3970 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 15 / Monday, January 25, 2010 / Notices 

applications for which funding is 

available, will be conditionally selected 

for eligibility to receive a capital grant 

in accordance with their ranked order 

until funding is expended 

(approximately $19 million). 

Methodology: VA will review all 

capital grant applications in response to 

this Notice of funding availability as 

follows: VA will group the applicants 

into the funding priority categories as 

applicable. Applicants will then be 

ranked within their respective funding 

category based on score and any ranking 

criteria set forth in that funding category 

only if the applicant scores at least 600 

cumulative points, and receive points 

under the criteria in paragraphs (b), (c), 

(d), (e) and (i) of § 61.13. 

The highest-ranked application for 

which funding is available, within the 

highest funding category, will be 

conditionally selected in accordance 

with their ranked order until VA 

reaches the projected amount of funding 

for each category. If funds are still 

available after selection of those 

applications in the highest priority 

group, VA will continue to 

conditionally select applicants in lower 

priority categories in accordance with 

the selection method set forth in the 

Final Rule § 61.14. 

Application Requirements: 

Applicants must include a cover letter 

clearly stating under which funding 

priority they wish to be considered. 

Non-profit agencies who apply under 

funding priority two are required to 

provide a letter of assurance from the 

Indian Tribal Government stating that if 

funded the provision of service will 

occur on Indian Tribal Property. The 

grant application requirements will be 

specified in the application package. 

Applicants should be careful to 

complete the proper application 

package. Submission of the incorrect or 

incomplete application package will 

result in the application being rejected 

at threshold. The packages include all 

required forms and certifications. 

Selections will be made based on 

criteria described in the application, 

Final Rule, and NOFA. Applicants who 

are conditionally selected will be 

notified of any additional information 

needed to confirm or clarify information 

provided in the application. Applicants 

will then be notified of the deadline to 

submit such information. If an applicant 

is unable to meet any conditions for 

grant award within the specified time 

frame, VA reserves the right to not 

award funds and to use the funds 

available for other grant and per diem 

applicants. 

Dated: January 11, 2010. 

John R. Gingrich, 

Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2010–1296 Filed 1–22–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Fund Availability Under the VA 

Homeless Providers Grant and Per 

Diem Program 

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA) is announcing the 

availability of funds for applications for 

assistance under the ‘‘Per Diem-Only’’ 

(PDO) component of VA’s Homeless 

Providers Grant and Per Diem Program. 

This Notice contains information 

concerning the program, funding 

priorities, application process, and 

amount of funding available. 

DATES: An original completed and 

collated grant application (plus three 

completed collated copies) for 

assistance under the VA’s Homeless 

Providers Grant and Per Diem Program 

must be received in the Grant and Per 

Diem Field Office, by 4 p.m. Eastern 

Time on Wednesday, March 31, 2010. 

Applications may not be sent by 

facsimile (FAX). In the interest of 

fairness to all competing applicants, this 

deadline is firm as to date and hour, 

and VA will treat as ineligible for 

consideration any application that is 

received after the deadline. Applicants 

should take this practice into account 

and make early submission of their 

material to avoid the risk of loss of 

eligibility due to unanticipated delays 

or other delivery-related problems. 

For a Copy of the Application 

Package: Download directly from VA’s 

Grant and Per Diem Program Web page 

at: http://www.va.gov/homeless/ or 

http://www.grants.gov/. Questions 

should be referred to the Grant and Per 

Diem Program at (toll-free) 1–877–332– 

0334. For information relating to the VA 

Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem 

Program, see the Final Rule published 

in the Federal Register on September 

26, 2003. 

Submission of Application: An 

original completed and collated grant 

application (plus three copies) and a 

cover letter clearly stating under which 

funding priority applicants (see funding 

priorities) wish to be considered must 

be submitted to the following address: 

VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per 

Diem Field Office, 10770 N. 46th Street, 

Suite C–200, Tampa, FL 33617. 

Applications must be received in the 

Grant and Per Diem Field office by the 

application deadline. This includes 

applications submitted through 

Grants.gov. Applications must arrive as 

a complete package. Materials arriving 

separately will not be included in the 

application package for consideration 

and may result in the application being 

rejected or not funded. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Chelsea Watson, VA Homeless 

Providers Grant and Per Diem Program, 

Department of Veterans Affairs, 10770 

N. 46th Street, Suite C–200, Tampa, FL 

33617; (toll-free) 1–877–332–0334. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

Notice announces the availability of 

funds for assistance under VA’s 

Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem 

Program for eligible programs that have 

not previously applied for or received 

per diem in connection with a grant (see 

38 CFR 61.1 through 61.82). Funding 

applied for under this Notice is 

authorized by Public Law 109–461, Sec. 

