34476 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 104 / Tuesday, May 30, 2000 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention

[Program Announcement 00096]

National Limb Loss Information

Center; Notice of Availability of Funds

A. Purpose

The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) announces the

availability of fiscal year (FY) 2000

funds for a grant program for a National

Limb Loss Information Center (NLLIC).

The purpose of the program is to

support a NLLIC which will: (1) serve as

a national clearinghouse to provide

educational materials, referral services,

and self-help guidance to persons with

limb loss and their families; (2) establish

collaborative relationships with peer

support groups and conduct peer

visitation training opportunities

provided through relationships with

hospitals and limb loss support groups;

(3) provide information to health care

providers and professionals regarding

limb loss; and (4) develop school-based

educational efforts to increase the

knowledge and understanding of

students regarding limb loss. CDC is

committed to achieving the health

promotion and disease prevention

objectives of ‘‘Healthy People 2010,’’ a

national activity to reduce morbidity

and mortality and improve the quality

of life. This announcement is related to

the focus area of ‘‘Disability and

Secondary Conditions.’’ For the

conference copy of ‘‘Healthy People

2010,’’ visit the Internet site: http://

www.health.gov/healthypeople

B. Eligible Applicants

Applications may be submitted by

public and private non-profit

organizations and by governments and

their agencies; that is, universities,

colleges, research institutions, hospitals,

other public and private non-profit

organizations, State and local

governments or their bona fide agents,

and federally recognized Indian tribal

governments, Indian tribes, or Indian

tribal organizations.

Note: Public Law 104–65 states that an

organization described in section 501(c)(4) of

the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that

engages in lobbying activities is not eligible

to receive federal funds constituting an

award, grant, cooperative agreement,

contract, loan, or any other form.

C. Availability of Funds

Approximately $1,400,000 will be

available in FY 2000 to fund one award.

It is expected that the award will begin

on or about September 30, 2000 and will

be made for a 12-month budget period

within a project period of up to three

years. Funding estimates may change.

Continuation awards within an

approved project period will be made

on the basis of satisfactory progress as

evidenced by required reports and the

availability of funds. The award made

under this announcement will be made

with the expectation that program

activities will continue when grant

funds decrease.

Use of Funds

Grant funds may be used to support

personnel services, supplies,

equipment, travel, subcontracts, and

other services directly related to project

activities consistent with the approved

scope of work. Project funds may not be

used to supplant other agency funds,

construction, purchase of facilities or

space, or for patient care. Project funds

may not be used for individualized

preventive or rehabilitative measures

(direct patient support) such as for

wheelchairs, medical appliances, or

assistive technology unless specifically

approved by the funding agency.

D. Program Requirements

Applicants are required to collect,

organize, and disseminate limb loss

educational materials and resources and

provide effective management systems

for all center operations. Major tasks

and responsibilities include:

1. Establish, maintain, and manage a

comprehensive project management

information system, including data on

clients, referrals, and resources;

2. Establish and maintain a resource

library regarding limb loss which

includes a comprehensive electronic

resource database;

3. Utilize universities, research

institutions and other noted authorities

such as Rehabilitation Hospitals to

collect and maintain a comprehensive

inventory of current educational

materials regarding limb loss;

4. Develop appropriate information,

educational messages, and guidance to

individuals with limb loss;

5. Develop and disseminate a national

education publication that conveys the

most current advances in treatment and

care of persons with limb loss and

disability;

6. Develop a peer visitation training

initiative to conduct self-help training

and work with support networks,

including outreach to special

populations such as women, racial and

ethnic minorities, and the elderly;

7. Develop standardized materials to

assist local organizations in the conduct

of appropriate visitation programs;

8. Develop and utilize affiliations

with public school systems, other

educational facilities, and educational

professionals to provide limb loss

information to teachers and students;

9. Develop and utilize collaborative

relationships with State and local

medical societies and health care

professionals in order to enhance health

care providers’ understanding of the

needs of people with limb loss;

10. Develop and utilize collaborative

relationships with disability

organizations to better assess affected

individuals and families.

