[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 42 (Friday, March 1, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8046-8048]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-4826]



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[[Page 8047]]



DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Environment, Safety and Health; Notice of Availability 
of Funds and Request for Applications To Support Medical Surveillance 
for Former Department of Energy Workers

AGENCY: Office of Environment, Safety and Health, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Funds and Request for Applications.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environment, Safety 
and Health (EH) announces the availability of funds to evaluate former 
workers whose employment at departmental facilities may have placed 
their long-term health at significant risk. This Request for 
Applications is a follow on to a more general, annual notice of 
potential availability of grants and cooperative agreements for 
epidemiology and other health studies published in the Federal Register 
(60 FR 50562) on September 29, 1995.

DATES: Applications submitted in response to this announcement must be 
received by May 15, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for further information and 
application forms may be directed to Dr. John Peeters, Office of 
Occupational Medicine and Medical Surveillance (EH-61), U.S. Department 
of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, Maryland 20874-1290; 
Telephone: (301) 903-5902; facsimile: (301) 903-5072. Applications may 
be submitted to Dr. Peeters at the address listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

I. Purpose
II. Project Description
III. Applications
IV. Proposal Format
V. Evaluation Criteria
VI. DOE's Role
VII. Applicants

I. Purpose

    Section 3162 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 1993 (Public Law 102-484) directs the Secretary of Energy, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to 
develop a program of medical evaluation for current and former DOE 
workers at significant risk for health problems due to exposures to 
hazardous or radioactive substances during employment.
    Approximately five medical surveillance projects will be funded 
through cooperative agreements to identify, and, where appropriate, 
notify and medically screen groups of former workers who are 
potentially at significant risk for health problems due to work-related 
exposures. Because medical surveillance for former workers is a highly 
complex process, DOE is proposing to fund at this time cooperative 
agreements for a limited number of projects as described below.
    Experience with these projects will help DOE to evaluate options 
for a more comprehensive medical surveillance program for former 
workers and to determine how such a program can be effectively 
integrated with other ongoing site activities.

II. Project Description

    DOE intends to award approximately five cooperative agreements with 
specific goals. The goals of the projects are to:
      Identify groups of workers at significant risk for 
occupational diseases.
      Notify members of these risk groups.
      Offer these workers medical screening that can lead to 
medical interventions.
    Each cooperative agreement will potentially have two phases. Phase 
I will be a needs assessment. Phase II will be the implementation of 
medical screening.
    There will be approximately five awards totalling about $2.5 
million for phase I. Phase I will take approximately 12 months. Phase 
II could continue up to 4 years, renewable annually. The award 
continuation for phase II, if made, will be based on the results from 
phase I, the availability of funds, and negotiation of the costs for 
phase II. Only those who participate in phase I will be eligible to 
participate in phase II.

Phase I

    During phase I, the applicants will conduct a comprehensive needs 
assessment. The needs assessment will include a review of existing 
site-specific information and other means to initially identify the 
most significant radiation and nonradiation exposures. During phase I, 
investigators will:
    1. Identify existing information relevant to exposure and health 
outcomes among former workers;
    2. Utilize this information to identify or develop viable methods 
for contacting these former workers;
    3. Provide an initial determination of the most significant worker 
hazards, problems and concerns for each site;
    4. Identify approaches for conducting the project in partnership 
with unions, site management, operating contractors, community 
representatives, and State and local health officials; and
    5. Attend semiannual DOE-coordinated meetings of investigators to 
share information on ongoing needs assessments.
    During phase I, investigators will develop a detailed plan and 
proposed budget for phase II focusing on the groups of workers at 
significant risk for health effects. This plan for phase II is expected 
at least 60 days prior to the conclusion of phase I. Phase I will 
conclude with delivery of the needs assessment to DOE.

Phase II

    DOE will determine the need for phase II activities and will 
support these efforts through continuation awards to phase I 
participants for new budget periods. Where phase II plans are approved 
by DOE, the investigators will:
    1. Identify and locate those former workers who based on their 
actual or probable exposure history are ``at risk'';
    2. Ascertain the health concerns of former workers identified in 
task 1 related to their past DOE employment;
    3. Communicate risk information to former workers regarding the 
nature of their health risk and discuss the actions that could be 
taken;
    4. Provide medical screening to targeted former worker populations 
based on exposure history and the availability of acceptable screening 
tests;
    5. Assist in the coordination of referrals, diagnostic workup, and 
followup treatment, including the coordination with workman's 
compensation and other existing insurance and benefits programs;
    6. Ensure dialogue with local parties concerned with the project;
    7. Evaluate former workers satisfaction with the project; and
    8. Attend semiannual DOE-coordinated meetings of investigators to 
share information on ongoing screening programs.

Potential Sites

    Applicants for the cooperative agreements will propose individual 
(or alternative groups of) DOE sites for study and justify the factors 
in site(s) selection. Such factors should consider:
    1. The presence of existing worker and community health programs;
    2. Availability of information on former workers and their 
exposures;
    3. The levels and types of exposures;
    4. The number of former workers and access to them;
    5. The concerns of workers about specific past exposures;
    6. The concerns of DOE site managers and operating contractors 
about specific past exposures; and
    7. The concerns of both national and local unions about past 
exposures. 

