Application Kit for New Grants uner RSA Training Program

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20202-2649

2009 APPLICATION KIT FOR NEW GRANTS

UNDER

THE REHABILITATION SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
TRAINING PROGRAM

REOPENED

LONG-TERM TRAINING:

Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training-

Rehabilitation Counseling

CFDA 84.129B

FORM APPROVED

OMB No. 1820-0018, EXP. DATE: 05/31/2010

ED FORM 424, OMB APPROVED

DATED MATERIAL - OPEN IMMEDIATELY

CLOSING DATE:

March 16, 2009

CONTENTS

SUBJECT SECTION

Dear Applicant Letter A

Program Application Indirect Cost Instructions

Important – Please Read First

Training Program Unit: Competition Manager B

Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards C

Title III of the Rehabilitation Act and Associated Regulations D

Selection Criteria for Applications E

Application Transmittal Instructions F

Application Forms G

Part I: Federal Assistance Face Page (424)

Part II: Budget Information

Part III: Program Narrative and Schedule of Trainee Expense

Part IV: Assurances, Certifications, Disclosures:

• Assurances - Non-Construction Programs;

• Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters, and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements;

• Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion - Lower Tier Covered Transaction;

• Disclosure of Lobbying Activities; and

• Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants

Important Notices H

• Notice Regarding Submission of Training Materials to the National Clearinghouse

• New Provision in the Department of Education’s General Education Provisions Act (GEPA)

• The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)

• Important Notice to Prospective Participants/USDE Contract and Grant Programs

• Application Transmittal Instructions and Requirements for Intergovernmental Review (Executive Order 12372) State Single Points of Contact

Application Check List and Common Questions and Answers I

Rehabilitation Services Administration

Dear Applicant

The Secretary invites applications under the Rehabilitation Long-term Training Program. Please take a few moments to read this letter carefully as it includes important information related to the grant competition.

The purpose of the Rehabilitation Long-Term Training program is to fund projects for training, traineeships, and related activities, including the provision of technical assistance, to assist in increasing the numbers of qualified personnel training in providing vocational, medical, social, and psychological rehabilitation services, and other services provided by the Rehabilitation Act, to individuals with disabilities. Projects funded under the present competition must provide basic or advanced training leading to an academic degree or academic certificate in the long term training field announced on the cover of this kit.

There are several factors that will result in automatic rejection of your application. Please be sure your application addresses each appropriately:

The maximum funding levels contained in section D of this application kit are strictly enforced. Failure to adhere to them will result in rejection of your application.

• Part III of the application narrative is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria used by reviewers in evaluating the application. The applicant must limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 45 pages, using the following standards:

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

2. You must 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.

If you use a proportional computer font, you may not use a font smaller than a 12-point font or an average character density greater than 18 characters per inch. If you use a nonproportional font or a typewriter, you may not use more than 12 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.

If, in order to meet the page limit, you use print size, spacing, or margins smaller than the standards specified in this notice, the Secretary will not consider your application for funding.

Please remember that peer reviewers are instructed that appendix material is to be considered supplemental material to support or show evidence supporting statements made in the narrative. They are neither requested nor expected to consider appendix material in rating applications.

You are required to allow your State Vocational Rehabilitation agency an opportunity to review and comment on your application. Please be sure that this requirement is documented in your application. Failure to comply with this requirement will also result in rejection of your application.

 A minimum of 75% of project funds must be used for scholarships and stipends to students. While waivers may be requested, RSA policy is to grant waivers only to applicants that have never had an RSA training grant, and then, only for the first project year.

 Grants may only support programs that provide recognized academic degrees or academic certificates to their graduates. When an accrediting body exists (such as CORE), the program must either be accredited or in the process of applying for accreditation. Certificates of completion to not qualify as academic certificates, nor do programs that are based on continuing education units (CEUs).

 Applicants must demonstrate how the training they plan to provide will prepare rehabilitation professional to address the needs of individuals with disabilities from minority backgrounds.

 Applicants must include a detailed description of strategies that will be utilized to increase the pool of individuals so as to reflect the diverse populations of the United States available for consideration for positions in rehabilitation services as part of the effort to increase the number of individuals with disabilities, and individuals who are from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds, who are available to provide rehabilitation services. Applicants lacking this information will not be reviewed.

• Per the Adarand decision (Adarand Constructors, Inc. V. Pena 515 U.S. 200), the Department of Education does not allow the selection of staff or program participants on the basis of race or national origin/ethnicity. For this reason, applicants must ensure that any discussion of hiring or program participation distinguishes between increasing the pool of applicants and actually selecting staff or participants, based on race or national origin/ethnicity, for the program.

In addition, there is a feature of this competition that I wish to bring to your attention. The 1998 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, include three special requirements for all applicants under the Rehabilitation Long-Term Training program. Each of these must be addressed in your application. Applications that do not include the following information will not be funded:

1. a description of how the designated State unit or units will participate in the project to be funded under the grant or contract, including, as appropriate, participation on advisory committees, as practicum sites, in curriculum development, and in other ways so as to build closer relationships between the applicant and the designated State unit and to encourage students to pursue careers in public vocational rehabilitation programs;

2. the identification of potential employers that provide employment that meets the payback requirements of the ACT (see next paragraph); and

3. an assurance that data on the employment of graduates or trainees who participate in the project is accurate.

Students who receive scholarship support (called RSA scholars) under Long-Term Training program grants are expected to “pay back” their support through paid employment within the public rehabilitation system or with other nonprofit rehabilitation or related agencies. RSA scholars must be fully informed about their pay back obligations and other requirements before they receive scholarship funds. They must also sign a written payback agreement before they receive funds. Details of payback are described in section D in the program regulations at 386.32-35, and 40-43. Please read the requirements carefully.

All applicants in this competition should budget for a project director’s orientation to be held in Washington, DC in November 2009 (tentative). This meeting is usually held in conjunction with National Rehabilitation Education Conference (jointly sponsored by RSA, the National Council on Rehabilitation Education and The Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation). Grantees are encouraged to attend the National Rehabilitation Education Conference annually, and may use project funds for this purpose.

Applicants for new projects in response to this announcement should become familiar with the Selection criteria contained in this application kit (see Section E). These criteria will be used by Reviewers and Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) staff to evaluate all applications.

Your application should respond to each identified criterion since failure to do so will put your application at a significant disadvantage.

Reviewers of applications report that an application written in a format that follows the peer review criteria and contains a separate budget section greatly facilitates the review process.

Such a format would appear as follows:

SECTION A: Application face page

SECTION B: Budget pages/budget narrative

SECTION C: Abstract (one page)

SECTION D: Narrative (not to exceed 45 pages):

• Relevance to State-Federal Rehabilitation Service Program

• Nature and Scope of Curriculum

• Quality of Project Services

• Quality of the Management Plan

• Quality of the Project Evaluation

• Quality of Project Personnel

• Adequacy of Resources

SECTION E: Appendices (assurances/certifications, one-page resumes, bibliography, letters of support, etc.)

