[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 175 (Tuesday, September 10, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57433-57445]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-22851]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Refugee Resettlement Program; Final Notice of Availability of 
Formula Allocation Funding for FY 2002 Targeted Assistance Grants for 
Services to Refugees in Local Areas of High Need

AGENCY: Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), ACF, HHS.

ACTION: Final notice of availability of formula allocation funding for 
FY 2002 targeted assistance grants to States for services to refugees 
\1\ in local areas of high need.

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    \1\ Eligibility for targeted assistance includes refugees, 
asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, certain Amerasians from Vietnam 
who are admitted to the U.S. as immigrants, certain Amerasians from 
Vietnam who are U.S. citizens, and victims of a severe form of 
trafficking who receive certification or eligibility letters from 
ORR. (See section II of this notice on ``Authorization,'' and refer 
to 45 CFR 400.43 and the ORR State Letter 01-13 on the 
Trafficking Victims Protection Act dated May 3, 2001.) The term 
``refugee,'' used in this notice for convenience, is intended to 
encompass such additional persons who are eligible to participate in 
refugee program services, including the targeted assistance program.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of funds and award 
procedures for FY 2002 targeted assistance grants for services to 
refugees under the Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP). The purpose of 
these grants is to provide services in localities with large refugee 
populations, high refugee concentrations, and high use of public 
assistance by refugees, and where specific needs exist for 
supplementation of currently available resources.
    The final notice reflects adjustments in final allocations to 
States as a result of additional arrival data. A notice of proposed 
allocations of targeted assistance funds was published for public 
comment in the Federal Register on May 28, 2002 (67 FR 36905).

DATES: The closing date for submission of applications is October 10, 
2002. Refer to the section of this notice entitled Additional 
Information for more information on submitting applications. For more 
information on application procedures, States should contact their ORR 
State Analyst.

[[Page 57434]]


ADDRESSES: Address applications, in duplicate, to: Ms. Gayle Smith, 
Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and 
Families, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW., Washington, DC 20447. In order 
to be considered timely, applications must be received in ORR by 
October 10, 2002.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 93.584.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gayle Smith, Director, Division of 
Refugee Self-Sufficiency, (202) 205-3590, e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Purpose and Scope

    This notice announces the availability of funds for grants for 
targeted assistance for services to refugees in counties where, because 
of factors such as unusually large refugee populations, high refugee 
concentrations, and high use of public assistance by refugees, there 
exists and can be demonstrated a specific need for supplementation of 
resources for services to this population.
    The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has available $49,477,000 
in FY 2002 funds for the targeted assistance program (TAP) as part of 
the FY 2002 appropriation for the Department of Health and Human 
Services (Pub. L. 107-116).
    The Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) will use 
the $49,477,000 in targeted assistance funds as follows:
    [sbull] $44,529,300 will be allocated to States under the 5-year 
population formula, as set forth in this notice.
    [sbull] $4,947,700 (10% of the total) will be used to award 
discretionary grants to States under continuation grant awards.
    The purpose of targeted assistance grants is to provide, through a 
process of local planning and implementation, direct services that 
would result in the economic self-sufficiency and reduced welfare 
dependency of refugees through job placements.
    The requirements of the targeted assistance program are contained 
in section 412(c)(2)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 
which provides that targeted assistance grants shall be made available 
``(i) primarily for the purpose of facilitating refugee employment and 
achievement of self-sufficiency, (ii) in a manner that does not 
supplant other refugee program funds and that assures that not less 
than 95 percent of the amount of the grant award is made available to 
the county or other local entity.''

II. Authorization

    Targeted assistance projects are funded under the authority of: (1) 
Section 412(c)(2) of the (INA), as amended by the Refugee Assistance 
Extension Act of 1986 (Pub. L. 99-605), 8 U.S.C. 1522(c); (2) section 
501(a) of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96-
422), 8 U.S.C. 1522 note, insofar as it incorporates by reference with 
respect to Cuban and Haitian entrants the authorities pertaining to 
assistance for refugees established by section 412(c)(2) of the INA, as 
cited above; (3) section 584(c) of the Foreign Operations, Export 
Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1988, as included 
in the FY 1988 Continuing Resolution (Pub. L. 100-202), insofar as it 
incorporates by reference with respect to certain Amerasians from 
Vietnam the authorities pertaining to assistance for refugees 
established by section 412(c)(2) of the INA, as cited above, including 
certain Amerasians from Vietnam who are U.S. citizens, as provided 
under title II of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related 
Programs Appropriations Acts, 1989 (Pub. L. 100-461), 1990 (Pub. L. 
101-167), and 1991 (Pub. L. 101-513); and (4) section 107(b)(1)(A) of 
the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 
106-386), insofar as it states that a victim of a severe form of 
trafficking shall be eligible for federal and certain State benefits 
and services to the same extent as a refugee.

