[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 98 (Monday, May 22, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27106-27109]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-12463]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Office of the Secretary
Local Agency Data on Use of Multiple Services
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
ACTION: Request for applications to build and analyze a research data
base from local agency data on client use of multiple health and human
services.
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SUMMARY: The Department seeks applications to build and analyze a
research data base on multiple health and human services. The primary
goal of the proposed grant is to assist a local multi-service agency in
(1) creating, from existing separate data files, a longitudinal data
set tracking client use of several health and human service programs
over time and (2) analyzing that data set. It is anticipated that one
grant of $50,000 for 12 months will be awarded. The Department's award
must be matched by the grantee with $50,000 from non-Federal sources.
CLOSING DATE: The closing date for submitting an application is July
21, 1995.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Application instructions and forms should be requested from and
submitted to: Grants Officer, Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Planning and Evaluation, Department of Health and Human Services, 200
Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 405F, Hubert H. Humphrey Building,
Washington, D.C., 20201, Phone (202) 690-8794. Requests for forms and
technical questions will be accepted and responded to up to 15
[[Page 27107]] days prior to the closing date of receipt of
applications. Technical questions should be directed to Matthew
Stagner, DHHS, ASPE, Telephone, 202-690-5653. Questions may also be
faxed to 202-690-5514. Written technical questions should be addressed
to Dr. Stagner at the above address. Application submissions may not be
faxed.
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: The Department seeks applications from local non-
profit health and social services providers. For-profit organizations
are advised that no funds may be paid as profit to any recipient of a
grant or sub-grant. Profit is any amount in excess of allowable direct
and indirect costs of the grantee.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Part I
Legislative Authority
This grant is authorized by Section 1110 of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 1310) and awards will be made from funds appropriated under
Public Law 103-112 (DHHS Appropriation Act for FY 1995).
Available Funds
HHS intends to award one grant from this announcement. $50,000 has
been set aside for one grant to be awarded in FY 1995. Funds will be
obligated fully at the time of award. This grant will require a 1 to 1
match of private or local funding to federal funding. To receive
$50,000 of federal funds, an organization must demonstrate that it has
access to $50,000 of private or local funding for this project. Nothing
in this application should be construed as committing the Assistant
Secretary to make an award. The selection of the grantee will be
determined by the Assistant Secretary on the basis of the availability
of funds and the criteria outlined in this announcement.
Part II. Purpose
Health and human services policy makers increasingly recognize that
many clients use multiple types of services, either at a point in time
or over the course of their lives. The timing of services in a client's
``service career,'' the ordering of services, and the overlap of
service receipt have many implications for policy and practice. In
particular, it is important to understand how use of one services leads
clients to another service and to understand how programs should work
together when a client is involved with many programs simultaneously.
Services of interest to the Department include AFDC, Medicaid, job
training, child care, food and nutrition programs, foster care, Head
Start, counseling, and other social services.
Several issues make it extremely difficult to understand patterns
of service provision across programs or over time. These include the
fragmentation of service provision, the varying quantity and quality of
data available within each service stream, and the difficulty of
tracking the same client across different service providers.
The increasing sophistication and comprehensiveness of human
services computer systems now make it possible to use administrative
data to improve our understanding of multiple service use. There are at
least two ways to begin to use such administrative data. First,
researchers are merging data bases from many service streams at the
state or county level. After identifying where each client appears in
each data base, researchers join the data bases, making it possible to
follow each client's experiences in different service systems. Such
data bases can show pathways from one service to another and
``careers'' of multiple service use over time.
Second, it is possible to use data from local agencies that serve
as the coordinators of services. In some communities, these agencies
may be newly formed service ``collaboratives.'' In other communities,
they may be older umbrella agencies like settlement houses. Though
obviously limited in its generalizability, developing data on
comprehensive services from a single local agency overcomes many of the
problems in building state-wide or county-wide data bases. In
particular, the single administrative unit decreases the need to obtain
multiple clearances and to work with multiple computer systems.
As the cross-cutting policy research agency at HHS, ASPE has a long
history of interest in multiple service use by health and human
services clients. ASPE has supported the development of several state-
level data bases for policy research. This grant award seeks to create
a similar, smaller integrated data base at a single multi-service local
agency. Applicants must be local comprehensive services agencies that
provide multiple services to a large, diverse client base. Services of
interest to the Department include AFDC, Medicaid, job training, child
care, food and nutrition programs, foster care, Head Start, counseling,
and other social services. The agency must have a comprehensive
computer system that contains data on individual's use of services,
including the timing, length, type, and cost of services.
It is anticipated that one grant will be awarded as a result of
this announcement. The Department hopes to contribute to an on-going
project in which the grantee is building and analyzing a computerized
data file that tracks a large number of health and human service
clients through multiple service programs over time. Applicants should
demonstrate their access to data that describe client participation (by
individual) in many health and human services programs; their capacity
to work with this data; the steps they plan to take to combine these
data into a single file for policy and practice research; and the
analysis they hope to perform using that data. Key issues include the
ordering of services, the timing of transitions from one service to
another, and the use of multiple services simultaneously.
