[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 93 (Friday, May 14, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27327-27329]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-11616]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research 
(NIDRR)--Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers 
Program--Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTCs)--
Effective Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Service Delivery Practices

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133B-8

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, 
Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed priority.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services proposes a priority for the Disability and 
Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program administered by 
NIDRR. Specifically, this notice proposes a priority for an RRTC on 
Effective Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Service Delivery Practices. 
The Assistant Secretary may use this priority for competitions in 
fiscal year (FY) 2010 and later years. We take this action to focus 
research attention on areas of national need. We intend this priority 
to improve rehabilitation services and outcomes for individuals with 
disabilities.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before June 14, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this notice to Marlene Spencer, 
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 5133, 
Potomac Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2700.
    If you prefer to send your comments by e-mail, use the following 
address: [email protected]. You must include the term ``Proposed 
Priority for a Center on Effective Vocational Rehabilitation Service 
Delivery Practices'' in the subject line of your electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marlene Spencer. Telephone: (202) 245-
7532 or by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice of proposed priority is in 
concert with NIDRR's Final Long-Range Plan for FY 2005-2009 (Plan). The 
Plan, which was published in the Federal Register on February 15, 2006 
(71 FR 8165), can be accessed on the Internet at the following site: 
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/nidrr/policy.html.
    Through the implementation of the Plan, NIDRR seeks to: (1) Improve 
the quality and utility of disability and rehabilitation research; (2) 
foster an exchange of expertise, information, and training to 
facilitate the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the unique 
needs of traditionally underserved populations; (3) determine best 
strategies and programs to improve rehabilitation outcomes for 
underserved populations; (4) identify research gaps; (5) identify 
mechanisms of integrating research and practice; and (6) disseminate 
findings.
    This notice proposes a priority that NIDRR intends to use for RRTC 
competitions in FY 2010 and possibly later years. However, nothing 
precludes NIDRR from publishing additional priorities, if needed. 
Furthermore, NIDRR is under no obligation to make an award for this 
priority. The decision to make an award will be based on the quality of 
applications received and available funding.
    Invitation to Comment: We invite you to submit comments regarding 
this notice. To ensure that your comments have maximum effect in 
developing the notice of final priority, we urge you to identify 
clearly the specific topic that each comment addresses.
    We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific 
requirements of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of 
reducing regulatory burden that might result from this proposed 
priority. Please let us know of any further ways we could reduce 
potential costs or increase potential benefits while preserving the 
effective and efficient administration of the program.
    During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public 
comments about this notice in Room 5133, 550 12th Street, SW., PCP, 
Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Washington, 
DC time, Monday through Friday of each week except Federal holidays.
    Assistance to Individuals with Disabilities in Reviewing the 
Rulemaking Record: On request we will provide an appropriate 
accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability who 
needs assistance to review the comments or other documents in the 
public rulemaking record for this notice. If you want to schedule an 
appointment for this type of accommodation or auxiliary aid, please 
contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Disability and 
Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program is to plan and 
conduct research, demonstration projects, training, and related 
activities, to develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation 
technology that maximize the full inclusion and integration into 
society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic 
and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities, 
especially individuals with the most severe disabilities, and to 
improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Rehabilitation Act) (29 U.S.C. 
701 et seq.).

RRTC Program

    The purpose of the RRTC program is to improve the effectiveness of 
services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act through advanced 
research, training, technical assistance, and dissemination activities 
in general problem areas, as specified by NIDRR. Such activities are 
designed to benefit rehabilitation service providers, individuals with 
disabilities, and the family members or other authorized 
representatives of individuals with disabilities. In addition, NIDRR 
intends to require all RRTC applicants to meet the requirements of the 
General

[[Page 27328]]

Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTC) Requirements 
priority that it published in a notice of final priorities in the 
Federal Register on February 1, 2008 (73 FR 6132). Additional 
information on the RRTC program can be found at: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/res-program.html#RRTC.

Statutory and Regulatory Requirements of RRTCs

    RRTCs must--
     Carry out coordinated advanced programs of rehabilitation 
research;
     Provide training, including graduate, pre-service, and in-
service training, to help rehabilitation personnel more effectively 
provide rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities;
     Provide technical assistance to individuals with 
disabilities, their representatives, providers, and other interested 
parties;
     Disseminate informational materials to individuals with 
disabilities, their representatives, providers, and other interested 
parties; and
     Serve as centers of national excellence in rehabilitation 
research for individuals with disabilities, their representatives, 
providers, and other interested parties.
    Applicants for RRTC grants must also demonstrate in their 
applications how they will address, in whole or in part, the needs of 
individuals with disabilities from minority backgrounds.
    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(b)(2).
    Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 350.
    Proposed Priority:
    This notice contains one proposed priority.

Effective Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Service Delivery Practices

    Background:
    The Rehabilitation Act calls upon the Federal Government to play a 
leadership role in promoting the employment of individuals with 
disabilities, especially individuals with significant disabilities, in 
part by assisting States and service providers in fulfilling the 
aspirations of individuals with disabilities for meaningful and gainful 
employment and independent living (29 U.S.C. 701(b)(2)). Thirty-seven 
years after the Rehabilitation Act was enacted, VR service 
practitioners are providing services to individuals with the most 
significant disabilities largely without the benefit of research 
documenting the effectiveness of their service models or of specific VR 
practices (Pruett, Swett, Chan, Rosenthal, & Lee, 2008).
    According to the Rehabilitation Services Administration's (RSA's) 
most recent data, 56 percent of all individuals who exited the VR 
program after receiving services under an individualized plan for 
employment achieved an employment outcome (RSA's Quarterly Cumulative 
Caseload Report (RSA-113)). In the regulations for the Department's 
State VR program, an employment outcome is defined as entering or 
retaining full-time or, if appropriate, part-time competitive 
employment, as defined in 34 CFR 361.5(b)(11), in the integrated labor 
market, supported employment, or any other type of employment in an 
integrated setting, including self-employment, telecommuting, or 
business ownership, that is consistent with an individual's strengths, 
resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, interests, 
and informed choice (see 34 CFR 361.5(b)(16)).
    However, there is tremendous variation in the employment outcomes 
and the earnings levels among VR customers. More knowledge about what 
accounts for the variation in outcomes among VR subpopulations is 
needed in order to improve employment outcomes, especially for those 
subpopulations with the poorest outcomes. RSA's public access database 
(the RSA-911 Case Service Report) provides detailed information on over 
600,000 VR case closures per year and is a good source of information 
about outcomes among VR customers.
    In addition, while research funded by NIDRR and others has led to 
improved knowledge about employment service systems, rehabilitation 
technology, VR-related translational research, and interventions for 
disability-specific populations, the level of evidence for promising 
practices is not yet compelling, leaving VR professionals with few 
evidence-based practices (Pruett, Swett, Chan, Rosenthal, & Lee, 2008; 
Casper & Carloni, 2007; Dew & Alan, 2005). Research is needed to 
identify promising VR practices and to determine the effectiveness of 
those practices. Research also is needed to develop, evaluate, and 
advance innovative interventions that will improve employment outcomes 
for VR customers.

References

Casper, E.S. & Carloni, C. (2007). Assessing the underutilization of 
supported employment services. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 
30(3), 182-188.
Dew, D.W. & Alan, G.M. (Eds.). (2005). Innovative methods for 
providing VR services to individuals with psychiatric disabilities 
(Institute on Rehabilitation Issues Monograph No. 30). Washington, 
DC: The George Washington University, Center for Rehabilitation 
Counseling Research and Education.
Pruett, S., Swett, E., Chan, F., Rosenthal., D., & Lee, G. (2008). 
Empirical Evidence Supporting the Effectiveness of Vocational 
Rehabilitation. Journal of Rehabilitation, 74(1), 56-63.
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. 29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.
U.S. Department of Education. Rehabilitation Services 
Administration. (2009). Rehabilitation Services Administration's 
Quarterly Cumulative Caseload Report (RSA-113).

    Proposed Priority:
    The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services proposes a priority for a Rehabilitation Research and Training 
Center (RRTC) on Effective Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Service 
Delivery Practices. This RRTC must conduct research that contributes to 
new knowledge of VR service delivery practices that produce high-
quality employment outcomes for VR customers. This RRTC will contribute 
to improved employment outcomes by generating new knowledge about 
effective practices that can be used by State VR agencies in serving 
their customers. This RRTC must focus on the delivery of VR services 
that are authorized in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 
(Rehabilitation Act) (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.). NIDRR will fund this 
research effort as a cooperative agreement in order to ensure close 
interaction between the grantee and staff from NIDRR and the 
Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA).
    Under this priority, the RRTC must contribute to the following 
outcomes:
    (a) Increased knowledge of the variations among State VR agencies 
in achieving quality employment outcomes, including but not limited to 
wages and hours of work, for subpopulations of individuals with 
significant disabilities, as defined in the Rehabilitation Act (29 
U.S.C. 705(21)(A) and (D)), who have lower than average employment 
outcomes rates, wages, and hours of work. The RRTC must contribute to 
this outcome by analyzing relevant RSA datasets that provide 
information on the outcomes of these subpopulations of individuals with 
significant disabilities and by systematically gathering input from VR 
counselors and administrators, RSA staff, VR customers, and community 
rehabilitation programs. This analysis will help to identify promising 
practices by identifying agencies that demonstrate statistically better 
than average employment outcome rates and quality employment outcomes 
for these subpopulations of VR customers. The

