[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 23 (Monday, February 4, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6491-6494]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-1982]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview 
Information; Vocational Rehabilitation Services Projects for American 
Indians With Disabilities; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards 
for Fiscal Year

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.250D.

    DATES:
    Applications Available: February 11, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 5, 2008.
    Eligible Applicants: The governing bodies of Indian tribes (and 
consortia of those governing bodies) located on Federal and State 
reservations.
    Estimated Available Funds: $11,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $350,000-$1,000,000.
    Maximum Award: For applicants that are current grantees under the 
Vocational Rehabilitation Services Projects for American Indians with 
Disabilities program (i.e., applicants that received funding in FY 
2007), the maximum award amount for the first project year is the 
greater of (a) $365,000 or (b) an amount equal to 102.8 percent of the 
applicant's approved budget for the applicant's FY 2007 grant (an 
increase of 2.8 percent). For applicants that are not current grantees 
under the Vocational Rehabilitation Services Projects for American 
Indians with Disabilities program, the maximum award amount for the 
first project year is $360,000.
    In addition, the Secretary may limit any proposed increases in 
funding for project years two through five to the annual estimated 
percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers 
(CPIU). The estimated percentage increase in the CPIU over the prior 
year for project year two (FY 2009) is approximately 3 percent and for 
project years three through five (FY 2010-FY 2012) is approximately 2.3 
percent.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 21-22.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to provide 
vocational rehabilitation (VR) services to American Indians with 
disabilities who reside on or near Federal or State reservations, 
consistent with their individual strengths, resources, priorities, 
concerns, abilities, capabilities, and informed choice, so that they 
may prepare for and engage in gainful employment, including self-
employment, telecommuting, or business ownership.
    Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority 
is from section 121(b)(4) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 
(29 U.S.C. 741).
    Competitive Preference Priority: For FY 2008, this priority is a 
competitive preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award 
up to an additional 10 points to an application, depending on how well 
the application meets this priority.
    This priority is: Continuation of Previously-Funded Tribal Programs
    In making new awards under this program, we give priority 
consideration to applications for the continuation of tribal programs 
that have been funded under this program.
    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 741.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 80, 81, 82, 
84, 85, and 97. (b) The regulations in 34 CFR parts 369 and 371.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $11,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $350,000-$1,000,000.
    Maximum Award: For applicants that are current grantees under the 
Vocational Rehabilitation Services Projects for American Indians with 
Disabilities program (i.e., applicants that received funding in FY 
2007), the maximum award amount for the first project year is the 
greater of (a) $365,000 or (b) an amount equal to 102.8 percent of the 
applicant's approved budget for the applicant's FY 2007 grant (an 
increase of 2.8 percent). For applicants that are not current grantees 
under the Vocational Rehabilitation Services Projects for American 
Indians with Disabilities program, the maximum award amount for the 
first project year is $360,000.
    In addition, the Secretary may limit any proposed increases in 
funding for project years two through five to the annual estimated 
percentage change in the CPIU. The estimated percentage increase in the 
CPIU over the prior year for project year two (FY 2009) is 
approximately 3 percent and for project years three through five (FY 
2010-FY 2012) is approximately 2.3 percent.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 21-22.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: The governing bodies of Indian tribes (and 
consortia of those governing bodies) located on Federal and State 
reservations.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: See 34 CFR 371.40.

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), call, toll free: 1-877-
576-7734.
    You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: [email protected].
    If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to 
identify this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.250D.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille,

[[Page 6492]]

large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the person 
or team listed under Alternative Format in section VIII of this notice.
    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 this competition.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: February 11, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 5, 2008.
    Applications for grants under this competition 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 in 
paper format by mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 6. 
Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under For Further Information Contact in section VII 
in this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the 
application process, the individual's application remains subject to 
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by 
mail or hand delivery.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    To comply with the President's Management Agenda, we are 
participating as a partner in the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site. 
The Vocational Rehabilitation Services Projects for American Indians 
with Disabilities, CFDA Number 84.250D, is included in this project. We 
request your participation in Grants.gov.
    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.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.
    You may access the electronic grant application for Vocational 
Rehabilitation Services Projects for American Indians With Disabilities 
at http://www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable 
application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not 
include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 
84.250, not 84.250D).
    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 date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must 
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application 
if it is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, 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 date and time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date.
     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 submission 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 this competition to ensure that 
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures 
pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf .
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (1) 
registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes 
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2) 
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative 
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. 
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step 
Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your 
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please 
note that the registration process may take five or more business days 
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In 
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual 
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
     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.
     If you submit your application electronically, you must 
submit all documents electronically, including all information you 
typically provide on the following forms: Application for Federal 
Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental 
Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs 
(ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Please note 
that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the Department of Education 
Supplemental Information for SF 424--have replaced the ED 424 
(Application for Federal Education Assistance).
     If you submit your application electronically, you must 
attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a .DOC 
(document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If 
you upload a file type other than the three file types specified in 
this paragraph or submit a password-protected file, we will not review 
that material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not

[[Page 6493]]

receipt by the Department.) The Department then will retrieve your 
application from Grants.gov and send a second notification to you by e-
mail. This second notification indicates that the Department has 
received your application and has assigned your application 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.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting 
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov 
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a 
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed 
under For Further Information Contact in section VII in this notice and 
provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with 
Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will 
accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem 
occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your 
ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after 
a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

    Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply 
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the 
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed 
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before 
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem 
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

    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 84.250D), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-
4260
     or
By mail through a commercial carrier:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Stop 4260, 
Attention: (CFDA Number 84.250D), 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.
    (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.
    (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, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.250D), 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 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix 
letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your 
application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification 
of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this 
notification 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

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are 
from 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and are in the application package. The 
selection criteria may total 100 points, plus the 10 competitive 
preference priority points (see section I. Competitive Preference 
Priority).

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
    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 in this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates 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 directed by the Secretary 
under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary also may require more frequent 
performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements 
on reporting, please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results

[[Page 6494]]

Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has established three performance 
measures for the Vocational Rehabilitation Services Projects for 
American Indians with Disabilities program. The measures are (1) the 
percentage of individuals who leave the program with an employment 
outcome, (2) the percentage of projects that demonstrate an average 
annual cost per employment outcome of no more than $35,000, and (3) the 
percentage of projects that demonstrate an average annual cost per 
participant of no more than $10,000. Each grantee must annually report 
its performance on these measures through the Annual Progress Reporting 
Form for the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS) 
Program.
    In addition, this program is part of the Administration's job 
training and employment common measures initiative. The common measures 
for job training and employment programs targeting adults are--entered 
employment (percentage employed in the first quarter after program 
exit); retention in employment (percentage of those employed in the 
first quarter after exit that were still employed in the second and 
third quarter after program exit); earnings increase (percentage change 
in earnings pre-registration to post-program and first quarter after 
exit to third quarter after exit); and efficiency measure (annual cost 
per employment outcome and per participant). The Department is 
currently working toward implementing these common measures. Each 
grantee will be required to collect and report data for the common 
measures when implemented.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: August Martin, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 5088, Potomac Center Plaza 
(PCP), Washington, DC 20204-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7410.
    If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Alternative Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and 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, PCP, Washington, DC 
20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7363. If you use a TDD, call the FRS, 
toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You can 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: January 30, 2008.
Tracy R. Justesen,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
 [FR Doc. E8-1982 Filed 2-1-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P