Cost-sharing of at least ten percent of the total cost of the project is required of grantees under the Rehabilitation Training Program. Under 34 CFR 75.562, it is not possible for grantees to identify the difference between a negotiated indirect cost rate and the eight percent maximum indirect cost rate applicable to training grants as the non-Federal share of the cost of a project.

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS (EDGAR)

Rehabilitation Training Program grants are subject to the requirements of the Education

Department General Administrative Regulations at 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, and 86. These regulations set forth all general rules affecting application submittal, review, grant awarding, and post-award administration of Department of Education grant programs.

Rehabilitation training projects are subject to the requirements for “Intergovernmental Review of Department of Education Programs and Activities,” found in 34 CFR Part 79 and EDGAR. If your State has established a process for intergovernmental review, you must use that process. Applicants should review the material in this kit for information on the intergovernmental review process.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Applicants for multi-year projects are required to provide detailed budget information for each of the five project years. Any application that exceeds in any way the maximum allowed amount for any year will be disqualified. The Department will determine at the time of the initial award, the funding levels for each year of the grant award. RSA requires annual performance reports, and uses those reports to determine progress and to make a decision as to whether or not to continue funding the project. These reports must be submitted to the designated RSA Project Officer.

GRANTS.GOV APPLICATION SUBMISSION.

Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (www.Grants.gov). Please read carefully the document that is included immediately following this letter, which includes helpful tips about submitting electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site. When using the electronic grants process, it is imperative that you do not wait until the last minute to submit your grant Please note that you must follow the Application Procedures as described in the Federal Register notice announcing this grant competition. Information (including dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically or by mail or hand delivery (if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement as described in the Federal Register notice for this program) can also be found in section F Application Transmittal Instruction of this application package.

Applicants may contact the Competition Manager to discuss any matters relating to this competition. The Competition Manager is Edwin Powell, who may be reached at (202) 245-7505.

Your concern for the training of skilled rehabilitation personnel to serve persons with disabilities is appreciated.

Sincerely,

Ruth W. Brannon, MSPH, MA

Chief, Training Program Unit

Program Application Indirect Cost Instructions

The Department of Education (ED) reimburses grantees for its portion of indirect costs that a grantee incurs in projects funded by Rehabilitation Long-Term Training Program, CFDA 84.129B. Any grantee charging indirect costs to a grant from this program must use the indirect cost rate (ICR), negotiated with its cognizant agency, i.e., either the Federal agency from which it has received the most direct funding, subject to indirect cost support, the particular agency specifically assigned cognizance by the Office of Management and Budget or the State agency that provides the most subgrant funds to the grantee.

Note: Applicants should pay special attention to specific questions on the application budget form (ED 524) about their cognizant agency and the ICR they are using in their budget.

If an applicant selected for funding under this program has not already established a current ICR with its cognizant agency as a result of current or previous funding, ED will require it to do so within 90 days after the date the grant was issued by ED. Applicants should be aware that ED is very often not the cognizant agency for its own grantees. Rather, ED accepts, for the purpose of funding its awards, the current ICR established by the appropriate cognizant agency.

An applicant that has not previously established an indirect cost rate with the Federal government or a State agency under a Federal program and that is selected for funding will not be allowed to charge its grant for indirect costs until it has negotiated a current indirect cost rate agreement with its cognizant agency.

Applicants are encouraged to use their accountant (or CPA) to calculate an indirect cost rate using information in the IRS Form 990, audited financial statements, actual cost data or a cost policy statement that such applicants are urged to prepare (but NOT submit to ED) during the application process.

Applicants should use this proposed rate in their application materials and indicate which of the above methods was used to calculate the rate. Guidance for creating a cost policy statement can be obtained by sending an e-mail to katrina.mcdonald@ed.gov.

Applicants with questions about using indirect cost rates under this program should contact the program contact person shown elsewhere in this application package or in the Federal Register application notice of 04/26/2006.

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ FIRST

U.S. Department of Education

Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants

To facilitate your use of Grants.gov, this document includes important submission procedures you need to be aware of to ensure your application is received in a timely manner and accepted by the Department of Education.

ATTENTION

Applications submitted to Grants.gov for the Department of Education will be posted using Adobe forms. Therefore, applicants will need to download the latest version of Adobe reader (at least Adobe Reader 8.1.2). Information on computer and operating system compatibility with Adobe and links to download the latest version is available on Grants.gov. We strongly recommend that you review these details on www.Grants.gov before completing and submitting your application. In addition, applicants should submit their application a day or two in advance of the closing date as detailed below. Applicants will no longer need to use the PureEdge software to create or submit an application. If you have any questions regarding this matter please email the Grants.gov Contact Center at support@grants.gov or call 1-800-518-4726.

1. REGISTER EARLY – Grants.gov registration may take five or more business days to complete. You may begin working on your application while completing the registration process, but you cannot submit an application until all of the Registration steps are complete. For detailed information on the Registration Steps, please go to: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp. [Note: Your organization will need to update its Central Contractor Registry (CCR) registration annually.]

2. SUBMIT EARLY – We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the last day to submit your application. Grants.gov will put a date/time stamp on your application and then process it after it is fully uploaded. The time it takes to upload an application will vary depending on a number of factors including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection, and the time it takes Grants.gov to process the application will vary as well. If Grants.gov rejects your application (see step three below), you will need to resubmit successfully before 4:30:00 p.m. Washington, DC time on the deadline date.

Note: To submit successfully, you must provide the DUNS number on your application that was used when your organization registered with the CCR (Central Contractor Registry).

3. VERIFY SUBMISSION IS OK – You will want to verify that Grants.gov and the Department of Education receive your Grants.gov submission timely and that it was validated successfully. To see the date/time your application was received, login to Grants.gov and click on the Track My Application link. For a successful submission, the date/time received should be earlier than 4:30:00 p.m. Washington, DC time, on the deadline date, AND the application status should be: Validated, Received by Agency, or Agency Tracking Number Assigned.

If the date/time received is later than 4:30:00 p.m. Washington, D.C. time, on the deadline date, your application is late. If your application has a status of “Received” it is still awaiting validation by Grants.gov. Once validation is complete, the status will either change to “Validated” or “Rejected with Errors.” If the status is “Rejected with Errors,” your application has not been received successfully. Some of the reasons Grants.gov may reject an application can be found on the Grants.gov site: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant_faqs.jsp#54.

For more detailed information on why an application may be rejected, you can review Application Error Tips http://www.grants.gov/section910/ApplicationErrorTips.pdf.

