[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 61 (Thursday, March 31, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16489-16492]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-6393]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services; Overview 
Information; Rehabilitation Continuing Education Programs (RCEP)--
Regional Rehabilitation Continuing Education Projects (RRCEP); Notice 
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.264A and 
B.
    Dates:
    Application Available: March 31, 2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 16, 2005.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 14, 2005.
    Eligible Applicants: States and public or nonprofit agencies and 
organizations, including Indian tribes and institutions of higher 
education.


    Note: We are inviting applications for two competitions--CFDA 
number 84.264A for Department of Education Region V only and CFDA 
number 84.264B for Department of Education Regions I, III, VI, and 
VIII only.


    Estimated Available Funds: $2,551,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $450,000-$551,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Award: $500,000.
    Maximum Level of Awards:
     CFDA number 84.264A: $551,000.
     CFDA number 84.264B: $500,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards:
     CFDA number 84.264A: 1.
     CFDA number 84.264B: 4.


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


    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

[[Page 16490]]

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: To support training centers that serve either a 
Federal region or another geographical area and provide for a broad, 
integrated sequence of training activities that focus on meeting 
recurrent and common training needs of employed rehabilitation 
personnel throughout a multi-State geographical area.
    Priorities: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), these 
priorities are from the regulations for this program (34 CFR 389.10).
    Absolute Priorities: For FY 2005 these priorities are absolute 
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications 
that meet one or more of these priorities.
    These priorities are:

Absolute Priority 1 (CFDA Number 84.264A)

    Projects must--
    (a) Train newly employed State agency staff at the administrative, 
supervisory, professional, subprofessional, or clerical levels in order 
to develop needs skills for effective agency performance; and
    (b) Provide training opportunities for experienced State agency 
personnel at all levels of State agency practice to upgrade their 
skills and to develop mastery of new program developments dealing with 
significant issues, priorities and legislative thrusts of the State/
Federal vocational rehabilitation program.

Absolute Priority 2 (CFDA Number 84.264B)

    Projects must develop and conduct training programs for staff of--
    (a) Private rehabilitation agencies and facilities which cooperate 
with State vocational rehabilitation units in providing vocational 
rehabilitation and other rehabilitation services; and
    (b) Centers for independent living.
    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 772.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 
CFR parts 385 and 389.


    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.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreements.
    Estimated Available Funds: $2,551,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $450,000-$551,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Award: $500,000.
    Maximum Level of Awards:
     CFDA 84.264A: $551,000.
     CFDA 84.264B: $500,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards:
     CFDA number 84.264A: 1.
     CFDA number 84.264B: 4.


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


    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: States and public or nonprofit agencies and 
organizations, including Indian tribes and institutions of higher 
education.


    Note:  We are inviting applications for two competitions--CFDA 
number 84.264A for Department of Education Region V only and CFDA 
number 84.264B for Department of Education Regions I, III, VI, and 
VIII only.


    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: The Secretary has determined that a 
grantee must provide a match of at least 10 percent of the total cost 
of the project (34 CFR 389.40).


    Note: Under 34 CFR 75.562(c), an indirect cost reimbursement on 
a training grant is limited to the recipient's actual indirect 
costs, as determined by its negotiated indirect cost rate agreement, 
or eight percent of a modified total direct cost base, whichever 
amount is less. Indirect costs in excess of the eight percent limit 
may not be charged directly, used to satisfy matching or cost-
sharing requirements, or charged to another Federal award.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address To Request Application Package: 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 your 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 84.264A or CFDA number 
84.264B.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the Grants and Contracts 
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
room 5075, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: 
(202) 245-7363. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf 
(TDD), you may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for these competitions.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) 
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 45 pages, using the following standards:
     A page is 8.5'' by 11'' , on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     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.
     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--
     You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
     You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the 
page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: March 31, 2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 16, 2005.
    Applications for grants under these competitions may be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in 
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates 
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by 
mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission 
Requirements in this notice.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 14, 2005.