E. Application Content

Use the information in the Program

Requirements, Other Requirements, and

Evaluation Criteria sections to develop

the application content. Applications

will be evaluated on the criteria listed;

so, it is important to follow them in

laying out the program plan. The

narrative should be no more than 40

double-spaced pages, printed on one

side, with one inch margins, and

unreduced font.

The application should describe how

the applicant:

1. Is recognized as an organization

with established expertise in the

provision of educational and support

services to individuals with limb loss

and their families.

2. Is experienced in limb loss

rehabilitation processes and has strong

collaborative relationships with a

national network of local affiliates and

other organizations that provide both

rehabilitation and disability services.

3. Can demonstrate and document

historical or proposed collaborative

relationships with the submission of

memorandums of agreement and/or

letters of support.

4. Can demonstrate and document

competencies in developing and

disseminating educational and training

materials regarding limb loss that can be

utilized for a wide range of

informational and referral needs by

individuals and interested

organizations.

5. Can provide substantive details and

information as to how each of the

Program Requirements components will

be conducted and coordinated into a

cohesive and efficient national program.

Recipient Financial Participation

Recipient financial participation is

not required for this program in

accordance with the authorizing

legislation. However, the applicant

should document any sources of

financial support for a portion of the

project cost, such as salaries for key staff

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 104 / Tuesday, May 30, 2000 / Notices 34477

and tangible contributions by

collaborating agencies.

F. Submission and Deadline

Letter of Intent (LOI)

A letter of intent is requested from

prospective applicants. The letter

should not exceed two pages. It must

identify this Announcement number,

organization, and name of the proposed

project director. The letter will not be

used to eliminate potential applicants,

but it will enable CDC to determine the

level of interest in the Announcement,

and allow CDC to plan the independent

review more efficiently.

On or before July 5, 2000, submit the

letter of intent to the Grants

Management Specialist identified in the

‘‘Where to Obtain Additional

Information’’ section of this

Announcement.

Application

Submit the original and two copies of

PHS 5161–1 (OMB Number 0937–0189).

Forms are available at the following

Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov, or

in the application kit. On or before July

26, 2000, submit the application to the

Grants Management Specialist

identified in the ‘‘Where to Obtain

Additional Information’’ section of this

announcement.

Deadline: Applications shall be

considered as meeting the deadline if

they are either:

a. Received on or before the deadline

date; or

b. Sent on or before the deadline date

and received in time for submission to

the independent review group.

(Applicants must request a legibly dated

U.S. Postal Service postmark or obtain

a legibly dated receipt from a

commercial carrier or U.S. Postal

Service. Private metered postmarks shall

not be acceptable as proof of timely

mailing.)

Late Applications: Applications

which do not meet the criteria in a. or

b. above are considered late

applications, will not be considered,

and will be returned to the applicant.

G. Evaluation Criteria

Each application will be evaluated

individually against the following

criteria by an independent review panel

appointed by CDC.

1. Evidence of need and understanding

of the problem: (15 Points)

a. The extent to which the applicant

describes its understanding of the

national limb loss problem as evidenced

by estimates of incidence and/or

prevalence, demographic indicators,

and scope of the problem.

b. The extent to which the applicant

describes the gaps that exists in current

educational materials and the tools that

would serve to better educate and

facilitate more positive rehabilitation

outcomes.

2. Evidence of the ability to provide

educational materials needed to inform

individuals with limb loss regarding

rehabilitation and disability resources,

and other pertinent information choices:

(25 Points)

a. The extent to which the applicant

describes its knowledge and use of

current educational materials available

in accessible formats (e.g., visually

impaired) with regard to limb loss

rehabilitation and identification of

materials needed to address specific

problems associated with the

rehabilitation and the disabling process.

b. The extent to which the applicant

describes its capacity to acquire and

disseminate resources, educational

materials and other tools (with

descriptions of these resources) in

regard to the rehabilitation options and

other uses of disability information of

benefit to persons with limb loss.

