Applications for New Awards (Fiscal Year 2009): Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)

Federal Register: October 20, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 203)

Notices

Page 62263-62266

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

DOCID:fr20oc08-48

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS);

Overview Information: Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)--

Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program (RCEP)--Regional Technical

Assistance and Continuing Education (TACE) Centers; Notice Inviting

Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.264A.

DATES:

Applications Available: October 20, 2008.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 19, 2008.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: January 20, 2009.

Full Text of Announcement

  1. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Rehabilitation Continuing

    Education Program is to support training centers that serve either a

    Federal region or another geographical area and provide for a broad integrated sequence of training activities that focus on meeting recurrent and common training needs of employed rehabilitation personnel throughout a multi-State geographical area.

    Priority: This priority is from the notice of final priority for this program, published in the Federal Register on June 5, 2008 (73 FR 32010).

    Absolute Priority: For FY 2009, this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet this priority.

    This priority is:

    Regional Technical Assistance and Continuing Education (TACE)

    Centers.

    Note: The full text of this priority is included in the notice of final priority published in the Federal Register on June 5, 2008

    (73 FR 32010) and in the application package.

    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 772.

    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General

    Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR parts 385 and 389. (c) The notice of final priority and definitions, published in the Federal Register on June 5, 2008 (73

    FR 32010).

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants except Federally recognized Indian tribes.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of higher education only.

  2. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.

    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested

    $37,766,000 for the Rehabilitation Training program for FY 2009, of which we intend to use an estimated $1,598,832 for this competition.

    The actual level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action. However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.

    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding the maximum amount for a single budget period of 12 months, as follows:

    Region II: $802,710.

    Region III: $796,122.

    The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative

    Services may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.

    Note: We are accepting applications that propose to serve

    Department of Education Regions II and III at this time.

    Estimated Number of Awards: 2.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

  3. Eligibility Information 1. Eligible Applicants: States and public or nonprofit agencies and organizations, including Indian tribes and institutions of higher education. 2. Cost Sharing or Matching: The Secretary has determined that a grantee must provide a match of at least 10 percent of the total cost of the project (34 CFR 389.40).

    Note: Under 34 CFR 75.562(c), an indirect cost reimbursement on a training grant is limited to the recipient's actual indirect costs, as determined by its negotiated indirect cost rate agreement, or eight percent of a modified total direct cost base, whichever amount is less. Indirect costs in excess of the eight percent limit may not be charged directly, used to satisfy matching or cost- sharing requirements, or charged to another Federal award.

  4. Application and Submission Information 1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications

    Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following address: http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html.

    To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, fax, or call the following:

    Education Publications Center, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398.

    Telephone, toll-free: 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call, toll-free: 1-877- 576-7734.

    You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: www.ed.gov/pubs/ edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.

    If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this program or competition as follows: CFDA number 84.264A.

    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the person or team listed under Alternative Format in section VIII of this notice. 2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you must submit, are in the application package for this competition.

    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit the application narrative (Part III) to the equivalent of no more than 45 pages, using the following standards:

    A page is 8.5'' by 11'', on one side only, with 1'' margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.

    Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.

    Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).

    Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,

    Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font

    (including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.

    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part

    IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, the page limit does apply to all of the application narrative (Part III).

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    We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit or if you apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the page limit. 3. Submission Dates and Times:

    Applications Available: October 20, 2008.

    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 19, 2008.

    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For information (including dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission

    Requirements in this notice.

    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements.

    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the application process, the individual's application remains subject to all other requirements and limitations in this notice.

    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: January 20, 2009. 4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is subject to

    Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.

    Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under

    Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for this competition. 5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice. 6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in this section. a. Electronic Submission of Applications.

    Applications for grants under the Rehabilitation Continuing

    Education Program--Regional Technical Assistance and Continuing

    Education (TACE) Centers, CFDA Number 84.264A, must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at http:/

    /www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.

    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.

    You may access the electronic grant application for Rehabilitation

    Continuing Education Program--Regional Technical Assistance and

    Continuing Education (TACE) Centers at http://www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.264, not 84.264A).

    Please note the following:

    When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site, as well as the hours of operation.

    Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from

    Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.

    The amount of time it can take to upload an application will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.

    You should review and follow the Education Submission

    Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are included in the application package for this competition to ensure that you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/

    GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.

    To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http:// www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (1) registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2) registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative

    (AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization.

    Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step

    Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/

    Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please note that the registration process may take five or more business days to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.

    You will not receive additional point value because you submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your application in paper format.

    You must submit all documents electronically, including all information you typically provide on the following forms:

    Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of

    Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-

    Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Please note that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the

    Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424--have replaced the ED 424 (Application for Federal Education Assistance).

    You must attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable

    Document) format. If you

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    upload a file type other than the three file types specified in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file, we will not review that material.

    Your electronic application must comply with any page- limit requirements described in this notice.

    After you electronically submit your application, you will receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The

    Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification indicates that the Department has received your application and has assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying number unique to your application).

    We may request that you provide us original signatures on forms at a later date.

    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov

    Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a

    Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.

    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your application on the application deadline date because of technical problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing instructions described elsewhere in this notice.

    If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk

    Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The

    Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

    Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the

    Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed to register fully to submit your application to Grants.gov before the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application through the Grants.gov system because--

    You do not have access to the Internet; or

    You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to the Grants.gov system; and

    No later than two weeks before the application deadline date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.

    If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.

    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Christine Marschall,

    U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5053,

    Potomac Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2800. FAX: (202) 245- 6824.

    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice. b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.

    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail the original and two copies of your application, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control

    Center, Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.264A) LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260.

    You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:

    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.

    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the

    U.S. Postal Service.

    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial carrier.

    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the

    U.S. Department of Education.

    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:

    (1) A private metered postmark.

    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.

    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline date, we will not consider your application.

    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your local post office. c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.

    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:

    U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:

    (CFDA Number 84.264A) 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center

    Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.

    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except

    Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--

    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the

    Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your application; and

    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this notification within 15 business days from the application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application

    Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

  5. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are from 34 CFR 75.210 and 34 CFR 389.30(a), and are listed in the application package.

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  6. Award Administration Information 1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your

    U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award Notice

    (GAN). We may notify you informally, also.

    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, we notify you. 2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify administrative and national policy requirements in the application package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable

    Regulations section in this notice.

    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of an award in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice and include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also incorporates your approved application as part of your binding commitments under the grant. 3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a final performance report, including financial information, as directed by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an annual performance report that provides the most current performance and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/ appforms.html. 4. Performance Measures: The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) directs Federal departments and agencies to improve the effectiveness of their programs by engaging in strategic planning, setting outcome-related goals for programs, and measuring program results against those goals. Performance measures established for the

    RCEP are the percentage of training participants who report an increase in their knowledge, skills, and abilities. RSA will use these data to assess the performance of the projects funded under this competition.

    RSA also will convene an independent review panel to evaluate the work of the grantees. The independent review panel will use the following performance measures: (a) The percentage of technical assistance and continuing education services provided by the grantee that are deemed to be of high quality; (b) the percentage of technical assistance and continuing education services provided by the grantee that are deemed to be of high relevance to State vocational rehabilitation (VR) policies or practices; and (c) the percentage of technical assistance and continuing education services provided by the grantee that are deemed to be useful in improving State VR agency policies or practices.

  7. Agency Contact

    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Marschall, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5053, PCP, Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7429 or by e-mail:

    Christine.Marschall@ed.gov.

    If you use a TDD, call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

  8. Other Information

    Alternative Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an alternative format

    (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) 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: www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.

    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.

    Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

    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: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/ index.html.

    Dated: October 15, 2008.

    William Knudsen,

    Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative

    Services.

    FR Doc. E8-24925 Filed 10-17-08; 8:45 am

    BILLING CODE 4000-01-P

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