703, known as the Veterans Benefit, 

Health Care and Information 

Technology Act of 2006, and by the 

‘‘Homeless Veterans Comprehensive 

Assistance Act of 2001,’’ Public Law 

107–95, § 5, codified as amended at 38 

U.S.C. 2011, 2012, 2013, 2061, 2064, 

and may be used for aid for supportive 

housing. Service centers will not be 

funded in this NOFA. Funding will be 

in the form of per diem payments issued 

to eligible entities from the date of the 

award and will continue subject to 

availability of funds and the recipients’ 

compliance with 38 CFR 61.1 through 

61.82. For eligibility criteria, please 

refer to Final Rule published in the 

Federal Register on September 26, 2003, 

38 CFR 61.30, 61.31, and 61.32. 

VA expects that it will take no longer 

than 90 days from the date of award for 

projects to be inspected and become 

operational. Failure to meet the 90-day 

milestone may result in the per diem 

award being terminated. 

Capital grant recipients who received 

capital grant funding under VA’s 

Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem 

Program in years 1994 through 2009 for 

acquisition, renovation or new 

construction should not respond to this 

NOFA. Per diem payments for those 

portions of their programs that were 

created with capital grant funds is 

requested in the capital grant 

application and paid at the time of the 

capital grant project completion and 

inspection. 

Previous PDO recipients that renewed 

their PDO grants in 2005, 2007, or 2008 

need not reapply to continue these 

projects. 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 15 / Monday, January 25, 2010 / Notices 3971 

VA is pleased to issue this NOFA for 

the Homeless Providers Grant and Per 

Diem Program as a part of the effort to 

end chronic homelessness among our 

Nation’s veterans. The Department 

expects to create approximately 1,200 

beds under this NOFA. 

Funding available under this NOFA is 

being offered to help offset the operating 

expenses of existing State and local 

governments, Indian Tribal 

Governments, faith-based, and 

community-based organizations that are 

capable of providing supported housing 

and supportive services for homeless 

veterans. The District of Columbia, the 

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any 

territory or possession of the United 

States, may be considered eligible 

entities under the definition of ‘‘State’’ in 

the 38 CFR 61.1 Definitions. It should be 

noted that VA payment is limited to the 

applicant’s cost of care per eligible 

veteran minus other sources of 

payments to the applicant for furnishing 

services to homeless veterans up to the 

per-day rate VA pays for State Home 

Domiciliary care. Awardees will be 

required to support their request for per 

diem payment with adequate fiscal 

documentation as to program income 

and expenses. 

Interested organizations should know 

that the vast majority of homeless 

veterans in this country suffer from 

mental illness or substance abuse 

disorders or are dually diagnosed with 

both mental illness and substance abuse 

disorders. In addition, many homeless 

veterans have serious medical problems. 

The recent events associated the 

Nation’s returning Operation Enduring 

Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom 

(OEF/OIF) veterans further emphasizes 

the need for collaboration with VA 

medical centers, VA community-based 

outpatient clinics or other health care 

providers as well as with VA and other 

benefit providers as an important aspect 

of ensuring that homeless veterans have 

access to appropriate health care 

services. VA considers this program an 

important part of our effort to end 

chronic homelessness among all 

veterans. 

It is important to be aware that VA 

places great emphasis on responsibility 

and accountability. VA has procedures 

in place to monitor services provided to 

homeless veterans and outcomes 

associated with the services provided in 

grant and per diem-funded programs. 

VA is also implementing new 

procedures to further this effort. 

Applicants should be aware of the 

following: 

All awardees that are conditionally 

selected in response to this NOFA must 

meet the Life Safety Code of the 

National Fire and Protection 

Association as it relates to their specific 

facility. Applicants should note that all 

facilities are to be equipped with 

sprinklers unless they are specifically 

exempted under the Life Safety Code 

and make consideration of this when 

submitting their grant applications as no 

additional funds will be made available 

for capital improvements under this per 

diem-only NOFA. VA will conduct an 

inspection prior to awardees being able 

to submit request for payment to ensure 

this requirement is met. 

Each per diem-funded program will 

have a liaison appointed from a nearby 

VA medical facility to provide oversight 

and monitor services provided to 

homeless veterans in the per diemfunded program. 

Monitoring will include at least an 

annual review of each per diem 

program’s progress toward meeting 

internal goals and objectives in helping 

veterans attain housing stability, 

adequate income support, and selfsufficiency as identified in each per 

diem program’s original application. 

Monitoring will also include a review of 

the agency’s income and expenses as 

they relate to this project to ensure per 

diem payment is accurate. 

