Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 217 / Thursday, November 8, 2012 / Notices 66959 

revised, and continuing collections of 

information. This helps the Department 

assess the impact of its information 

collection requirements and minimize 

the public’s reporting burden. It also 

helps the public understand the 

Department’s information collection 

requirements and provide the requested 

data in the desired format. ED is 

soliciting comments on the proposed 

information collection request (ICR) that 

is described below. The Department of 

Education is especially interested in 

public comment addressing the 

following issues: (1) Is this collection 

necessary to the proper functions of the 

Department; (2) will this information be 

processed and used in a timely manner; 

(3) is the estimate of burden accurate; 

(4) how might the Department enhance 

the quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (5) how 

might the Department minimize the 

burden of this collection on the 

respondents, including through the use 

of information technology. Please note 

that written comments received in 

response to this notice will be 

considered public records. 

Title of Collection: Form for 

Maintenance of Effort Waiver Requests 

Under the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act of 1965, as amended. 

OMB Control Number: 1810–0693. 

Type of Review: Extension of an 

existing information collection. 

Respondents/Affected Public: State, 

Local, or Tribal Governments. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 202. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 5,360 

Abstract: Section 9521(a) of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education 

Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) 

provides that a local educational agency 

(LEA) may receive funds under Title I, 

Part A and other ESEA covered 

programs for any fiscal year only if the 

State educational agency (SEA) finds 

that either the combined fiscal effort per 

student or the aggregate expenditures of 

the LEA with respect to the provision of 

free public education by the LEA for the 

preceding fiscal year was not less than 

90 percent of the combined fiscal effort 

or aggregate expenditures for the second 

preceding fiscal year. This provision is 

the maintenance of effort (MOE) 

requirement for LEAs under the ESEA. 

If an LEA fails to meet the MOE 

requirement, under section 9521(b) of 

the ESEA, the SEA must reduce the 

amount of funds allocated under the 

programs covered by the MOE 

requirement in any fiscal year in the 

exact proportion by which the LEA fails 

to maintain effort by falling below 90 

percent of either the combined fiscal 

effort per student or aggregate 

expenditures. In reducing an LEA’s 

allocation because it failed to meet the 

MOE requirement, the SEA uses the 

measure most favorable to the LEA. 

Section 9521(c) gives ED the authority 

to waive the ESEA’s MOE requirement 

for an LEA if it would be equitable to 

grant the waiver due to an exceptional 

or uncontrollable circumstance such as 

a natural disaster or a precipitous 

decline in the LEA’s financial resources. 

Once an MOE waiver is granted, the 

reduction required by section 9521(b) 

does not occur for that year. To review 

MOE waiver requests, ED relies 

primarily on expenditure, revenue, and 

other data relevant to an LEA’s request 

provided by the SEA. To assist SEAs 

with submitting this information, ED 

developed an MOE waiver form as part 

of the 2009 Title I, Part A Waiver 

Guidance, which covered a range of 

waivers that ED invited at that time. The 

purpose of this collection is to renew 

approval for the MOE waiver form. ED 

believes that the proposed form, which 

is slightly modified from the currently 

approved version, will enable an SEA to 

provide the information needed in an 

efficient manner. 

Dated: November 2, 2012. 

Darrin A. King, 

Director, Information Collection Clearance 

Division, Privacy, Information and Records 

Management Services, Office of Management. 

[FR Doc. 2012–27327 Filed 11–7–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

[Docket No: ED–2012–OSERS–0037] 

Request for Information on the Future 

Direction of the Rehabilitation Training 

Program 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Request for information. 

SUMMARY: The Department is requesting 

input to revitalize its training and 

technical assistance (TA) activities 

funded under the Rehabilitation 

Training Program. The Department will 

use the information and data gathered in 

response to this notice to support the 

design and implementation of future 

training and TA that is aligned with the 

current and future economic trends, 

reflects the needs of vocational 

rehabilitation (VR) consumers and 

ensures that VR counselors are 

equipped with new and emerging skills. 

The goal of these training and TA 

activities is to increase the achievement 

of high-quality integrated employment 

for individuals with disabilities. 

DATES: We must receive your 

submission at or before January 7, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your response to 

this RFI through the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal or via postal mail, 

commercial delivery, or hand delivery. 

We will not accept submissions by fax 

or by email. To ensure that we do not 

receive duplicate copies, please submit 

your comments only one time. In 

addition, please include the Docket ID 

and the term ‘‘Future Direction of the 

Rehabilitation Training Program’’ at the 

top of your comments. 

Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

www.regulations.gov to submit your 

comments electronically. Information 

on using Regulations.gov, including 

instructions for accessing agency 

documents, submitting comments, and 

viewing the docket, is available on the 

site under ‘‘How To Use This Site.’’ 

Postal Mail, Commercial Delivery, or 

Hand Delivery: If you mail or deliver 

your comments, address them to 

Roseann Ashby, Office of Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services, 

Attention: Future Direction of 

Rehabilitation Training Program, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue SW., Potomac Center Plaza 

(PCP), Room 5055, Washington, DC 

20202–2800. 

Privacy Note: The Department’s 

policy for comments received from 

members of the public (including 

comments submitted by mail, 

commercial delivery, or hand delivery) 

is to make these submissions available 

for public viewing in their entirety on 

the Federal eRulemaking Portal at: 

www.regulations.gov. Therefore, 

commenters should be careful to 

include in their comments only 

information that they wish to make 

publicly available on the Internet. 

Given the subject matter, some 

comments may include proprietary 

information as it relates to confidential 

commercial information. The Freedom 

of Information Act defines ‘‘confidential 

commercial information’’ as information 

the disclosure of which could 

reasonably be expected to cause 

substantial competitive harm. You may 

wish to request that we not disclose 

what you regard as confidential 

commercial information. 

To assist us in making a 

determination on your request, we 

encourage you to identify in your 

submission any specific information 

that you consider confidential 

commercial information. Please list the 

information by page and paragraph 

numbers. 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
66960 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 217 / Thursday, November 8, 2012 / Notices 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

RoseAnn Ashby, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 

PCP, Room 5055, Washington, DC 

20202–2800. Telephone: (202) 245– 

7258. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 

telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800–877– 

8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Rehabilitation Training Program is 

authorized by Title III of the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 

(Rehabilitation Act), and is 

administered by the Rehabilitation 

Services Administration (RSA) of the 

Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

Through this Request for Information 

(RFI), the Department is seeking input 

across four areas: 

(1) The preparation of rehabilitation 

professionals through the Rehabilitation 

Long-Term Training Program. 

(2) Methods for disseminating 

information to rehabilitation 

professionals, including grant-funded 

information, promising practices, and 

research. 

(3) Mechanisms for providing TA and 

continuing education (CE) to VR 

professionals, State agencies, and other 

grantees. 

(4) Use of the set-aside under section 

21 of the Rehabilitation Act to (a) 

improve services to individuals with 

disabilities who are members of 

minority groups; and (b) conduct 

outreach and technical assistance to 

minority entities to promote their 

participation in activities funded under 

the Rehabilitation Act. 

We are issuing this RFI solely for 

informational and planning purposes. 

This notice is not a request for proposals 

(RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP or 

a notice inviting applications (NIA). 

Further, the RFI does not commit the 

Department to contract for any supply 

or service. At this time, we are not 

seeking proposals and will not accept 

unsolicited proposals. We will not pay 

for any information or administrative 

costs a respondent may incur in 

responding to this RFI. 

If you do not respond to this RFI, you 

may still apply for future contracts and 

grants. The Department posts RFPs on 

the Federal Business Opportunities Web 

site: www.fbo.gov. The Department 

announces grant competitions in the 

Federal Register at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. 

It is your responsibility to monitor these 

sites to determine whether the 

Department issues an RFP or NIA after 

considering the information received in 

response to this RFI. 

The documents and information 

submitted in response to this RFI 

become the property of the U.S. 

Government and will not be returned. 

Context for Responses 

The Department is interested in 

responses that contain data, specific 

examples, and other relevant 

documentation to support the 

Department in revitalizing its training 

and TA activities. The Department is 

not seeking letters of support in each of 

the four targeted areas. Rather, it is the 

Department’s expectation that 

respondents will consider the questions 

RSA has developed in the context of 

their responses. A response to each 

question is not required. 

The Department is seeking responses 

from a knowledgeable and diverse range 

of individuals including but not limited 

to the following— 

(1) State VR agency staff, including 

directors, supervisors, and counselors; 

(2) Current or former project directors 

or principal investigators of grants 

funded under the Rehabilitation 

Training Program; 

(3) Recipients of TA and CE provided 

by a Technical Assistance and 

Continuing Education (TACE) Center; 

(4) Users of materials posted on the 

Web site currently maintained by the 

National Clearinghouse of 

Rehabilitation Training Materials 

(NCRTM); 

(5) Contributors of materials posted 

on the Web site currently maintained by 

NCRTM; 

(6) Current and former scholars 

funded under the Rehabilitation LongTerm Training Program; 

(7) Recipients of TA currently 

provided under grants funded by the 

set-aside under section 21 of the 

Rehabilitation Act; and 

(8) Consumers. 