III. Client and Service Priorities

    Targeted assistance funding must be used to assist refugee families 
to achieve economic independence. To this end, States and counties are 
required to ensure that a coherent family self-sufficiency plan is 
developed for each eligible family that addresses the family's needs 
from time of arrival until attainment of economic independence. (See 45 
CFR 400.79 and 400.156(g).) Each family self-sufficiency plan should 
address a family's needs for both employment-related services and other 
needed social services. The family self-sufficiency plan must include: 
(1) A determination of the income level a family would have to earn to 
exceed its cash grant and move into self-support without suffering a 
monetary penalty; (2) a strategy and timetable for obtaining that level 
of family income through the placement in employment of sufficient 
numbers of employable family members at sufficient wage levels; (3) 
employability plans for every employable member of the family; and (4) 
a plan to address the family's social services needs that may be 
barriers to self-sufficiency. In local jurisdictions that have both 
targeted assistance and refugee social services programs, one family 
self-sufficiency plan may be developed for a family that incorporates 
both targeted assistance and refugee social services.
    Services funded through the targeted assistance program are 
required to focus primarily on those refugees who, either because of 
their protracted use of public assistance or difficulty in securing 
employment, continue to need services beyond the initial years of 
resettlement. However, States may not provide services funded under 
this notice, except for referral and interpreter services, to refugees 
who have been in the United States for more than 60 months (5 years).
    In accordance with 45 CFR 400.314, States are required to provide 
targeted assistance services to refugees in the following order of 
priority, except in certain individual extreme circumstances: (a) 
Refugees who are cash assistance recipients, particularly long-term 
recipients; (b) unemployed refugees who are not receiving cash 
assistance; and (c) employed refugees in need of services to retain 
employment or to attain economic independence.
    In addition to the statutory requirement that TAP funds be used 
``primarily for the purpose of facilitating refugee employment'' 
(section 412(c)(2)(B)(i) of the INA), funds awarded under this program 
are intended to help fulfill the congressional intent that ``employable 
refugees should be placed in jobs as soon as possible after their 
arrival in the United States'' (section 412(a)(1)(B)(i) of the INA). 
Therefore, in accordance with 45 CFR 400.313, targeted assistance funds 
must be used primarily for employability services designed to enable 
refugees to obtain jobs with less than one year's participation in the 
targeted assistance program in order to achieve economic self-
sufficiency as soon as possible. Targeted assistance services may 
continue to be provided after a refugee has entered a job to help the 
refugee retain employment or move to a better job. Targeted assistance 
funds may not be used for long-term training programs such as 
vocational training that last for more than a year or educational 
programs that are not intended to lead to employment within a year.
    In accordance with 45 CFR 400.317, if targeted assistance funds are 
used for the provision of English language training, such training must 
be provided in a concurrent, rather than sequential, time period with 
employment or with other employment-related activities.
    Reflecting section 412(a)(1)(A)(iv) of the INA, States must 
``insure that women have the same opportunities as

[[Page 57435]]

men to participate in training and instruction.'' In addition, in 
accordance with 45 CFR 400.317, services must be provided to the 
maximum extent feasible in a manner that includes the use of bilingual/
bicultural women on service agency staffs to ensure adequate service 
access by refugee women. The Director of ORR also strongly encourages 
the inclusion of refugee women in management and board positions in 
agencies that serve refugees. In order to facilitate refugee self-
support, the Director also encourages States to implement strategies 
which address simultaneously the employment potential of both male and 
female wage earners in a family unit.
    States and counties are expected to make every effort to obtain 
child care services, preferably subsidized child care, in order to 
allow caretaker family members the opportunity to participate in 
employment services or to accept or retain employment. To accomplish 
this, child care may be treated as an employment-related service under 
the targeted assistance program. Refugees who are participating in 
targeted assistance-funded or social services-funded employment 
services or have accepted employment are eligible for child care. 
States and counties are expected to use child care funding from other 
publicly-administered programs as a prior resource and are encouraged 
to work with service providers to ensure mainstream access to other 
publicly funded resources for child care. For an employed refugee, 
targeted assistance-funded child care should be limited to situations 
in which no other publicly funded child care funding is available. In 
these cases, child care services funded by targeted assistance should 
be limited to one year after the refugee becomes employed.
    In accordance with 45 CFR 400.317, targeted assistance services 
must be provided in a manner that is culturally and linguistically 
compatible with a refugee's language and cultural background, to the 
maximum extent feasible. In light of the increasingly diverse 
population of refugees who are resettling in this country, refugee 
service agencies will need to develop practical ways of providing 
culturally and linguistically appropriate services to a changing ethnic 
population. Services funded under this notice must be refugee-specific 
services which are designed specifically to meet refugee needs and are 
in keeping with the rules and objectives of the refugee program. 
Vocational or job-skills training, on-the-job training, or English 
language training, however, need not be refugee-specific.
    We strongly encourage States and counties when contracting for 
targeted assistance services, including employment services, to give 
consideration to the special strengths of mutual assistance 
associations (MAAs), whenever contract bidders are otherwise equally 
qualified, provided that the MAA has the capability to deliver 
services. We also strongly encourage MAAs to ensure that their 
management and board composition reflect the major target populations 
to be served.
    ORR defines MAAs as organizations with the following 
qualifications:
    a. The organization is legally incorporated as a nonprofit 
organization; and
    b. Not less than 51% of the composition of the Board of Directors 
or governing board of the mutual assistance association is comprised of 
refugees or former refugees, including both refugee men and women.
    Finally, in order to provide culturally and linguistically 
compatible services in as cost-efficient a manner as possible in a time 
of limited resources, ORR strongly encourages States and counties to 
promote and give special consideration to the provision of services 
through coalitions of refugee service organizations, such as coalitions 
of MAAs, voluntary resettlement agencies, or a variety of service 
providers. ORR believes it is essential for refugee-serving 
organizations to form close partnerships in the provision of services 
to refugees in order to be able to respond adequately to a changing 
refugee picture. Coalition-building and consolidation of providers is 
particularly important in communities with multiple service providers 
in order to ensure better coordination of services and maximum use of 
funding for services by minimizing the funds used for multiple 
administrative overhead costs.
    The award of funds to States under this notice will be contingent 
upon the completeness of a State's application as described in the 
section entitled Additional Information, below.

IV. Discussion of Comments Received

    Four letters of comment were received by the deadline in response 
to the notice of proposed availability of FY 2002 funds for targeted 
assistance. These comments are summarized below and in each case are 
followed by the Department's response. Two letters of comment were 
received after the published deadline and will not be considered.
    Comment: Three commenters expressed concern that their counties no 
longer qualified for targeted assistance under the formula and 
requested reconsideration.
    Response: In the notice of proposed allocations, we stated that if 
a county does not agree with ORR's population estimate for refugees and 
entrants or wishes to submit data on asylees or victims of a severe 
form of trafficking who have been served by the county, the county must 
submit evidence to ORR by June 27, 2002, in the form of specified data 
elements published in the proposed notice. We also indicated that 
failure to submit the required documentation within the specified time 
frame would result in forfeiture of consideration.
    One of these three commenters submitted data as well as written 
comments in response to the proposed notice . Those data have been 
reviewed and were found to pertain to secondary migrants. As we have 
noted in previous years, we are not able to include secondary migrants 
in the population formula for targeted assistance because secondary 
migration data are not available at the county level.
    States report on secondary migration annually on the ORR-11. This 
reporting is based on the first three digits of the social security 
number (SSN). These digits identify the State in which the SSN was 
issued, which, with a few exceptions, is the State of initial 
resettlement. This information allows ORR to both credit the State of 
in-migration and debit the State of out-migration in developing State 
population estimates. Most States and counties are not able to provide 
county-level secondary migration data. We cannot use secondary 
migration data for one county alone. It would be necessary to collect 
and determine both in-migration and out-migration for approximately 
1,000 counties during the qualification process in order to arrive at 
accurate adjusted county population estimates.
    ORR understands that discontinuance of funding in counties that no 
longer qualify will have an effect on the services in those counties. 
Every three years, the targeted assistance qualification process 
attempts to direct targeted assistance funds to those counties that are 
the most-impacted by recent refugee arrivals. Counties losing targeted 
assistance formula funds may wish to apply for ORR targeted assistance 
discretionary funds through their States at the next available 
opportunity.
    ORR does not plan to consider the eligibility of additional 
counties for targeted assistance formula funds until FY 2005, when ORR 
will again review data on all counties that could