[[Page 16491]]

    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 
12372 is in the application package for these competitions.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements. Applications for grants under 
these competitions may be submitted electronically or in paper format 
by mail or hand delivery.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    We have been accepting applications electronically through the 
Department's E-Application system since FY 2000. In order to expand on 
those efforts and comply with the President's Management Agenda, we are 
continuing to participate as a partner in the new governmentwide 
Grants.gov Apply site in FY 2005. Rehabilitation Continuing Education 
Programs (RCEP)--Regional Rehabilitation Continuing Education Projects 
(RRCEP)--CFDA Number 84.264A and CFDA Number 84.264B is one of the 
programs including in this project.
    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). Through this site, you will 
be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it 
offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not e-
mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us. We request your 
participation in Grants.gov.
    You may access the electronic grant application for Rehabilitation 
Continuing Education Programs--Regional Rehabilitation Continuing 
Education Projects at: http://www.grants.gov. You must search for the 
downloadable application package for this program by the CFDA number. 
Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search.
    Please note the following:
     Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are time and date 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted with a 
date/time received by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 p.m., 
Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We will not 
consider your application if it was received by the Grants.gov system 
later than 4:30 p.m. on the application deadline date. When we retrieve 
your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are 
rejecting your application because it was submitted after 4:30 p.m. on 
the application deadline date.
     If you experience technical difficulties on the 
application deadline date and are unable to meet the 4:30 p.m., 
Washington, DC time, deadline, print out your application and follow 
the instructions in this notice for the submission of paper 
applications by mail or hand delivery.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the application process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for these competitions to ensure 
that your application is submitted timely to the Grants.gov system.
     To use Grants.gov, you, as the applicant, must have D-U-N-
S Number and register in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). You 
should allow a minimum of five business days to complete the CCR 
registration.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you submit your application in paper format.
     You may submit all documents electronically, including all 
information typically included on the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 
524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Any narrative 
sections of your application should be attached as files in a .DOC 
(document), .RTF (rich text) or .PDF (Portable Document) format.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page 
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a 
Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your 
application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-
mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying 
number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the 
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the 
original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable 
following address:
    By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.264A 
or CFDA Number 84.264B), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20202-4260.

or

    By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center,--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA 
Number 84.264A or CFDA Number 84.264B), 7100 Old Landover Road, 
Landover, MD 20785-1506.
    Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing 
consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark,
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service,
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier, or
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark, or
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.


    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.


    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you submit your application in paper format by hand delivery, 
you (or a courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of 
your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date, 
to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of 
Education,

[[Page 16492]]

Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.264A or CFDA 
Number, 84.264B), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, 
Sundays, and Federal holidays.
    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail 
or hand deliver your application to the Department:
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the 
Department--in Item 4 of the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (ED 424) the CFDA number--and suffix letter, if any--of the 
competition under which you are submitting your application.
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application 
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant 
application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for these 
competitions are from 34 CFR parts 385 and 389 of the program 
regulations and 34 CFR part 75.210 of EDGAR and are in the application 
package.
    2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors we consider in 
selecting an application for an award are in 34 CFR parts 385 and 
389.30.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If our application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporated your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 
34 CFR 75.118.
    4. 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.
    The goal of the RRCEP is to upgrade the skills of personnel 
currently employed in the public vocational rehabilitation (VR) system, 
centers for independent living, and private rehabilitation agencies and 
facilities (CRPs) that cooperate with State vocational rehabilitation 
units in providing vocational rehabilitation and other rehabilitation 
services and to develop their mastery of new program developments 
dealing with significant issues, priorities, and legislative thrusts of 
the public VR program.
    In order to measure the success of RRCEPs in meeting this goal, 
each RRCEP grantee is required to conduct an evaluation of RRCEP 
training activities. In annual performance reports, RRCEPs are required 
to provide specific information on the number of training activities, 
the topics of each training program, the number of participants served, 
the target groups represented by participants, and summary data from 
participant evaluations. This information allows the RRCEP to measure 
results against the regional needs assessment conducted by the RRCEP 
and against the goal of upgrading the skills of personnel currently 
employed in the public VR system, centers of independent living, or 
CRPs that cooperate with State vocational rehabilitation units in 
providing vocational rehabilitation and other rehabilitation services 
and their mastery of new program developments, priorities, and 
legislative thrusts. The Rehabilitation Services Administration is in 
the process of developing a uniform data collection instrument for 
future use to collect these data directly from the grantee.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Christine Marschall, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5053, Potomac 
Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7429.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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 in this 
section.

VIII. Other Information

    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/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


    Dated: March 28, 2005.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 05-6393 Filed 3-30-05; 8:45 am]
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