Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/03/09/2015-05432/applications-for-new-awards-rehabilitation-services-administration-rehabilitation-short-term
Timestamp: 2017-11-23 17:23:05
Document Index: 528832973

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 75', 'art 180', 'art 3485', 'art 200', 'art 3474', 'arts 385']

Federal Register :: Applications for New Awards; Rehabilitation Services Administration-Rehabilitation Short-Term Training Program
Applications for New Awards; Rehabilitation Services Administration-Rehabilitation Short-Term Training Program
A Notice by the Education Department on 03/09/2015
12465-12470 (6 pages)
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2015-05432 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2015-05432
Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)—
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 22, 2015.
Priority: This notice includes one absolute priority. This priority is from the notice of final priority for this program (NFP), published in the Federal Register on February 15, 2000 (65 FR 7678).
This priority is: Client Assistance Program.
(2) Advocacy training on skills and knowledge needed by CAP staff to assist persons with disabilities to gain access to and to use the services and benefits available under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Act), with particular emphasis on new statutory and regulatory requirements;
Coordinate training efforts with other training supported by RSA, as well as with the training supported by the Center for Mental Health Services and the Administration on Developmental Disabilities on common areas such as protection and advocacy, financial management, and trial advocacy.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA) replaces the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, as amended (WIA). With regard to paragraph (2) of this priority, please note that WIOA amended section 112(a) of the Rehabilitation Act to emphasize CAP's role in informing and advising clients and client applicants on the availability of pre-employment transition services under the State Vocational Rehabilitation Service program (new section 113) and on the limited conditions under which an individual with a disability who is age 24 or younger can be compensated at a wage that is less than the Federal minimum wage (new section 511).
With regard to paragraph (5) of this priority, please note that while WIA has been superseded by the passage of WIOA, a CAP's responsibilities under section 112 have not changed. Thus, applicants should continue to demonstrate how they will provide training on such responsibilities not covered in paragraphs (1) through (4).
In addition, the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, referenced in the priority, is now referred to as the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. The name change was made by amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by WIOA.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, and 99. (b) The OMB 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) 34 CFR parts 385 and 390. (e) The NFP.
In deciding whether to continue funding the Rehabilitation Short-Term Training Program for the fourth and fifth years, the Department, as part of the review of the application narrative and annual performance reports will Start Printed Page 12466consider the degree to which the program demonstrates—
(a) Substantial progress in providing training to CAP personnel on an as-needed basis in the areas of management, advocacy, and systemic advocacy;
(b) Substantial progress in providing training and technical assistance on CAP best practices;
(c) Substantial progress in offering national and regional training seminars each project year; and
(d) Effective coordination with RSA, as well as with training supported by the Center on Mental Health Services and the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities on common areas such as protection and advocacy, financial management, and trial advocacy.
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 Short-Term Training Program. The Secretary may 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).
In addition to the page limit on the application narrative section, you must limit the abstract to the equivalent of no more than two pages. The standards listed above, which also are applicable to the application narrative, apply to the abstract.
You must limit the resumes to only those individuals identified as key personnel, not to exceed a total of five pages. There are no page standards associated with resumes.
We will reject your application if you exceed the page limits, or if you apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the page limits. No optional materials will be accepted.
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 at 2:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on Tuesday, March 19, 2015. The webinar will be recorded. For further information about the pre-application webinar, contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice.
b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the System for Award Management (SAM) (formerly the Central Contractor Registry (CCR)), the Start Printed Page 12467Government's primary registrant database;
Applications for grants under the Rehabilitation Short-Term Training Program, CFDA number 84.246K, 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.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Rehabilitation Short-Term Training Program 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 84.246, not 84.246K).
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 ED-specified identifying number unique to your application).Start Printed Page 12468
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 84.246K) LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260.
