[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 67 (Friday, April 9, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18538-18541]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-07292]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living


Availability of Program Application Instructions for the 
Protection and Advocacy Systems Network To Expand COVID-19 Vaccine 
Access for People With Disabilities

    Title: Expanding Disabilities Network's (Protection and Advocacy 
Systems) Access to COVID-19 Vaccines.
    Announcement Type: Initial.
    Statutory Authority: Subtitle C of the Developmental Disabilities 
Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (DD Act).
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 93.630.

DATES: The deadline date for the submission of the Expanding 
Disabilities Network's (Protection and Advocacy Systems) Access to 
COVID-19 Vaccines is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time April 23, 2021.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    The Administration for Community Living (ACL) announced a new 
funding opportunity to increase vaccine access for people with 
disabilities. With funding and partnership support from the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ACL is providing grants to 
disability networks to provide critical services to help communities 
combat COVID-19. A leading priority of this joint effort is to ensure 
vaccines are equally accessible to the disability population. 
Approximately 61 million adults living with in the US have a 
disability, representing approximately 26 percent of the adult 
population. People with disabilities may have an increased risk for 
contracting COVID-19 based on where they live or the services they 
receive. Some people with disabilities live in group settings, which 
places them at higher risk for acquiring COVID-19 in comparison to 
people without disabilities. People with disabilities may also require 
close contact with direct service providers, including personal care 
attendants or other care providers, who help with activities of daily 
living. Moreover, many people with disabilities have underlying health 
conditions (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, and obesity) that increases 
the risk of severe illness due to COVID-19. In addition, research also 
found that people with Down Syndrome are significantly more likely to 
be hospitalized from COVID-19 than the general population.

[[Page 18539]]

    There are increasing reports of barriers of unequal access in 
communities to vaccinate people with disabilities. For example, some 
people with disabilities may experience difficulties scheduling 
appointments, communicating, obtaining accessible transportation or 
require direct support services to attend vaccination appointments. 
Others living in the community may be isolated or unable to leave their 
home and may require in-home vaccination.
    This funding opportunity is designed to breakdown those barriers to 
expand vaccine access in communities. Examples of activities consistent 
with the purpose of this funding are the following:
     Education about the importance of receiving a vaccine;
     Identifying people unable to independently travel to a 
vaccination site;
     Helping with scheduling a vaccine appointment;
     Arranging or providing accessible transportation;
     Providing companion/personal support;
     Reminding people of the second vaccination appointment if 
needed; and/or
     Providing technical assistance to local health departments 
or other entities on vaccine accessibility.
    Awards authorized under Subtitle C of the DD Act to the Protection 
and Advocacy Systems (P&As) shall be provided funding under this 
opportunity. Award recipients will be required to submit annual 
progress reports in the form of a written summary on the activities 
conducted, challenges, successes, and lessons learned. In addition, to 
show impact of the grant awards, the grantee will include the number of 
people served or impacted by the services provided, against each of the 
activities chosen to be implemented. To be eligible to receive this 
grant, the grantee must submit a Letter of Assurance to ACL containing 
all the assurances required, (see below, ``Section III. Eligibility 
Criteria and Other Requirements'' and ``Section IV. Submission 
Information''). P&As that do not complete assurance requirements below, 
or otherwise indicate no desire to receive funds will be excluded from 
receiving funds.
    ACL may establish ad hoc dates based on the need of the COVID-19 
response, e.g., to meet unanticipated issues related to COVID-19 and/or 
to allow impacted eligible applicants that missed the cut-off date to 
submit an application for consideration. ACL intends to issue initial 
notices of award as applications are received prior to the application 
due date to address urgent COVID-19 response needs. Second notices of 
award are planned after the actual number of applicants is finalized.

II. Award Information

1. Funding Instrument Type

    These awards will be made in the form of formula grants to P&As.

2. Anticipated Total Funding per Budget Period

    Under this program announcement, ACL intends to make grant awards 
to each State, Territory, the District of Columbia, and the Native 
American Consortium. Awards made under this announcement have an 
estimated start date of April 1, 2021 and an estimated end date of 
December 31, 2022, for a 20- month budget and performance period.
    The total available funding for this opportunity is $4,000,000. 
Funding will be distributed based on the state/territory population. 
There are no cost-sharing nor match requirements.
    Below are the projected award amounts:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Projected
                      Jurisdiction                            amount
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama.................................................         $50,203
Alaska..................................................          39,713
Arizona.................................................          74,525
Arkansas................................................          39,713
California..............................................         404,556
Colorado................................................          58,963
Connecticut.............................................          39,713
Delaware................................................          39,713
District of Columbia....................................          39,713
Florida.................................................         219,907
Georgia.................................................         108,710
Hawaii..................................................          39,713
Idaho...................................................          39,713
Illinois................................................         129,744
Indiana.................................................          68,930
Iowa....................................................          39,713
Kansas..................................................          39,713
Kentucky................................................          45,744
Louisiana...............................................          47,598
Maine...................................................          39,713
Maryland................................................          61,901
Massachusetts...........................................          70,571
Michigan................................................         102,254
Minnesota...............................................          57,743
Mississippi.............................................          39,713
Missouri................................................          62,840
Montana.................................................          39,713
Nebraska................................................          39,713
Nevada..................................................          39,713
New Hampshire...........................................          39,713
New Jersey..............................................          90,943
New Mexico..............................................          39,713
New York................................................         199,181
North Carolina..........................................         107,386
North Dakota............................................          39,713
Ohio....................................................         119,683
Oklahoma................................................          40,515
Oregon..................................................          43,185
Pennsylvania............................................         131,077
Rhode Island............................................          39,713
South Carolina..........................................          52,717
South Dakota............................................          39,713
Tennessee...............................................          69,923
Texas...................................................         296,883
Utah....................................................          39,713
Vermont.................................................          39,713
Virginia................................................          87,394
Washington..............................................          77,967
West Virginia...........................................          39,713
Wisconsin...............................................          59,615
Wyoming.................................................          39,713
American Samoa..........................................          21,246
Guam....................................................          21,246
Northern Marianas.......................................          21,246
Puerto Rico.............................................          39,713
Virgin Islands..........................................          21,246
Native American.........................................          21,246
                                                         ---------------
  Total.................................................       4,000,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. Eligibility Criteria and Other Requirements

1. Eligible Entities

    The eligible entity for these awards is the agency designated as a 
P&A per the DD Act.

2. Other Requirements

A. Letter of Assurance
    A Letter of Assurance is required to be submitted by the eligible 
entity in order to receive an award. The Letter of Assurance must 
include the following:
    1. Assurance that the award recipient is the agency or entity 
designated as P&A per the DD Act.
    2. Assurance that funds will supplement and not supplant existing 
P&A funding.
    3. Assurance that funds will be spent in ways consistent with the 
purpose of the funding in carrying out one or more of the following 
activities:
     Education about the importance of receiving a vaccine;
     Identifying people unable to independently travel to a 
site;
     Helping with scheduling a vaccine appointment;
     Arranging or providing accessible transportation;
     Providing companion/personal support;
     Reminding people of their second vaccination appointment 
if needed; and/or,
     Providing technical assistance to local health departments 
or other entities on vaccine accessibility.
    4. Assurance that the award recipient will do outreach to Aging and 
Disability Resource Centers, Centers for Independent Living, State 
Councils on Developmental Disabilities, and University Centers for 
Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education,

[[Page 18540]]

Research, and Service to maximize state coordination wherever possible.
    5. Assurance to provide semi-annual federal financial reports 
annual program reports that describes activities conducted, challenges, 
successes, and lessons learned. The written summary will also include 
number of people served or impacted by the services provided.
B. DUNS Number
    All grant applicants must obtain and keep current a D-U-N-S number 
from Dun and Bradstreet. It is a nine-digit identification number, 
which provides unique identifiers of single business entities. The D-U-
N-S number can be obtained from: https://iupdate.dnb.com/iUpdate/viewiUpdateHome.htm.
C. Intergovernmental Review
    Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs, is not applicable to these grant applications.

IV. Submission Information

1. Letter of Assurance

    To receive funding, eligible entities must provide a Letter of 
Assurance containing all the information outlined in Section III above.
    Letters of Assurance should be addressed to: Alison Barkoff, Acting 
Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging, Administration for 
Community Living, 330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201.
    Letters of Assurance should be submitted electronically via email 
to your ACL program officer. The following table identifies the 
designated program officer for each P&A:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
               P&A                  Program officer      Email address
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama.........................  Elizabeth Leef....  [email protected].
Alaska..........................  Rebecca Ellison...  [email protected].
American Samoa..................  Elizabeth Leef....  [email protected].
Arizona.........................  Larissa Crossen...  [email protected].
Arkansas........................  Wilma Roberts.....  [email protected].
California......................  Dana Fink.........  [email protected].
Colorado........................  Wilma Roberts.....  [email protected].
Connecticut.....................  Melvenia Wright...  [email protected].
Delaware........................  Larissa Crossen...  [email protected].
District of Columbia............  Larissa Crossen...  [email protected].
Florida.........................  Elizabeth Leef....  [email protected].
Georgia.........................  Rebecca Ellison...  [email protected].
Guam............................  Elizabeth Leef....  [email protected].
Hawaii..........................  Larissa Crossen...  [email protected].
Idaho...........................  Rebecca Ellison...  [email protected].
Illinois........................  Katherine Cargill-  Katherine.Cargill-
                                   Willis.             [email protected]
                                                       v.
Indiana.........................  Katherine Cargill-  Katherine.Cargill-
                                   Willis.             [email protected]
                                                       v.
Iowa............................  Dana Fink.........  [email protected].
Kansas..........................  Dana Fink.........  [email protected].
Kentucky........................  Rebecca Ellison...  [email protected].
Louisiana.......................  Elizabeth Leef....  [email protected].
Maine...........................  Wilma Roberts.....  [email protected].
Maryland........................  Wilma Roberts.....  [email protected].
Massachusetts...................  Wilma Roberts.....  [email protected].
Michigan........................  Katherine Cargill-  Katherine.Cargill-
                                   Willis.             [email protected]
                                                       v.
Minnesota.......................  Dana Fink.........  [email protected].
Mississippi.....................  Elizabeth Leef....  [email protected].
Missouri........................  Katherine Cargill-  Katherine.Cargill-
                                   Willis.             [email protected]
                                                       v.
Montana.........................  Larissa Crossen...  [email protected].
Native American.................  Wilma Roberts.....  [email protected].
Nebraska........................  Dana Fink.........  [email protected].
Nevada..........................  Larissa Crossen...  [email protected].
New Hampshire...................  Melvenia Wright...  [email protected].
New Jersey......................  Melvenia Wright...  [email protected].
New Mexico......................  Elizabeth Leef....  [email protected].
New York........................  Melvenia Wright...  [email protected].
North Carolina..................  Rebecca Ellison...  [email protected].
North Dakota....................  Katherine Cargill-  Katherine.Cargill-
                                   Willis.             [email protected]
                                                       v.
Northern Marianas...............  Elizabeth Leef....  [email protected].
Ohio............................  Dana Fink.........  [email protected].
Oklahoma........................  Elizabeth Leef....  [email protected].
Oregon..........................  Rebecca Ellison...  [email protected].
Pennsylvania....................  Wilma Roberts.....  [email protected].
Puerto Rico.....................  Melvenia Wright...  [email protected].
Rhode Island....................  Wilma Roberts.....  [email protected].
South Carolina..................  Larissa Crossen...  [email protected].
South Dakota....................  Katherine Cargill-  Katherine.Cargill-
                                   Willis.             [email protected]
                                                       v.
Tennessee.......................  Dana Fink.........  [email protected].
Texas...........................  Elizabeth Leef....  [email protected].
Utah............................  Wilma Roberts.....  [email protected].
Vermont.........................  Wilma Roberts.....  [email protected].
Virgin Islands..................  Melvenia Wright...  [email protected].
Virginia........................  Katherine Cargill-  Katherine.Cargill-
                                   Willis.             [email protected]
                                                       v.
Washington......................  Melvenia Wright...  [email protected].
West Virginia...................  Rebecca Ellison...  [email protected].
Wisconsin.......................  Melvenia Wright...  [email protected].

[[Page 18541]]

 
Wyoming.........................  Katherine Cargill-  Katherine.Cargill-
                                   Willis.             [email protected]
                                                       v.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Submission Dates and Times

    To receive consideration, Letters of Assurance must be submitted by 
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 23, 2021. Letters of Assurance should 
be submitted electronically via email and have an electronic time stamp 
indicating the date/time submitted.

VII. Agency Contacts

1. Programmatic Issues

    Direct programmatic inquiries to your program officer listed above 
or Ophelia McLain at [email protected].

2. Submission Issues

    Direct inquiries regarding submission of the Letters of Assurance 
to the appropriate ACL Program Officer found in the table in ``Section 
IV. Submission Information.''

    Dated: April 5, 2021.
Alison Barkoff,
Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 2021-07292 Filed 4-8-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P