01-30026. Vocational Rehabilitation Service Projects for American Indians With Disabilities; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2002

Purpose of Program: To provide vocational rehabilitation services to American Indians with disabilities who reside on or near Federal or State reservations, consistent with their individual strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, and informed choices, so that they may prepare for and engage in gainful employment, including self-employment, telecommuting, or business ownership.

Eligible Applicants: Applications may be submitted only by the governing bodies of Indian tribes (and consortia of those governing bodies) located on Federal or State reservations.

Applications Available: December 14, 2001.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 17, 2002.

Estimated Available Funds: $1,900,000.

The Administration has requested $25,998,000 for this program for FY 2002. 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 before the end of the fiscal year, if Congress appropriates funds for this program.

Estimated Range of Awards: $300,000-$400,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $350,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 5-6.

Note:

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

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 80, 81, and 82; and (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 371.

Priorities: We give preference to applications that meet the following competitive priorities.

Competitive Preference Priority 1—Continuation of Previously Funded Tribal Programs

Under section 121(b)(4) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 741), we give preference to applications that meet the following competitive priority (see 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv)).

In making new awards under this program, we give priority consideration to applications for the continuation of tribal programs that have been funded under this program.

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award an additional 10 points to an application that meets this competitive priority. These points are in addition to any points the application earns under the selection criteria.

Competitive Preference Priority 2—Employing and Advancing in Employment Qualified Individuals With Disabilities

We give preference to applications that meet the competitive preference priority in the notice of final competitive preference for this program, published in the Federal Register on November 22, 2000 (65 FR 70408).

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award up to an additional 10 points to an application, depending on the extent to which the application includes effective strategies for employing and advancing in employment qualified individuals with disabilities as project employees in projects awarded under this program. In determining the effectiveness of those strategies, we will consider the applicant's prior success, as described in the application, in employing and advancing in employment qualified individuals with disabilities. These points are in addition to any points the application earns under the selection criteria.

Selection Criteria: In evaluating an application for a new grant under this competition, we use selection criteria chosen from the general selection criteria in 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR. The selection criteria to be used for this competition will be provided in the application package for this competition.

For Applications Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX [phone]. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.

You may also contact ED Pubs at its web site: http://www.ed.gov/​pubs/​edpubs.html

Or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: [e-mail]

If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.250C.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application package in an alternative format by contacting the Grants and Contracts Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3317, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: [phone]. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative format the standard forms included in the application package.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Pamela Martin or Suzanne Tillman, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3314, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2650. Telephone: for Pamela Martin [phone]; for Suzanne Tillman [phone]. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the contact persons listed in the preceding paragraph.

Electronic Access to This Document

You may view this document, as well as all other Department of Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: www.ed.gov/​legislation/​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 [phone].

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: http://www.access.gpo.gov/​nara/​index.html

Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 773(b).

Dated: November 29, 2001.

Robert H. Pasternack,

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.