15760 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 57 / Wednesday, March 25, 2015 / Notices 

• 7.62 percent + 88.77 percent = 96.39 

percent (rounded to the nearest hundredth) 

The result is the income percentage factor 

that we will use to calculate Joan’s monthly 

repayment amount under the ICR plan. 

Attachment 3—Charts Showing Sample 

Repayment Amounts for Single and 

Married Borrowers 

SAMPLE FIRST-YEAR MONTHLY REPAYMENT AMOUNTS FOR A SINGLE BORROWER

Income 

Family Size = 1 

Initial debt 

$10,000 $20,000 $30,000 $40,000 $50,000 $60,000 $70,000 $80,000 $90,000 $100,000 

$10,000 ....... $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 

20,000 ......... 63 126 137 137 137 137 137 137 137 137 

30,000 ......... 78 155 233 304 304 304 304 304 304 304 

40,000 ......... 89 179 268 358 447 471 471 471 471 471 

50,000 ......... 100 201 301 401 502 602 637 637 637 637 

60,000 ......... 102 204 305 407 509 611 712 804 804 804 

70,000 ......... 110 220 329 439 549 659 769 878 971 971 

80,000 ......... 117 234 351 469 586 703 820 937 1,054 1,137 

90,000 ......... 123 246 369 492 614 737 860 983 1,106 1,229 

100,000 ....... 128 256 384 512 640 768 896 1,024 1,152 1,280 

SAMPLE FIRST-YEAR MONTHLY REPAYMENT AMOUNTS FOR A MARRIED OR HEAD-OF-HOUSEHOLD BORROWER

Income 

Family Size = 3 

Initial debt 

$10,000 $20,000 $30,000 $40,000 $50,000 $60,000 $70,000 $80,000 $90,000 $100,000 

$10,000 ....... $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 

20,000 ......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

30,000 ......... 73 147 165 165 165 165 165 165 165 165 

40,000 ......... 88 176 263 332 332 332 332 332 332 332 

50,000 ......... 100 200 301 401 499 499 499 499 499 499 

60,000 ......... 102 204 305 407 509 611 665 665 665 665 

70,000 ......... 107 214 321 428 534 641 748 832 832 832 

80,000 ......... 113 226 339 452 565 678 791 904 999 999 

90,000 ......... 119 238 357 476 596 715 834 953 1,072 1,165 

100,000 ....... 125 250 376 501 626 751 877 1,002 1,127 1,252 

[FR Doc. 2015–06704 Filed 3–24–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation 

Long-Term Training Program— 

Rehabilitation Specialty Areas 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

Overview Information: Rehabilitation 

Services Administration (RSA)— 

Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation 

Long-Term Training Program— 

Rehabilitation Specialty Areas. 

Notice inviting applications for new 

awards for fiscal year (FY) 2015. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Numbers: 84.129Q and W. 

DATES:

Applications Available: March 25, 

2015. 

Date of Pre-Application Webinar: 

April 8, 2015. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: May 26, 2015. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: July 23, 2015. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The 

Rehabilitation Long-Term Training 

program provides financial assistance 

for projects that provide— 

(1) Basic or advanced training leading 

to an academic degree in areas of 

personnel shortages in rehabilitation as 

identified by the Secretary; 

(2) A specified series of courses or 

program of study leading to the award 

of a certificate in areas of personnel 

shortages in rehabilitation as identified 

by the Secretary; and 

(3) Support for medical residents 

enrolled in residency training programs 

in the specialty of physical medicine 

and rehabilitation. 

Priority: This priority is from the 

notice of final priority for this program, 

published on July 23, 2014 in the 

Federal Register (79 FR 42680). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2015 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition, this 

priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 

CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only 

applications that meet this priority. 

This priority is: 

Rehabilitation Specialty Areas. 

The purpose of the priority is to fund 

programs leading to a master’s degree or 

certificate in one of two specialty areas: 

Rehabilitation of Individuals Who are 

Deaf or Hard of Hearing (84.129Q) and 

Comprehensive System of Personnel 

Development (84.129W). The goal of 

this priority is to increase the skills of 

scholars in these rehabilitation specialty 

areas so that, upon successful 

completion of their master’s degree or 

certificate programs, they are prepared 

to effectively meet the needs and 

demands of individuals with 

disabilities. 

Under this priority, applicants must: 

(a) Provide data on the current and 

projected employment needs and 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 57 / Wednesday, March 25, 2015 / Notices 15761 

personnel shortages in the specialty area 

in State VR agencies and other related 

agencies as defined in 34 CFR 386.4 in 

their local area, region, and State, and 

describe how the proposed program will 

address those employment needs and 

personnel shortages. 