[[Page 57436]]

potentially qualify for targeted assistance based on the published 
criteria.
    Comment: One commenter questioned whether Havana Parolee numbers 
included in the formula are accurate and represent Havana parolees who 
migrate north after a short stay in Florida. The same commenter also 
asked whether asylee numbers are included in the formula.
    Response: For fiscal years 1999-2001, Havana parolee numbers 
included in the formula were derived from actual data. For fiscal years 
1997-1998, INS provided the number of actual Havana parolees. Please 
refer to the response above for the discussion of secondary migration 
as it relates to targeted assistance. In regard to asylees, the 
proposed notice stated that counties that served asylees could submit 
specific data on each asylee served in order to have their population 
estimate adjusted to include those asylees whose asylum was granted 
within the 60-month period ending September 30, 2001. All asylee data 
received by close of business June 27, 2002 were reviewed for 
completeness and complete records were used to adjust arrival data.
    Comment: Another commenter requested a redesignation of a Standard 
Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA) to include one county instead of 
three because new refugee arrivals have been concentrated in one of the 
three SMSA counties, and refugee centers in the other two counties have 
closed previously due to declining new arrivals and time-eligibility 
limitations on services for the residual county populations.
    Response: ORR examined the distribution of arrivals within the 
three-county SMSA and found that the two counties that the commenter 
requested to be dropped from the SMSA had small numbers of arrivals 
during the 5-year period from FY 1997-FY 2001. There is an advantage to 
the State to retain the SMSA as a three-county SMSA, because arrivals 
receive double weight in the qualifying process, while concentration 
receives single weight, and allocations are made on the basis of 
arrivals. The State qualifies for targeted assistance using the SMSA 
population and concentration. The State is able to determine how the 
targeted assistance funds will be used within the SMSA and may 
determine to use the funds in the county with the largest number of 
arrivals, as it does currently. The State should include its proposal 
for use of funds in its targeted assistance application. Refer to the 
section of this notice titled ``BUDGET AND BUDGET JUSTIFICATION, 
CRITERIA 1 APPROACH, for required application content 
regarding the distribution of funds to various counties within an SMSA.
    Comment: A different commenter suggested that ORR's method of 
determining impacted counties was unfair because it used the entire 
county population to determine impact instead of the population of 
impacted cities in which refugees resided within the county.
    Response: Regarding the suggestion that ORR determine eligibility 
for targeted assistance at the municipality level, ORR is required by 
section 412(c)(2)(A) of the INA to make grants to States for assistance 
to counties and similar areas. Therefore, we do not consider cities, 
townships or municipalities as meeting the intent of section 
412(c)(2)(A) of the INA.

V. Eligible Grantees

    Eligible grantees are: 1. those agencies of State governments that 
are responsible for the refugee program under 45 CFR 400.5 in States 
containing counties which qualify for FY 2002 targeted assistance 
awards, and 2. those non-State agencies funded under the Wilson-Fish 
program which administer, in lieu of a State, a statewide refugee 
assistance program containing counties which qualify for FY 2002 
targeted assistance formula funds.
    The Director of ORR will determine the eligibility of counties for 
inclusion in the FY 2002 targeted assistance program on the basis of 
the method described in section VI of this notice.
    The use of targeted assistance funds for services to Cuban and 
Haitian entrants is limited to States which have an approved State plan 
under the Cuban/Haitian Entrant Program (CHEP).
    The State/Wilson-Fish agency will submit a single application on 
behalf of all county governments of the qualified counties in that 
State. Subsequent to the approval of the State/Wilson-Fish agency's 
application by ORR, local targeted assistance plans will be developed 
by the county government or other designated entity and submitted to 
the State/Wilson-Fish agency.
    A State with more than one qualified county is permitted, but not 
required, to determine the allocation amount for each qualified county 
within the State. However, if a State chooses to determine county 
allocations differently from those set forth in the final notice, in 
accordance with 45 CFR 400.319, the FY 2002 allocations proposed by the 
State must be based on the State's population of refugees who arrived 
in the U.S. during the most recent 5-year period. A State may use 
welfare data as an additional factor in the allocation of its targeted 
assistance funds if it so chooses; however, a State may not assign a 
greater weight to welfare data than it has assigned to population data 
in its allocation formula. In addition, if a State chooses to allocate 
its FY 2002 targeted assistance funds in a manner different from the 
formula set forth in the final notice, the FY 2002 allocations and 
methodology proposed by the State must be included in the State's 
application for ORR review and approval.
    Applications submitted in response to the final notice are not 
subject to review by State and area wide clearinghouses under Executive 
Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''

