Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/07/19/2017-15167/fund-availability-under-the-grants-for-transportation-of-veterans-in-highly-rural-areas-program
Timestamp: 2018-03-23 11:19:06
Document Index: 167481707

Matched Legal Cases: ['§\u200917', 'art 16', 'art 16', 'arts 43', 'art 200', 'art 200']

Federal Register :: Fund Availability Under the Grants for Transportation of Veterans in Highly Rural Areas Program
Fund Availability Under the Grants for Transportation of Veterans in Highly Rural Areas Program
A Notice by the Veterans Affairs Department on 07/19/2017
Applications for assistance under the Grants for Transportation of Veterans in Highly Rural Areas Program must be submitted to www.grants.gov by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on August 18, 2017. In the interest of fairness to all competing applicants and with the single exception described below regarding unforeseen technical problems beyond the control of the applicant with the grants.gov Web site, this deadline is firm as to date and hour, and VA will not consider any application that is received after the deadline. Applicants should take this practice into account and make early submission of their materials to avoid any risk of loss of eligibility brought about by unanticipated delays, computer service outages (in the case of grants.gov), or other delivery-related problems.
33204-33208 (5 pages)
Award Notices and Renewal Grant Agreements
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2017-15167 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2017-15167
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is announcing the availability of funds under the Grants for Transportation of Veterans in Highly Rural Areas program. This Notice of Funding Availability (Notice) contains information concerning the Grants for Transportation of Veterans in Highly Rural Areas program, grant renewal application process, and amount of funding available.
Overview: Access to VA care for veterans that are in highly rural areas continues to be an issue across the United States. VA has established this program to help address barriers to access to care. This program funds innovative approaches to transporting veterans in highly rural areas who typically have longer commute times to Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers (VAMC).
Funding Opportunity Number: VA-HRTG-2017.
Purpose: VA Veterans Transportation Program (VTP) is pleased to announce that it is seeking grant renewal applications for Grants for Transportation of Veterans in Highly Rural Areas. This program furthers the Department's mission by offering renewal grants to current grantees to enable them to continue to assist veterans in highly rural areas through innovative transportation services to travel to VAMCs and to otherwise assist in providing transportation services in connection with the provision of VA medical care to these veterans.
Authority: Funding applied for under this Notice is authorized by section 307 of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010, Public Law 111-163, (the 2010 Act), as implemented by regulations at 38 CFR 17.700-730, Grants for Transportation of Veterans in Highly Rural Areas. Funds made available under this Notice are subject to the requirements of the aforementioned regulations and other applicable laws and regulations.
Award Information: In accordance with 38 CFR 17.710, VA is issuing this Notice for renewal grants under the Grants for Transportation of Veterans in Highly Rural Areas program for fiscal year 2017. Approximately $2 million is authorized to be appropriated for this fiscal year. If additional funding becomes available, VA will issue additional Notices of Funding Availability to permit other grantees to apply for grants under the program (in accordance with the terms and conditions of such Notices of Funding Availability). The following requirements apply to grants awarded under this Notice:
One renewal grant may be awarded to each grantee for fiscal year 2017 for each highly rural area in which the grantee provides transportation services. (A listing of the highly rural counties can be found at this Web site under additional resources: http://www.va.gov/​HEALTHBENEFITS/​vtp/​grant_​applicants.asp)
Current 2016 program grantees are the only eligible entities that are eligible to apply for a renewal grant. Interested eligible entities must submit a complete renewal grant application package to be considered for a grant renewal. Further, a renewal grant will only be awarded if the grantee's program will remain substantially the same as the program for which the original grant was awarded. How the grantee will meet this requirement must be specifically addressed in the renewal grant application.
This solicitation does not require grantees to provide matching funds as a condition of receiving such grants.Start Printed Page 33205
Additional grant application requirements are specified in the application package. Submission of an incorrect or incomplete application package will result in the application being rejected during the threshold review, the initial review conducted by VA to ensure the application package contains all required forms and certifications. Complete packages will then be subject to the evaluation/scoring and selection processes described in § 17.705(c) and (d), respectively. Applicants will be notified of any additional information needed to confirm or clarify information provided in the renewal grant application and the deadline by which to submit such information.
Renewal applications will be submitted through grants.gov. Grants.gov is a “one-stop storefront” that provides a unified process for all customers of Federal awards to find funding opportunities and apply for funding. Complete instructions on how to register and submit a renewal grant application can be found at www.grants.gov. If the applicant experiences technical difficulties at any point during this process, please call the grants.gov customer support hotline at 1-800-518-4726, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except Federal holidays.
Registration in grants.gov is required prior to submission. VA strongly encourages registering with grants.gov several weeks before the deadline for application submission. The deadline for applying for funding under this announcement is [30 days after publication].
