[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 152 (Wednesday, August 9, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 53898]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-17053]



[[Page 53898]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living


Announcing the Intent To Award a Single-Source Supplement To 
Continue Operating the Centers for Independent Living (CILs) Training 
and Technical Assistance (T&TA) Center

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) announces the 
intent to award a single-source supplemental to the current grant held 
by Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) for technical 
assistance (TA) to Centers for Independent Living (CILs). The 
administrative supplement for FY 2023 will be for $1,103,545, which 
will be the total award for FY 2023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information or comments 
regarding this program supplement, contact Peter Nye, U.S. Department 
of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, 
Administration on Disabilities, Office of Independent Living Programs; 
telephone (202) 795-7606; email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ACL is required by statute (section 721) to 
annually set aside 1.8-2% of program funds to provide TA to CILs. For 
more than 30 years, ILRU continues to receive ACL funding for TA as 
they are the only national TA center that provides TA to CILs in every 
state and territory, in both rural and urban areas. In partnership with 
the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), the Association of 
Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL), and the University of 
Montana Rural Institute, ILRU's TA center called ``IL-NET'' is 
committed to providing training and technical assistance for CILs to 
enhance their overall efficiency and effectiveness. Their current 
funding from OILP is set to expire September 29, 2023.
    The IL-NET is the only national center for information, training, 
research, and technical assistance in independent living, targeting 
both urban and rural areas. It is a program of TIRR Memorial Hermann, a 
nationally recognized medical rehabilitation facility for persons with 
disabilities. The IL-NET's mission as the T&TA provider for CILs is to 
provide training and technical assistance that supports CILs to (1) 
operate effective organizations; (2) fulfill their role in developing 
state plans for independent living; (3) monitor, review, and evaluate 
the implementation of completed plans; and (4) develop partnerships 
with designated state entities and other agencies to foster effective 
independent living programs.
    Program Name: Centers for Independent Living (CILs) Training and 
Technical Assistance Center.
    Recipient: Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU).
    Period of Performance: The award will be issued for the current 
project period of September 30, 2023 through September 29, 2024.
    Total Award Amount: $1,103,545 in FY 2023.
    Award Type: Grant Supplement.
    Statutory Authority: The statutory authority is contained in the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.
    Basis for Award: ACL is completing a year-long funded evaluation 
project conducted by RTI that determines the efficacy of current TA 
approaches used by the Office of Independent Living Programs. The 
research includes recommendations as to what should be included in 
future statements of work. That project will end late September; the 
findings will inform the scope of work for next year. To that end, the 
goal of the one-year extension supplement is to continue to meet 
statutory requirements and provide timely, efficient, and responsive 
expertise in training and technical assistance for CILs, while allowing 
ACL to draw from the results of the evaluation research. This continued 
support to the CIL network will ensure there is no lapse in TA support 
and help them to improve their outcomes, operations, and governance. It 
also meets the statutory requirement that 1.8% of Part C funds must be 
set aside for technical assistance. The part C program received an 
increase this year, which informs the increase allocation to ILRU.

    Dated: August 4, 2023.
Richard Nicholls,
Chief of Staff.
[FR Doc. 2023-17053 Filed 8-8-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P