05-6393. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services; Overview Information; Rehabilitation Continuing Education Programs (RCEP)-Regional Rehabilitation Continuing Education Projects (RRCEP); Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards ...

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

Dates:

Application Available: March 31, 2005.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 16, 2005.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 14, 2005.

Eligible Applicants: States and public or nonprofit agencies and organizations, including Indian tribes and institutions of higher education.

Note:

We are inviting applications for two competitions—CFDA number 84.264A for Department of Education Region V only and CFDA number 84.264B for Department of Education Regions I, III, VI, and VIII only.

Estimated Available Funds: $2,551,000.

Estimated Range of Awards: $450,000-$551,000.

Estimated Average Size of Award: $500,000.

Maximum Level of Awards:

 CFDA number 84.264A: $551,000.

 CFDA number 84.264B: $500,000.

Estimated Number of Awards:

 CFDA number 84.264A: 1.

 CFDA number 84.264B: 4.

Note:

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

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: 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.

Priorities: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), these priorities are from the regulations for this program (34 CFR 389.10).

Absolute Priorities: For FY 2005 these priorities are absolute priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet one or more of these priorities.

These priorities are:

Absolute Priority 1 (CFDA Number 84.264A)

Projects must—

(a) Train newly employed State agency staff at the administrative, supervisory, professional, subprofessional, or clerical levels in order to develop needs skills for effective agency performance; and

(b) Provide training opportunities for experienced State agency personnel at all levels of State agency practice to upgrade their skills and to develop mastery of new program developments dealing with significant issues, priorities and legislative thrusts of the State/Federal vocational rehabilitation program.

Absolute Priority 2 (CFDA Number 84.264B)

Projects must develop and conduct training programs for staff of—

(a) Private rehabilitation agencies and facilities which cooperate with State vocational rehabilitation units in providing vocational rehabilitation and other rehabilitation services; and

(b) Centers for independent living.

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, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR parts 385 and 389.

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.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Cooperative agreements.

Estimated Available Funds: $2,551,000.

Estimated Range of Awards: $450,000-$551,000.

Estimated Average Size of Award: $500,000.

Maximum Level of Awards:

CFDA 84.264A: $551,000.

CFDA 84.264B: $500,000.

Estimated Number of Awards:

CFDA number 84.264A: 1.

CFDA number 84.264B: 4.

Note:

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

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: States and public or nonprofit agencies and organizations, including Indian tribes and institutions of higher education.

Note:

We are inviting applications for two competitions—CFDA number 84.264A for Department of Education Region V only and CFDA number 84.264B for Department of Education Regions I, III, VI, and VIII only.

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.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address To Request Application Package: 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 your 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 84.264A or CFDA number 84.264B.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain 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, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: [phone]. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

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 these competitions.

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 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).

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, you must include all of the application narrative in Part III.

We will reject your application if—

• You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
• You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the page limit.

3. Submission Dates and Times: March 31, 2005.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 16, 2005.

Applications for grants under these competitions may be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 14, 2005.

4. Intergovernmental Review: This program 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 these competitions.

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

6. Other Submission Requirements. Applications for grants under these competitions may be submitted electronically or in paper format by mail or hand delivery.

a. Electronic Submission of Applications.

We have been accepting applications electronically through the Department's E-Application system since FY 2000. In order to expand on those efforts and comply with the President's Management Agenda, we are continuing to participate as a partner in the new governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site in FY 2005. Rehabilitation Continuing Education Programs (RCEP)—Regional Rehabilitation Continuing Education Projects (RRCEP)—CFDA Number 84.264A and CFDA Number 84.264B is one of the programs including in this project.

If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must use the Grants.gov Apply site (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 request your participation in Grants.gov.

You may access the electronic grant application for Rehabilitation Continuing Education Programs—Regional Rehabilitation Continuing Education Projects at: http://www.grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application package for this program by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search.

Please note the following:

• Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
• 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 time and date stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted with a date/time received by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We will not consider your application if it was received by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 p.m. on the application deadline date. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application because it was submitted after 4:30 p.m. on the application deadline date.
• If you experience technical difficulties on the application deadline date and are unable to meet the 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, deadline, print out your application and follow the instructions in this notice for the submission of paper applications by mail or hand delivery.
• 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 application 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 these competitions to ensure that your application is submitted timely to the Grants.gov system.
• To use Grants.gov, you, as the applicant, must have D-U-N-S Number and register in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). You should allow a minimum of five business days to complete the CCR registration.
• You will not receive additional point value because you submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you if you submit your application in paper format.
• You may submit all documents electronically, including all information typically included on the Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information—Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Any narrative sections of your application should be attached as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text) or .PDF (Portable Document) format.
• Your electronic application must comply with any page limit requirements described in this notice.
• After you electronically submit your application, you will receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-mail that will include 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.

b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.

If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), 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:

By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.264A or CFDA Number 84.264B), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260.

or

By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center,—Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.264A or CFDA Number 84.264B), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.

Regardless of which address you use, 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, or

(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, or

(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 submit your application in paper format by hand delivery, you (or a courier service) 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 or CFDA Number, 84.264B), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.

The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8 a.m. and 4:30 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 4 of the Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424) the CFDA number—and suffix letter, if any—of the competition under which you are submitting your application.

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

V. Application Review Information

1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for these competitions are from 34 CFR parts 385 and 389 of the program regulations and 34 CFR part 75.210 of EDGAR and are in the application package.

2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors we consider in selecting an application for an award are in 34 CFR parts 385 and 389.30.

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices: If our application is successful, we notify your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.

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 of this notice.

We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also incorporated 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 specified by the Secretary in 34 CFR 75.118.

4. Performance Measures: The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 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.

The goal of the RRCEP is to upgrade the skills of personnel currently employed in the public vocational rehabilitation (VR) system, centers for independent living, and private rehabilitation agencies and facilities (CRPs) that cooperate with State vocational rehabilitation units in providing vocational rehabilitation and other rehabilitation services and to develop their mastery of new program developments dealing with significant issues, priorities, and legislative thrusts of the public VR program.

In order to measure the success of RRCEPs in meeting this goal, each RRCEP grantee is required to conduct an evaluation of RRCEP training activities. In annual performance reports, RRCEPs are required to provide specific information on the number of training activities, the topics of each training program, the number of participants served, the target groups represented by participants, and summary data from participant evaluations. This information allows the RRCEP to measure results against the regional needs assessment conducted by the RRCEP and against the goal of upgrading the skills of personnel currently employed in the public VR system, centers of independent living, or CRPs that cooperate with State vocational rehabilitation units in providing vocational rehabilitation and other rehabilitation services and their mastery of new program developments, priorities, and legislative thrusts. The Rehabilitation Services Administration is in the process of developing a uniform data collection instrument for future use to collect these data directly from the grantee.

VII. Agency Contact

For Further Information Contact: Christine Marschall, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5053, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: [phone].

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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 program contact person listed in this section.

VIII. Other Information

Electronic Access to This Document: You may 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: http://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 [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.gpoaccess.gov/​nara/​index.html

Dated: March 28, 2005.

John H. Hager,

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.