[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 180 (Wednesday, September 17, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54434-54436]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-23741]



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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.129B]


Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training--
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling; Notice Inviting Applications for 
New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

    Purpose of Program: The Rehabilitation Long-Term Training program 
provides financial assistance for--
    (1) Projects that provide basic or advanced training leading to an 
academic degree in areas of personnel shortages in rehabilitation as 
identified by the Secretary;
    (2) Projects that provide a specified series of courses or program 
of study leading to award of a certificate in areas of personnel 
shortages in rehabilitation as identified by the Secretary; and
    (3) Projects that provide support for medical residents enrolled in 
residency training programs in the specialty of physical medicine and 
rehabilitation.
    For FY 2004, the competition for new awards focuses on projects 
designed to meet the priority in the PRIORITY section of this 
application notice.
    Eligible Applicants: States and public or nonprofit agencies and 
organizations, including Indian tribes and institutions of higher 
education, are eligible for assistance under the Rehabilitation 
Training program.
    Applications Available: September 17, 2003.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: October 31, 2003.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: December 30, 2003.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$42,629,000 for the Rehabilitation Training program for FY 2004, of 
which an estimated $3,600,000 would be allocated for this competition. 
The actual level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional 
action. However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to 
complete the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this 
program.

    Note: This competition is being conducted in FY 2003 for grants 
that will be awarded using FY 2004 funds.

    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $150,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 24.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.
    Page Limit: Part III of the application, the application narrative, 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to 
the equivalent of no more than 50 pages, using the following standards:
    [sbull] A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11,'' on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
    [sbull] Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
    [sbull] Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, 
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part 
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the 
resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must 
include all of the application narrative in Part III.
    We will reject your application if--
    [sbull] You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
    [sbull] You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the 
page limit.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, 86, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR 
parts 385 and 386.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.


    Selection Criteria: In evaluating an application for a new grant 
under this competition, we use the selection criteria in 34 CFR 385.31 
and 386.20. The selection criteria to be used for this competition will 
be provided in the application package for this competition.
    Priority: This competition focuses on projects designed to meet the 
following priority in the notice of final priority for this program, 
published in the Federal Register on January 15, 2003 (68 FR 2166).

Partnership With the State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agency

    This priority supports projects that will increase the knowledge of 
students of the role and responsibilities of the VR counselor and of 
the benefits of counseling in State VR agencies. This priority focuses 
attention on and intends to strengthen the unique role of 
rehabilitation educators and State VR agencies in the preparation of 
qualified VR counselors by increasing or creating ongoing collaboration 
between institutions of higher education and State VR agencies.
    Projects funded under this priority must include within the degree 
program information about and experience in the State VR system. 
Projects must include partnering activities for students with the State 
VR agency including experiential activities, such as formal internships 
or practicum agreements. In addition, experiential activities for 
students with community-based rehabilitation service providers are 
encouraged.
    Projects must include an evaluation of the impact of project 
activities.
    For FY 2004, this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet the priority.
    Performance Measures: The Government Performance and Results Act 
(GPRA) of 1993 directs Federal departments and agencies to improve the 
effectiveness of their programs by engaging in strategic planning, 
setting outcome-related goals for programs, and measuring program 
results against those goals. Program officials must develop performance 
measures for all of their grant programs to assess their performance 
and effectiveness. The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) has 
established a set of indicators to assess the effectiveness of the 
Rehabilitation Training program and will use the following indicator 
for the Rehabilitation Long-Term Training program projects:
    [sbull] The percentage of graduates fulfilling their payback 
requirement through acceptable employment.
    Each grantee must report annually on this indicator using the 
electronic grantee reporting system administered by RSA for this 
purpose.
    Application Procedures:

    Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for 
transmitting applications differ from those in the Education 
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 
75.102). Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the 
Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to 
comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make 
procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy. 
Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined 
that proposed rulemaking is not required.


[[Page 54435]]



Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

    The Department is continuing to expand its pilot project for 
electronic submission of applications to include additional formula 
grant programs and additional discretionary grant competitions. 
Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training--Vocational 
Rehabilitation Counseling, CFDA No. 84.129B, is one of the programs 
included in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under 
Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training--Vocational 
Rehabilitation Counseling, you may submit your application to us in 
either electronic or paper format.
    The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-Application). Users of e-Application will be 
entering data on-line while completing their applications. You may not 
e-mail a soft copy of a grant application to us. If you participate in 
this voluntary pilot project by submitting an application 
electronically, the data you enter on-line will be saved into a 
database. We request your participation in e-Application. We shall 
continue to evaluate its success and solicit suggestions for its 
improvement.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
    [sbull] Your participation is voluntary.
    [sbull] When you enter the e-Application system, you will find 
information about its hours of operation. We strongly recommend that 
you do not wait until the application deadline date to initiate an e-
Application package.
    [sbull] You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit a grant application in electronic format, nor will we penalize 
you if you submit an application in paper format.
    [sbull] You may submit all documents electronically, including the 
Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget 
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary 
assurances and certifications.
    [sbull] Your e-Application must comply with any page limit 
requirements described in this notice.
    [sbull] After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award 
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
    [sbull] Within three working days after submitting your electronic 
application, fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center after following 
these steps:
    1. Print ED 424 from e-Application.
    2. The institution's Authorizing Representative must sign this 
form.
    3. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the 
hard copy signature page of the ED 424.
    4. Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at (202) 
260-1349.
    [sbull] We may request that you give us original signatures on 
other forms at a later date.
    [sbull] Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System 
Unavailability: If you elect to participate in the e-Application pilot 
for Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training--
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling and you are prevented from 
submitting your application on the application deadline date because 
the e-Application system is unavailable, we will grant you an extension 
of one business day in order to transmit your application 
electronically, by mail, or by hand delivery. For us to grant this 
extension--
    1. You must be a registered user of e-Application, and have 
initiated an e-Application for this competition; and
    2. (a) The e-Application system must be unavailable for 60 minutes 
or more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC 
time, on the application deadline date; or
    (b) The e-Application system must be unavailable for any period of 
time during the last hour of operation (that is, for any period of time 
between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time) on the application 
deadline date.
    The Department must acknowledge and confirm these periods of 
unavailability before granting you an extension. To request this 
extension or to confirm the Department's acknowledgement of any system 
unavailability, you may contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere 
in this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or (2) the e-
GRANTS help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
    You may access the electronic grant application for Rehabilitation 
Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training--Vocational Rehabilitation 
Counseling at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    For Applications Contact: 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 at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html.
    Or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.129B.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative 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) 205-8207. 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 
alternative format the standard forms included in the application 
package.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Edward R. Smith, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3318, Switzer Building, 
Washington, DC 20202-2649. Telephone: (202) 205-0136 or via Internet: 
[email protected].
    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 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

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 the following site: 
www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using 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 this 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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.



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


[[Page 54436]]


    Dated: September 12, 2003.
Loretta Petty Chittum,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 03-23741 Filed 9-16-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P