(b) Describe how the proposed 

program will provide rehabilitation 

professionals with the skills and 

knowledge that will help ensure that the 

individuals with disabilities whom they 

serve can meet current demands and 

emerging trends in the labor market, 

including how: 

(1) The curriculum provides a breadth 

of knowledge, experience, and rigor that 

will adequately prepare scholars to meet 

the employment needs and goals of VR 

consumers and aligns with evidencebased and competency-based practices 

in the rehabilitation specialty area; 

(2) The curriculum prepares scholars 

to meet all applicable certification 

standards; 

(3) The curriculum addresses new or 

emerging consumer needs or trends at 

the national, State, and regional levels 

in the rehabilitation specialty area; 

(4) The curriculum teaches scholars to 

address the needs of individuals with 

disabilities who are from diverse 

cultural backgrounds; 

(5) The curriculum trains scholars to 

assess the assistive technology needs of 

consumers, identify the most 

appropriate assistive technology 

services and devices for assisting 

consumers to obtain and retain 

employment, and train consumers to 

use such technology; 

(6) The curriculum teaches scholars to 

work with employers effectively in 

today’s economy, including by teaching 

strategies for developing relationships 

with employers in their State and local 

areas, identifying employer needs and 

skill demands, making initial employer 

contacts, presenting job-ready clients to 

potential employers, and conducting 

follow-up with employers; and 

(7) The latest technology is 

incorporated into the methods of 

instruction (e.g., the use of distance 

education to reach scholars who live far 

from the university and the use of 

technology to acquire labor market 

information). 

(c) Describe their methods to: 

(1) Recruit highly capable prospective 

scholars who have the potential to 

successfully complete the academic 

program, all required practicum and 

internship experiences, and the required 

service obligation; 

(2) Educate potential scholars about 

the terms and conditions of the service 

obligation under 34 CFR 386.4, 386.34, 

and 386.40 through 386.43 so that they 

will be fully informed before accepting 

a scholarship; 

(3) Maintain a system that ensures 

that scholars sign a payback agreement 

and an exit form when they exit the 

program, regardless of whether they 

drop out, are removed, or successfully 

complete the program; 

(4) Provide academic support and 

counseling to scholars throughout the 

course of the academic program to 

ensure successful completion; 

(5) Ensure that all scholars complete 

an internship in a State VR agency or a 

related agency as a requirement for 

completion of a program leading to a 

master’s degree. The internship must be 

in a State VR agency unless the VR 

agency does not directly perform work 

related to the scholar’s course of study 

or an applicant can provide sufficient 

justification that it is not feasible for all 

students receiving scholarships to 

complete an internship in a State VR 

agency. In such cases, the applicant may 

require scholars to complete an 

internship in a related agency, as 

defined in 34 CFR 386.4. Circumstances 

that would constitute sufficient 

justification may include, but are not 

limited to, a lack of capacity at the State 

VR agency to provide adequate 

supervision of scholars during their 

internship experience and the physical 

distance between scholars and the 

nearest office of the State VR agency 

(e.g., for scholars enrolled in distancelearning programs or at rural 

institutions). Applicants should include 

a written justification in the application 

or provide it to RSA for review and 

approval by the appropriate RSA Project 

Officer no later than 30 days prior to a 

scholar beginning an internship in a 

related agency. For applicants proposing 

a certificate program, the requirement 

for an internship in a State VR agency 

or a related agency is waived unless the 

certificate program has an internship 

requirement. 

(6) Provide career counseling, 

including informing scholars of 

professional contacts and networks, job 

leads, and other necessary resources and 

information to support scholars in 

successfully obtaining and retaining 

qualifying employment; 

(7) Maintain regular contact with 

scholars upon successful program 

completion to ensure that they have 

support during their search for 

qualifying employment as well as 

support during the initial months of 

their employment (e.g., by matching 

scholars with mentors in the field); 

(8) Maintain regular communication 

with scholars after program exit to 

ensure that their contact information is 

current and that documentation of 

employment is accurate and meets the 

regulatory requirements for qualifying 

employment; and 

(9) Maintain accurate information on, 

while safeguarding the privacy of, 

current and former scholars from the 

time they are enrolled in the program 

until they successfully meet their 

service obligation. 

(d) Describe a plan for developing and 

maintaining partnerships with State VR 

agencies and community-based 

rehabilitation service providers that 

includes: 

(1) Coordination between the grantee 

and the State VR agencies and 

community-based rehabilitation service 

providers that will promote qualifying 

employment opportunities for scholars 

and formalized on-boarding and 

induction experiences for new hires; 

(2) Formal opportunities for scholars 

to obtain work experiences through 

internships, practicum agreements, job 

shadowing, and mentoring 

opportunities; and 

(3) When applicable, a scholar 

internship assessment tool that is 

developed to ensure a consistent 

approach to the evaluation of scholars 

in a particular program. The tool should 

reflect the specific responsibilities of the 

scholar during the internship. The 

grantee and worksite supervisor are 

encouraged to work together as they see 

fit to develop the assessment tool. 

Supervisors at the internship site will 

complete the assessment detailing the 

scholar’s strengths and areas for 

improvement that must be addressed 

and provide the results of the 

assessment to the grantee. The grantee 

should ensure that (i) scholars are 

provided with a copy of the assessment 

and all relevant rubrics prior to 

beginning their internship, (ii) 

supervisors have sufficient technical 

support to accurately complete the 

assessment, and (iii) scholars receive a 

copy of the results of the assessment 

within 90 days of the end of their 

internship. 

(e) Describe how scholars will be 

evaluated throughout the entire program 

to ensure that they are proficient in 

meeting the needs and demands of 

today’s consumers and employers, 

including the steps that will be taken to 

provide assistance to a scholar who is 

not meeting academic standards or who 

is performing poorly in a practicum or 

internship setting. 