VI. Qualification and Allocation

    For FY 2002, ORR will continue to use the formula that bases 
allocation of targeted assistance funds on the most current five-year 
refugee/entrant arrival data. Targeted assistance services are limited 
to refugees residing in qualified counties who have been in the U.S. 
five years or less. The Director of ORR proposes to determine the 
qualification of counties for targeted assistance once every three 
years, as stated in the FY 1999 notice of proposed availability of 
targeted assistance allocations to States which was published in the 
Federal Register on March 10, 1999 (64 FR 11927). The FY 1999-FY 2001 
three-year project cycle expires 9/30/2002. In preparation for re-
qualifying counties for FY 2002, ORR has reviewed data on all counties 
that could potentially qualify for TAP funds on the basis of the most 
current five-year refugee/entrant \2\ arrival data.

A. Qualifying Counties

    In order to qualify for application for FY 2002 targeted assistance 
funds, a county (or group of adjacent counties with the same Standard 
Metropolitan Statistical Area, or SMSA) will be required to either: (1) 
Rank above a selected cut-off point of jurisdictions for which data 
were reviewed, based on two criteria: (a) The number of refugee/entrant 
arrivals placed in the county during the most recent five-year period 
(FY 1997-FY 2001) and (b) the five-year refugee/entrant arrival 
population as a percent of the county overall population, or (2) have 
received 3,000 or more refugee/entrant arrivals during this same five-
year period.
    In regard to the first qualification criteria, each county will be 
ranked on the basis of its five-year arrival population and its 
concentration of refugees, with a relative weighting of

[[Page 57437]]

two to one respectively, because we believe that large numbers of 
refugee/entrant arrivals into a county create a significant impact, 
regardless of the ratio of refugees to the county general population.
    Each county will then be ranked in terms of the sum of a county's 
rank on refugee arrivals and its rank on concentration. To qualify for 
targeted assistance based on rank, a county will have to rank within 
the top 50 counties. In addition, counties that have received at least 
3,000 arrivals within the most recent five-year period will also 
qualify. The total number of qualifying counties is 53--the original 50 
ranked counties plus three additional counties with at least 3,000 
arrivals within the most recent five-year period. ORR has limited the 
number of qualified counties to 53 in order to cover as many counties 
as possible while still targeting a sufficient level of funding to the 
most impacted counties.
    ORR decided that counties with 3,000 or more arrivals should 
qualify for targeted assistance after analyzing the arrival data and 
discovering that there were three counties which ranked high in arrival 
numbers (37, 28, and 39) but will not qualify for targeted assistance 
based solely on the sum of the ranks formula. ORR concluded that these 
counties which ranked high nationally in refugee population were 
impacted by high numbers of refugee arrivals, and thus should qualify 
for Targeted Assistance.
    ORR has screened data on all counties that have received awards for 
targeted assistance since FY 1983 and on all other counties that could 
potentially qualify for TAP funds based on the criteria proposed in 
this notice. Analysis of these data indicates that: (1) 44 counties 
which have previously received targeted assistance will continue to 
qualify; (2) five counties which have previously received targeted 
assistance will no longer qualify; and (3) nine new counties will be 
qualified.
    Table 1 provides a list of the counties that will remain qualified 
and the new counties that will qualify, the number of refugee/entrant 
arrivals in those counties within the past five years, the percent that 
the five-year arrival population represents of the overall county 
population, and each county's rank, based on the qualification formula 
described above.
    Table 2 lists the counties that have previously received targeted 
assistance which will no longer qualify, the number of refugee/entrant 
arrivals in those counties within the past five years, the percent that 
the five-year arrival population represents of the overall county 
population, and each county's rank, based on the qualification formula.
    The counties listed in this final notice as qualified to apply for 
FY 2002 TAP funding will remain qualified for TAP funding through FY 
2004. ORR does not plan to consider the eligibility of additional 
counties for TAP funding until FY 2005, when ORR will again review data 
on all counties that could potentially qualify for TAP funds based on 
the criteria contained in this final notice. We believe that a more 
frequent redetermination of county qualification for targeted 
assistance will not provide qualifying counties a sufficient period of 
time within a stable funding climate to adequately address the refugee 
impact in their counties, while a less frequent redetermination of 
county qualification will pose the risk of not considering new 
population impacts in a timely manner.

