[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 42 (Friday, March 1, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8046-8048]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-4826]
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[[Page 8047]]
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Environment, Safety and Health; Notice of Availability
of Funds and Request for Applications To Support Medical Surveillance
for Former Department of Energy Workers
AGENCY: Office of Environment, Safety and Health, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Funds and Request for Applications.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environment, Safety
and Health (EH) announces the availability of funds to evaluate former
workers whose employment at departmental facilities may have placed
their long-term health at significant risk. This Request for
Applications is a follow on to a more general, annual notice of
potential availability of grants and cooperative agreements for
epidemiology and other health studies published in the Federal Register
(60 FR 50562) on September 29, 1995.
DATES: Applications submitted in response to this announcement must be
received by May 15, 1996.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for further information and
application forms may be directed to Dr. John Peeters, Office of
Occupational Medicine and Medical Surveillance (EH-61), U.S. Department
of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, Maryland 20874-1290;
Telephone: (301) 903-5902; facsimile: (301) 903-5072. Applications may
be submitted to Dr. Peeters at the address listed above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
I. Purpose
II. Project Description
III. Applications
IV. Proposal Format
V. Evaluation Criteria
VI. DOE's Role
VII. Applicants
I. Purpose
Section 3162 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 1993 (Public Law 102-484) directs the Secretary of Energy, in
consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to
develop a program of medical evaluation for current and former DOE
workers at significant risk for health problems due to exposures to
hazardous or radioactive substances during employment.
Approximately five medical surveillance projects will be funded
through cooperative agreements to identify, and, where appropriate,
notify and medically screen groups of former workers who are
potentially at significant risk for health problems due to work-related
exposures. Because medical surveillance for former workers is a highly
complex process, DOE is proposing to fund at this time cooperative
agreements for a limited number of projects as described below.
Experience with these projects will help DOE to evaluate options
for a more comprehensive medical surveillance program for former
workers and to determine how such a program can be effectively
integrated with other ongoing site activities.
II. Project Description
DOE intends to award approximately five cooperative agreements with
specific goals. The goals of the projects are to:
Identify groups of workers at significant risk for
occupational diseases.
Notify members of these risk groups.
Offer these workers medical screening that can lead to
medical interventions.
Each cooperative agreement will potentially have two phases. Phase
I will be a needs assessment. Phase II will be the implementation of
medical screening.
There will be approximately five awards totalling about $2.5
million for phase I. Phase I will take approximately 12 months. Phase
II could continue up to 4 years, renewable annually. The award
continuation for phase II, if made, will be based on the results from
phase I, the availability of funds, and negotiation of the costs for
phase II. Only those who participate in phase I will be eligible to
participate in phase II.
Phase I
During phase I, the applicants will conduct a comprehensive needs
assessment. The needs assessment will include a review of existing
site-specific information and other means to initially identify the
most significant radiation and nonradiation exposures. During phase I,
investigators will:
1. Identify existing information relevant to exposure and health
outcomes among former workers;
2. Utilize this information to identify or develop viable methods
for contacting these former workers;
3. Provide an initial determination of the most significant worker
hazards, problems and concerns for each site;
4. Identify approaches for conducting the project in partnership
with unions, site management, operating contractors, community
representatives, and State and local health officials; and
5. Attend semiannual DOE-coordinated meetings of investigators to
share information on ongoing needs assessments.
During phase I, investigators will develop a detailed plan and
proposed budget for phase II focusing on the groups of workers at
significant risk for health effects. This plan for phase II is expected
at least 60 days prior to the conclusion of phase I. Phase I will
conclude with delivery of the needs assessment to DOE.
Phase II
DOE will determine the need for phase II activities and will
support these efforts through continuation awards to phase I
participants for new budget periods. Where phase II plans are approved
by DOE, the investigators will:
1. Identify and locate those former workers who based on their
actual or probable exposure history are ``at risk'';
2. Ascertain the health concerns of former workers identified in
task 1 related to their past DOE employment;
3. Communicate risk information to former workers regarding the
nature of their health risk and discuss the actions that could be
taken;
4. Provide medical screening to targeted former worker populations
based on exposure history and the availability of acceptable screening
tests;
5. Assist in the coordination of referrals, diagnostic workup, and
followup treatment, including the coordination with workman's
compensation and other existing insurance and benefits programs;
6. Ensure dialogue with local parties concerned with the project;
7. Evaluate former workers satisfaction with the project; and
8. Attend semiannual DOE-coordinated meetings of investigators to
share information on ongoing screening programs.
Potential Sites
Applicants for the cooperative agreements will propose individual
(or alternative groups of) DOE sites for study and justify the factors
in site(s) selection. Such factors should consider:
1. The presence of existing worker and community health programs;
2. Availability of information on former workers and their
exposures;
3. The levels and types of exposures;
4. The number of former workers and access to them;
5. The concerns of workers about specific past exposures;
6. The concerns of DOE site managers and operating contractors
about specific past exposures; and
7. The concerns of both national and local unions about past
exposures.