Each per diem-funded program will 

participate in VA’s national program 

monitoring and evaluation system 

administered by VA’s Northeast 

Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC). It 

is the intention of VA to develop 

specific performance targets with 

respect to housing for homeless 

veterans. NEPEC’s monitoring 

procedures will be used to determine 

successful accomplishment of these 

housing outcomes for each per diemfunded program. 

Authority: Funding applied for under this 

Notice is authorized by Public Law 109–461, 

Sec. 703, known as the Veterans Benefit, 

Health Care and Information Technology Act 

of 2006 and by the Homeless Veterans 

Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001, 

Public Law 107–95, § 5, codified as amended 

at 38 U.S.C. 2011, 2012, 2013, 2061, 2064. 

The program is implemented by the final rule 

codified at 38 CFR Part 61.0. The regulations 

can be found in their entirety in 38 CFR, Sec. 

61.0 through 61.82. Funds made available 

under this Notice are subject to the 

requirements of those regulations. 

Allocation: Approximately $15 

million annually is available for the per 

diem-only award component of this 

program. This funding subject to the 

availability of funds and will be 

available so long as recipients meet the 

requirements of 38 CFR 61.0 through 

61.82. 

Funding Priorities: VA establishes the 

following funding priorities in order to: 

(1) Implement the provisions of Public 

Law 107–95 regarding geographical 

dispersion and non-duplication of 

service; and (2) bolster capacity in areas 

that are underserved by the Grant and 

Per Diem Program. These areas may 

have high populations of homeless 

veterans and limited services to address 

homeless veteran’s needs. These areas 

can include both urban and rural areas 

but may be particularly prevalent 

outside the high population areas. 

VA is offering eligible applicants 

funding priorities for transitional 

housing and services to: (1) Serve 

women and women with care of 

dependent children; (2) Indian Tribal 

Governments or non-profit agencies that 

will provide transitional housing and 

services on Indian Tribal Property. VA 

is encouraging interested State and local 

governments, faith-based and 

community-based organizations to 

apply for funding under this NOFA. 

In this round of per diem-only grant 

funding, VA expects to award eligibility 

for funding to create approximately 

1,200 per diem-only community-based 

supported housing beds. 

Funding priority 1. VA is offering the 

opportunity for providers who are 

willing to create new projects 

specifically for women and women with 

care of dependent children only, which 

are 30 beds or less. Of those eligible 

entities in the first funding priority, that 

are legally fundable, the highest scoring 

applicants will be funded first until 

approximately 200 beds are awarded. 

Applicants not funded in this priority 

will be considered in the third funding 

priority. Should not enough eligible 

projects be funded under the first 

funding priority, beds not awarded in 

this priority will fall to the third 

funding priority. 

Funding priority 2. VA is offering the 

opportunity to Indian Tribal 

Governments or non-profit agencies that 

will provide transitional housing and 

services on Indian Tribal Property to 

apply for funding under this NOFA to 

create transitional housing and services 

for homeless veterans. Eligible entities 

such as Indian Tribal Governments and 

non-profit agencies willing to provide 

transitional housing and services on 

Indian Tribal Property will be 

considered in the second funding 

priority as applicable. Of those eligible 

entities in the second funding priority 

that are legally fundable; the highest 

scoring applicants will be funded first 

until approximately 100 beds are 

awarded. Applicants not funded in this 

priority will be placed in the third 

funding priority. Should not enough 

eligible projects be funded under the 

second funding priority, beds not 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
3972 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 15 / Monday, January 25, 2010 / Notices 

expended in this priority will fall to the 

third funding priority. Note: Non-profit 

agencies who apply under this priority 

will be required to provide a letter of 

assurance from the Indian Tribal 

Government that if funded, the 

provision of service will occur on 

Indian Tribal Property. 

Funding priority 3. VA is encouraging 

interested State and local governments, 

non-profit organizations and State and 

local governments that have been 

selected to utilize buildings on VA 

Medical Center grounds under the 

Secretary’s Enhanced Use Lease 

Program initiative for housing homeless 

veterans, faith-based, and communitybased organizations, as well as eligible 

entities located in the District of 

Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 

Rico, or any territory or possession of 

the United States, to apply for funding 

under this NOFA to create transitional 

housing and services for all homeless 

veterans. Eligible entities that are State 

and local governments, Indian Tribal 

Governments, Enhanced Use Lease 

organizations, faith-based, and 

community-based organizations, or any 

territory or possession of the United 

States, will be considered in the third 

funding priority as applicable. Of those 

eligible entities that are legally 

fundable, the highest-ranked 

applications for which funding is 

available, will be conditionally selected 

for eligibility to receive a per diem-only 

award in accordance with their ranked 

order until funding is expended 

(approximately 900 beds). 

Methodology: VA will review all noncapital grant recipients in response to 

this notice of funding availability. VA 

will then group the applicants into the 

funding priorities categories. Applicants 

will then be ranked within their 

respective funding category based on 

score and any ranking criteria set forth 

in that funding category only if the 

applicant scores at least 500 cumulative 

points from paragraphs (b), (c), (d), (e), 

and (i) of 38 CFR Sec. 61.13. 

The highest-ranked application for 

which funding is available, within the 

highest funding category, will be 

conditionally selected for eligibility to 

receive per diem payment in accordance 

with their ranked order until VA 

reaches the projected bed totals for each 

category. If funds are still available after 

selection of those applications in the 

highest priority group, VA will continue 

to conditionally select applicants in 

lower priority categories in accordance 

with the selection method set forth in 

the final rule Sec. 61.32. 

Application Requirements: 

Applicants must include a cover letter 

clearly stating under which funding 

priority they wish to be considered. 

Non-profit agencies who apply under 

funding priority two are required to 

provide a letter of assurance from the 

Indian Tribal Government that if 

funded, the provision of service will 

occur on Indian Tribal Property. The 

grant application requirements will be 

specified in the application package. 

Applicants should be careful to 

complete the proper application 

package. Submission of the incorrect or 

incomplete application package will 

result in the application being rejected 

at threshold review. The packages 

include all required forms and 

certifications. Selections will be made 

based on criteria described in the 

application, Final Rule, and NOFA. 

Applicants who are conditionally 

selected will be notified of any 

additional information needed to 

confirm or clarify information provided 

in the application. Applicants will then 

be notified of the deadline to submit 

such information. If an applicant is 

unable to meet any conditions for grant 

award within the specified timeframe, 

VA reserves the right to not award funds 

and to use the funds available for other 

grant and per diem applicants. 

Dated: January 13, 2010. 

John R. Gingrich, 

Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2010–1297 Filed 1–22–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Privacy Act of 1974; System of 

Records 

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs 

(VA). 

ACTION: Notice of amendment to system 

of records. 

SUMMARY: As required by the Privacy 

Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a(e), notice is 

hereby given that the Department of 

Veterans Affairs (VA) is amending the 

system of records currently entitled 

‘‘Employee Incentive Scholarship 

Program—VA’’ (110VA10) as set forth in 

the Federal Register 67 FR 66712. VA 

is amending the system records by 

revising the Routine Uses of Records 

Maintained in the System Including 

Categories of Users and the Purpose of 

Such Uses. VA is republishing the 

system notice in its entirety. 

DATES: Comments on the amendment of 

this system of records must be received 

no later than February 24, 2010. If no 

public comment is received, the 

amended system will become effective 

February 24, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be 

submitted through 

www.Regulations.gov; by mail or handdelivery to Director, Regulations 

Management (02Reg), Department of 

Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, 

NW., Room 1068, Washington, DC 

20420; or by fax to (202) 273–9026. 

Comments received will be available for 

public inspection in the Office of 

Regulation Policy and Management, 

Room 1063B, between the hours of 8 

a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through 

Friday (except holidays). Please call 

(202) 461–4902 (this is not a toll-free 

number) for an appointment. In 

addition, during the comment period, 

comments may be viewed online 

through the Federal Docket Management 

System (FDMS) at www.Regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Veterans Health Administration (VHA) 

Privacy Officer, Department of Veterans 

Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20420; telephone (704) 

245–2492. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Routine 

Use 6 was amended to allow disclosure 

to the National Archives and Records 

Administration (NARA) and the General 

Services Administration (GSA) in 

records management inspections 

conducted under authority of Title 44, 

Chapter 29, of the United States Code 

(U.S.C.). NARA and GSA are 

responsible for management of old 

records no longer actively used, but 

which may be appropriate for 

preservation, and for the physical 

maintenance of the Federal 

government’s records. VA must be able 

to provide the records to NARA and 

GSA in order to determine the proper 

disposition of such records. 

Routine Use 11 was added to allow 

VA to disclose information from this 

system of records to the Department of 

Justice (DoJ), either on VA’s initiative or 

in response to DoJ’s request for the 

information, after either VA or DoJ 

determines that such information is 

relevant to DoJ’s representation of the 

United States or any of its components 

in legal proceedings before a court or 

adjudicative body, provided that, in 

each case, the agency also determines 

prior to disclosure that release of the 

records to the DoJ is a use of the 

information contained in the records 

that is compatible with the purpose for 

which VA collected the records. VA, on 

its own initiative, may disclose records 

in this system of records in legal 

proceedings before a court or 

administrative body after determining 

that the disclosure of the records to the 

court or administrative body is a use of 

the information contained in the records 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES