and

practicable, the applicant Work

Incentive Grant proposals should be

developed in coordination with SSA’s

Benefits Planning, Assistance, and

Outreach Cooperative Agreement

program and/or HHS’s Medicaid

Infrastructure Grant program as part of

a multi-pronged approach to increase

the employment rate of people with

disabilities. For example, an applicant

for the Work Incentive Grant might

consider applying for the SSA Benefit

Planning, Assistance and Outreach

Cooperative Agreement program, or

coordinate with entities who may be

applying, with the intent of establishing

benefits planning capacity in a OneStop Center. However, there may be

additional strategies to support the

Medicaid infrastructure development.

Likewise, the Department is

encouraging coordination with formula

and competitive Welfare-to-Work grant

programs. Coordination should also

occur with State/Local five year plans

required under Title I of WIA.

The SSA Benefits Planning,

Assistance, and Outreach Cooperative

Agreement Request for Proposal and

HHS Medicaid Infrastructure Grant

Request for Application requirements

are accessible through ETA’s disAbility

Online homepage: http://wdsc.org/

disability. Additional information and

resources are also available at this

website.

VIII. Monitoring and Reporting

Monitoring

The Department shall be responsible

for ensuring the effective

implementation of each competitive

grant project in accordance with the

provisions of this announcement and

the negotiated grant agreement.

Applicants should assume that on-site

project reviews will be conducted by

Department staff, or their designees

periodically throughout the

implementation of the grant. Reviews

will focus on the timely project

implementation, performance in

meeting the grant’s programmatic goals

and objectives, expenditure of grant

funds on allowable activities,

integration and coordination with other

resources and service providers in the

local area, and project management and

administration in achieving project

objectives. Work Incentive Grants may

be subject to other additional reviews at

the discretion of the Department.

Reporting

Grantees will be required to submit

periodic financial and participant

reports under the Work Incentive Grant

program covering the workforce area(s)

included in the grant project design.

Customer survey information will also

be required. Specific reporting

requirements have not been established

at the time of issuance of this

Solicitation for Grant Application.

However, data collection will probably

incorporate some detailed information

about the people with disabilities being

served under the grant, by the grant

applicant and consortium partners

where applicable. To the extent

possible, reporting will be conducted

electronically through web-based

applications.

1. Financial reports will be required

on a quarterly basis. This will be the

Standard Form 269—Financial Status

Report (FSR).

2. Customer Satisfaction Surveys:

Customer satisfaction surveys will be

required to be conducted with people

with disabilities applying for services

through the One-Stop delivery system(s)

participating in the grant award. The

Department of Labor will issue

guidelines and reporting instructions

related to the Customer Satisfaction

Survey process at a later date.

3. Other Reporting: The Department of

Labor may require additional reporting

requirements, including implementation

progress reports and quarterly narrative

and/or data reports on participants

served in the workforce area(s) included

in the grant for grant management and

knowledge development purposes. The

Department of Labor will issue

guidelines and reporting instructions

related to progress, narrative and

participant reporting at a later date.

IX. Government Requirements/

Statement of Work—Project Narrative

The Project Narrative, or Section III,

of the grant application should provide

complete information on how the

applicant will address government

requirements and statement of work

provisions outlined here, and not to

exceed forty (40) double-spaced

numbered pages, including appendices.

The application should include

information of the type described below,

as appropriate.

Description of Service Area and

Consortium Configuration

Information provided in this section

will be evaluated predominately under

the ‘‘Statement of Need’’ criteria.

—Identify the number of workforce

areas in the State and the jurisdiction of

each local workforce investment area(s)

in the State.

—Identify what local areas(s) in the

State will be covered by the project and

whether the project is Statewide,

multiple local areas or a single local

area.

—Identify consortium members if

any, their primary mission irrespective

of participation in the grant proposal,

and what political and geographic

jurisdictions (e.g., cities, counties,

subsections of cities/counties) they

cover.

—Identify the percent of people with

disabilities in the State and/or local

area, including the percentage of people

who are beneficiaries of SSDI and/or

SSI.

—Identify the most recent

unemployment rate(s) in the workforce

investment area(s) covering the project.

—Describe the significant deficiencies

in the State or local workforce

investment system that represent

barriers to employment for people with

disabilities.

—Identify additional State and/or

local funds and resources that will be

used to support the overall objectives of

the grant and which will assist in

addressing the identified issues the

grant project is addressing.

—For proposals targeted to a specific

Indian community or covering multiple

Tribal entities which may cut across

multiple States and/or local areas,

describe the overall approach of the

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project, identify the inadequacies and

deficiencies of the service delivery to

the applicable community, and how the

project expects to address these.

Disability Related Knowledge and Skills

The Department will evaluate

information provided in this section

predominately under the

‘‘Comprehensive Action Plan/Statement

of Need’’ criteria.

