[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 59 (Friday, March 26, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15835-15836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-6351]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

[CMS-2183-N]


Funding Opportunity Title: Medicaid Program; Medicaid 
Infrastructure Grant Program To Support the Competitive Employment of 
People With Disabilities

ACTION: Notice.

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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.768

Important Dates

    Deadline for Letter of Intent To Apply: States are encouraged to 
submit a notice of intent to apply for a grant no later than May 1, 
2004. Submission of your letter of intent is optional and will not 
affect the approval of your application.
    Date of Applicant's Teleconference: States interested in 
participating in a teleconference regarding this grant solicitation 
should check the Ticket to Work Web site listed below for the date and 
time.
    Deadline for Grant Submission: Grant applications must be submitted 
by June 6, 2004 to be considered under the fiscal year 2005 annual 
funding cycle. Facsimile transmissions will not be accepted. 
Applications postmarked after June 6, 2004 will not be considered.
    Funding Opportunity Description: This notice announces the 
availability of funding, through grants, for eligible States under 
section 203 of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act 
of 1999 (TWWIIA). The grant program is designed to assist States in 
developing infrastructure to support the competitive employment of 
people with disabilities by extending

[[Page 15836]]

necessary Medicaid coverage to those individuals. This notice also 
contains pertinent information where States may apply for the grant 
program.
    Award Information: A total of $40 million has been appropriated by 
the legislation for the Medicaid infrastructure grant program for 
fiscal year 2005. As stipulated in section 203 of TWWIIA, funds 
appropriated under this section for previous fiscal years that are not 
awarded to States are available for award in 2005.
    We expect to award approximately 46 grants. This includes both new 
and continuation grants. Award amounts will be between $500,000 and 
$2.0 million. Criteria for evaluating applications for funding will be 
listed in the grant solicitation (Web site address listed below).

Eligibility Information

    Eligible Applicants: As authorized in section 203 of the TWWIIA 
legislation, entities eligible to apply are: States (or an 
instrumentality of the State as determined by State law), the District 
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, and 
the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands.
    Cost Sharing or Matching: Not applicable.

Application and Submission Information

    Address To Obtain Application Package: Standard application forms 
and related instructions are available from the following Web site: 
http://forms.psc.gov/forms/ACFFSF/acffsf.html or from Nicole 
Nicholson, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of 
Operations Management, Acquisition and Grants Group, C2-21-15 Central 
Building, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850, (410) 786-
5158, e-mail: [email protected]. Applications must be formally 
submitted to Nicole Nicholson.
    Please note: Applicants are only required to submit an original 
application and two copies.
    Web site: You may access up-to-date information about the Medicaid 
infrastructure grants and obtain information from the full grant 
solicitation grant at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/twwiia.
    Content and Form of Application Submission: This information is 
included in the grant solicitation referenced in the above Web site 
address.
    Submission Dates: Applications are due June 6, 2004.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications for these grants are not 
subject to review under Executive Order 12372--Intergovernmental Review 
by Federal Agencies (45 CFR part 100).
    Funding Restrictions: Not applicable.
    Other Submission Requirements: Not applicable.

Application Review Information

    Criteria: Specific criteria can be found in Appendix Three of the 
solicitation mentioned in the above-referenced Web site.
    Review Selection Process: A panel of experts will conduct an 
objective review of all applications. The panelists will assess each 
application based on the review criteria to determine the merits of the 
proposal and the extent to which the State evidences the capacity to 
implement the Medicaid Infrastructure Grant. We reserve a limited right 
to ensure adequate reasonable geographic and other representation among 
States receiving grants. However, we will not exercise this right if 
there is a major qualitative difference between high-ranked 
applications and any application that would remedy a geographical 
imbalance. CMS will make final award decisions based on consideration 
of the comments and recommendations of the review panelists and 
availability of funds.
    Anticipated Announcement Award Date: October 29, 2004.

Award Administration Information

    Award Notice: Successful applicants will receive an award letter, 
notice of grant award, a profile sheet outlining the award amount, 
project officer and grant officer information, and grant terms and 
conditions.
    Administrative and National Policy Requirements: Solicitation 
requirements can be found in the general solicitation referenced in the 
Web site mentioned above.
    Reporting: Grantees are to submit three quarterly progress reports 
describing success in completing project goals and objectives and an 
annual report outlining yearly accomplishments. Reports are to be 
submitted to the grants officer electronically.

Agency Contacts

    Questions about the grants may be directed to: Joe Razes, TWWIIA 
Program Manager, Disabled and Elderly Health Programs Group, Center for 
Medicaid and State Operations, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services, Room S2-14-26, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244-
1850, (410) 786-6126, fax: 410-786-9004, e-mail: [email protected].
    Questions regarding the solicitation process may be directed to: 
Nicole Nicholson, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of 
Operations Management, Acquisition and Grants Group, C2-21-15 Central 
Building, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850, (410) 786-
5158, fax: 410-786-9088, e-mail: [email protected].
    Application Receipt: CMS will not automatically notify applicants 
of the receipt of their application. Please contact Nicole Nicholson at 
[email protected] to confirm receipt.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is the fifth such notice 
announcing the availability of funds for Medicaid infrastructure grants 
authorized by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act. A 
total of 40 States currently have been awarded Medicaid infrastructure 
grants under the Ticket to Work Medicaid Infrastructure Grant Program, 
which provides Federal grant funding for 11 years through 2011. This 
notice is consistent with the four previous notices in soliciting 
States to apply for grants that will expand services and supports for 
workers with disabling conditions. States that wish to apply for these 
grants and desire further detailed information, such as application 
requirements, review procedures, an explanation of a timely submission, 
necessary forms, and other relevant information, should refer to the 
above-listed websites.

Approval of Collection of Information

    This notice does not impose any new information collection and 
record keeping requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act 
(PRA). Consequently, it does not need to be reviewed by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) under the authority of PRA. The information 
collection requirements associated with applying for a grant are 
approved under OMB approval number 0938-0811.

    Dated: March 5, 2004.
Dennis G. Smith,
Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[FR Doc. 04-6351 Filed 3-25-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P