If you discover your application is late or has been rejected, please see the instructions below. Note: You will receive a series of confirmations both online and via e-mail about the status of your application. Please do not rely solely on e-mail to confirm whether your application has been received timely and validated successfully.

Submission Problems – What should you do?

If you have problems submitting to Grants.gov before the closing date, please contact Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or http://www.grants.gov/contactus/contactus.jsp, or use the customer support available on the Web site: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant_help.jsp.

If electronic submission is optional and you have problems that you are unable to resolve before the deadline date and time for electronic applications, please follow the transmittal instructions for hard copy applications in the Federal Register notice and get a hard copy application postmarked by midnight on the deadline date.

If electronic submission is required, you must submit an electronic application before 4:30:00 p.m., unless you follow the procedures in the Federal Register notice and 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. (See the Federal Register notice for detailed instructions.)

Helpful Hints When Working with Grants.gov

Please note, once you download an application from Grants.gov, you will be working offline and saving data on your computer. Please be sure to note where you are saving the Grants.gov file on your computer. You will need to logon to Grants.gov to upload and submit the application. You must provide on your application the DUNS number that was used when your organization registered with the CCR.

Please go to http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant_help.jsp for help with Grants.gov. For additional tips related to submitting grant applications, please refer to the Grants.gov Submit Application FAQs found on the Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov/help/submit_application_faqs.jsp.

Dial-Up Internet Connections

When using a dial up connection to upload and submit your application, it can take significantly longer than when you are connected to the Internet with a high-speed connection, e.g. cable modem/DSL/T1. While times will vary depending upon the size of your application, it can take a few minutes to a few hours to complete your grant submission using a dial up connection. If you do not have access to a high-speed connection and electronic submission is required, you may want to consider following the instructions in the Federal Register notice to obtain an exception to the electronic submission requirement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. (See the Federal Register notice for detailed instructions.)

MAC Users

If you do not have a Windows operating System, you may need to use the Citrix solution discussed on Grants.gov to submit an application using Grants.gov. For additional information, review the FAQs for non-windows users http://www.grants.gov/help/download_software.jsp. If electronic submission is required and you are concerned about your ability to submit electronically as a non-windows user, please follow instructions in the Federal Register notice to obtain an exception to the electronic submission requirement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. (See the Federal Register notice for detailed instructions.)

Attaching Files – Additional Tips

Please note the following tips related to attaching files to your application:

1. Ensure that you only attach the Education approved file types detailed in the Federal Register application notice (.doc, .pdf or .rtf). Also, do not upload any password protected files to your application.

2. Grants.gov cannot process an application that includes two or more files that have the same name within a grant submission. Therefore, each file uploaded to your application package should have a unique file name.

3. When attaching files, applicants should limit the size of their file names. Lengthy file names could result in difficulties with opening and processing your application. We recommend you keep your file names to less than 50 characters. In addition, applicants should avoid including special characters in their file names (for example, %, *, /, etc.) Both of these conditions (lengthy file names and/or special characters including in the file names) could result in difficulties opening and processing a submitted application.

4. Applicants should limit the size of their file attachments. Documents submitted that contain graphics and/or scanned material often greatly increase the size of the file attachments and can result in difficulties opening the files. For reference, the average discretionary grant application package totals 1 to 2 MB. Therefore, you may want to check the total size of your package before submission.

SECTION B

Training Program Unit

COMPETITION MANAGER

RSA Central Office Contact:

Edwin Powell

Competition Manager

U.S. Department of Education, RSA

Potomac Center Plaza Room 5053

400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 2800

Washington, DC 20202-2550

Telephone: 202-245-7505

SECTION C

NOTICE INVITING APPLICATIONS FOR NEW AWARDS

4000-01-U

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

Overview Information

Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training--Rehabilitation Counseling

Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2009.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.129B.

Dates:

Applications Available: February 23, 2009.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 16, 2009.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 18, 2009.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The Rehabilitation Long-Term Training program provides financial assistance for--

(1) Projects that provide basic or advanced training leading to an academic degree in areas of personnel shortages in rehabilitation as identified by the Secretary;

(2) Projects that provide a specified series of courses or program of study leading to the award of a certificate in areas of personnel shortages in rehabilitation as identified by the Secretary;

and

(3) Projects that provide support for medical residents enrolled in residency training programs in the specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Priorities: This priority contains one absolute priority and one invitational priority.

Absolute Priority: This priority is from the notice of final priority for this program, published in the Federal Register on January 15, 2003 (68 FR 2166).

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:

Partnership with the State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency.

This priority supports projects that will increase the knowledge of students of the role and responsibilities of the vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselor and of the benefits of counseling in State VR agencies. This priority focuses attention on and intends to strengthen the unique role of rehabilitation educators and State VR agencies in the preparation of qualified VR counselors by increasing or creating ongoing collaboration between institutions of higher education and State VR agencies.

Projects funded under this priority must include within the degree program information about and experience in the State VR system. Projects must include partnering activities for students with the State VR agency including experimental activities such as formal internships or practicum agreements. In addition, experimental activities for students with community-based rehabilitation service providers are encouraged.

Projects must include an evaluation of the impact of project activities.

Within this absolute priority, we are particularly interested in applications that address the following invitational priority.

Invitational Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets this invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over other applications.

This priority is:

Distance Learning.

We are especially interested in projects that include a distance learning component to enable non-traditional students and students from a broad geographic area to enroll in the training program. We establish this invitational priority in order to prepare more students for careers in State VR agencies.

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 386.

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: Discretionary grants.

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 $3,450,000 for this Rehabilitation Counseling 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.

Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000 - $150,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $137,500.

Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $150,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.

Estimated Number of Awards: 23.

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.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost sharing of at least 10 percent of the total cost of the project is required of grantees under the Rehabilitation Training program (34 CFR 386.30).

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: 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/grantaps/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 from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.129 B.

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” x 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 (character 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 section (Part III).

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: February 23, 2009.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 16, 2009.

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: April 30, 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 of 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 Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training, CFDA number 84.129B 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 the Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training--Rehabilitation Counseling program 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 84.129, not 84.129B).

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 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 fully register 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: Edwin Powell, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5038, Potomac Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2800. FAX: (202) 245-7591.

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 following address:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Attention: (CFDA Number 84.129B)

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 84.129B)

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.

V. Application Review Information

Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are from 34 CFR 75.210 and 34 CFR 386.20 and are listed in the application package.

VI. 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 Notification (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 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 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 (GPRA) of 1993 directs Federal departments and agencies to improve the effectiveness of programs by engaging in strategic planning, setting outcome-related goals for programs, and measuring program results against those goals.