[[Page 8048]]
III. Applications
This Notice of Availability is issued pursuant to DOE regulations
contained in 10 CFR Part 602: Epidemiology and Other Health Studies
Financial Assistance Program, as published in the Federal Register on
January 31, 1995 (60 FR 5841). The Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance number for 10 CFR part 602 is 81.108, and its solicitation
control number is EOHSFAP 10 CFR part 602. 10 CFR 602 contains the
specific requirements for applications, evaluation, and selection
criteria. Only those applications following these specific criteria and
forms will be considered. Application forms may be obtained at the
address cited above. Applications will be peer reviewed by evaluators
apart from DOE employees and contractors as described under section 10
CFR 602.9(c), and submission of an application constitutes agreement
that this is acceptable to the investigator(s) and the submitting
institution.
IV. Proposal Format
The proposal shall contain two sections, technical and cost.
Technical proposals shall be no more than fifty (50) pages in length;
resumes of proposed key personnel should be submitted as an appendix to
the technical proposal and will not be counted against the page limit.
Cost proposals shall have no page limit. Because each project will be
conducted in two phases, and the scope of phase II is dependent on the
results of phase I, the technical description for phase II may be less
specific than that for phase I, but must clearly demonstrate a
capability to conduct phase II. It is left to the proposer to determine
how best to structure the proposal. However, the following information
shall be included:
a. Proposals shall include a detailed project description that
discusses the specific tasks to be performed under the proposed
project. At a minimum, the tasks listed under section II above must be
described. The project description must include clear statements of
what is not known and what is uncertain, as well as statements of what
is known. The project description must describe how independent,
external peer review of the results of the project will be conducted.
The project description must demonstrate that the offeror has the
ability to integrate their work with the activities of other
organizations conducting medical surveillance activities.
b. Proposals must demonstrate the competency of research personnel
and the adequacy of resources. Proposals must demonstrate that the
offeror is perceived as neutral and credible, and is capable of
conducting scientifically valid and responsible medical surveillance
projects.
Proposals must demonstrate that the offeror has the experience and
capability to plan, organize, manage, and facilitate worker and union
participation in planning and execution. Proposals must also
demonstrate that the offeror has the experience and ability to
effectively communicate complicated scientific information on potential
risks and uncertainties, to workers, local and national stakeholders,
concerned citizens, and decision makers at all levels. Proposals must
demonstrate that the offeror presently has or is capable of obtaining
staff with the training, expertise, and experience needed to conduct
scientifically complex needs, assessments and medical surveillance
programs. Proposals must identify the technical and scientific staff
that will actually conduct the studies and detail their professional
experience, as well as their level of program involvement. Proposals
must demonstrate that the offeror has capability, for both financial
and scientific management, and a demonstrated skill in planning and
scheduling projects of comparable magnitude to those proposed under
this Request for Applications.
c. The cost proposal must include a summary breakdown of all costs,
and provide a detailed breakdown of costs on a task-by-task basis for
each task contained in the project description. Any expectation
concerning cost sharing must be clearly stated. Cost sharing is
encouraged, but it will not be considered in the selection process.
V. Evaluation Criteria
DOE will evaluate applications based upon the following criteria in
10 CFR 602.9(d) that are listed in descending order of importance:
1. The scientific and technical merit of the proposed research;
2. The appropriateness of the proposed method or approach;
3. Competency of research personnel and adequacy of proposed
resources; and
4. Reasonableness and appropriateness of the proposed budget.
VI. DOE's Role
In order for DOE to utilize cooperative agreements for these
medical surveillance projects, there must be substantial involvement
between DOE and any awardee(s). DOE established the core tasks for
these projects and prepared this Federal Register Notice of
Availability. DOE will conduct the selection and award process, which
will include evaluations by persons outside the Federal government. DOE
will evaluate the results of phase I and, where warranted, authorize
and fund phase II. DOE will facilitate awardee access to the target
sites and exposure records. DOE will establish requirements and
controls for data collection and handling. DOE will consult with
project investigators and coordinate semiannual meetings. DOE will
interact with an independent advisory group that will provide advice to
DOE and to project investigators.
Finally, DOE will monitor and evaluate the results of the projects,
including the participant's level of satisfaction, to determine how
these pilots could be expanded to other groups of former workers both
at the project sites and at other DOE sites. In addition to helping
former workers, information gained from these projects will contribute
to DOE's ongoing efforts to improve health and safety programs for
current workers.
VII. Applicants
Applicants for the cooperative agreements could include domestic
nonprofit and for profit organizations, universities, medical centers,
research institutions, other public and private organizations,
including State and local governments, labor unions and other employee
representative groups, and small, minority and/or women-owned
businesses. Consortiums of interested organizations are encouraged to
apply. Awardees for each project will work cooperatively with former
workers, DOE site officials, DOE operating contractors, labor
organizations, health officials, and designated community
representatives.
Issued in Washington, D.C., on February 23, 1996.
Paul J. Seligman,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Studies.
[FR Doc. 96-4826 Filed 2-29-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