(f) Describe how the program will be 

evaluated. Such a description must 

include: 

(1) How the program will determine 

its effect over a period of time on filling 

vacancies in the State VR agency with 

qualified rehabilitation professionals 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
15762 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 57 / Wednesday, March 25, 2015 / Notices 

capable of providing quality services to 

consumers; 

(2) How input from State VR agencies 

and community-based rehabilitation 

service providers will be included in the 

evaluation; 

(3) How feedback from consumers of 

VR services and employers (including 

the assessments described in paragraph 

(d)(3)) will be included in the 

evaluation; 

(4) How data from other sources, such 

as those from the Department on the 

State VR program, will be included in 

the evaluation; and 

(5) How the data and results from the 

evaluation will be used to make 

necessary adjustments and 

improvements to the program. 

Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project: 

In deciding whether to continue funding 

any Rehabilitation Long-Term Training 

project for the fourth and fifth years, the 

Secretary will consider the requirements 

of 34 CFR 75.253(a), and in addition— 

(a) The recommendation of the RSA 

project officer who will monitor the 

reported annual performance of the 

grantee’s training program and measure 

progress towards achieving the 

projections in the grantee’s application. 

This review will consider the number of 

students actually enrolled in the 

grantee’s training program, the number 

of students who successfully enter 

qualifying employment with State 

vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies, 

and the number of students who obtain 

qualifying employment in related 

agencies; 

(b) The timeliness and effectiveness 

with which all requirements of the grant 

award have been or are being met by the 

grantee, including the submission of 

annual performance reports and annual 

RSA scholar payback program reports, 

and adherence to fiduciary 

responsibilities related to the budget 

submitted in the application; and 

(c) The quality, relevance, and 

usefulness of the grantee’s training 

program and activities, and the degree 

to which the training program and 

activities and their outcomes have 

contributed to significantly improving 

the quality of VR professionals ready for 

employment with State VR agencies and 

related agencies, as measured by the 

percentage of students entering eligible 

employment under 34 CFR 386.34. 

Grantees must also provide 

assurances that they will abide by all of 

the administrative and performance 

reporting requirements associated with 

the RSA scholar payback program 

reports and will retain all the 

documentation, including the 

scholarship agreement, exit forms, and 

any other documentation, necessary to 

ensure students understand their 

financial responsibilities and liabilities 

under this program (34 CFR part 386). 

Note: While applicants may not hire staff 

or select trainees based on race or national 

origin/ethnicity, they may conduct outreach 

activities to increase the pool of eligible 

minority candidates. We may disqualify and 

not consider for funding any applicant that 

indicates that it will hire or train a certain 

number or percentage of minority candidates. 

Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 772. 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR 

parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, and 99. 

(b) The Office of Management and 

Budget Guidelines to Agencies on 

Governmentwide Debarment and 

Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR 

part 180, as adopted and amended as 

regulations of the Department in 2 CFR 

part 3485. (c) The Uniform 

Administrative Requirements, Cost 

Principles, and Audit Requirements for 

Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as 

adopted and amended in 2 CFR part 

3474. (d) The regulations for this 

program in 34 CFR parts 385 and 386. 

(e) The notice of final priority published 

in the Federal Register on July 23, 2014 

(79 FR 42680). 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 

apply to all applicants except federally 

recognized Indian tribes. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 

apply only to institutions of higher education 

(IHEs). 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$3,450,000. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards in FY 

2016 from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition. 

Estimated Range of Awards: See 

chart. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

See chart. 

Maximum Award: See chart. 

Estimated Number of Awards: See 

chart. 

Project Period: See chart. 

REHABILITATION TRAINING: REHABILITATION LONG-TERM TRAINING PROGRAM—REHABILITATION SPECIALTY AREAS

APPLICATION NOTICE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2015 

CFDA No. and name Applications 

available 

Deadline for 

transmittal 

of 

applications 

Estimated range of 

awards 

Estimated 

average 

size of 

awards 

Maximum 

award 

(budget 

period of 

12 months) 1

Estimated 

number of 

awards 

Project period Contact person 

Rehabilitation of Individuals Who are 

Deaf or Hard of 

Hearing (84.129Q).

3/25/15 5/26/15 $140,000–$150,000 ... $145,000 $150,000 3 Up to 60 months .. Don Bunuan, 202– 

245–6616, 

don.bunuan@

ed.gov, PCP, 

Room 5046. 

Comprehensive System of Personnel 

Development 

(84.129W).

.................... .................... $190,000–$200,000 ... 195,000 200,000 15 Up to 60 months .. Karen Holliday, 

202–245–7318, 

karen.holliday@

ed.gov, PCP, 

Room 5090. 

1We will reject any application under 84.129Q that proposes a budget exceeding $150,000 for a single budget period of 12 months, and we will reject any application under 84.129W that proposes a budget exceeding $200,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: States and 

public or nonprofit agencies and 

organizations, including Indian tribes 

and IHEs. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost 

sharing of at least 10 percent of the total 

cost of the project is required of grantees 

under the Rehabilitation Long-Term 

Training program. The Secretary may 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 57 / Wednesday, March 25, 2015 / Notices 15763 

waive part of the non-Federal share of 

the cost of the project after negotiations 

if the applicant demonstrates that it 

does not have sufficient resources to 

contribute the entire match (34 CFR 

386.30). 