The goal of the Rehabilitation Services Administration’s (RSA) Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training program is to increase the number of qualified VR personnel working in State VR agencies or related agencies. At least 75 percent of all grant funds must be used for direct payment of student scholarships. Each grantee is required to track students receiving scholarships and must maintain information on the cumulative support granted to RSA scholars, scholar-debt in years, program completion data for each scholar, dates each scholar’s work begins and is completed to meet his or her payback agreement, current home address, and the place of employment of individual scholars.

Grantees are required to report annually to RSA on these data using the RSA Grantee Reporting Form, OMB# 1820-0617, an electronic reporting system. The RSA Grantee Reporting Form collects specific data including the number of RSA scholars entering the rehabilitation workforce, the rehabilitation field each scholar enters, and the type of employment setting each scholar chooses (e.g., State agency, nonprofit service provider, or practice group). This form allows RSA to measure results against the goal of increasing the number of qualified VR personnel working in State VR agencies or related agencies.

VII. Agency Contact

For Further Information Contact: Edwin Powell, U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 5038, PCP, Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7505 or by e-mail: Edwin.Powell@ed.gov

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

VIII. Other Information

Alternative Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the Grants and Contracts Service 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

Delegation of Authority: The Secretary of Education has delegated authority to Andrew J. Pepin, Executive Administrator for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to perform the functions of the Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

Dated:

/S/

Andrew J. Pepin,

Executive Administrator for
Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

SECTION D

Section 302 of the Rehabilitation Act and Associated Regulations

Sec. 302. Training

(a) Grants and Contracts for Personnel Training

(1) Authority

The Commissioner shall make grants to, and enter into contracts with, States and public or nonprofit agencies and organizations (including institutions of higher education) to pay part of the cost of projects to provide training, traineeships, and related activities, including the provision of technical assistance, that are designed to assist in increasing the numbers of, and upgrading the skills of, qualified personnel (especially rehabilitation counselors) who are trained in providing vocational, medical, social, and psychological rehabilitation services, who are trained to assist individuals with communication and related disorders, who are trained to provide other services provided under this Act, to individuals with disabilities, and who may include‑‑

(A) personnel specifically trained in providing employment assistance to individuals with disabilities through job development and job placement services;

(B) personnel specifically trained to identify, assess, and meet the individual rehabilitation needs of individuals with disabilities, including needs for rehabilitation technology;

(C) personnel specifically trained to deliver services to individuals who may benefit from receiving independent living services;

(D) personnel specifically trained to deliver services in the client assistance programs;

(E) personnel specifically trained to deliver services, through supported employment programs, to individuals with a most significant disability; and

(F) personnel specifically trained to deliver services to individuals with disabilities pursuing self‑employment, business ownership, and telecommuting; and

(G) personnel trained in performing other functions necessary to the provision of vocational, medical, social, and psychological rehabilitation services, and other services provided under this Act.

(2) Authority to provide scholarships

Grants and contracts under paragraph (1) may be expended for scholarships and may include necessary stipends and allowances.

(3) Related federal statutes

In carrying out this subsection, the Commissioner may make grants to and enter into contracts with States and public or nonprofit agencies and organizations, including institutions of higher education, to furnish training regarding provisions of Federal statutes, including section 504, title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12111 et seq.), and the provisions of titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq. and 1381 et seq.), that are related to work incentives for individuals with disabilities.

(4) Training for statewide workforce systems personnel

The Commissioner may make grants to and enter into contracts under this subsection with States and public or nonprofit agencies and organizations, including institutions of higher education, to furnish training to personnel providing services to individuals with disabilities under title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. Under this paragraph, personnel may be trained‑‑

(A) in evaluative skills to determine whether an individual with a disability may be served by the State vocational rehabilitation program or another component of a statewide workforce investment system; or

(B) to assist individuals with disabilities seeking assistance through one‑stop delivery systems described in section 134(c) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.

(5) Joint funding

Training and other activities provided under paragraph (4) for personnel may be jointly funded with the Department of Labor, using funds made available under title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.

(b) Grants and Contracts for Academic Degrees and Academic Certificate Granting Training Projects

(1) Authority

(A) In general

The Commissioner may make grants to, and enter into contracts with, States and public or nonprofit agencies and organizations (including institutions of higher education) to pay part of the costs of academic training projects to provide training that leads to an academic degree or academic certificate. In making such grants or entering into such contracts, the Commissioner shall target funds to areas determined under subsection (e) to have shortages of qualified personnel.

(B) Types of projects

Academic training projects described in this subsection may include‑‑

(i) projects to train personnel in the areas of assisting and supporting individuals with disabilities pursuing self‑employment, business ownership, and telecommuting, and of vocational rehabilitation counseling, rehabilitation technology, rehabilitation medicine, rehabilitation nursing, rehabilitation social work, rehabilitation psychiatry, rehabilitation psychology, rehabilitation dentistry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology and audiology, physical education, therapeutic recreation, community rehabilitation programs, or prosthetics and orthotics;

(ii) projects to train personnel to provide‑‑

(I) services to individuals with specific disabilities or individuals with disabilities who have specific impediments to rehabilitation, including individuals who are members of populations that are unserved or underserved by programs under this Act;

(II) job development and job placement services to individuals with disabilities;

(III) supported employment services, including services of employment specialists for individuals with disabilities;

(IV) specialized services for individuals with significant disabilities; or

(V) recreation for individuals with disabilities;

(iii) projects to train personnel in other fields contributing to the rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities; and

(iv) projects to train personnel in the use, applications, and benefits of rehabilitation technology.

(2) Application

No grant shall be awarded or contract entered into under this subsection unless the applicant has submitted to the Commissioner an application at such time, in such form, in accordance with such procedures, and including such information as the Secretary may require, including‑‑

(A) a description of how the designated State unit or units will participate in the project to be funded under the grant or contract, including, as appropriate, participation on advisory committees, as practicum sites, in curriculum development, and in other ways so as to build closer relationships between the applicant and the designated State unit and to encourage students to pursue careers in public vocational rehabilitation programs;

(B) the identification of potential employers that provide employment that meets the requirements of paragraph (5)(A)(i); and

(C) an assurance that data on the employment of graduates or trainees who participate in the project is accurate.

(3) Limitation

(A) In general

Except as provided in subparagraph (B), no grant or contract under this subsection may be used to provide any one course of study to an individual for a period of more than 4 years.

(B) Exception

If a grant or contract recipient under this subsection determines that an individual has a disability which seriously affects the completion of training under this subsection, the grant or contract recipient may extend the period referred to in subparagraph (A).

(4) Authority to provide scholarships

Grants and contracts under paragraph (1) may be expanded to provide services that include the provision of scholarships and necessary stipends and allowances.

(5) Agreements

(A) Contents

A recipient of a grant or contract under this subsection shall provide assurances to the Commissioner that each individual who receives a scholarship, for any academic year beginning after June 1, 1992, utilizing funds provided under such grant or contract shall enter into an agreement with the recipient under which the individual shall‑‑

(i) maintain employment‑‑

(I) in a nonprofit rehabilitation agency or related agency or in a State rehabilitation agency or related agency, including a professional corporation or professional practice group through which the individual has a service arrangement with the designated State agency;

(II) on a full‑ or part‑time basis; and

(III) for a period of not less than the full‑time equivalent of 2 years for each year for which assistance under this section was received by the individual, within a period, beginning after the recipient completes the training for which the scholarship was awarded, of not more than the sum of the number of years in the period described in subclause (III) and 2 additional years; and

(ii) repay all or part of any scholarship received, plus interest, if the individual does not fulfill the requirements of clause (i), except as the Commissioner by regulation may provide for repayment exceptions and deferrals.

(B) Enforcement

The Commissioner shall be responsible for the enforcement of each agreement entered into under subparagraph (A) upon completion of the training involved under such subparagraph.

(c) Grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities

The Commissioner, in carrying out this section, shall make grants to historically Black colleges and universities and other institutions of higher education whose minority student enrollment is at least 50 percent of the total enrollment of the institution.

(d) Application

A grant may not be awarded to a State or other organization under this section unless the State or organization has submitted an application to the Commissioner at such time, in such form, in accordance with such procedures, and containing such information as the Commissioner may require. Any such application shall include a detailed description of strategies that will be utilized to recruit and train individuals so as to reflect the diverse populations of the United States as part of the effort to increase the number of individuals with disabilities, and individuals who are from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds, who are available to provide rehabilitation services.

(e) Evaluation and Collection of Data

The Commissioner shall evaluate the impact of the training programs conducted under this section, and collect information on the training needs of, and data on shortages of qualified personnel necessary to provide services to individuals with disabilities. The Commissioner shall prepare and submit to Congress, by September 30 of each fiscal year, a report setting forth and justifying in detail how the funds made available for training under this section for the fiscal year prior to such submission are allocated by professional discipline and other program areas. The report shall also contain findings on such personnel shortages, how funds proposed for the succeeding fiscal year will be allocated under the President's budget proposal, and how the findings on personnel shortages justify the allocations.

Program Regulations

PART 385‑‑REHABILITATION TRAINING

Subpart A‑‑General

Sec.

385.1 What is the Rehabilitation Training program?

385.2 Who is eligible for assistance under these programs?

385.3 What regulations apply to these programs?

385.4 What definitions apply to these programs?

Subpart B‑‑[Reserved]

Subpart C‑‑How Does One Apply For a Grant

Sec.

385.20 What are the application procedures for these programs?

Subpart D‑‑How Does the Secretary Make a Grant?

Sec.

385.30 [Reserved]

385.31 How does the Secretary evaluate an application?

385.33 What other factors does the Secretary consider in reviewing an application?

Subpart E‑‑What Conditions Must Be Met by a Grantee?

Sec.

385.40 What are the requirements pertaining to the membership of a project advisory committee?

385.41 What are the requirements affecting the collection of data from designated State agencies?

385.42 What are the requirements affecting the dissemination of training materials?

385.43 What requirements apply to the training of rehabilitation counselors and other rehabilitation personnel?

385.44 What requirement applies to the training of individuals with disabilities?

385.45 What additional application requirements apply to the training of individuals for rehabilitation careers?

385.46 What limitations apply to the rate of pay for experts or consultants appointed or serving under contract under the Rehabilitation Training program?

Authority: 29 U.S.C. 711(c), 772, and 774, unless otherwise noted.

Source: 45 FR 86379, Dec. 30, 1980, unless otherwise noted.

Subpart A‑‑General

Sec.

385.1 What is the Rehabilitation Training program?

(a) The Rehabilitation Training program is designed to‑‑

(1) Ensure that skilled personnel are available to provide rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities through vocational, medical, social, and psychological rehabilitation programs, through supported employment programs, through independent living services programs, and through client assistance programs;

(2) Maintain and upgrade basic skills and knowledge of personnel employed to provide state‑of‑the‑art service delivery systems and rehabilitation technology services; and

(3) Provide training and information to individuals with disabilities, the parents, families, guardians, advocates, and authorized representatives of the individuals, and other appropriate parties to develop the skills necessary for individuals with disabilities to access the rehabilitation system and to become active decision makers in the rehabilitation process.

(b) The Secretary awards grants and contracts to pay part of the costs of projects for training, trainee ships, and related activities, including the provision of technical assistance, to assist in increasing the numbers of qualified personnel trained in providing rehabilitation services and other services provided under the Act, to individuals with disabilities. Financial assistance is provided through six categories of training programs:

(1) Rehabilitation Long‑Term Training (34 CFR Part 386).

(2) Experimental and Innovative Training (34 CFR Part 387).

(3) State Vocational Rehabilitation Unit In‑Service Training (34 CFR Part 388).

(4) Rehabilitation Continuing Education Programs (34 CFR Part 389).

(5) Rehabilitation Short‑Term Training (34 CFR Part 390).

(6) Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf and Individuals Who Are Deaf‑Blind (34 CFR Part 396).

(Authority: Secs. 301 and 302 of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 770 and 774)

[59 FR 8344, Feb. 18, 1994]

Sec. 385.2 Who is eligible for assistance under these programs?

States and public or nonprofit agencies and organizations, including Indian tribes and institutions of higher education, are eligible for assistance under the Rehabilitation Training program.

(Authority: Secs. 7(19) and 302 of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 706(19) and 774)

[59 FR 8345, Feb. 18, 1994]

Sec. 385.3 What regulations apply to these programs?

The following regulations apply to the Rehabilitation Training program:

(a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) as follows:

(1) 34 CFR Part 74 (Administration of Grants to Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Nonprofit Organizations).

(2) 34 CFR Part 75 (Direct Grant Programs).

(3) 34 CFR Part 77 (Definitions That Apply to Department Regulations).

(4) 34 CFR Part 79 (Intergovernmental Review of Department of Education Programs and Activities).

(5) 34 CFR Part 80 (Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments).

(6) 34 CFR Part 81 (General Education Provisions Act - Enforcement).

(7) 34 CFR Part 82 (New Restrictions on Lobbying).

(8) 34 CFR Part 85 (Government wide Debarment and Suspension

(Nonprocurement) and Government wide Requirements for Drug‑Free Workplace (Grants)).

(9) 34 CFR Part 86 (Drug‑Free Schools and Campuses).

(b) The regulations in this Part 385.

(c) The regulations in 34 CFR Parts 386, 387, 388, 389, 390, and 396, as appropriate.

(Authority: Secs. 12(c) and 302 of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 711(c) and 774)

[59 FR 8345, Feb. 18, 1994]

Sec. 385.4 What definitions apply to these programs?