I. Rehabilitation Long-Term Training 

Program 

The Rehabilitation Long-Term 

Training Program supports academic 

training grants awarded to colleges and 

universities with undergraduate and 

graduate programs in the field of 

rehabilitation. Grantees must direct 75 

percent of the funds they receive to 

trainee scholarships. The Rehabilitation 

Act requires trainees who receive 

assistance either (1) to work two years 

in public or private nonprofit 

rehabilitation or related agencies for 

every year of assistance, or (2) to pay 

back the assistance they received. 

Grantees must build close 

relationships with State VR agencies, 

promote careers in VR, identify 

potential employers who would meet 

the trainees’ payback requirements, and 

ensure that data on the employment of 

students are accurate. 

The Department currently funds 153 

grants under the long-term training 

program. These grants support 

bachelors’, masters’, and doctoral 

programs, as well as certificate 

programs. Some grants support more 

than one degree. The breakdown of the 

degree programs offered by the 153 

grants follows: 

Specialty area Number of 

Grantees 

Number of 

Cert. programs 

Number of 

Bachelors’ 

programs 

Number of 

Masters’ 

programs 

Number of 

Doctoral 

programs 

Rehabilitation Counseling (H129B) ...................................... 81 2 1 74 12 

Rehabilitation Administration (H129C) ................................. 1 1 0 0 0 

Rehabilitation Technology (H129E) ..................................... 4 3 1 3 1 

Vocational Evaluation (H129F) ............................................ 7 0 1 6 0 

Rehabilitation of Individuals with Mental Illnesses (H129H) 10 1 0 10 3 

Rehabilitation Psychology (H129J) ...................................... 2 1 0 1 1 

Undergraduate Education in Rehabilitation (H129L) ........... 5 0 5 0 0 

Rehabilitation of Individuals Who Are Blind or Who Have 

Low Vision (H129P) ......................................................... 15 9 1 14 0 

Rehabilitation of Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of 

Hearing (H129Q) .............................................................. 7 3 0 7 0 

Job Placement and Job Development (H129R) .................. 9 2 0 7 0 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 217 / Thursday, November 8, 2012 / Notices 66961 

Specialty area Number of 

Grantees 

Number of 

Cert. programs 

Number of 

Bachelors’ 

programs 

Number of 

Masters’ 

programs 

Number of 

Doctoral 

programs 

Grants to Assist VR Agency Staff to Meet Comprehensive 

System of Personnel Development (CSPD) Requirements (H129W) ................................................................ 11 5 0 11 0 

Current data indicate that only about 

80 percent of the individuals who are 

provided scholarships under these 

programs and who graduate with 

masters’ degrees obtain employment 

that qualifies to repay their service 

obligation, and slightly fewer than 50 

percent of these individuals obtain 

employment in State VR agencies. 

The following questions examine the 

Department’s pre-service programs that 

prepare rehabilitation professionals. 

Responses will assist the Department in 

designing funding priorities for grants 

funded under the Rehabilitation LongTerm Training Program that— 

(1) Reflect current knowledge and 

skills needed by rehabilitation 

professionals; 

(2) Effectively link the employment 

needs of individuals with disabilities 

with current workforce demands; 

(3) Demonstrate cost-effective 

practices; and 

(4) Address personnel shortages in the 

field of rehabilitation counseling. 

1.1. In your State or local area, what 

are the current and projected 

employment opportunities in the field 

of rehabilitation counseling and related 

specialty areas, and what are the degree 

requirements for these employment 

opportunities (e.g., bachelor’s, master’s, 

or doctoral)? 

1.2. What are your recommendations 

for adding new specialty areas to the list 

of eleven specialty areas the Department 

currently funds, eliminating some 

specialty areas, or combining two or 

more specialty areas? 

1.3. Should the Department continue 

to fund bachelor’s-level programs, and, 

if so, in what specialty areas? 

1.4. Should the Department continue 

to fund doctoral programs, and, if so, in 

what specialty areas? 

1.5. Currently, the Department 

supports certificate programs (e.g., a 

certificate in vocational evaluation and 

work adjustment, a certificate in 

rehabilitation counseling for the deaf, 

and a certificate in psychiatric 

vocational rehabilitation). What 

certificate programs, if any, should the 

Department fund? Should the 

Department support a stand-alone 

certificate program, or should the 

Department support a certificate 

program only when it is incorporated 

into a degree program? 