3. Technical Approach: (35 Points)

a. The extent to which the applicant

describes its capacity to assess and

ensure that the basic components of the

project will be promoted and

implemented.

b. The extent to which the applicant

describes its proposed plan to establish

and operate the National Limb Loss

Information Center, and ensure its

capability to function as a national

coordinating focus for collection and

dissemination of limb loss information.

c. The extent to which the applicant

describes its approach to developing

school based limb loss education

programs for students and educational

professionals.

d. The extent to which the applicant

describes its approach to developing

health care provider limb loss education

programs.

e. The extent to which the applicant

describes its demonstrated competency

in developing educational materials,

including accessible formats, regarding

individuals with limb loss.

f. The extent to which the applicant

describes the functions of the

established oversight entity (such as a

board of directors) including its

composition, impact on policy,

planning, and oversight for educational

activities, with an indication of how it

will complement existing educational

and peer visitation programs.

g. The extent to which the applicant

describes the reasonableness, feasibility,

and logic of the designated project

objectives, including the overall work

plan, timetable for accomplishment, and

the strength of the proposed evaluation

plan.

h. The extent to which the applicant

describes the available services and how

access to project services, opportunities,

and facilities will be achieved for

persons with disabilities.

i. The extent to which the applicant

describes its demonstrated competency

of collecting data and utilizing data sets

to establish program priorities and

assess program effectiveness.

4. Outreach Capacity: (20 Points)

a. The extent to which the applicant

describes its ability to establish and

conduct a peer visitation training

program initiative.

b. The extent to which the applicant

identifies and describes the facilities

and organizations to be visited and

description of any planned follow-up to

evaluate the number of training sessions

that are initiated and the outcomes of

these activities.

c. The extent to which the applicant

describes its ability to target and

outreach to several special population

groups including women, racial and

ethnic minorities, and the elderly.

d. The extent to which the applicant

describes its ability to collect data and

evaluate the effect of peer visitation and

training programs.

5. National Educational Publication: (5

points)

The extent to which the applicant

describes its plan to develop, distribute,

and update a national educational

publication that will provide

information regarding limb loss.

6. Budget justification: (not scored)

The proposed budget will be

evaluated on the basis of its

reasonableness, concise and clear

justification, accuracy and consistency

with the intended use of grant funds.

H. Other Requirements

Provide CDC with an original plus

two copies of:

1. Semiannual progress reports;

2. Financial Status Reports, no later

than 90 days after the end of each

budget period; and

3. Final Financial Status Report and

performance report, due no more than

90 days after the end of the project

period.

Send all reports to the Grants

Management Specialist identified in the

‘‘Where to Obtain Additional

Information’’ section of this

announcement.

34478 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 104 / Tuesday, May 30, 2000 / Notices

The following additional

requirements are applicable to this

program. For a complete description of

each, see the ATTACHMENT in the

application kit.

AR–7 Executive Order 12372 Review

AR–9 Paperwork Reduction Act

Requirements

AR–10 Smoke-Free Workplace

Requirements

AR–11 Healthy People 2010

AR–12 Lobbying Restrictions

I. Authority and Catalog of Federal

Domestic Assistance Number

This program is authorized by Section

301 (a) (42 U.S.C. 241(a)) and Section

317 (42 U.S.C. 247b) of the Public

Health Service Act, as amended. The

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

number is 93.184.

J. Where To Obtain Additional

Information

This and other funding opportunities

may be found on the CDC home page on

the Internet: http://www.cdc.gov. To

receive additional written information

and to request an application kit, call 1–

888–GRANTS4 (1–888–472–6874). You

will be asked to leave your name,

address, and telephone number and will

be instructed to identify the

Announcement Number of interest.

If you have any questions after

reviewing the contents of all the

documents, business management

technical assistance may be obtained

from:

William Paradies, Grants Management

Specialist, Grants Management

Branch, Procurement and Grants

Office, Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention (CDC), 2920

Brandywine Road, Room 3000,

Atlanta, Georgia 30341–4146,

Telephone: (770) 488–2721, E-mail:

wep2@cdc.gov

General program assistance can be

obtained from: Jack Stubbs, Disability

and Health Branch, National Center

for Environmental Health, CDC, 4770

Buford Highway, Building 101,

Mailstop F–29, Atlanta, Georgia

30341, Telephone: (770) 488–7096, Email: jbs2@cdc.gov

Dated: May 23, 2000.

John L. Williams,

Director, Procurement and Grants Office,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC).