After building this data base and conducting preliminary analysis,
the grantee will prepare a final report describing the procedures they
used to build the data base, findings about multiple service use,
barriers encountered in developing the data base, and other relevant
information. A primary audience for this report is other local
comprehensive services data bases. The report should assist other
agencies that are attempting to build and analyze such data bases.
Part III. Application Preparation and Evaluation Criteria
This section contains information on the preparation of
applications for submission under this announcement, on the forms
necessary for submission, and on the evaluation criteria under which
the applications will be reviewed. Potential applicants should read
this section carefully in conjunction with the information provided
above. The application must contain the required Federal forms, title
page, table of contents, and the sections listed below. All pages of
the narrative should be numbered.
The application must include the following elements:
1. Abstract: a one-page summary of the proposed project.
2. Goals and objectives of the project: an overview that describes
the project, what will be accomplished, what the applicant, the
Department, and the field will learn from the successful completion of
the project.
3. Corporate capacity and qualifications: Applicants must
demonstrate access to computerized records within a single agency that
cover a wide range of social services and a large number of clients.
Services of interest to the Department include [[Page 27108]] AFDC,
Medicaid, job training, child care, food and nutrition programs, foster
care, Head Start, counseling, and other social services.
Applicants must demonstrate access to computer hardware and
software for storing and analyzing these computerized records. They
must also demonstrate that they have staff capable of merging multiple
data files and conducting analysis on the resulting data set.
Applicants should also describe the type of agency, its organizational
structure, and it meets the qualifications outlined in this
announcement. Finally, applicants must demonstrate access to $50,000 in
matching funds from private or local sources.
4. Experience, qualifications, and use of staff: Applicants must
list primary staff and the activities they will perform on this
project. Curriculum Vitae or job descriptions for key staff must be
appended. This section must show that the organization--and the
particular staff assigned--has a good track record in the use of
administrative data. If the applicant plans to contract for outside
staff for this project, the relationship and commitment of these people
to the applicant organization must be demonstrated.
5. Initial Workplan: Applicants must describe the activities they
plan to undertake and outline their rationale for undertaking those
activities. This plan should describe the data files that will be used,
the steps that will be taken to create a single data file for analysis,
and the planned analysis of that data file. The role of key staff in
each step of the work plan should be presented.
6. Budget: Applicants must submit a request for federal funds using
Standard Form 424A. In addition, they must include a detailed breakdown
of all Federal line items along with a brief narrative description or
justification for these line items. This section must demonstrate the
availability of $50,000 in matching funds from local or private
sources. This detailed breakdown should separate items for which
Federal funds are requested from items to be provided by other sources,
with those other sources identified.
Review Process and Funding Information
A panel of at least three experts will review and score all
applications that are submitted by the deadline date and that meet the
screening criteria (all information and documents as required by this
Announcement.) The panel will review the applications using the
evaluation criteria listed below to score each application. These
review results will be the primary element used by the Assistant
Secretary in making funding decisions. The Department reserves the
option to discuss applications with other Federal agencies,
specialists, experts, states, and the general public. Comments from
these sources, along with those of the reviewers, may be considered in
making an award decision.
State Single Point of Contact (E.O. No. 12372)
DHHS has determined that this program is not subject to Executive
Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
Applicants are not required to seek intergovernmental review of their
applications within the constraints of E.O. 12372.
Deadline for Submission of Applications
The closing date for submittal of applications under this
announcement is July 21, 1995. Applications must be postmarked or hand
delivered to the application receipt point no later than 4:30 p.m. on
July 21, 1995. Hand-delivered applications will be accepted Monday
through Friday, excluding Federal holidays during the working hours of
9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Hubert H. Humphrey building
located at 200 Independence Avenue, SW. in Washington, DC. When hand-
delivering an application, call (202) 690-8794 from the lobby for pick
up. A staff person will be available to receive applications. Faxed
applications will not be accepted.
An application will be considered as meeting the deadline if it is
either: (1) received at, or hand-delivered to, the mailing address on
or before July 21, 1995, or (2) postmarked before midnight July 21,
1995 and received in time to be considered during the competitive
review process (within two weeks of the deadline date).
When mailing applications, applicants are strongly advised to
obtain a legibly dated receipt from a commercial carrier (such as UPS,
Federal Express, etc.) or from the U.S. Postal Service as proof of
mailing by the deadline date. If there is a question as to when an
application was mailed, applicants will be asked to provide proof of
mailing by the deadline date. When proof is not provided, an
application will not be considered for funding. Private metered
postmarks are not acceptable as proof of timely mailing.
Applications which do not meet the deadline are considered late
applications and will not be considered or reviewed in the current
competition. DHHS will send a letter to this effect to each late
applicant.