—Describe how the project will

address a primary objective of the Work

Incentive Grant program to assure the

integration of people with disabilities

into the workforce investment system,

including the availability of WIA Title

I programs and services, as well as the

many partner programs operating

through the One-Stop delivery system.

—Recognizing that the One-Stop

delivery system may not have extensive

knowledge or skills in working with

people with disabilities, describe the

level of expertise of the One-Stop

system in the local area(s) addressed in

the grant and the projects plans for

addressing inadequacies.

—Describe the overall status and

actions taken to-date by the One-Stop

delivery system to address services to

people with disabilities. This should

include actions to assure State and/or

local facilities are physically and

programmatically accessible, training

provided to staff, the number and

percent of people with disabilities

receiving services under JTPA and

Employment Service programs during

the previous three years compared with

that of people without disabilities, and

plans to increase services to people with

disabilities, if applicable.

—Identify the provisions of the

Memorandum of Understanding or other

agreements between Title I of the WIA,

State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)

Agency, the State Rehabilitation

Council, and the State and/or local

Workforce Investment Board in terms of

the provision of services to people with

disabilities; the plans for cost sharing;

the arrangements for referral of people

with disabilities between Title I of the

WIA and VR as appropriate; the extent

of integration and co-location of VR in

One-Stop Centers, including sharing of

MIS systems or participation in case

management data base technologies; the

extent to which there is joint funding of

participant services or leveraging of

funds to expand access to services; and

utilization of Individual Training

Accounts (ITA’s) for people with

disabilities.

—Identify plans and strategies to

develop the capacity of the

comprehensive One-Stop Center to

function as an Employment Network

under the TWWIIA. Project plans in this

regard should involve building the

capacity of the WIA Title I program and

One-Stop system so that more in-depth

services and information will be readily

available to individuals with

disabilities. Additionally, the

description of increased capacity should

be as an adjunct to the State Vocational

Rehabilitation Agency which is an

automatic Employment Network

provider under the TWWIIA.

Descriptions may include the planned

coordination, interaction and

relationship between the universal OneStop service delivery system and

Vocational Rehabilitation services,

planned memorandums of

understanding on how the Ticket

program may be implemented within

the One-Stop system or in partnership

with non-profit entities in the local area,

and expectations for more services

directed to SSI and SSDI recipients.

—Identify whether assessment tools

are utilized to identify individuals with

learning disabilities in the One-Stop

delivery system, including (1) whether

assessment tools are utilized to identify

individuals with learning disabilities in

the One-Stop; (2) plans and processes to

identify applicable assessment tools,

train staff and incorporate such

assessments as part of the service

delivery structure; and (3) use of

individualized, person-driven processes

for identification of strengths, needs and

desires related to employment.

Summary of Strategy of Collaboration/

Coordination

Information provided in this section

will be evaluated predominately under

the ‘‘Comprehensive Service Strategy’’

and ‘‘Collaboration and Coordination’’

criteria. This should include the

identification and interaction of a

variety of disability-related

organizations and entities. These may

include but should not be limited to the

following: Independent Living Centers,

State Mental Health, Mental

Retardation/Developmental Disability

Agencies, State Planning Councils on

Developmental Disabilities, State

Independent Living Councils (SILCs),

State Rehabilitation Councils, State

Governors’ Committee, State Medicaid

Agency, State and/or local TANF

agency, Vocational Rehabilitation

Agency and local Welfare-to-Work

Programs.

—Identify specific organizational/

service provider capabilities that will be

provided as a result of grant activities to

ensure the full range of assistance

required for receiving and participating

in training, skill development, job

development, job placement in

unsubsidized employment, job retention

services and career advancement

opportunities for individuals with

disabilities.

—Describe the process that will be

used to maintain and expand the service

structure for individuals with

disabilities accessing the workforce

investment system after receipt of the

grant funds. Describe what linkages are

expected to occur that will be sustained

over time and what resources various

public and private entities will make

available in the workforce system that

ensure expanded services and

integration of people with disabilities.

—Describe the extent to which people

with physical and mental disabilities

are represented in the development and

implementation of plans to improve and

enhance One-Stop services for people

with disabilities, plans for outreach and

marketing to the disability community

and organizations which represent or

work with people with disabilities; and

plans for training disability-related

organizations on the resources and

programs available to them in the OneStop system.

—Describe coordination and linkage

with regional Disability Business and

Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs)

and State Governor’s Committees on

Employment of People with Disabilities.

Have DBTACs provided training to the

One-Stop delivery system on the

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),

section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, or

other disability-related training? If not,

are plans to do so incorporated into the

applicant project?

—Describe coordination and linkage

with the State and local Independent

Living Center (CIL) system. Are they

part of the consortium membership? If

not, what outreach is planned to

establish linkage with them and their

core constituency of people with

disabilities?