(a) The following definitions in 34 CFR Part 77 apply to the programs under the Rehabilitation Training Program‑‑

"Applicant"

"Application"

"Award"

"Budget Period"

"Department"

"EDGAR"

"Nonprofit"

"Private"

"Project"

"Project Period"

"Public"

"Secretary"

(Authority: Sec. 12(c) of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 711(c))

(b) The following definitions also apply to programs under the Rehabilitation Training program:

Act means the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.), as amended.

Assistive technology device means any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

Assistive technology service means any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. The term includes‑‑

(1) The evaluation of the needs of an individual with a disability, including a functional evaluation of the individual in the individual's customary environment;

(2) Purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by individuals with disabilities;

(3) Selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing of assistive technology devices;

(4) Coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs;

(5) Training or technical assistance for an individual with disabilities, or, if appropriate, the family of an individual with disabilities; and

(6) Training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education and rehabilitation services), employers, or other individuals who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of individuals with disabilities.

Community rehabilitation program means a program that provides directly or facilitates the provision of vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities, and that provides, singly or in combination, for an individual with a disability to enable the individual to maximize opportunities for employment, including career advancement‑‑

(1) Medical, psychiatric, psychological, social, and vocational services that are provided under one management;

(2) Testing, fitting, or training in the use of prosthetic and orthotic devices;

(3) Recreational therapy;

(4) Physical and occupational therapy;

(5) Speech, language, and hearing therapy;

(6) Psychiatric, psychological, and social services, including positive behavior management;

(7) Assessment for determining eligibility and vocational rehabilitation needs;

(8) Rehabilitation technology;

(9) Job development, placement, and retention services;

(10) Evaluation or control of specific disabilities;

(11) Orientation and mobility services for individuals who are blind;

(12) Extended employment;

(13) Psychosocial rehabilitation services;

(14) Supported employment services and extended services;

(15) Services to family members when necessary to the vocational rehabilitation of the individual;

(16) Personal assistance services; or

(17) Services similar to the services described in paragraphs (1) through (16) of this definition.

Designated State agency means an agency designated under section 101(a)(1)(A) of the Act.

Designated State unit means (1) Any State agency unit required under section 101(a)(2)(A) of the Act, or (2) In cases in which no State agency unit is required, the State agency described in section 101(a)(2)(B)(I) of the Act.

Independent living core services means‑‑

(1) Information and referral services;

(2) Independent living skills training;

(3) Peer counseling, including cross‑disability peer counseling; and

(4) Individual and systems advocacy.

Independent living services includes‑‑

(1) Independent living core services; and

(2)(I) Counseling services, including psychological, psychotherapeutic, and related services;

(ii) Services related to securing housing or shelter, including services related to community group living, and supportive of the purposes of this Act and of the titles of this Act, and adaptive housing services (including appropriate accommodations to and modifications of any space used to serve, or occupied by, individuals with disabilities);

(iii) Rehabilitation technology;

(iv) Mobility training;

(v) Services and training for individuals with cognitive and sensory disabilities, including life skills training, and interpreter and reader services;

(vi) Personal assistance services, including attendant care and the training of personnel providing these services;

(vii) Surveys, directories, and other activities to identify appropriate housing, recreation opportunities, and accessible transportation, and other support services;

(viii) Consumer information programs on rehabilitation and independent living services available under this Act, especially for minorities and other individuals with disabilities who have traditionally been unserved or underserved by programs under this Act;

(ix) Education and training necessary for living in the community and participating in community activities;

(x) Supported living;

(xi) Transportation, including referral and assistance for transportation;

(xii) Physical rehabilitation;

(xiii) Therapeutic treatment;

(xiv) Provision of needed prostheses and other appliances and devices;

(xv) Individual and group social and recreational services;

(xvi) Training to develop skills specifically designed for youths who are individuals with disabilities to promote self‑awareness and esteem, develop advocacy and self‑empowerment skills, and explore career options;

(xvii) Services for children;

(xviii) Services under other Federal, State, or local programs designed to provide resources, training, counseling, or other assistance of substantial benefit in enhancing the independence, productivity, and quality of life of individuals with disabilities;

(xvix) Appropriate preventive services to decrease the need of individuals assisted under this Act for similar services in the future;

(xx) Community awareness programs to enhance the understanding and integration of individuals with disabilities; and

(xxi) Such other services as may be necessary and not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act.

Individual with a disability means any individual who‑‑

(1) Has a physical or mental impairment, which for that individual constitutes or results in a substantial impediment to employment; and

(2) Can benefit in terms of an employment outcome from vocational rehabilitation services provided pursuant to titles I, II, III, VI, or VIII of the Act.

Individual with a severe disability means an individual with a disability‑‑

(1) Who has a severe physical or mental impairment that seriously limits one or more functional capacities (such as mobility, communication, self‑care, self‑direction, interpersonal skills, work tolerance, or work skills) in terms of an employment outcome;

(2) Whose vocational rehabilitation can be expected to require multiple vocational rehabilitation services over an extended period of time; and

(3) Who has one or more physical or mental disabilities resulting from amputation, arthritis, autism, blindness, burn injury, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, deafness, head injury, heart disease, hemiplegia, hemophilia, respiratory or pulmonary dysfunction, mental retardation, mental illness, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, musculo‑skeletal disorders, neurological disorders (including stroke and epilepsy), paraplegia, quadriplegia and other spinal cord conditions, sickle‑cell anemia, specific learning disabilities, end‑stage renal disease, or another disability or combination of disabilities determined on the basis of an assessment for determining eligibility and vocational rehabilitation needs to cause comparable substantial functional limitation.

Institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section 1201(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1141(a)).

Personal assistance services means a range of services provided by one or more persons designed to assist an individual with a disability to perform daily living activities on or off the job that the individual would typically perform if the individual did not have a disability. The services shall be designed to increase the individual's control in life and ability to perform everyday activities on or off the job.

Qualified personnel: (1) For designated State agencies or designated State units, means personnel who have met standards that are consistent with existing national or State approved or recognized certification, licensing, registration, or other comparable requirements that apply to the area in which such personnel are providing vocational rehabilitation services.

(2) For other than designated State agencies or designated State units, means personnel who have met existing State certification or licensure requirements, or in the absence of State requirements, have met professionally accepted requirements established by national certification boards.

Rehabilitation technology means the systematic application of technologies, engineering methodologies, or scientific principles to meet the needs of and address the barriers confronted by individuals with disabilities in areas that include education, rehabilitation, employment, transportation, independent living, and recreation. The term includes rehabilitation engineering, assistive technology devices, and assistive technology services.

State includes, in addition to each of the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Republic of Palau (until the Compact of Free Association with Palau takes effect).

Stipend means financial assistance on behalf of individuals in support of their training, as opposed to salary payment for services provided within the project.