1.6. How do rehabilitation counseling 

degree programs ensure that they are 

adequately preparing rehabilitation 

counselors to meet skill demands now 

and in the future? 

1.7. How do universities ensure that 

programs to support employed State VR 

agency staff remain current and effective 

in meeting State VR agency’s CSPD 

requirements? 

1.8. In recent years a number of 

rehabilitation counseling programs have 

closed. What could the Department do 

to support the continuation of viable 

programs? For example, should the 

Department fund a model for training 

rehabilitation counselors that involves 

collaboration among several universities 

across one or more geographic areas? 

1.9. How can the Department increase 

the percentage of students (a) who 

complete a rehabilitation counseling 

program, (b) who obtain qualifying 

employment after completing the 

program, and (c) who obtain 

employment in State VR agencies? 

1.10. Currently the Department 

provides universities with grants of 

$150,000 annually for rehabilitation 

counseling programs and grants of 

$100,000 annually for the other 

specialty areas. At least 75 percent of 

these grant funds are to be used for 

scholarships. Are these funding levels 

appropriate? 

1.11. Universities vary in the amount 

of scholarship funds they provide. Some 

cover all or part of tuition and fees, 

others also cover books, and still others 

provide stipends for living expenses. 

What expenses should these 

scholarships cover? Should universities 

award more substantial scholarships to 

fewer scholars rather than varied 

amounts to a number of scholars? 

Would this approach increase overall 

outcomes in terms of successful 

completion of the rehabilitation 

counseling program and in obtaining 

employment that qualifies to repay the 

students’ service obligations? 

1.12. What do you anticipate will be 

the cost to fund tuition and stipends for 

a scholar in the next 5 to 10 years? 

Based on this cost, approximately how 

many scholars could be adequately 

served with a $750,000 grant (i.e., 

$150,000 each year for five years)? 

II. Dissemination 

The Department funds the National 

Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation 

Training Materials (NCRTM) at 

$300,000 annually. The NCRTM is a 

central repository for information and 

training materials to assist in the preservice and in-service training of 

rehabilitation professionals. The 

NCRTM also responds to inquiries from 

researchers, Federal and State agencies, 

and individuals with disabilities and 

their families. The NCRTM reported 

66,607 visits to its Web site in FY 2011, 

and 6,558 documents downloaded. The 

NCRTM also arranges for webinars at 

the request of RSA. 

The Department is seeking 

information about the need for and use 

of a centralized repository of 

rehabilitation training materials, as well 

as information on how a national 

clearinghouse can be used to benefit 

rehabilitation professionals, particularly 

those working in State VR agencies and 

in community rehabilitation programs. 

The following questions are designed to 

support respondents in thinking about 

what technology and information is 

necessary for a state-of-the-art 

centralized repository of rehabilitation 

training materials: 

2.1. Should RSA continue to fund a 

centralized repository of rehabilitation 

training materials? 

2.2. How have you used materials 

available on the NCRTM Web site? Did 

you customize these materials for your 

own use? Did these materials support 

your work as a grantee, as a professional 

in the field of rehabilitation counseling, 

as a student, etc.? 

2.3. If you have not used materials 

available on the NCRTM Web site, why 

not? Were you unaware of the Web site? 

Did you access the Web site and find the 

materials and information there limited, 

unhelpful, or of low quality? 

2.4. What rehabilitation training 

materials currently missing from the 

NCRTM site would be beneficial to 

grantees, students, counselors, 

employers, job seekers, etc.? 

2.5. How can the dissemination of 

rehabilitation training materials be 

improved? 

2.6. What new functions could a 

national clearinghouse provide to meet 

your needs? 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
66962 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 217 / Thursday, November 8, 2012 / Notices 

2.7. What new technologies might be 

used to disseminate information to 

rehabilitation professionals to keep their 

skills current? 

III. Technical Assistance and 

Continuing Education 

The Department currently funds 10 

regional TACE Centers, each at just 

under $800,000 annually, to provide TA 

and CE to State VR agencies and their 

partners. The Department also supports 

a National Technical Assistance Project 

to provide TA on topics of national 

scope through a variety of methods, 

including conferences and webinars. 

This one-time, two-year grant was 

awarded in FY 2010 for $800,000. The 

following questions are designed to 

obtain information and feedback that 

reflects future delivery and coordination 

of TA and CE that will directly result in 

high-quality employment outcomes for 

individuals with disabilities. 

3.1. How do providers and recipients 

of TA and CE assess TA and CE needs, 

and how can the needs assessment 

process be improved? 

3.2. What are the most important TA 

needs for State VR agencies and other 

grantees, and what are the most effective 

and efficient ways for TA to be 

delivered? 

3.3. What are the most critical CE 

needs of State VR agencies and other 

grantees, and what are the effective and 

efficient ways to provide CE? 

3.4. Are current Federal funding 

levels for addressing TA needs and 

delivering CE adequate? 

3.5. What is the best structure for 

delivering TA and CE (e.g., a system 

comprised of centers providing TA on 

topical areas such as program 

management or quality assurance, a 

system of regional TA Centers, or a 

combination of these or other 

structures)? 

3.6. How can national collaboration 

among all TA and CE providers be 

improved so that the resources devoted 

to TA and CE are efficiently and 

effectively used? 

3.7. How should disability and 

employment research and evaluation on 

promising and evidenced-based 

practices be incorporated into TA and 

CE? 

3.8. What outcomes should we expect 

from a TA and CE delivery system, and 

what performance measures can 

effectively measure these outcomes? 

IV. Use of Section 21 Set-Aside 

Research indicates that individuals 

with disabilities who are members of 

minority groups are less likely to access 

VR services and achieve employment 

outcomes at lower rates than other 

individuals with disabilities. Funds 

made available under section 21 of the 

Rehabilitation Act are intended to 

improve services and outcomes for 

individuals with disabilities who are 

members of minority groups. The statute 

requires that the Department set aside 

for this purpose one percent of all funds 

appropriated for programs authorized 

under each of Titles II, III, VI, and VII. 

In fiscal year 2012 RSA set aside 

approximately $2.1 million for grants 

funded under section 21. 

Currently the Department provides 

section 21 funds to four minority 

institutions of higher education to 

develop rehabilitation training programs 

for individuals wishing to enter the field 

of rehabilitation counseling. In addition, 

the Department funds five grants to 

provide outreach, capacity building, TA, 

and training to minority entities that are 

seeking grants under the Rehabilitation 

Act, including grant-writing workshops 

and training on disability legislation. 

Under the Act, the term minority entity 

means an entity that is a historically 

black college or university, a Hispanicserving institution of higher education, 

an American Indian Tribal college or 

university, or another institution of 

higher education whose minority 

student enrollment is at least 50 

percent. Respondents may use the 

questions below to guide their input on 

how to use the section 21 funds most 

effectively to improve services and 

outcomes for individuals with 

disabilities who are members of 

minority groups. 

4.1. Is the current use of section 21 

funds effective in improving services to 

and outcomes for individuals with 

disabilities who are members of 

minority groups, and if so, what specific 

activities or strategies currently funded 

by section 21 have been most effective? 

4.2. What activities and strategies 

currently funded under section 21 are 

least effective in improving services to 

and outcomes for individuals with 

disabilities who are members of 

minority groups? 

4.3. In what new ways should the 

Department use section 21 funds to 

improve outcomes for individuals with 

disabilities being served by State VR 

agencies who are members of minority 

groups? Are there new or emerging TA 

or training needs that should be 

addressed? 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document in 

an accessible format (e.g., braille, large 

print, audiotape, or compact disc) on 

request to the program contact person 

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

Electronic Access to This Document 

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 via the Federal 

Digital System at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. 

At this site you can view this document, 

as well as all other documents of this 

Department published in the Federal 

Register, in text or Adobe Portable 

Document Format (PDF). To use PDF 

you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, 

which is available free at the site. 

You may also access documents of the 

Department published in the Federal 

Register by using the article search 

feature at: www.federalregister.gov. 

Specifically, through the advanced 

search feature at this site, you can limit 

your search to documents published by 

the Department. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6771. 

Dated: November 5, 2012. 

Michael Yudin, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2012–27332 Filed 11–7–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Environmental Management SiteSpecific Advisory Board, Nevada 

AGENCY: Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of Open Meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

meeting of the Environmental 

Management Site-Specific Advisory 

Board (EM SSAB), Nevada. The Federal 

Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92– 

463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public 

notice of this meeting be announced in 

the Federal Register. 

DATES: Wednesday, November 28, 2012, 

5:00 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: National Atomic Testing 

Museum, 755 E. Flamingo Road, Las 

Vegas, Nevada 89119. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Barbara Ulmer, Board Administrator, 

232 Energy Way, M/S 505, North Las 

Vegas, Nevada 89030. Phone: (702) 630– 

0522; Fax (702) 295–5300 or Email: 

NSSAB@nv.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of 

the Board: The purpose of the Board is 

to make recommendations to DOE–EM 

and site management in the areas of 

environmental restoration, waste 

management, and related activities. 

Tentative Agenda: 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES