[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 2, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18556-18557]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-07327]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living


National Legal Resource Center

SUMMARY: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is announcing 
the application deadline and a single case deviation from maximum 
competition for the National Legal Assistance and Support grants under 
Section 420(a)(1) of the Older Americans Act (OAA) that constitute the 
National Legal Resource Center (NLRC). The NLRC program provides 
resource support to a national system of legal assistance and elder 
rights programs to improve the quality, cost effectiveness, and 
accessibility of legal assistance and elder rights protections provided 
to older people. The purpose of this deviation is to award a 4th year 
non-competing continuation to the NLRC project grantees with a three 
(3) year budget period set to expire May 31, 2014 so that: (1) 
Stakeholder input can be obtained on the resource support needs of 
legal and aging/disability service providers across the country; and 
(2) the current work under the NLRC can be better directed to support 
and advance ACL activities anticipated in FY15 in the area of elder 
rights and elder abuse prevention.
    Program Name: National Legal Assistance and Support--National Legal 
Resource Center.
    Award Amount: $655,462 ($143,347 to $185,693 per grantee).
    Project Period: 6/1/2011 to 5/31/2015.
    Award Type: Cooperative Agreement.

    Statutory Authority:  Title IV, Sections 420(a)(1) and 
420(a)(2), of the OAA (42 U.S.C. 3032), as amended by the OAA 
Amendments of 2006, Public Law 109-365.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 93.048 
Discretionary Projects

[[Page 18557]]


DATES: 
     Application Submission deadline: May 5, 2014.
     The anticipated budget period start date is June 1, 2014.

I. Program Description

    The NLRC serves as a centralized national legal assistance support 
system for professionals and advocates working in legal services and 
aging/disability services networks. The NLRC provides a wide range of 
resource support to enhance the ability of States, area agencies on 
aging, and legal providers to deliver high quality/high impact legal 
assistance to older persons in the most social or economic need. Prior 
to the creation of the NLRC in 2008, the existing legal assistance 
support system was comprised of four (4) independent legal resource 
centers operating within a decentralized and fragmented legal 
assistance support system. It was determined that the decentralized 
support system presented various barriers to providing effective 
resource support to aging/disability and legal networks. Overcoming 
these barriers necessitated the creation of a more focused and unified 
resource support delivery structure. The current centralized 
configuration of the NLRC presents significant advantages in subject 
matter coverage and overall provider accessibility over the previous 
decentralized model.

II. Justification for the Exception to Competition

    Since 2008, NLRC partners have maximized funding by collaborating 
in reaching target audiences and providing training, case consultation, 
and resource materials on a wide range of legal issues. Through 
collaborations, interlocking work plans, and the leveraging of 
organizational resources, NLRC partners have achieved national resource 
support coverage in an increasingly challenging service delivery 
environment. Those challenges will continue to intensify as priority 
legal issues such as ACA implementation; housing accessibility, income 
maintenance, elder abuse/financial abuse prevention; advance 
directives/person centered planning; and supported decision making 
alternatives to guardianship continue to demand comprehensive and 
accessible national legal resource support.
    At this stage in the NLRC's programmatic evolution it is important 
to assess the NLRC's effectiveness in meeting these increasing 
challenges. To this end, ACL will accomplish two goals this year: (1) 
Obtain stakeholder input on the resource support needs of legal and 
aging/disability service providers and the ability to meet those needs 
in the current NLRC configuration; and (2) establish how best to 
incorporate the current work under the NLRC with the intensified ACL 
activities anticipated in FY 15 in elder rights and elder abuse 
prevention.

III. Eligible Applicants

    Incumbent NLRC grantees with award expiration dates of 5/31/14.

IV. Evaluation Criteria

    Information previously provided in semi-annual reports, as well as 
information in the non-competing extension application will be 
considered to determine satisfactory progress of the grantee project 
and ensure that proposed activities are within the approved scope and 
budget of the grant. Areas that will be evaluated include:

A. Project Relevance & Current Need
B. Approach
C. Budget
D. Project Impact
E. Organizational Capacity

V. Application and Submission Requirements

    A. SF 424--Application for Federal Assistance
    B. SF 424A--Budget Information
    C. Separate Budget Narrative/Justification
    D. SF 424B--Assurances. Note: Be sure to complete this form 
according to instructions and have it signed and dated by the 
authorized representative (see item 18d of the SF 424).
    E. Lobbying Certification
    F. Program narrative--no more than 10 pages.
    G. Work Plan
    H. Incumbent grantees will be required to access the non-competing 
application kit in GrantSolutions.gov to submit all materials for this 
application.

VI. Application Review Information

    Applications will be objectively reviewed by Federal staff 
utilizing the criteria listed above in Section III.

VII. Agency Contact

    For further information or comments regarding this program 
expansion supplement, contact Omar Valverde, U.S. Department of Health 
and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, Administration 
on Aging, Office of Elder Rights, One Massachusetts Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20001; telephone (202) 357-3514; fax (202) 357-3549; 
email [email protected].

    Dated: March 27, 2014.
Kathy Greenlee,
Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 2014-07327 Filed 4-1-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P