[FR Doc. 00–13390 Filed 5–26–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4163–18–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Health Care Financing Administration

HCFA–2063–N

RIN 0938–AJ72

Medicaid Program; State Allotments

for Payment of Medicare Part B

Premiums for Qualifying Individuals:

Federal Fiscal Year 2000

AGENCY: Health Care Financing

Administration (HCFA), HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Social Security Act

provides for the Medicaid program to

pay all or part of the Medicare Part B

premiums for 5 years (Federal fiscal

years 1998 through 2002) for two

specific eligibility groups of low-income

Medicare beneficiaries, referred to as

Qualifying Individuals. This notice

announces the Federal fiscal year 2000

allotments that are available for State

agencies to pay Medicare Part B

premiums for these eligibility groups.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This notice is effective

October 1, 1999 for allotments for

payment of Medicare Part B premiums

for individuals in calendar year 2000

from the allocation for fiscal year 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Miles McDermott, (410) 786–3722.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

A. Before the Balanced Budget Act of

1997

Before the enactment of the Balanced

Budget Act of 1997 (BBA), section

1902(a)(10)(E) of the Social Security Act

(the Act) specified that the State

Medicaid plan must provide for

Medicare cost-sharing for three

eligibility groups of low-income

Medicare beneficiaries. These three

groups included Qualified Medicare

Beneficiaries (QMBs), Specified Lowincome Medicare Beneficiaries (SLMBs),

and Qualified Disabled and Working

Individuals (QDWIs).

A QMB is an individual entitled to

Medicare Part A with income at or

below the Federal poverty level and

resources below $4,000 for an

individual and $6,000 for a couple. An

SLMB is an individual who meets the

QMB criteria, except that his or her

income is between a State-established

level (at or below the Federal poverty

level) and 120 percent of the Federal

poverty level. A QDWI is an individual

who is entitled to enroll in Medicare

Part A, whose income does not exceed

200 percent of the Federal poverty level

for a family of the size involved, whose

resources do not exceed twice the

amount allowed under the

Supplementary Security Income (SSI)

program, and who is not otherwise

eligible for Medicaid. The definition of

Medicare cost-sharing at section

1905(p)(3) of the Act includes payment

for premiums for Medicare Part B.

B. After the Balanced Budget Act of

1997

Section 4732 of the BBA amended

section 1902(a)(10)(E) of the Act to

require States to provide for Medicaid

payment of the Medicare Part B

premiums, during the period beginning

January 1998 and ending December

2002, for two eligibility groups of lowincome Medicare beneficiaries, referred

to as Qualifying Individuals (QIs).

Under section 1902(a)(10)(E)(iv)(I) of

the Act, State agencies are required to

pay the full amount of the Medicare Part

B premium for selected QIs who would

be QMBs except that their income level

is at least 120 percent but less than 135

percent of the Federal poverty level for

a family of the size involved. These

individuals cannot otherwise be eligible

for medical assistance under the

approved State Medicaid plan.

The second group of QIs, under

section 1902(a)(10)(E)(iv)(II) of the Act,

includes Medicare beneficiaries who

would be QMBs except that their

income is at least 135 percent but less

than 175 percent of the Federal poverty

level for a family of the size involved.

These QIs may not be otherwise eligible

for Medicaid under the approved State

plan, but are eligible for a portion of

Medicare cost-sharing consisting only of

a percentage of the increase in the

Medicare Part B premium attributable to

the shift of Medicare home health

coverage from Part A to Part B (as

provided in section 4611 of the BBA).

Section 4732(c) of the BBA also added

section 1933 of the Act, which specifies

the provisions for State coverage of the

Medicare cost-sharing for additional

low-income Medicare beneficiaries.

Section 1933(a) of the Act specifies

that a State agency must provide,

through a State plan amendment, for

medical assistance to pay for the cost of

Medicare cost-sharing on behalf of QIs

who are selected to receive assistance.

Section 1933(b) of the Act sets forth

the rules that State agencies must follow

in selecting QIs and providing payment

for Medicare Part B premiums.

Specifically, the State agency must

permit all QIs to apply for assistance

and must select individuals on a firstcome, first-served basis in the order in

which they apply. Under section

1933(b)(2)(B) of the Act, when selecting