Note: Under 34 CFR 75.562(c), an indirect 

cost reimbursement on a training grant is 

limited to the recipient’s actual indirect 

costs, as determined by its negotiated 

indirect cost rate agreement, or eight percent 

of a modified total direct cost base, 

whichever amount is less. Indirect costs in 

excess of the limit may not be charged 

directly, used to satisfy matching or costsharing requirements, or charged to another 

Federal award. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: You can obtain an application 

package via the Internet, from the 

Education Publications Center (ED 

Pubs), or from the program office. 

To obtain a copy via the Internet, use 

the following address: www.ed.gov/

fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html. 

To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, 

fax, or call the following: ED Pubs, U.S. 

Department of Education, P.O. Box 

22207, Alexandria, VA 22304. 

Telephone, toll free: 1–877–433–7827. 

FAX: (703) 605–6794. If you use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call, 

toll free: 1–877–576–7734. 

You can contact ED Pubs at its Web 

site, also: www.EDPubs.gov or at its 

email address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov. 

If you request an application from ED 

Pubs, be sure to identify this 

competition as follows: CFDA number 

84.129Q or 84.129W. 

To obtain a copy from the program 

office, contact the person listed under 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in 

section VII of this notice. 

Individuals with disabilities can 

obtain a copy of the application package 

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

large print, audiotape, or compact disc) 

by contacting the person or team listed 

under Accessible Format in section VIII 

of this notice. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: Requirements concerning 

the content of an application, together 

with the forms you must submit, are in 

the application package for this 

competition. 

Page Limit: The application narrative 

(Part III of the application) is where you, 

the applicant, address the selection 

criteria that reviewers use to evaluate 

your application. You must limit the 

application narrative to the equivalent 

of no more than 45 pages, using the 

following standards: 

• A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5′′ x 11′′, on one side 

only, with 1′′ margins at the top, bottom, 

and both sides. 

• Double space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative, including titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, and captions, as well as all 

text in charts, tables, figures, and 

graphs. 

• Use a font that is either 12 point or 

larger or no smaller than 10 pitch 

(characters per inch). 

• Use one of the following fonts: 

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 

New, or Arial. An application submitted 

in any other font (including Times 

Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be 

accepted. 

The page limit of 45 pages applies to 

all of the application narrative section, 

Part III. We will reject your application 

if you exceed the page limit for Part III, 

or if you apply other standards and 

exceed the equivalent of the page limit. 

However, the page limit does not 

apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, 

the budget section, including the 

narrative budget justification; Part IV, 

the assurances and certifications; or the 

one-page double-spaced abstract. 

If you submit optional materials such 

as resumes, a bibliography, or letters of 

support, please limit these materials to 

a total of no more than 30 pages. 

Please note that, if you receive 

funding under the competition, the 

abstract will be made available to the 

public. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: March 25, 2015. 

Date of Pre-Application Webinar: 

Interested parties are invited to 

participate in a pre-application webinar. 

The pre-application webinar with staff 

from the Department will be held on 

April 8, 2015 at 2:00 p.m., Washington, 

DC time. The webinar will be recorded. 

For further information about the preapplication webinar, contact the person 

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT in section VII of this notice. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: May 26, 2015. 

Applications for grants under this 

competition must be submitted 

electronically using the Grants.gov 

Apply site (Grants.gov). For information 

(including dates and times) about how 

to submit your application 

electronically, or in paper format by 

mail or hand delivery if you qualify for 

an exception to the electronic 

submission requirement, please refer to 

section IV. 7. Other Submission 

Requirements of this notice. 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 

Individuals with disabilities who 

need an accommodation or auxiliary aid 

in connection with the application 

process should contact the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT in section VII of this notice. If 

the Department provides an 

accommodation or auxiliary aid to an 

individual with a disability in 

connection with the application 

process, the individual’s application 

remains subject to all other 

requirements and limitations in this 

notice. Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: July 23, 2015. 

4. Intergovernmental Review: This 

competition is subject to Executive 

Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 

CFR part 79. Information about 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs under Executive Order 12372 

is in the application package for this 

competition. 

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

6. Data Universal Numbering System 

Number, Taxpayer Identification 

Number, and System for Award 

Management: To do business with the 

Department of Education, you must— 

a. Have a Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer 

Identification Number (TIN); 

b. Register both your DUNS number 

and TIN with the System for Award 

Management (SAM) (formerly the 

Central Contractor Registry (CCR)), the 

Government’s primary registrant 

database; 

c. Provide your DUNS number and 

TIN on your application; and 

d. Maintain an active SAM 

registration with current information 

while your application is under review 

by the Department and, if you are 

awarded a grant, during the project 

period. 

You can obtain a DUNS number from 

Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number 

can be created within one to two 

business days. 

If you are a corporate entity, agency, 

institution, or organization, you can 

obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue 

Service. If you are an individual, you 

can obtain a TIN from the Internal 

Revenue Service or the Social Security 

Administration. If you need a new TIN, 

please allow two to five weeks for your 

TIN to become active. 

The SAM registration process can take 

approximately seven business days, but 

may take upwards of several weeks, 

depending on the completeness and 

accuracy of the data entered into the 

SAM database by an entity. Thus, if you 

think you might want to apply for 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
15764 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 57 / Wednesday, March 25, 2015 / Notices 

Federal financial assistance under a 

program administered by the 

Department, please allow sufficient time 

to obtain and register your DUNS 

number and TIN. We strongly 

recommend that you register early. 