B. Allocation Formula

    Of the funds available for FY 2002 for targeted assistance, 
$44,529,300 will be allocated by formula to States for qualified 
counties based on the initial placements of refugees, Amerasians, 
entrants (including Havana parolees), and Kurdish asylees in these 
counties during the five-year period from FY 1997 through FY 2001 
(October 1, 1996--September 30, 2001). These data are available in the 
ORR refugee data system.
    For fiscal years 1999 through 2001, Havana parolees were derived 
from actual data. For fiscal years 1997-1998, INS provided the number 
of actual Havana parolees. The State of Florida supplied ORR with the 
actual number of these parolees which arrived in Florida. The remaining 
parolees were not identified with any other State of arrival. To 
account for these arrivals, ORR prorated the non-Florida parolee 
numbers to qualifying counties in other States based on the counties' 
proportion of the five-year entrant population in the U.S.

VII. Allocations

    Table 3 lists the final qualifying counties, the number of refugee 
and entrant arrivals in those counties during the five-year period from 
October 1, 1996--September 30, 2001, the number of Havana parolee 
arrivals in those counties for this five-year period, the sum of the 
third, fourth, and fifth columns, and the final amount of each county's 
allocation based on its five-year arrival population.
    Table 4 provides State totals for final targeted assistance 
allocations. Table 5 indicates the areas that each final qualifying 
county represents. Tables 1 through 5 follow:
BILLING CODE 4184-01-P

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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN10SE02.002


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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN10SE02.004

BILLING CODE 4184-01-M

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VIII. Application and Implementation Process

    Under the FY 2002 targeted assistance program, States and Wilson/
Fish agencies may apply for and receive grant awards on behalf of 
qualified counties in the State. A single allocation will be made to 
each State by ORR on the basis of an approved State application. The 
State or Wilson/Fish agency will, in turn, receive, review, and 
determine the acceptability of individual county targeted assistance 
plans.
    Pursuant to 45 CFR 400.210(b), FY 2002 targeted assistance funds 
must be obligated by the State agency no later than one year after the 
end of the Federal fiscal year in which the Department awarded the 
grant. Funds must be liquidated within two years after the end of the 
Federal fiscal year in which the Department awarded the grant. A 
State's final financial report on targeted assistance expenditures must 
be received no later than 90 days after the end of the two-year 
expenditure period. If final reports are not received on time, the 
Department will deobligate any unexpended funds, including any 
unliquidated obligations, on the basis of the State's last filed 
report.
    The requirements regarding the discretionary portion of the 
targeted assistance program will be addressed under separate 
continuation grant awards. Continuation applications for these funds, 
therefore, are not subject to provisions contained in this notice but 
to other requirements which will be published separately.

IX. Required Assurances

    A. Assurance that targeted assistance funds will be used in 
accordance with the requirements in 45 CFR Part 400.
    B. Assurance that targeted assistance funds will be used primarily 
for the provision of services which are designed to enable refugees to 
obtain jobs with less than one year's participation in the targeted 
assistance program. States must indicate what percentage of FY 2002 
targeted assistance formula allocation funds that are used for services 
will be allocated for employment services.
    C. Assurance that targeted assistance funds will not be used to 
offset funding otherwise available to counties or local jurisdictions 
from the State agency in its administration of other programs, e.g. 
social services, cash and medical assistance.

The Project Description Overview

Purpose

    The project description provides a major means by which an 
application is evaluated and ranked to compete with other applications 
for available assistance. The project description should be concise and 
complete and should address the activity for which Federal funds are 
being requested. Supporting documents should be included where they can 
present information clearly and succinctly. In preparing your project 
description, all information requested through each specific evaluation 
criteria should be provided. Awarding offices use this and other 
information in making their funding recommendations. It is important, 
therefore, that this information be included in the application.