[[Page 8048]]


III. Applications

    This Notice of Availability is issued pursuant to DOE regulations 
contained in 10 CFR Part 602: Epidemiology and Other Health Studies 
Financial Assistance Program, as published in the Federal Register on 
January 31, 1995 (60 FR 5841). The Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance number for 10 CFR part 602 is 81.108, and its solicitation 
control number is EOHSFAP 10 CFR part 602. 10 CFR 602 contains the 
specific requirements for applications, evaluation, and selection 
criteria. Only those applications following these specific criteria and 
forms will be considered. Application forms may be obtained at the 
address cited above. Applications will be peer reviewed by evaluators 
apart from DOE employees and contractors as described under section 10 
CFR 602.9(c), and submission of an application constitutes agreement 
that this is acceptable to the investigator(s) and the submitting 
institution.

IV. Proposal Format

    The proposal shall contain two sections, technical and cost. 
Technical proposals shall be no more than fifty (50) pages in length; 
resumes of proposed key personnel should be submitted as an appendix to 
the technical proposal and will not be counted against the page limit. 
Cost proposals shall have no page limit. Because each project will be 
conducted in two phases, and the scope of phase II is dependent on the 
results of phase I, the technical description for phase II may be less 
specific than that for phase I, but must clearly demonstrate a 
capability to conduct phase II. It is left to the proposer to determine 
how best to structure the proposal. However, the following information 
shall be included:
    a. Proposals shall include a detailed project description that 
discusses the specific tasks to be performed under the proposed 
project. At a minimum, the tasks listed under section II above must be 
described. The project description must include clear statements of 
what is not known and what is uncertain, as well as statements of what 
is known. The project description must describe how independent, 
external peer review of the results of the project will be conducted. 
The project description must demonstrate that the offeror has the 
ability to integrate their work with the activities of other 
organizations conducting medical surveillance activities.
    b. Proposals must demonstrate the competency of research personnel 
and the adequacy of resources. Proposals must demonstrate that the 
offeror is perceived as neutral and credible, and is capable of 
conducting scientifically valid and responsible medical surveillance 
projects.
    Proposals must demonstrate that the offeror has the experience and 
capability to plan, organize, manage, and facilitate worker and union 
participation in planning and execution. Proposals must also 
demonstrate that the offeror has the experience and ability to 
effectively communicate complicated scientific information on potential 
risks and uncertainties, to workers, local and national stakeholders, 
concerned citizens, and decision makers at all levels. Proposals must 
demonstrate that the offeror presently has or is capable of obtaining 
staff with the training, expertise, and experience needed to conduct 
scientifically complex needs, assessments and medical surveillance 
programs. Proposals must identify the technical and scientific staff 
that will actually conduct the studies and detail their professional 
experience, as well as their level of program involvement. Proposals 
must demonstrate that the offeror has capability, for both financial 
and scientific management, and a demonstrated skill in planning and 
scheduling projects of comparable magnitude to those proposed under 
this Request for Applications.
    c. The cost proposal must include a summary breakdown of all costs, 
and provide a detailed breakdown of costs on a task-by-task basis for 
each task contained in the project description. Any expectation 
concerning cost sharing must be clearly stated. Cost sharing is 
encouraged, but it will not be considered in the selection process.

V. Evaluation Criteria

    DOE will evaluate applications based upon the following criteria in 
10 CFR 602.9(d) that are listed in descending order of importance:
    1. The scientific and technical merit of the proposed research;
    2. The appropriateness of the proposed method or approach;
    3. Competency of research personnel and adequacy of proposed 
resources; and
    4. Reasonableness and appropriateness of the proposed budget.

VI. DOE's Role

    In order for DOE to utilize cooperative agreements for these 
medical surveillance projects, there must be substantial involvement 
between DOE and any awardee(s). DOE established the core tasks for 
these projects and prepared this Federal Register Notice of 
Availability. DOE will conduct the selection and award process, which 
will include evaluations by persons outside the Federal government. DOE 
will evaluate the results of phase I and, where warranted, authorize 
and fund phase II. DOE will facilitate awardee access to the target 
sites and exposure records. DOE will establish requirements and 
controls for data collection and handling. DOE will consult with 
project investigators and coordinate semiannual meetings. DOE will 
interact with an independent advisory group that will provide advice to 
DOE and to project investigators.
    Finally, DOE will monitor and evaluate the results of the projects, 
including the participant's level of satisfaction, to determine how 
these pilots could be expanded to other groups of former workers both 
at the project sites and at other DOE sites. In addition to helping 
former workers, information gained from these projects will contribute 
to DOE's ongoing efforts to improve health and safety programs for 
current workers.

VII. Applicants

    Applicants for the cooperative agreements could include domestic 
nonprofit and for profit organizations, universities, medical centers, 
research institutions, other public and private organizations, 
including State and local governments, labor unions and other employee 
representative groups, and small, minority and/or women-owned 
businesses. Consortiums of interested organizations are encouraged to 
apply. Awardees for each project will work cooperatively with former 
workers, DOE site officials, DOE operating contractors, labor 
organizations, health officials, and designated community 
representatives.

    Issued in Washington, D.C., on February 23, 1996.
Paul J. Seligman,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Studies.
[FR Doc. 96-4826 Filed 2-29-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P