Note: Once your SAM registration is active, 

you will need to allow 24 to 48 hours for the 

information to be available in Grants.gov and 

before you can submit an application through 

Grants.gov. 

If you are currently registered with 

SAM, you may not need to make any 

changes. However, please make certain 

that the TIN associated with your DUNS 

number is correct. Also note that you 

will need to update your registration 

annually. This may take three or more 

business days. 

Information about SAM is available at 

www.SAM.gov. To further assist you 

with obtaining and registering your 

DUNS number and TIN in SAM or 

updating your existing SAM account, 

we have prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet, 

which you can find at: www2.ed.gov/

fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html. 

In addition, if you are submitting your 

application via Grants.gov, you must (1) 

be designated by your organization as an 

Authorized Organization Representative 

(AOR); and (2) register yourself with 

Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these 

steps are outlined at the following 

Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/

web/grants/register.html. 

7. Other Submission Requirements: 

Applications for grants under this 

competition must be submitted 

electronically unless you qualify for an 

exception to this requirement in 

accordance with the instructions in this 

section. 

a. Electronic Submission of 

Applications. 

Applications for grants under the 

Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation 

Long-Term Training—Rehabilitation 

Specialty Areas competition, CFDA 

numbers 84.129Q and W, must be 

submitted electronically using the 

Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site 

at www.Grants.gov. Through this site, 

you will be able to download a copy of 

the application package, complete it 

offline, and then upload and submit 

your application. You may not email an 

electronic copy of a grant application to 

us. 

We will reject your application if you 

submit it in paper format unless, as 

described elsewhere in this section, you 

qualify for one of the exceptions to the 

electronic submission requirement and 

submit, no later than two weeks before 

the application deadline date, a written 

statement to the Department that you 

qualify for one of these exceptions. 

Further information regarding 

calculation of the date that is two weeks 

before the application deadline date is 

provided later in this section under 

Exception to Electronic Submission 

Requirement. 

You may access the electronic grant 

application for the Rehabilitation 

Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term 

Training Program—Rehabilitation 

Specialty Areas competition at 

www.Grants.gov. You must search for 

the downloadable application package 

for this competition by the CFDA 

number. Do not include the CFDA 

number’s alpha suffix in your search 

(e.g., search for 84.129, not 84.129Q or 

W). 

Please note the following: 

• When you enter the Grants.gov site, 

you will find information about 

submitting an application electronically 

through the site, as well as the hours of 

operation. 

• Applications received by Grants.gov 

are date and time stamped. Your 

application must be fully uploaded and 

submitted and must be date and time 

stamped by the Grants.gov system no 

later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC 

time, on the application deadline date. 

Except as otherwise noted in this 

section, we will not accept your 

application if it is received—that is, date 

and time stamped by the Grants.gov 

system—after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, 

DC time, on the application deadline 

date. We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. When we retrieve your 

application from Grants.gov, we will 

notify you if we are rejecting your 

application because it was date and time 

stamped by the Grants.gov system after 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date. 

• The amount of time it can take to 

upload an application will vary 

depending on a variety of factors, 

including the size of the application and 

the speed of your Internet connection. 

Therefore, we strongly recommend that 

you do not wait until the application 

deadline date to begin the submission 

process through Grants.gov. 

• You should review and follow the 

Education Submission Procedures for 

submitting an application through 

Grants.gov that are included in the 

application package for this competition 

to ensure that you submit your 

application in a timely manner to the 

Grants.gov system. You can also find the 

Education Submission Procedures 

pertaining to Grants.gov under News 

and Events on the Department’s G5 

system home page at www.G5.gov. 

• You will not receive additional 

point value because you submit your 

application in electronic format, nor 

will we penalize you if you qualify for 

an exception to the electronic 

submission requirement, as described 

elsewhere in this section, and submit 

your application in paper format. 

• You must submit all documents 

electronically, including all information 

you typically provide on the following 

forms: The Application for Federal 

Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 

Education Supplemental Information for 

SF 424, Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all 

necessary assurances and certifications. 

• You must upload any narrative 

sections and all other attachments to 

your application as files in a PDF 

(Portable Document) read-only, nonmodifiable format. Do not upload an 

interactive or fillable PDF file. If you 

upload a file type other than a readonly, non-modifiable PDF or submit a 

password-protected file, we will not 

review that material. 

• Your electronic application must 

comply with any page-limit 

requirements described in this notice. 

• After you electronically submit 

your application, you will receive from 

Grants.gov an automatic notification of 

receipt that contains a Grants.gov 

tracking number. (This notification 

indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not 

receipt by the Department.) The 

Department then will retrieve your 

application from Grants.gov and send a 

second notification to you by email. 

This second notification indicates that 

the Department has received your 

application and has assigned your 

application a PR/Award number (an EDspecified identifying number unique to 

your application). 

• We may request that you provide us 

original signatures on forms at a later 

date. 

Application Deadline Date Extension 

in Case of Technical Issues with the 

Grants.gov System: If you are 

experiencing problems submitting your 

application through Grants.gov, please 

contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, 

toll free, at 1–800–518–4726. You must 

obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case 

Number and must keep a record of it. 