—Describe coordination and linkage

with Mental Health Departments,

Mental Retardation/Developmental

Disability Agencies, State Councils on

Developmental Disabilities, State

Vocational Rehabilitation, and Councils

on Employment, and other local

provider or advocate organizations

serving individuals with developmental

and/or psychiatric disabilities. Are they

part of the consortium membership? If

not, what outreach is planned to

establish linkage with them and their

core constituency of people with

disabilities?

—Describe coordination and linkage

with Learning Disabilities and Training

Dissemination hub centers established

under grants from the Department of

Education’s Office of Vocational and

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Adult Education. Have these centers

provided training to the One-Stop

delivery system or are plans to do so

incorporated into the applicant project?

—Identify how State TANF programs

and Welfare to Work (WtW) competitive

grant projects will be linked or

leveraged with objectives of the

applicant’s project. States and local

areas have been in the process of

implementing numerous WtW projects

under formula and discretionary grants.

Additionally, many TANF agencies

have refocused resources on skill

attainment and employment outcomes

for TANF recipients. In addition to the

fact that many TANF recipients have

functional disabilities, many WtW and

TANF projects address significant

structural barriers to employment which

are similar in nature to those facing

most individuals with disabilities (e.g.,

health, housing, transportation).

Systems which address these barriers

for WtW and TANF recipients can be

expanded or leveraged to address

similar barriers for people with

disabilities.

—Describe how the planned project

will be coordinated with grant programs

which are funded under the SSA

Benefits Planning, Assistance and

Outreach Cooperative Agreement and

HHS Medicaid Infrastructure Grant

programs, if applicable.

Analysis of Barriers to Employment

Impacting People With Disabilities in

State/Local Workforce Investment Area

The Department will evaluate

information provided in this section

under ‘‘Statement of Need’’ and

‘‘Coordination and Collaboration’’

criteria.

—Identify public and private nonprofit provider entities participating in

the grant program and what barriers to

employment may be addressed by the

programs and services that are

contributing to the overall applicant

proposal. Specifically, describe how the

State or local area is addressing (1)

health insurance benefits, including

relevant Medicaid and/or Medicare

provisions, required by many people

with disabilities to enter and retain

employment; (2) the current

transportation infrastructure, the

availability of public transportation, and

how individuals with all types of

disabilities will access training and

employment; (3) housing, food stamps

and other support services; and (4)

assistive technology needs.

—Describe how public supports

needed by people with disabilities may

be affected by their employment or

training and State or local conditions

and actions to sustain benefits and

services following successful job

placement. For example, does the State

or local area have provisions to continue

supported or Section 8A housing, where

applicable, for individuals who enter

unsubsidized employment? Has the

State adopted Medicaid ‘‘buy-in’’

options, or are there Medicaid waivers

which extend health care coverage for

individuals who enter employment?

—If the applicant’s proposal does not

incorporate the capacity for benefits

counselors or planners, what

coordination is planned that ensures

that individuals with disabilities who

access One-Stop Center services will be

able to obtain accurate work incentive

and benefits information from

knowledgeable and skilled staff?

Innovative Strategies and Model OneStop Service Designs

The Department will evaluate

information provided in this section

predominately under the ‘‘Innovations

and Model Services’’ criteria.

—Describe how the project will

provide innovative approaches to

increasing competitive, unsubsidized

employment to individuals with

disabilities.

—Provide information on how the

project adds value to the workforce

system from a national perspective (e.g.,

fills a gap in policy or service

approach), and the potential for

replication and dissemination to the

workforce system at large.

—Describe investment plans, strategy

and rationale for implementation of

innovative technologies, whether to

establish linkages with disability related

entities or to implement innovative

accessible technologies (e.g., video

interpreting services for clients who are

deaf), including the source(s) of the 50

percent match requirement discussed in

Section VI under Project Financial Plan.

—Identify the scope of technology

implementations, if applicable, and the

extent to which implementation is

comprehensive and across the

workforce area(s) and/or statewide.

—Identify individualized strategies

that establish client control of training

funds, VR funds, ITAs, or other funding

sources to which these individuals may

have access, and co-mingle funds in a

seamless, customer friendly manner,

including plans for obtaining waiver

authority to the extent program

requirements necessitate this.

—Identify plans or strategies to

deploy Ticket-to-Work voucher

provisions for beneficiaries of SSDI and

recipients of SSI. At the time of this

Solicitation for Grant Application, the

requirements for implementation of the

Ticket will not have been drafted, nor

will the number of pilot States

participating in a pilot process known.

Therefore, the Department recognizes

that descriptions for implementing the

Ticket may be limited.

—Describe strategies to foster

entrepreneurial and self-employment

options utilizing ITAs, Plans for

Achieving Self-Support (PASS) and

other SSA work incentives, and

Medicaid coverage for individuals with

disabilities who start or return to work.