DHHS reserves the right to extend the deadline for all proposals
due to natural disasters, such as floods, hurricanes, or earthquakes,
or if there is a widespread disruption of the mail, or if DHHS
determines a deadline extension to be in the best interest of the
government. However, DHHS will not waive or extend the deadline for any
applicant unless the deadline is waived or extended for all applicants.
Application Forms
See section entitled ``Components of a Complete Application.'' All
of these documents must accompany the application package.
Length of Application
Applications should be as brief as possible but should assure
successful communications of the applicant's proposal to the reviewers.
In no case shall an application (excluding the resumes, appendix and
other appropriate attachments) be longer than 15 single spaced pages.
Applications should be neither unduly elaborate nor contain voluminous
supporting documentation.
Selection Process and Evaluation Criteria
Selection of the successful applicant will be based on the criteria
laid out in this announcement. Reviews will determine the strengths and
weaknesses of each application in terms of the evaluation criteria
listed below, will provide comments, and will assign numerical scores.
The review panel will prepare a summary of all applicant scores and
strengths/weaknesses and recommendations and will submit it to the
Assistant Secretary for the final decision on the award.
The point value following each criterion heading indicates the
maximum numerical weight that each section will be given in the review
process. An unacceptable rating on any individual criterion may render
the application unacceptable. Consequently, applicants should take care
to ensure that all criteria are fully addressed in the applications.
Three (3) copies of each application are required. Applicants are
encouraged to send an additional seven (7) copies of their application
to ease processing, but applicants will not be penalized if these extra
copies are not included.
Applications will be judged according to the criteria set forth
below: [[Page 27109]]
A. Goals, Objectives, and Need for Assistance. (10 points)
Are the goals and objectives of the project presented clearly and
do they reflect the type of project sought by this announcement?
B. Project Design and Approach. (40 points)
Is there documented access to multiple data sets describing
individual experiences in the services of interest (e.g., AFDC,
Medicaid, job training, child care, foster care, Head Start,
counseling, and other social services)? How long is the time frame
covered by each data set? How detailed are the records of service
receipt (e.g., type of activity, length of activity, cost of activity)?
How large and diverse is the population covered in each data set? Is
there a clear and achievable plan for creating a single data set that
will allow the tracking of individuals through multiple services over
time? Are there interesting questions about health and human services
policy and practice that will be explored after the data set is
created?
C. Organization and Staffing. (40 points)
Does the organization demonstrate the in-house capacity to conduct
the project? Does the organization demonstrate access to and experience
with computerized records for multiple services? Does the organization
and staff demonstrate a track record of successful use of
administrative data? Do the staff have documented experience working
with multiple data sets involving several types of health and human
services? Are the number and type of staff positions sufficient to
achieve project objectives?
How many different types of health and human services does the
organization provide? For how many of these services is their
individual-level data on service receipt? Does the organization have
computer hardware, computer software, and computing staff able to work
with large data sets? Does the organization demonstrate an ability to
manage a complex data-merging project, including analysis of such data?
Does the organization demonstrate connections to key audiences for
dissemination?
D. Budget and budget narrative (10 points)
Is the proposed budget reasonable and sufficient to ensure
implementation of the project? Does the organization demonstrate access
to $50,000 from non-Federal sources to match the Federal grant?
Disposition of Applications
1. Approval, disapproval, or deferral. On the basis of the review
of the application, the Assistant Secretary will either (a) approve the
application as a whole or in part; (b) disapprove the application; or
(c) defer action on the application for such reasons as lack of funds
or a need for further review.
2. Notification of disposition. The Assistant Secretary will notify
the applicants of the disposition of their applications. If approved, a
signed notification of the award will be sent to the business office
named in the ASPE checklist.
Components of a Complete Application
A complete application consists of the following items in this
order:
1. Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424, Revised 4-
88);
2. Budget Information--Non-construction Programs (Standard Form 424A,
Revised 4-88);
3. Assurances--Non-construction Programs (Standard Form 424B, Revised
4-88);
4. Table of Contents;
5. Budget Justification for Section B Budget Categories;
6. Proof of Non-profit Status, if appropriate;
7. Copy of the applicant's Approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, if
necessary;
8. Project Narrative Statement, organized in four sections addressing
the following topics:
a. Abstract
b. Goals and objectives of the project
c. Corporate capacity and qualifications
d. Experience, qualifications, and use of staff
e. Initial Workplan
f. Budget and Budget Narrative
9. Any appendices or attachments;
10. Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace;
11. Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, or other
Responsibility Matters;
12. Certification and, if necessary, Disclosure Regarding Lobbying;
13. Supplement to Section II--Key Personnel;
14. Application for Federal Assistance Checklist.
Dated: May 12, 1995.
David T. Ellwood,
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
[FR Doc. 95-12463 Filed 5-19-95; 8:45 am]
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