If you are prevented from 

electronically submitting your 

application on the application deadline 

date because of technical problems with 

the Grants.gov system, we will grant you 

an extension until 4:30:00 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, the following 

business day to enable you to transmit 

your application electronically or by 

hand delivery. You also may mail your 

application by following the mailing 

instructions described elsewhere in this 

notice. 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 57 / Wednesday, March 25, 2015 / Notices 15765 

If you submit an application after 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date, please 

contact the person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in 

section VII of this notice and provide an 

explanation of the technical problem 

you experienced with Grants.gov, along 

with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case 

Number. We will accept your 

application if we can confirm that a 

technical problem occurred with the 

Grants.gov system and that that problem 

affected your ability to submit your 

application by 4:30:00 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date. The 

Department will contact you after a 

determination is made on whether your 

application will be accepted. 

Note: The extensions to which we refer in 

this section apply only to the unavailability 

of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov 

system. We will not grant you an extension 

if you failed to fully register to submit your 

application to Grants.gov before the 

application deadline date and time or if the 

technical problem you experienced is 

unrelated to the Grants.gov system. 

Exception to Electronic Submission 

Requirement: You qualify for an 

exception to the electronic submission 

requirement, and may submit your 

application in paper format, if you are 

unable to submit an application through 

the Grants.gov system because— 

• You do not have access to the 

Internet; or 

• You do not have the capacity to 

upload large documents to the 

Grants.gov system; 

and 

• No later than two weeks before the 

application deadline date (14 calendar 

days or, if the fourteenth calendar day 

before the application deadline date 

falls on a Federal holiday, the next 

business day following the Federal 

holiday), you mail or fax a written 

statement to the Department, explaining 

which of the two grounds for an 

exception prevents you from using the 

Internet to submit your application. 

If you mail your written statement to 

the Department, it must be postmarked 

no later than two weeks before the 

application deadline date. If you fax 

your written statement to the 

Department, we must receive the faxed 

statement no later than two weeks 

before the application deadline date. 

Address and mail or fax your 

statement to: Karen Holliday, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue SW., Room 5090, PCP, 

Washington, DC 20202–2800. FAX: 

(202) 245–7318. 

Your paper application must be 

submitted in accordance with the mail 

or hand delivery instructions described 

in this notice. 

b. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Mail. 

If you qualify for an exception to the 

electronic submission requirement, you 

may mail (through the U.S. Postal 

Service or a commercial carrier) your 

application to the Department. You 

must mail the original and two copies 

of your application, on or before the 

application deadline date, to the 

Department at the following address: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.129Q or W), LBJ 

Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20202– 

4260. You must show proof of mailing 

consisting of one of the following: 

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service 

postmark. 

(2) A legible mail receipt with the 

date of mailing stamped by the U.S. 

Postal Service. 

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or 

receipt from a commercial carrier. 

(4) Any other proof of mailing 

acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. 

Department of Education. 

If you mail your application through 

the U.S. Postal Service, we do not 

accept either of the following as proof 

of mailing: 

(1) A private metered postmark. 

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by 

the U.S. Postal Service. 

If your application is postmarked after 

the application deadline date, we will 

not consider your application. 

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not 

uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before 

relying on this method, you should check 

with your local post office. 

c. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Hand Delivery. 

If you qualify for an exception to the 

electronic submission requirement, you 

(or a courier service) may deliver your 

paper application to the Department by 

hand. You must deliver the original and 

two copies of your application by hand, 

on or before the application deadline 

date, to the Department at the following 

address: U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.129Q or W), 550 12th 

Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center 

Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260. The 

Application Control Center accepts 

hand deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. 

and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, 

except Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal 

holidays. 

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper 

Applications: If you mail or hand deliver 

your application to the Department— 

(1) You must indicate on the envelope 

and—if not provided by the Department—in 

Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, 

including suffix letter, if any, of the 

competition under which you are submitting 

your application; and 

(2) The Application Control Center will 

mail to you a notification of receipt of your 

grant application. If you do not receive this 

notification within 15 business days from the 

application deadline date, you should call 

the U.S. Department of Education 

Application Control Center at (202) 245– 

6288. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this competition are from 34 

CFR 75.210 and 34 CFR 386.20 and are 

listed in the application package. 

2. Review and Selection Process: We 

remind potential applicants that in 

reviewing applications in any 

discretionary grant competition, the 

Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 

75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the 

applicant in carrying out a previous 

award, such as the applicant’s use of 

funds, achievement of project 

objectives, and compliance with grant 

conditions. The Secretary may also 

consider whether the applicant failed to 

submit a timely performance report or 

submitted a report of unacceptable 

quality. 

In addition, in making a competitive 

grant award, the Secretary also requires 

various assurances including those 

applicable to Federal civil rights laws 

that prohibit discrimination in programs 

or activities receiving Federal financial 

assistance from the Department of 

Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 

108.8, and 110.23). 

3. Special Conditions: Under 2 CFR 

3474.10, the Secretary may impose 

special conditions and, in appropriate 

circumstances, high-risk conditions on a 

grant if the applicant or grantee is not 

financially stable; has a history of 

unsatisfactory performance; has a 

financial or other management system 

that does not meet the standards in 2 

CFR part 200, subpart D; has not 

fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; 

or is otherwise not responsible. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN); or we may send you an email 

containing a link to access an electronic 

version of your GAN. We may notify 

you informally, also. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
15766 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 57 / Wednesday, March 25, 2015 / Notices 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a 

grant under this competition, you must 

ensure that you have in place the 

necessary processes and systems to 

comply with the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive 

funding under the competition. This 

does not apply if you have an exception 

under 2 CFR 170.110(b). 