General Instructions

    ACF is particularly interested in specific factual information and 
statements of measurable goals in quantitative terms. Project 
descriptions are evaluated on the basis of substance, not length. 
Extensive exhibits are not required. Cross referencing should be used 
rather than repetition. Supporting information concerning activities 
that will not be directly funded by the grant or information that does 
not directly pertain to an integral part of the grant funded activity 
should be placed in an appendix.
    Pages should be numbered and a table of contents should be included 
for easy reference

Approach

    Outline a plan of action which describes the scope and detail of 
how the proposed work will be accomplished. Account for all functions 
or activities identified in the application. Cite factors which might 
accelerate or decelerate the work and state your reason for taking the 
proposed approach rather than others. Describe any unusual features of 
the project such as design or technological innovations, reductions in 
cost or time, or extraordinary social and community involvement.
    Provide quantitative monthly or quarterly projections of the 
accomplishments to be achieved for each function or activity in such 
terms as the number of people to be served and the number of activities 
accomplished. When accomplishments cannot be quantified by activity or 
function, list them in chronological order to show the schedule of 
accomplishments and their target dates.
    If any data is to be collected, maintained, and/or disseminated, 
clearance may be required from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB). This clearance pertains to any ``collection of information that 
is conducted or sponsored by ACF.''
    List organizations, cooperating entities, consultants, or other key 
individuals who will work on the project along with a short description 
of the nature of their effort or contribution.

Additional Information

    Following are requests for additional information that need to be 
included in the application:

Objectives and Need for Assistance

    Clearly identify the physical, economic, social, financial, 
institutional, and/or other problem(s) requiring a solution. The need 
for assistance must be demonstrated and the principal and subordinate 
objectives of the project must be clearly stated; supporting 
documentation, such as letters of support and testimonials from 
concerned interests other than the applicant, may be included. Any 
relevant data based on planning studies should be included or referred 
to in the endnotes/footnotes. Incorporate demographic data and 
participant/beneficiary information, as needed. In developing the 
project description, the applicant may volunteer or be requested to 
provide information on the total range of projects currently being 
conducted and supported (or to be initiated), some of which may be 
outside the scope of the program announcement.

Budget and Budget Justification

Criteria 1: Approach

    [sbull] If administered locally, the name of the local agency 
administering the funds, and the name and telephone number of the 
responsible person.
    [sbull] The amount of funds to be awarded to the targeted county or 
counties. In instances where a State receives targeted assistance 
funding for impacted counties contained in a standard metropolitan 
statistical area (SMSA), the State must indicate in its application the 
proposed allocation plan for the counties contained in the SMSA and the 
rationale for the proposed allocations. In instances in which a State 
receives targeted assistance funding for impacted counties contained in 
an SMSA that includes a county or counties located in a neighboring 
State, the State receiving those funds must provide a description of 
coordination and planning activities undertaken with the State Refugee

[[Page 57444]]

Coordinator of the neighboring State in which the impacted county or 
counties are located. These planning and coordination activities should 
result in a proposed allocation plan for the equitable distribution of 
targeted assistance funds by county based on the distribution of the 
eligible population by county within the SMSA. The proposed allocation 
plan must be included in the State's application to ORR.
    [sbull] Assurance that county targeted assistance plans will 
include:
    1. A description of the local planning process for determining 
targeted assistance priorities and services, taking into consideration 
all other ORR-funded services available to the refugee population, 
including formula social services.
    2. Identification of refugee/entrant populations to be served by 
targeted assistance projects, including approximate numbers of clients 
to be served, and a description of characteristics and needs of 
targeted populations. (As per 45 CFR 400.314)
    3. Description of specific strategies and services to meet the 
needs of targeted populations.
    4. The relationship of targeted assistance services to other 
services available to refugees/entrants in the county including formula 
allocated ORR social services to States/Wilson-Fish agencies.
    5. Analysis of available employment opportunities in the local 
community. Examples of acceptable analyses of employment opportunities 
might include surveys of employers or potential employers of refugee 
clients, surveys of presently effective employment service providers, 
and review of studies on employment opportunities/forecasts which will 
be appropriate to the refugee populations.
    6. Description of the monitoring and oversight responsibilities to 
be carried out by the county or qualifying local jurisdiction.
    7. Assurance that the local administrative budget will not exceed 
15% of the local allocation. Targeted assistance grants are cost-based 
awards. Neither a State nor a county is entitled to a certain amount 
for administrative costs. Rather, administrative cost requests should 
be based on projections of actual needs. All TAP counties will be 
allowed to spend up to 15% of their allocation on TAP administrative 
costs, as need requires. However, States and counties are strongly 
encouraged to limit administrative costs to the extent possible to 
maximize available funding for services to refugees.
    8. For any State that administers the program directly or otherwise 
provides direct service to the refugee/entrant population in a 
qualified county (with the concurrence of the county), the State must 
have the same information contained in a county plan prior to issuing a 
Request for Proposals (RFP) for services. States that administer 
programs directly may spend no more than 5% of their total allocation, 
and up to 10% of the county's allocation, on administrative costs that 
are reasonable, allocable, and necessary.
    9. Assurance that the State will make available to the county or 
designated local entity not less than 95% of the amount of its formula 
allocation for purposes of implementing the activities proposed in its 
plan, except in the case of a State that administers the program 
locally as described in item H above. Allocable costs for State 
contracting and monitoring for targeted assistance, if charged, must be 
charged to the targeted assistance grant and not to general State 
administration.

