[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 107 (Wednesday, June 4, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32302-32304]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-13005]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Discretionary Grant Program

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department 
of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice of Class Deviation from Competition Requirements for the 
Maternal and Child Health Bureau's (MCHB) Family-to-Family Health 
Information Centers (F2F HIC) Program (H84).

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SUMMARY: HRSA will be issuing non-competitive awards under the F2F HIC 
program. Approximately $5 million will be made available in the form of 
a grant to current grantees (see below) covering the period of 6/1/
2014-5/31/2015. This will provide for an extension of the program, as 
provided for in Section 1203 of the Pathway for SGR Reform Act of 2013 
(Pub. L. 113-67) and Section 207 of the Protecting Access to Medicare 
Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-93) with the least disruption to the states, 
communities, and constituencies that currently receive assistance and 
services from these grantees.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Intended Recipients of the Awards: The 51 incumbent grantees of 
record (listed below).
    Amount of the Non-Competitive Awards: Up to $95,700 per grantee.
    CFDA Number: 93.504.
    Period of Supplemental Funding: 6/1/2014-5/31/2015.
    Authority: Section 501(c)(1) of the Social Security Act, as 
amended.
    Justification: The F2F HIC program provides grants to family-run/
staffed organizations to ensure families of children with special 
health care needs have access to adequate information about health and 
community resources to facilitate informed and shared decision-making 
around their children's

[[Page 32303]]

health care. F2F HICs were originally authorized under the Budget 
Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-171). Congress specified 
that there be a family-run/staffed center in each state and the 
District of Columbia that, among other tasks, assists families of 
children with special health care needs to make informed choices about 
health care in order to promote good treatment decisions, cost 
effectiveness, and improved health outcomes; and provides information 
and educational opportunities for families, their health professionals, 
schools, and other appropriate entities. The earlier law was later 
amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Pub. 
L. 111-148), which made funding available until fiscal year (FY) 2012. 
Section 624 of the American Taxpayers Relief Act of 2013 (Pub. L. 112-
240) extended the F2F HICs through fiscal year (FY) 2013 with the F2F 
HIC program scheduled to end on May 31, 2014. As the F2F HIC project 
period quickly approached and continued funding was not provided in the 
President's Budget of FY 2014, the MCHB prepared for closeout of the 
program.
    On December 26, 2013, Section 1203 of the Pathway for SGR Reform 
Act of 2013 (SGR Reform Act) (Pub. L. 113-67) extended the F2F HICs 
with $2.5 million for a portion of FY 2014. Additionally, on April 1, 
2014, Section 207 of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 
(Access to Medicare) (Pub. L. 113-93) extended this program with $2.5 
million for the remainder of FY 2014 and $2.5 million for a portion of 
FY 2015.
    Under typical circumstances, the project period for the grantees 
would end on May 31, 2014, and a robust competitive process would take 
place. However, taking into account the timing of congressional action 
on SGR Reform within the current fiscal year, MCHB would not have 
sufficient time to conduct a robust competition and appropriately enact 
the legislation. MCHB proposes to extend the project periods of these 
grants by 12 months to properly respond to direction of the F2F HIC 
program's extension, enacted in the SGR Reform Act and the Access to 
Medicare Act. This will provide sufficient fiscal resources to continue 
programmatic activities as outlined in program authorization with the 
least disruption to the states, communities, and MCHB constituencies 
that currently receive assistance and services from these grantees. 
Delaying the competition until FY 2015 ensures continuity of funding 
for all eligible entities, with no eligible entity being adversely 
impacted by the extension.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LaQuanta Smalley, Integrated Services 
Branch, Division of Services for Children with Special Health Needs, 
Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services 
Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 13-61, Rockville, MD 20857; 
(301) 443-2372; [email protected].

                Maternal and Child Health Bureau Selected Grant Programs Extensions With Funding
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                           FY 2014
    Grantee/organization name            Grant No.           State       authorized     Revised project end date
                                                                        funding level
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stone Soup Group.................  H84MC12893             AK                  $95,700  31-May-2015
Family Voices of Alabama Inc.....  H84MC12901             AL                   95,700  31-May-2015
Arkansas Disability Coalition....  H84MC12900             AR                   95,700  31-May-2015
Raising Special Kids.............  H84MC07942             AZ                   95,700  31-May-2015
Support for Families of Children   H84MC07943             CA                   95,700  31-May-2015
 w/Disabilities.
Colorado Nonprofit Development     H84MC15142             CO                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Center.
PATH Parent to Parent/Family       H84MC21663             CT                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Voices of CT.
Advocates for Justice and          H84MC21661             DC                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Education, Inc.
Delaware Family Voices, Inc......  H84MC21662             DE                   95,700  31-May-2015
Family Network on Disabilities of  H84MC21660             FL                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Florida, Inc.
Parent to Parent of Georgia, Inc.  H84MC07947             GA                   95,700  31-May-2015
Hawaii Pediatric Association       H84MC07999             HI                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Research & Education Foundation.
ASK Resource Center..............  H84MC24065             IA                   95,700  31-May-2015
Idaho Parents Unlimited Inc......  H84MC12896             ID                   95,700  31-May-2015
The Arc of Illinois..............  H84MC06873             IL                   95,700  31-May-2015
Family Voices Indiana............  H84MC21659             IN                   95,700  31-May-2015
Families Together, Inc...........  H84MC09487             KS                   95,700  31-May-2015
Commission for CSHCN.............  H84MC12897             KY                   95,700  31-May-2015
Bayou Land Families Helping        H84MC08043             LA                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Families.
Federation for Children with       H84MC08005             MA                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Special Needs.
The Parent's Place of Maryland...  H84MC07946             MD                   95,700  31-May-2015
Maine Parent Federation..........  H84MC00003             ME                   95,700  31-May-2015
Michigan Public Health Institute.  H84MC26214             MI                   95,700  31-May-2015
PACER Center, Inc................  H84MC00005             MN                   95,700  31-May-2015
Curators, University of Missouri.  H84MC09484             MO                   95,700  31-May-2015
University of Southern             H84MC07948             MS                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Mississippi.
Parent's Let's Unite for Kids....  H84MC09367             MT                   95,700  31-May-2015
Exceptional Children's Assistance  H84MC08000             NC                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Center.
Family Voices of North Dakota,     H84MC07992             ND                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Inc.
PTI Nebraska.....................  H84MC08009             NE                   95,700  31-May-2015
NH Coalition for Citizens w/       H84MC09488             NH                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Disabilities.
Statewide Parent Advocacy Network  H84MC07997             NJ                   95,700  31-May-2015
 of NJ.
Parents Reaching Out to Help.....  H84MC08007             NM                   95,700  31-May-2015
Family TIES of Nevada, Inc.......  H84MC08001             NV                   95,700  31-May-2015
Parent to Parent of NYS..........  H84MC08006             NY                   95,700  31-May-2015
Family Voices of Ohio............  H84MC12903             OH                   95,700  31-May-2015
The Oklahoma Family Network, Inc.  H84MC09368             OK                   95,700  31-May-2015
Oregon Health and Science          H84MC21658             OR                   95,700  31-May-2015
 University.
Parent Education & Advocacy        H84MC07998             PA                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Leadership Center.
Rhode Island Parent Information    H84MC08002             RI                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Network, Inc.

[[Page 32304]]

 
Family Connection of South         H84MC12895             SC                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Carolina, Inc.
South Dakota Parent Connection,    H84MC07994             SD                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Inc.
Tennessee Disability Coalition...  H84MC00004             TN                   95,700  31-May-2015
Texas Parent to Parent...........  H84MC07993             TX                   95,700  31-May-2015
Utah Parent Center...............  H84MC07996             UT                   95,700  31-May-2015
Virginia Commonwealth University.  H84MC09486             VA                   95,700  31-May-2015
Vermont Family Network...........  H84MC21657             VT                   95,700  31-May-2015
Washington PAVE..................  H84MC09369             WA                   95,700  31-May-2015
Family Voices of Wisconsin, Inc..  H84MC21690             WI                   95,700  31-May-2015
West Virginia Parent Training and  H84MC12898             WV                   95,700  31-May-2015
 Information, Inc..
University of Wyoming............  H84MC24069             WY                   95,700  31-May-2015
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    Dated: May 29, 2014.
Mary K. Wakefield,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2014-13005 Filed 6-3-14; 8:45 am]
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