(b) At the end of your project period, 

you must submit a final performance 

report, including financial information, 

as directed by the Secretary. If you 

receive a multi-year award, you must 

submit an annual performance report 

that provides the most current 

performance and financial expenditure 

information as directed by the Secretary 

under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary 

may also require more frequent 

performance reports under 34 CFR 

75.720(c). For specific requirements on 

reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/

fund/grant/apply/appforms/

appforms.html. 

In addition, all Rehabilitation LongTerm Training—Rehabilitation 

Specialty Areas grantees must submit 

the following quantitative and 

qualitative data in an annual 

performance report: 

(a) Program activities that occurred 

during each fiscal year from October 1 

to March 31 and projected program 

activities to occur from April 1 to 

September 30. For subsequent reporting 

years, grantees confirm projections 

made from the prior year; 

(b) Summary of academic support and 

counseling provided to scholars to 

ensure successful completion; 

(c) Summary of career counseling 

provided to scholars upon program 

completion to ensure that they have 

support during their search for 

qualifying employment, as well as 

during the initial months of their 

employment. This may include, but is 

not limited to, informing scholars of 

professional contacts, network 

opportunities, and job leads, matching 

scholars with mentors in the field, and 

connecting scholars to other necessary 

resources and information; 

(d) Summary of partnership and 

coordination activities with State VR 

agencies and community-based 

rehabilitation providers. This may 

include but is not limited to obtaining 

input and feedback regarding curricula 

from State VR agencies and communitybased rehabilitation providers; 

organizing internships, practicum 

agreements, job shadowing, and 

mentoring opportunities; and assessing 

scholars at the work site; 

(e) Assistance provided to scholars 

who may not be meeting academic 

standards or who are performing poorly 

in a practicum or internship setting; 

(f) Results of the program evaluation, 

as well as information describing how 

these results will be used to make 

necessary adjustments and 

improvements to the program; 

(g) Results from scholar internship, 

practicum, job shadowing, or mentoring 

assessments, as well as information 

describing how those results will be 

used to ensure that future scholars 

receive all necessary preparation and 

training prior to program completion; 

(h) Results from scholar evaluations 

and information describing how these 

results will be used to ensure that future 

scholars will be proficient in meeting 

the needs and demands of today’s 

consumers and employers; 

(i) Number of scholars who began an 

internship during the reporting period; 

(j) Number of scholars who completed 

an internship during the reporting 

period; 

(k) Number of scholars who dropped 

out or were dismissed from the program 

during the reporting period; 

(l) Number of scholars receiving RSA 

scholarships during the reporting 

period; 

(m) Number of scholars who 

graduated from the program during the 

reporting period; 

(n) Number of scholars who obtained 

qualifying employment during the 

reporting period; 

(o) Number of vacancies filled in the 

State VR agency with qualified 

counselors from the program during the 

reporting period; 

(p) A budget and narrative detailing 

expenditures covering the period of 

October 1 through March 31 and 

projected expenditures from April 1 

through September 30. The budget 

narrative must also verify progress 

towards meeting the 10 percent match 

requirement. For subsequent reporting 

years, grantees will confirm projections 

made from the prior year; and 

(q) Other information, as requested by 

RSA, in order to verify substantial 

progress and effectively report program 

impact to Congress and key 

stakeholders. 

4. Performance Measures: The 

Government Performance and Results 

Act of 1993 (GPRA) directs Federal 

departments and agencies to improve 

the effectiveness of programs by 

engaging in strategic planning, setting 

outcome-related goals for programs, and 

measuring program results against those 

goals. 

The goal of RSA’s Rehabilitation 

Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term 

Training—Rehabilitation Specialty 

Areas program is to increase the number 

of qualified VR personnel, including 

counselors and other professional and 

paraprofessional staff, working in State 

VR or related agencies. At least 75 

percent of total project funds must be 

used for direct payment of student 

scholarships. 

Grantees are required to maintain a 

system that safeguards the privacy of 

current and former scholars from the 

time they are enrolled in the program 

until they successfully meet their 

service obligation through qualified 

employment or monetary repayment. 

This system must ensure that scholars 

sign a payback agreement and an exit 

form when they exit the program, 

regardless of whether they drop out, are 

removed, or successfully complete the 

program. Specifically, each grantee is 

required to maintain the following 

scholar information: 

(a) Current contact information for all 

students receiving scholarships, 

including home address, email, and a 

phone number (home or cell); 

(b) A point of contact for each scholar 

in the event that the grantee is unable 

to contact the student. This contact 

must be at least 21 years of age and may 

be a parent, relative, spouse, partner, 

sibling, or guardian; 

(c) Cumulative financial support 

granted to scholars; 

(d) Scholar debt in years; 

(e) Program completion date and 

reason for exit for each scholar; 

(f) Annual documentation from the 

scholar’s employer(s) until the scholar 

completes the service obligation. This 

documentation must include the 

following elements in order to verify 

qualified employment: Start date of 

employment to the present date, 

confirmation of full-time or part-time 

employment (if the scholar is working 

part-time the number of hours per week 

must be included in the 

documentation), type of employment, 

and a description of the roles and 

responsibilities performed on the job. 