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 84.246K) 550 12th Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
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).Start Printed Page 12469
(b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final performance report that provides cumulative performance and financial expenditure 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 following quantitative and qualitative information must be included in the annual performance report:
i. A description of completed formal training activities that occurred during each fiscal year from October 1 to March 31. This includes national or regional training seminars. The series of trainings may be offered in a traditional classroom setting, through distance learning, through day or week-long institutes, at regional trainings throughout the country as an extension of national conferences, and through other delivery methods, as appropriate, to meet the needs of the targeted audience. The information contained in this description should include, but is not limited to, the: Goal of the training; training topic or focus area; duration of training; targeted audience; total number of participants in each training; level of participant experience (i.e., 0-5 years of experience, 5-10 years, 10 or more years); delivery method of training; utilization of existing materials, if any to support the training; utilization of existing materials or development of any new materials, if any, to support the training; and number of participants who successfully completed each training.
ii. A description of projected formal training activities to occur from April 1 to September 30. The information contained in this description should include, as available, the following: Goal of the training; training topic or focus area; duration of training; targeted audience; total number of participants projected to participate in each training; projected level of participant experience (i.e., 0-5 years of experience, 5-10 years, 10 or more years); projected delivery method of training; and projected number of participants who will successfully complete each training. For subsequent reporting years, the grantee will confirm the information contained in the projections.
iii. A description of technical assistance provided during each fiscal year from October 1 to March 31. The technical assistance may be a formal or informal request and is considered a non-training activity. A formal request may necessitate more in-depth involvement and communication. An informal request may be made by telephone or electronic communication and is typically resolved in a short period of time. The description may include, but is not limited to: The estimated number of technical assistance requests submitted formally and informally; the estimated number of formal and informal technical assistance requests that were adequately addressed during the reporting period; a brief summary of the types of formal and informal technical assistance requests received during the reporting period, such as key questions, issues, or topics, and noting, where possible, new and emerging issues and trends or ongoing issues that require further attention and input from RSA, and, as applicable, any technical assistance materials or formal training developed as a result of frequently asked questions or issues; in-depth technical assistance provided over a period of time as a result of complex questions or challenges; and requests for formal and informal technical assistance that were incorporated into a needs assessment or that contributed to an agenda for a national or regional training seminar or conference.
iv. A description of completed dissemination activities that occurred during each fiscal year from October 1 to March 31 and projected dissemination activities to occur from April 1 to September 30. The description may include, but is not limited to, the: Vehicles used to inform CAP staff about formal training; strategies used to inform CAP staff of technical assistance resources available; and steps taken to ensure that all materials developed during the reporting period for formal training, as well as materials that may have been developed to respond to frequently asked questions or other requests for technical assistance, as appropriate, are disseminated to all CAP staff in accessible formats. For subsequent reporting years, the grantee will confirm projections made from the prior year.
v. Other program activities that occurred during each fiscal year from October 1 to March 31 and project program activities to occur from April 1 to September 30. For subsequent reporting years, the grantee will confirm projections made from the prior year.
vii. A description of coordination efforts with RSA staff, as well as coordination efforts with other training supported by RSA and the Center for Mental Health Services and the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
viii. A budget and narrative detailing expenditures covering the period of October 1 through March 31 and projected expenditures from April 1 to September 30. The budget narrative must also verify progress towards meeting the 10 percent match requirement. For subsequent reporting years, the grantee will confirm projections made from the prior year.
ix. Other information, as requested by RSA, in order to verify substantial progress and effectively report on performance measures to Congress and key stakeholders. 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.
4. Performance Measures: The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) directs Federal Start Printed Page 12470departments 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 the Rehabilitation Short-Term Training Program is to upgrade the knowledge and skills of staff currently employed by CAPs, to educate CAP staff on new program developments, and to develop staff skills in strategic and operational planning and direction of CAP services, which will ultimately lead to increased responsiveness of the vocational rehabilitation system in order to better assist individuals with disabilities in obtaining competitive employment. In order to measure the success of the grantee in meeting this goal, the CAP training grantee is required to conduct an evaluation of the training activities provided.
The percentage of CAP personnel with zero to five years of experience who reported increased or enhanced knowledge, skills, or abilities as a result of training;
The percentage of CAP personnel with five to ten years of experience who reported increased or enhanced knowledge, skills, or abilities as a result of training;
The percentage of CAP personnel with ten or more years of experience who reported increased or enhanced knowledge, skills, or abilities as a result of training;
The percentage of CAP personnel who reported that the training provided was of sufficient quality, relevance, and demonstrated usefulness to their work;
The percentage of CAP personnel who reported that the quality of technical assistance, including materials provided, were of sufficient quality, relevance, and demonstrated usefulness to their work; and
The percentage of CAP personnel who reported that the technical assistance received adequately addressed their needs.
[FR Doc. 2015-05432 Filed 3-6-15; 8:45 am]