[[Page 27329]]

RRTC must complete this work within six months of award of the 
cooperative agreement.
    (b) Improved knowledge of specific VR service delivery practices 
that have strong potential for improving employment outcomes for the 
subpopulations of VR customers identified in paragraph (a) of this 
priority. The RRTC must contribute to this outcome by conducting in-
depth case studies of VR agencies where data demonstrate quality 
employment outcomes that are statistically better than average for the 
subpopulations of VR customers identified in paragraph (a) above 
compared to VR agencies that demonstrate average employment outcomes 
for the same subpopulations. NIDRR and RSA staff must approve the 
topics for the case studies and the agencies that will serve as sites 
for these studies. The applicant must budget to conduct two to three 
in-depth case studies. These case studies must identify the elements of 
the promising practices, the barriers to and facilitators of the 
implementation of the practices, and the outcomes of the practices. The 
RRTC must complete this work by the end of year two of the cooperative 
agreement.
    (c) New knowledge of VR service delivery practices that are 
effective in producing high-quality employment outcomes for VR 
customers, especially those identified in paragraph (a) of this 
priority. The RRTC must contribute to this outcome by conducting 
research that rigorously tests the service delivery practices 
identified in paragraph (b) of this priority. The RRTC must test at 
least one intervention in each of the sites that are the subjects of 
the case studies.
    (d) Enhanced likelihood of adoption of service delivery practices 
that demonstrate effectiveness as described in paragraph (c) of this 
priority. The RRTC must contribute to this outcome by developing 
implementation strategies and tools that will facilitate introduction 
and use of newly identified effective practices in other VR settings.
    In addition, through coordination with the NIDRR Project Officer, 
this RRTC must--
     Collaborate with existing RSA grantees, including Regional 
Technical Assistance and Continuing Education (TACE) Centers, RSA's 
Technical Assistance Network, and RSA's National Technical Assistance 
Coordinator to disseminate new knowledge to key stakeholders; and
     Collaborate with existing NIDRR grantees, including the 
RRTC on VR, the Center on Effective Delivery of Rehabilitation 
Technology by VR Agencies, and the Research and Technical Assistance 
Center on VR Program Management.
    Types of Priorities:
    When inviting applications for a competition using one or more 
priorities, we designate the type of each priority as absolute, 
competitive preference, or invitational through a notice in the Federal 
Register. The effect of each type of priority follows:
    Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority, we consider only 
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
    Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference 
priority, we give competitive preference to an application by (1) 
awarding additional points, depending on the extent to which the 
application meets the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) 
selecting an application that meets the priority over an application of 
comparable merit that does not meet the priority (34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
    Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority, we are 
particularly interested in applications that meet the priority. 
However, we do not give an application that meets the priority a 
preference over other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
    Final Priority:
    We will announce the final priority in a notice in the Federal 
Register. We will determine the final priority after considering 
responses to this notice and other information available to the 
Department. This notice does not preclude us from proposing additional 
priorities, requirements, definitions, or selection criteria, subject 
to meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.

    Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in 
which we choose to use this priority, we invite applications through 
a notice in the Federal Register.

    Executive Order 12866: This notice has been reviewed in accordance 
with Executive Order 12866. Under the terms of the order, we have 
assessed the potential costs and benefits of this proposed regulatory 
action.
    The potential costs associated with this proposed regulatory action 
are those resulting from statutory requirements and those we have 
determined as necessary for administering this program effectively and 
efficiently.
    In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative 
and qualitative--of this proposed regulatory action, we have determined 
that the benefits of the proposed priority justify the costs.
    Discussion of costs and benefits:
    The benefits of the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects 
and Centers Programs have been well established over the years in that 
similar projects have been completed successfully. This proposed 
priority will generate new knowledge through research and development.
    Another benefit of this proposed priority is that the establishment 
of a new RRTC will improve the lives of individuals with disabilities. 
The new RRTC will generate, disseminate, and promote the use of new 
information that will improve the options for individuals with 
disabilities to obtain, retain, and advance in employment through VR 
services.
    Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) on request 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.

    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: May 11, 2010.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2010-11616 Filed 5-13-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P