Search for the funding opportunity on grants.gov using the following identifying information. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for this solicitation is 64.035, titled “Veterans transportation program,” and the funding opportunity number is VA-HRTG-2017.
Submit an application consistent with this solicitation by following the directions in grants.gov. Within 24-48 hours after submitting the electronic application, the applicant should receive an email validation message from grants.gov. The validation message will state whether the renewal grant application has been received and validated, or rejected, with an explanation. Applicants are urged to submit their applications at least 72 hours prior to the due date of the application to allow time to receive the validation message and to correct any problems that may have caused a rejection notification.
If an applicant experiences unforeseen grants.gov technical issues beyond the applicant's control that prevents submission of its application by the deadline, the applicant must contact the VTP Office staff no later than 24 hours after the deadline and request approval to submit its application. At that time, VTP Office staff will instruct the applicant to submit specific information detailing the technical difficulties. The applicant must email the following: A description of the technical difficulties, a timeline of submission efforts, the complete grant application, the applicant's Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, and grants.gov help desk tracking number(s) received. After the program office reviews all of the information submitted and contacts the grants.gov help desk to validate the technical issues reported, VA will contact the applicant to either approve or deny the request to submit a late application. If the technical issues reported cannot be validated, the application will be rejected as untimely.
To ensure a fair competition for limited discretionary funds, the following conditions are not valid reasons to permit late submissions: (1) Failure to begin the registration process in sufficient time, (2) failure to follow grants.gov instructions on how to register and apply as posted on its Web site, (3) failure to follow all of the instructions in the VA solicitation, and (4) technical issues experienced with the applicant's computer or information technology environment. Notifications regarding known technical problems with grants.gov, if any, are posted on the grants.gov Web site.
This section describes what a renewal application must include. Failure to submit an application that contains all of the specified elements will result in the rejection of the application at the threshold review stage. Moreover, if applications are not adequately responsive to the scope of the solicitation, particularly to any critical element, or fail to include a program narrative, budget detail worksheet including a budget narrative, tribal resolution (if applicable), eligibly entity designation, or a list of the highly rural county or counties to be served, they will be rejected and receive no further consideration.
Interim Final Report: A report of your organization's performance for the last three quarters through June 2017.
Note on project evaluations: Applicants that propose to use funds awarded through this solicitation to conduct project evaluations should be aware that certain project evaluations (such as systematic investigations designed to develop or contribute to knowledge) may constitute research. However, project evaluations that are intended only to generate internal improvements to a program or service, or are conducted only to meet VA's performance measure data reporting requirements, likely do not constitute research. Research, for the purposes of VA-funded programs, is defined as, “a systematic investigation, including research development, testing, and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.” 38 CFR 16.102(d). In addition, research involving human subjects is subject to certain added protections, as set forth in 38 CFR part 16. Applicants should provide sufficient information for VA to determine whether particular project activities they propose would either Start Printed Page 33206intentionally or unintentionally collect and/or use information in such a way that it meets VA's regulatory definition of research and therefore be subject to the requirements and procedures set forth in 38 CFR part 16.
Budget Detail Worksheet: A sample SF 424A Budget Detail Worksheet can be found at the grants.gov Web site. Please submit a budget and label it, as the example above indicates. If the budget is submitted in a different format, the budget categories listed in the sample budget worksheet must be included.
1. Our organization requests ____ for the acquisition of _____ van(s).
2. The total cost of the van(s)____. This is the amount requested from VA.
3. Our organization will utilize ____ for innovative approaches for transporting veterans. This is the amount requested from VA for a maximum of $50,000.
Indirect costs are allowed only if the applicant has a federally approved indirect cost rate. (This requirement does not apply to units of local government). A copy of the rate approval must be attached. If the applicant does not have an approved rate, one can be requested by contacting the applicant's cognizant Federal agency, which will review all documentation and approve a rate for the applicant organization or, if the applicant's accounting system permits, costs may be allocated in the direct cost categories. If VA is the cognizant Federal agency, obtain information needed to submit an indirect cost rate proposal from the contact person listed in this solicitation.
If an application identifies a subrecipient that is either (1) a tribe or tribal organization or (2) a third party proposing to provide direct services or assistance to residents on tribal lands, then a current authorizing resolution of the governing body of the tribal entity or other enactment of the tribal council or comparable governing body authorizing the inclusion of the tribe or tribal organization and its membership must be included with the application. In those instances when an organization or consortium of tribes proposes to apply for a grant on behalf of a tribe or multiple specific tribes, the application must include a resolution from all tribes that will be included as a part of the services/assistance provided under the grant. A consortium of tribes for which existing consortium bylaws allow action without support from all tribes in the consortium (i.e., without authorizing resolution or other enactment of each tribal governing body) may submit a copy of its consortium bylaws with the application in order to satisfy this requirement.
Renewal grant applications under the Grants for Transportation of Veterans in Highly Rural Areas program must be submitted to www.grants.gov by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on [30 days after publication]. In the interest of fairness to all competing applicants, this deadline is firm as to date and hour and with the single exception described above regarding unforeseen technical problems beyond the control of the applicant with the grants.gov Web site, VA will treat as ineligible for consideration any application that is received after the deadline. Applicants should take this into account and make early submission of their materials to avoid any risk of loss of eligibility brought about by unanticipated delays, computer service outages (in the case of grants.gov), or other delivery-related problems.
For technical assistance with submitting the application, contact the grants.gov customer support hotline at 1-800-518-4726 or via email to support@grants.gov. The grants.gov support hotline hours of operation are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except Federal holidays. For assistance with any other requirement of this solicitation, contact Darren Wallace, National Program Coordinator for Grants for Transportation of Veterans in Highly Rural Areas, at (404) 828-5380 (this is not a toll-free number) or by email to Sylvester.Wallace2@va.gov.
Additional forms that may be required in connection with an award are available for download on www.grants.gov. Examples of these forms can be viewed at the grants.gov Web site. For successful applicants, receipt of funds will be contingent upon submission of all necessary forms. Please note in particular the following forms: Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirement; Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (Required for any applicant that expends any funds for lobbying activities; this form must be downloaded, completed, and then uploaded); and Standard Assurances (SF 424B) (Required to be submitted to Start Printed Page 33207the VTP Office prior to the receipt of any award funds).
VTP Member Services Office conducts a financial review of applications for potential discretionary awards to evaluate the fiscal integrity and financial capability of applicants; examines proposed costs to determine if the Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative accurately explain project costs; and determines whether costs are reasonable, necessary, and allowable under applicable federal cost principles and agency regulations.
Review and Selection Process: Selection of Renewal Grants for Transportation of Veterans in Highly Rural Areas is very competitive. Listed below are the scoring and selection criteria:
After an applicant is selected for a renewal grant in accordance with 38 CFR 17.705(d) and notified as described above, VA will send renewal grant agreement to be executed by the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Administrative Operations in VA and the grantee. Upon execution of the renewal grant agreement, VA will obligate the approved amount. Recipients will use the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Payment Management System for grant drawdowns. Instructions for submitting requests for payment may be found at www.dpm.psc.gov/​.
The Grant Agreement will be sent through the U.S. Postal Service to the awardee organization as listed on its SF424. Note that any communication between the VTP Office and awardees prior to the issuance of the Notice of Award (NoA) is not authorization to begin performance on the project.
The renewal grant agreement will provide that:
Successful applicants selected for awards must agree to comply with additional applicable legal requirements upon acceptance of an award. (VA strongly encourages applicants to review the information pertaining to these additional requirements prior to submitting a renewal application). As to those additional requirements, we note that while their original grants were subject to additional legal requirements as set forth in 38 CFR parts 43 and 49 those regulatory provisions have since been superseded by the Common Rule governing all Federal Grant Programs. The Common Rule is codified at 2 CFR part 200. Thus, grantees and identified Start Printed Page 33208subrecipients awarded renewal grants under the Program must agree as part of their grant agreement to comply with all requirements of the Common Rule, as applicable.
VTP is responsible for program monitoring. All awardees will be required to cooperate in providing the necessary data elements to the VTP. The goal of program monitoring is to ensure program requirements are met; this will be accomplished by tracking performance and identifying quality and compliance problems through early detection. Methods of program monitoring may include: Monitoring the performance of a grantee's or sub-recipient's personnel, procurements, and/or use of grant-funded property; collecting, analyzing data, and assessing program implementation and effectiveness; assessing costs and utilization; and providing technical assistance when needed. Site visit monitoring will include the above-described activities, in addition to the conduct of safety assessments and, if applicable, verification of both current driver's licenses and vehicle insurance coverage.
Awardees must comply with the audit requirements of Office of Management and Budget Uniform Guidance 2 CFR part 200 subpart F. Information on the scope, frequency and other aspects of the audits can be found on at www.federalregister.gov/​a/​2013-30465.
It is expected that reports regarding subawards will be made through the FFATA Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) found at www.fsrs.gov. The FFATA Subaward Reporting System is the reporting tool Federal prime awardees (i.e. prime contractors and prime grants recipients) use to capture and report subaward and executive compensation data regarding their first-tier subawards to meet the FFATA reporting requirements. Prime contract awardees will report against sub-contracts awarded and prime grant awardees will report against sub-grants awarded. Prime Contractors awarded a Federal contract or order that is subject to Federal Acquisition Regulation clause 52.204-10 (Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards) are required to file a FFATA subaward report by the end of the month following the month in which the prime contractor awards any subcontract greater than $25,000.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Gina S. Farrisee, Deputy Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs, approved this document on July 11, 2017, for publication.
[FR Doc. 2017-15167 Filed 7-18-17; 8:45 am]