Criteria 2: Additional Information

    [sbull] A description of the State's plan for conducting fiscal and 
programmatic monitoring and evaluations of the targeted assistance 
program, including frequency of on-site monitoring.

Criteria 3: Objectives and Need for Assistance

    Identify the results and benefits to be derived.
    All applicants will be required to establish proposed targeted 
assistance performance goals for each of the six ORR performance 
outcome measures for each impacted county's proposed service 
contract(s) or sub-grants for the next contracting cycle. Proposed 
performance goals must be included in the application for each 
performance measure. The six ORR performance measures are: entered 
employments, cash assistance reductions due to employment, cash 
assistance terminations due to employment, 90-day employment 
retentions, average wage at placement, and entered employments with 
available health benefits. Targeted assistance program activity and 
progress achieved toward meeting performance outcome goals are to be 
reported quarterly on the ORR-6, the ``Quarterly Performance Report.''
    States that are currently grantees for targeted assistance funds 
should base projected annual outcome goals on past performance. Current 
grantees should have adequate baseline data for all of the six ORR 
performance outcome measures based on a history of targeted assistance 
program experience.
    States identified as new eligible targeted assistance grantees are 
also required to set proposed outcome goals for each of the six ORR 
performance outcome measures. New grantees may use baseline data, as 
available, and current data as reported on the ORR-6 for social 
services program activity to assist them in the goal-setting process.
    New qualifying counties within States that are current grantees are 
also required to set proposed outcome goals for each of the six ORR 
performance outcome measures. New counties may use baseline data, as 
available, and current data as reported on the ORR-6 for social 
services program activity to assist them in the goal-setting process.
    Proposed targeted assistance outcome goals should reflect 
improvement over past performance and strive for continuous improvement 
during the project period from one year to another.
    Final targeted assistance outcome goals are due November 15, 2002, 
in conjunction with the ORR Government Performance and Results Act 
(GPRA) cycle.

Criteria 4: Budget and Budget Justification

    Provide line item detail and detailed calculations for each budget 
object class identified on the Budget Information form.
    Detailed calculations must include estimation methods, quantities, 
unit costs, and other similar quantitative detail sufficient for the 
calculation to be duplicated. The detailed budget must also include a 
breakout by the funding sources identified in Block 15 of the SF-424.
    Provide a narrative budget justification that describes how the 
categorical costs are derived. Discuss the necessity, reasonableness, 
and allocability of the proposed costs. The Office of Refugee 
Resettlement is particularly interested in the following:
    A line item budget and justification for State administrative costs 
limited to a maximum of 5% of the total award to the State. Each total 
budget period funding amount requested must be necessary, reasonable, 
and allocable to the project. States that administer the program 
directly in lieu of the county, through a mutual agreement with the 
qualifying county, States that administer programs directly may spend 
no more than 5% of their total award, and up to 10% of the county's 
allocation, on administrative costs that are reasonable, allocable, and 
necessary.
    Forms may be obtained from the ORR Web site at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr.

[[Page 57445]]

X. Reporting Requirements

    States are required to submit quarterly reports on the outcomes of 
the targeted assistance program, using Schedule A and Schedule C of the 
ORR-6 Quarterly Performance Report (0970-0036).

XI. The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13)

    All information collections within this program notice are approved 
under the following valid OMB control numbers: SF 424 (0348-0043); SF 
424A (0348-0044); SF 424B (0348-0040); Disclosure of Lobbying 
Activities (0348-0046); Uniform Project Description (0970-0139), 
Expiration date 12/31/2003; Financial Status Report (SF-269) (0348-
0039); and ORR Quarterly Performance Report (0970-0036).
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.
    Public reporting burden for this collection of information is 
estimated to average 10 hours per response, including the time for 
reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and 
reviewing the collection of information.

    Dated: August 27, 2002.
Carmel Clay-Thompson,
Deputy Director, Office of Refugee Resettlement.
[FR Doc. 02-22851 Filed 9-9-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-P