—Describe strategies to transition

youth with disabilities from school-towork environments using existing

systems such as School-to-Work and

One-Stop system infrastructures.

—Identify plans for ensuring

competitive, unsubsidized employment

for individuals with the most significant

disabilities, including how the

provision of job development, job

carving, job coaching, supported

employment, and personal assistance

services will be addressed when

applicable, and plans to integrate

individuals with the most significant

disabilities into mainstream workforce

settings through individualized job

development and placement strategies.

—Provide information on how

techniques such as job carving and

individualized job development may be

utilized under Title I of the WIA, or

plans to expand this capability.

Employer Related Linkages

The Department will evaluate this

section predominately under the

‘‘Innovations and Model Services’’

criteria.

—Describe specific approaches for

developing relationships with and

support of area employers which

establish employment opportunities for

individuals with disabilities accessing

the One-Stop delivery system, including

any commitments by employers to hire

these individuals.

—Describe opportunities for

competitive employment for individuals

with disabilities will be provided or

developed within the local workforce

investment area and how this is unique

or different than what is normally

performed by the applicant(s).

—Identify available Federal and State

tax incentives available to employers

when hiring an individual with a

disability; how this information will be

marketed and disseminated to

employers, the individual and

workforce staff; and how employers may

use such tax credits to address

structural and technological

accommodation needs.

—Describe opportunities for

increasing integrated, competitive

employment through use of strategies

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such as individualized job development

for individuals with the most significant

disabilities currently working in

segregated facilities or waiting for

employment services.

Implementation and Project

Management Plan

The Department will evaluate this

section predominately under the

‘‘Demonstrated Capability’’ criteria.

Applicants must be able to document

that they have systems capable of

satisfying the administrative and grant

management requirements for Work

Incentive Grants.

—Identify the critical activities, time

frames and responsibilities for

effectively implementing the project,

including the management and

evaluation process for assuring

successful implementation of grant

objectives.

—Include a project organizational

chart which identifies the staff with key

management responsibilities, including

a matrix of organizational

responsibilities of key entities and

participating consortium organizations,

where applicable.

—Describe the specific experience of

the applicant(s) in serving people with

disabilities, in providing workforce

services, in addressing specific barriers

to employment, in achieving expected

outcomes in the delivery of such

services/programs, and in implementing

and administering specific project plans

of the grant project. For example, such

information might include the local

Department of Transportation as a key

partner agency addressing

transportation barriers and how this

entity has participated in similar efforts

in the past and the success of these past

efforts, and potential success of

coordination on the applicant(s) grant

project.

X. Review Process and Evaluation

Criteria

A careful evaluation of applications

will be made by a technical review

panel who will evaluate the

applications against the criteria listed

below. The panel results are advisory in

nature and not binding on the Grant

Officer. The Department may elect to

award grants either with or without

discussion with the offeror. In situations

without discussions, an award will be

based on the offeror’s signature on the

SF 424, which constitutes a binding

offer. The Grant Officer may consider

any information that is available and

will make final award decisions based

on what is most advantageous to the

Government, considering factors such

as:

—Panel findings;

—Geographic distribution of the

competitive applications;

—The availability of funds.

Criteria

The following criteria, and the

weights assigned to each, will apply to

the review of the responsiveness of the

information requested in this

application to this announcement:

1. ‘‘Statement of Need’’, [15 points]

which will consider the scope and

targeting of the overall project design to

address deficiencies and requirements

of the current workforce delivery

system.

2. ‘‘Comprehensive Service Strategy’’,

[30 points] which will consider the

extent and quality of the applicant’s

plan to improve and enhance workforce

delivery services to people with

disabilities.

3. ‘‘Collaboration and Coordination’’,

[20 points] which shall consider the

extent and quality of the consortium

partnerships that are involved in, and

making, substantial contributions to the

project, including the commitment to

maintain and expand the capacity to

serve the target population with local

and workforce resources over a

sustained period of time.

4. ‘‘Innovations and Model Services’’,

[20 points] which shall consider the

extent and degree of innovation

represented in the applicant plans

which go beyond the expected and

predictable availability of accessible

facilities and programs for people with

disabilities, including innovative

accessible technologies implemented on

a system wide basis.

5. ‘‘Demonstrated Capability’’, [15

points] which shall consider the extent

to which the applicant and its

consortium partners demonstrate the

knowledge and skills to address the

diverse needs and the diversity in

population of people with disabilities,

and the extent to which the applicant

demonstrates the ability to effectively

execute grant management

responsibilities.

Signed at Washington, DC, this 22nd day

of May, 2000.

Laura Cesario,

Grant Officer.

Appendix A: SF–424

Appendix B: Budget Information Form

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[FR Doc. 00–13153 Filed 5–24–00; 8:45 am]

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