This information is required for each 

employer if the scholar has worked in 

more than one setting in order to meet 

the service obligation. 

If the scholar is employed in a related 

agency, the agency must also provide 

documentation to validate that there is 

a relationship with the State VR agency. 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 57 / Wednesday, March 25, 2015 / Notices 15767 

This may be a formal or informal 

contract, cooperative agreement, 

memorandum of understanding, or 

related document; 

(g) Annual documentation from the 

scholar’s IHE to verify dates of deferral, 

if applicable. The documentation may 

be prepared by the scholar’s advisor or 

department chair and must include: 

Confirmation of enrollment date, 

estimated graduation date, confirmation 

that the scholar is enrolled in a full-time 

course of study, and confirmation of the 

scholar’s intent to fulfill the service 

obligation upon completion of the 

program. 

Grantees are required to report 

annually to RSA on the data elements 

described above using the RSA Grantee 

Reporting Form, OMB number 1820– 

0617, an electronic reporting system 

supported by the RSA Management 

Information System (RSA MIS). In 

addition, grantees are required to utilize 

all forms required by RSA to prepare 

and process repayment, as well as 

requests for deferral and exceptions. 

The RSA Grantee Reporting Form 

collects specific data, including the 

number of scholars entering the 

rehabilitation workforce, the 

rehabilitation field each scholar enters, 

and the type of employment setting each 

scholar chooses (e.g., State VR agency, 

nonprofit service provider, or 

professional practice group). This form 

allows RSA to measure the progress 

towards achieving the goal of increasing 

the number of qualified VR personnel 

working in State VR and related 

agencies. 

5. Continuation Awards: In making a 

continuation award under 34 CFR 

75.253, the Secretary considers, among 

other things: Whether a grantee has 

made substantial progress in achieving 

the goals and objectives of the project; 

whether the grantee has expended funds 

in a manner that is consistent with its 

approved application and budget; and, 

if the Secretary has established 

performance measurement 

requirements, the performance targets in 

the grantee’s approved application. In 

making a continuation grant, the 

Secretary also considers whether the 

grantee is operating in compliance with 

the assurances in its approved 

application, including those applicable 

to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit 

discrimination in programs or activities 

receiving Federal financial assistance 

from the Department (34 CFR 100.4, 

104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23). 

VII. Agency Contact 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: See 

chart in the Award Information section 

in this notice for the name, room 

number, telephone number, and email 

address of the contact person for each 

specialty area of this competition. You 

can write to the specialty area contact 

person at the following address: U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue SW., Potomac Center Plaza 

(PCP), Washington, DC 20202–2600. 

If you use a TDD or TTY, call the 

Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1– 

800–877–8339. 

VIII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document 

and a copy of the application package in 

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

print, audiotape, or compact disc) on 

request to the program contact persons 

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT in section VII of this notice. 

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. 

Dated: March 20, 2015. 

Sue Swenson, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2015–06880 Filed 3–24–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

[Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.328M] 

Reopening; Applications for New 

Awards; Training and Information for 

Parents of Children With Disabilities— 

Parent Training and Information 

Centers 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: On December 11, 2014, we 

published in the Federal Register (79 

FR 73557) a notice inviting applications 

for the FY 2015 Parent Training and 

Information Centers competition (NIA). 

The notice established a deadline date 

of February 9, 2015, for the transmittal 

of applications. This notice reopens the 

competition for five days. 

DATES:

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: March 30, 2015. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: May 29, 2015. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A 

significant number of applications 

received in response to the NIA were 

not eligible because the applicants did 

not follow the formatting or deadline 

requirements in the NIA. Consequently, 

we did not receive eligible applications 

for a number of States. Therefore, we are 

reopening the competition to allow 

applicants to submit or resubmit 

applications that meet the requirements 

in the NIA, in order to ensure that 

parents in all States can be served by a 

Parent Training and Information Center. 

Applicants that have already 

submitted applications under the FY 

2015 Parent Training and Information 

Centers competition are encouraged to 

review their applications and determine 

whether they have met all eligibility 

requirements, including formatting 

requirements and the deadline for 

submission, in the NIA and the 

application package, which is available 

at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/

oseppic/applicant.html. 

Note that the NIA requires double 

spacing (no more than three lines per 

vertical inch) for all text in the 

application narrative, including titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

reference citations, and captions, as well 

as all text in charts, tables, figures, 

graphs, and screen shots. 

Applicants may review a recorded 

Webinar that discusses the application 

requirements at http://

tadnet.adobeconnect.com/

p763v5dg8fm/. 

As stated above, applicants may 

resubmit applications that may not have 

met all formatting requirements. 

Applicants that already submitted 

timely applications that meet all of the 

formatting requirements do not have to 

resubmit their applications. If a new 

application is not submitted, the 

Department will use the application that 

was submitted before the February 9, 

2015, 4:30 p.m. EST deadline. 

Note: Applications that did not meet the 

February deadline must be resubmitted to be 

considered for review. 

Note to Applicants: The notice 

published on December 11, 2014, 

provides other information that applies 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES