[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 203 (Thursday, October 21, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56775-56777]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-27440]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No: 84.265A]


State Vocational Rehabilitation Unit In-Service Training; Notice 
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2000

    Purpose of Program: This program is designed to support projects 
for training State vocational rehabilitation agency personnel in 
program areas essential to the effective management of the agency's 
program of vocational rehabilitation services or in skill areas that 
will enable personnel to improve their ability to provide vocational 
rehabilitation services leading to employment outcomes for individuals 
with disabilities.
    Eligible Applicants: Only State agencies designated under a State 
plan for vocational rehabilitation services under section 101(a) of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, are eligible to receive an 
award under this program.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: December 17, 1999.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: February 15, 2000.
    Applications Available: Applications will be mailed to the 
Directors of the

[[Page 56776]]

State agencies of vocational rehabilitation on or about October 25, 
1999. Extra copies of applications will be available on or about 
October 25, 1999.
    Available Funds: The Administration has requested $41,629,000 for 
the Rehabilitation Services Administration training program, of which 
$6,244,350 would be used for the State Vocational Rehabilitation Unit 
In-Service Training program in FY 2000. Of the $6,244,350, 
approximately $4,995,480 would be available for basic awards to State 
agencies and $1,248,870 would be available for funding projects under 
the absolute priorities in this notice. The actual level of funding, if 
any, depends on final congressional action. A listing, by State agency, 
of basic award funds available is as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            Basic award
                          State                                funds
                                                             available
------------------------------------------------------------------------
AL......................................................        $102,375
AK......................................................          20,748
AZ......................................................          73,532
AR......................................................          95,075
AR (Blind)..............................................          20,748
CA......................................................         339,351
CO......................................................          39,882
CT......................................................          26,528
CT (Blind)..............................................          20,748
DE......................................................          20,748
DE (Blind)..............................................          20,748
FL......................................................         191,040
FL (Blind)..............................................          36,143
GA......................................................         175,729
HI......................................................          20,748
ID......................................................          23,146
ID (Blind)..............................................          20,748
IL......................................................         150,981
IN......................................................          62,315
IA......................................................          49,318
IA (Blind)..............................................          20,748
KS......................................................          46,113
KY......................................................          82,612
KY (Blind)..............................................          20,748
LA......................................................         101,307
ME......................................................          21,721
ME (Blind)..............................................          20,748
MD......................................................          87,953
MA......................................................          94,185
MA (Blind)..............................................          21,187
MI......................................................          95,253
MI (Blind)..............................................          20,748
MN......................................................          66,054
MN (Blind)..............................................          20,748
MS......................................................          92,226
MO......................................................          62,137
MO (Blind)..............................................          20,748
MT......................................................          20,748
NE......................................................          33,116
NE (Blind)..............................................          20,748
NV......................................................          20,748
NH......................................................          20,748
NJ......................................................          58,576
NJ (Blind)..............................................          20,748
NM......................................................          27,953
NM (Blind)..............................................          20,748
NY......................................................         149,912
NY (Blind)..............................................          32,582
NC......................................................         169,141
NC (Blind)..............................................          47,716
ND......................................................          20,748
OH......................................................          36,143
OK......................................................          74,956
OR......................................................          40,060
OR (Blind)..............................................          20,748
PA......................................................         171,100
PA (Blind)..............................................          20,748
RI......................................................          20,748
SC......................................................         164,334
SC (Blind)..............................................          20,748
SD......................................................          20,748
SD (Blind)..............................................          20,748
TN......................................................          99,704
TX......................................................         258,875
TX (Blind)..............................................          89,734
UT......................................................          39,348
VT......................................................          20,748
VT (Blind)..............................................          20,748
VA......................................................          87,597
VA (Blind)..............................................          20,748
WA......................................................          58,754
WA (Blind)..............................................          20,748
WV......................................................          97,390
WI......................................................          70,327
WY......................................................          20,748
DC......................................................          24,392
PR......................................................         301,427
AS......................................................          20,748
NOM.....................................................          20,748
GU......................................................          20,748
VI......................................................          20,748
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Range of Awards: Basic Awards: $20,748-$339,351; Quality 
Awards: $5,000-$80,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: Basic Awards: $63,234; Quality 
Awards: $30,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: Basic Awards: 79; Quality Awards: 40.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 
82, and 85; and (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR parts 
385 and 388.
    Statutory Requirements: Under section 302(g)(3)(A) of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by the Rehabilitation Act 
Amendments of 1998, only projects that meet the following requirements 
will be funded: Projects that provide for in-service training of 
rehabilitation personnel, consistent with the needs identified through 
the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development required by section 
101(a)(7) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, including projects 
designed (i) to address recruitment and retention of qualified 
rehabilitation professionals; (ii) to provide succession planning; 
(iii) to provide for leadership development and capacity building; and 
(iv) for fiscal years 1999 and 2000, to provide training regarding the 
Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the amendments to the 
Rehabilitation Act made by the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998.
    Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and 34 CFR 388.22, the 
Secretary reserves a portion of the funds to support some or all of the 
proposals that have been awarded a rating of 80 points or more under 
the criteria described in 34 CFR 388.20. In making a final selection of 
proposals to support under this program, the Secretary considers the 
extent to which proposals have exceeded a rating of 80 points and gives 
an absolute preference to applications that meet one or more of the 
following priorities. The Secretary funds under the quality portion of 
this program only applications that meet one or more of these absolute 
priorities:

Absolute Priority 1--Development and Dissemination of Model In-
Service Training Materials and Practices

    The proposed project demonstrates an effective plan to develop and 
disseminate information on its State Vocational Rehabilitation In-
Service Training program, including the identification of training 
approaches and successful practices, in order to permit the replication 
of these programs by other State vocational rehabilitation units.

Absolute Priority 2--Distance Education

    The proposed project demonstrates innovative strategies for 
training State vocational rehabilitation unit personnel through 
distance education methods, such as interactive audio, video, computer 
technologies, or existing telecommunications networks.

Absolute Priority 3--Enhanced Employment Outcomes for Specific 
Populations

    The proposed project supports specialized training in the provision 
of vocational rehabilitation or related services to individuals with 
disabilities to increase the rehabilitation rate into competitive 
employment for all individuals or specified target groups.
    Selection Criteria: In evaluating an application for a new grant 
under this competition, the Secretary uses selection criteria chosen 
from the general selection criteria in 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and from 
the regulations for this program in 34 CFR 388.20. The selection 
criteria to be used for this competition will be provided in the 
application package for this competition.

[[Page 56777]]

    For Applications Contact: Applications will be mailed to the 
Director of the State agency of vocational rehabilitation. Additional 
copies of the application may be obtained from the Education 
Publications Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. 
Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use 
a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll 
free): 1-877-576-7734. You may also contact ED Pubs via its Web site 
(http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html) or its E-mail address 
([email protected]). If you request an application from ED Pubs, be 
sure to identify this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.265A.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternate format by contacting the Grants and Contracts 
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
room 3317, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: 
(202) 205-9817. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf 
(TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8339. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an 
alternate format the standard forms included in the application 
package.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Beverly Steburg, U.S. Department 
of Education, Region IV, 61 Forsyth Street, SW., Suite 18T91, Atlanta, 
Georgia 30303. Telephone: (404) 562-6336. If you use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding 
paragraph.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the 
following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use the PDF you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with 
Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you 
have questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing 
Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC, 
area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of a 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 on GPO Access at:

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html

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

    Dated: October 15, 1999.
Judith E. Heumann,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education
and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 99-27440 Filed 10-20-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P