Supported employment means‑‑

(1) Competitive work in integrated work settings for individuals with the most severe disabilities‑‑

(I)(A) For whom competitive employment has not traditionally occurred; or

(B) For whom competitive employment has been interrupted or intermittent as a result of a severe disability; and

(ii) Who, because of the nature and severity of their disability, need intensive supported employment services from the designated State unit and extended services after transition in order to perform this work.

(2) Transitional employment for individuals with the most severe disabilities due to mental illness.

Supported employment services means ongoing support services and other appropriate services needed to support and maintain an individual with most severe disability in supported employment, that are‑‑

(1) Provided singly or in combination and are organized and made available in such a way as to assist an eligible individual in entering or maintaining integrated, competitive employment;

(2) Based on a determination of the needs of an eligible individual, as specified in an individualized written rehabilitation program; and

(3) Provided by the designated State unit for a period of time not to extend beyond 18 months, unless under special circumstances the eligible individual and the rehabilitation counselor or coordinator jointly agree to extend the time in order to achieve the rehabilitation objectives identified in the individualized written rehabilitation program.

Vocational rehabilitation services means the same as the term is defined in 34 CFR 369.4(b).

(Authority: Secs. 7, 12(c), and 101(a)(7) of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 706, 711(c), and 721(a)(7))

[45 FR 86379, Dec. 30, 1980, as amended at 50 FR 38631, Sept. 23, 1985; 53 FR 17146, May 13, 1988; 59 FR 8345, Feb. 18, 1994]

Subpart B‑‑[Reserved]

Subpart C‑‑How Does One Apply for a Grant?

Sec. 385.20 What are the application procedures for these programs?

The Secretary gives the designated State agency an opportunity to review and comment on applications submitted from within the State that it serves. The procedures to be followed by the applicant and the State are in EDGAR Secs. 75.155‑75.159.

(Authority: Sec. 12(c) of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 711(c))

[45 FR 86379, Dec. 30, 1980, as amended at 59 FR 8347, Feb. 18, 1994]

Subpart D‑‑How Does the Secretary Make a Grant?

Sec. 385.30 [Reserved]

Sec. 385.31 How does the Secretary evaluate an application?

(a) The Secretary evaluates each applications under the procedures in 34 CFR Part 75.

(b) The Secretary evaluates each application using selection criteria identified in Parts 386, 387, 388, 389 and 390, as appropriate.

(c) In addition to the selection criteria described in paragraph (b) of this section, the Secretary evaluates each application using--

(1) Selection criteria in 34 CFR 75.210;

(2) Selection criteria established under 34 CFR 75.209; or

(3) A combination of selection criteria established under 34 CFR 75.209 and selection criteria in 34 CFR 75.210

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 711(c))

Sec. 385.33 What other factors does the Secretary consider in reviewing an application?

In addition to the selection criteria listed in Sec. 75.210 and Parts 386 through 390, the Secretary, in making awards under this program, considers such factors as‑‑

(a) The geographical distribution of projects in each Rehabilitation Training Program category throughout the country; and

(b) The past performance of the applicant in carrying out similar training activities under previously awarded grants, as indicated by such factors as compliance with grant conditions, soundness of programmatic and financial management practices and attainment of established project objectives.

(Authority: Sec. 12(c) of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 711(c))

Subpart E‑‑What Conditions Must Be Met by a Grantee?

Sec. 385.40 What are the requirements pertaining to the membership of a project advisory committee?

If a project funded under 34 CFR parts 386 through 390 or 396 establishes an advisory committee, its membership must include individuals with disabilities or parents, family members, guardians, advocates, or other authorized representatives of the individuals; members of minority groups; trainees; and providers of vocational rehabilitation and independent living rehabilitation services.

(Authority: Sec. 12(c) of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 711(c))

[59 FR 8347, Feb. 18, 1994]

Sec. 385.41 What are the requirements affecting the collection of data from designated State agencies?

If the collection of data is necessary from individuals with disabilities being served by two or more designated State agencies or from employees of two or more of these agencies, the project director must submit requests for the data to appropriate representatives of the affected agencies, as determined by the Secretary. This requirement also applies to employed project staff and individuals enrolled in courses of study supported under these programs.

(Authority: Sec. 12(C) of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 711(c))

[45 FR 86379, Dec. 30, 1980, as amended at 53 FR 17147, May 13, 1988; 59 FR 8347, Feb. 18, 1994]

Sec. 385.42 What are the requirements affecting the dissemination of training materials?

A set of any training materials developed under the Rehabilitation Training Program must be submitted to any information clearinghouse designated by the Secretary.

(Authority: Sec. 12(c) of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 711(c))

Sec. 385.43 What requirements apply to the training of rehabilitation counselors and other rehabilitation personnel?

Any grantee who provides training of rehabilitation counselors or other rehabilitation personnel under any of the programs in 34 CFR parts 386 through 390 shall train those counselors and personnel on the services provided under this Act, and, in particular, services provided in accordance with amendments made by the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992. The grantee shall also furnish training to these counselors and personnel regarding the applicability of section 504 of this Act, title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the provisions of titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act that are related to work incentives for individuals with disabilities.

(Authority: Sec. 302(a)(3) of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 774(a)(3))

[59 FR 8347, Feb. 18, 1994]

Sec. 385.44 What requirement applies to the training of individuals with disabilities?

Any grantee or contractor who provides training under any of the programs in 34 CFR parts 386 through 390 and 396 shall give due regard to the training of individuals with disabilities as part of its effort to increase the number of qualified personnel available to provide rehabilitation services.

(Authority: Sec. 302(a)(1) of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 774(a)(1))

[59 FR 8347, Feb. 18, 1994]

Sec. 385.45 What additional application requirements apply to the training of individuals for rehabilitation careers?

(a) All applicants for a grant or contract to provide training under any of the programs in 34 CFR parts 386 through 390 and 396 shall demonstrate how the training they plan to provide will prepare rehabilitation professionals to address the needs of individuals with disabilities from minority backgrounds.

(b) All applicants for a grant under any of the programs in 34 CFR parts 386 through 390 and 396 shall include a detailed description of strategies that will be utilized to recruit and train persons so as to reflect the diverse populations of the United States, as part of the effort to increase the number of individuals with disabilities, and individuals who are members of minority groups, who are available to provide rehabilitation services.

(Authority: Secs. 21(b)(5) and 302(a)(5) of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 718b(b)(6) and 774(a)(6))

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1820‑0018)

[59 FR 8347, Feb. 18, 1994, as amended at 59 FR 33680, June 30, 1994]

Sec. 385.46 What limitations apply to the rate of pay for experts or consultants appointed or serving under contract under the Rehabilitation Training program?

An expert or consultant appointed or serving under contract pursuant to this section shall be compensated at a rate subject to approval of the Commissioner which shall not exceed the daily equivalent of the rate of pay for level 4 of the Senior Executive Service Schedule under section 5382 of title 5, United States Code. Such an expert or consultant may be allowed travel and transportation expenses in accordance with section 5703 of title 5, United States Code.

(Authority: Sec. 302(g)(2) of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 774(g)(2))

[59 FR 8347, Feb. 18, 1994]

Sec. 389.4 What definitions apply to this program?

The definitions in 34 CFR Part 385 apply to this program.

(Authority: Sec. 12(c) of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 711(c))

Subpart B‑‑What Kinds of Projects Does the Department of Education Assist

Under This Program?

Sec. 389.10 What types of projects are authorized under this program?

Rehabilitation Continuing Education Programs‑‑

(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;

(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; and

(c) Develop and conduct training programs for staff of‑‑

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

(2) Centers for independent living; and

(3) Client assistance programs.

(Authority: Sec. 302 of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 774)

[45 FR 86385, Dec. 30, 1980, as amended at 50 FR 38631, Sept. 23, 1985; 59

FR 8348, Feb. 18, 1994]

Subpart C‑‑[Reserved]

Subpart D‑‑How Does the Secretary Make a Grant?

Sec. 389.30 What additional selection criteria is used under this program?

In addition to the criteria in 34 CFR 385.31(c), the Secretary uses the following additional criterion to evaluate an application:

(a) Relevance to State-Federal rehabilitation service program.

(1) The Secretary reviews each application for information that shows that the proposed project appropriately relates to the mission of the State-Federal rehabilitation service programs.

(2) The Secretary reviews each application for information that shows that the proposed project includes an assessment of the potential of existing programs within the geographical area (including State vocational rehabilitation unit in-service training) to meet the needs for which support is sought.

(3) The Secretary looks for information that shows that the proposed project can be expected to improve the competence of professional and other personnel in the rehabilitation agencies serving individuals with severe disabilities.

(6) [Reserved.]

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 711(c))

Subpart E‑‑What Conditions Must Be Met by a Grantee?

Sec. 389.40 What are the matching requirements?

A grantee must contribute to the cost of a project under this program in an amount satisfactory to the Secretary. The part of the cost to be borne by the grantee is determined by the Secretary at the time of the grant award.

(Authority: Secs. 12(c) and 302 of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 711(c) and 774)

[45 FR 86365, Dec. 30, 1980, as amended at 59 FR 8348, Feb. 18, 1994]

Sec. 389.41 What are allowable costs?

In addition to those allowable costs established under EDGAR Secs. 75.530‑ 75.562, the following items are allowable under Rehabilitation Continuing Education programs‑‑

(a) Trainee per diem costs;

(b) Trainee travel in connection with a training course;

(c) Trainee tuition and fees; and

(d) Special accommodations for trainees with handicaps.

(Authority: Secs. 12(c) and 302 of the Act; 29 U.S.C. 711(c) and 774)

[45 FR 86385, Dec. 30, 1980, as amended at 53 FR 17147, May 13, 1988; 59 FR

8348, Feb. 18, 1994] [59 FR 8347, Feb. 18, 1994]

PART 386‑‑REHABILITATION TRAINING: REHABILITATION LONG‑TERM TRAINING

Subpart A‑‑General

Sec.

386.1 What is the Rehabilitation Long‑Term Training program?

386.2 Who is eligible for an award?

386.3 What regulations apply?

386.4 What definitions apply?

Subpart B‑‑[Reserved]

Subpart C‑‑How Does the Secretary Make an Award?

Sec. 386.20 What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

Subpart D -- What Conditions Must Be Met After an Award?

Sec.

386.30 What are the matching requirements?

386.31 What are the requirements for directing grant funds?

386.32 What are allowable costs?

386.33 What are the requirements for grantees in disbursing scholarships?

386.34 What assurances must be provided by a grantee that intends to provide scholarships?

386.35 What information must be provided by a grantee that is an institution of higher education to assist designated State agencies?

Subpart E‑‑What Conditions Must Be Met by a Scholar?

Sec.

386.40 What are the requirements for scholars?

386.41 Under what circumstances does the Secretary grant a deferral or exception to performance or repayment under a scholarship agreement?

386.42 What must a scholar do to obtain a deferral or exception to performance or repayment under a scholarship agreement?

386.43 What are the consequences of a scholar's failure to meet the terms and conditions of scholarship agreement?

Authority: 29 U.S.C. 711(c) and 774, unless otherwise noted.

Source: 59 FR 31066, June 16, 1994, unless otherwise noted.

Subpart A‑‑General

Sec. 386.1 What is the Rehabilitation Long‑Term Training program?

(a) The Rehabilitation Long‑Term Training program provides financial assistance for‑‑

(1) Projects that provide basic or advanced training leading to an academic degree in one of those fields of study identified in paragraph (b) of this section;

(2) Projects that provide a specified series of courses or program of study leading to award of a certificate in one of those fields of study identified in paragraph (b) of this section; and

(3) Projects that provide support for medical residents enrolled in residency training programs in the specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

(b) The Rehabilitation Long‑Term Training program is designed to provide academic training in areas of personnel shortages identified by the Secretary and published in a notice in the Federal Register. These areas may include‑‑

(1) Vocational rehabilitation counseling;

(2) Rehabilitation technology;

(3) Rehabilitation medicine;

(4) Rehabilitation nursing;

(5) Rehabilitation social work;

(6) Rehabilitation psychiatry;

(7) Rehabilitation psychology;

(8) Rehabilitation dentistry;

(9) Physical therapy;

(10) Occupational therapy;

(11) Speech pathology and audiology;

(12) Physical education;

(13) Therapeutic recreation;

(14) Community rehabilitation program personnel;

(15) Prosthetics and orthotics;

(16) Specialized personnel for rehabilitation of individuals who are blind or have vision impairment;

(17) Rehabilitation of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing;

(18) Rehabilitation of individuals who are mentally ill;

(19) Undergraduate education in the rehabilitation services;

(20) Independent living;

(21) Client assistance;

(22) Administration of community rehabilitation programs;

(23) Rehabilitation administration;

(24) Vocational evaluation and work adjustment;

(25) Services to individuals with specific disabilities or specific impediments to rehabilitation, including individuals who are members of populations that are unserved or underserved by programs under this Act;

(26) Job development and job placement services to individuals with disabilities;

(27) Supported employment services, including services of employment specialists for individuals with disabilities;

(28) Specialized services for individuals with severe disabilities;

(29) Recreation for individuals with disabilities;

(30) The use, applications, and benefits of assistive technology devices and assistive technology services; and

(31) Other fields contributing to the rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities.

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 711 and 771a)

Sec. 386.2 Who is eligible for an award?

Those agencies and organizations eligible for assistance under this program are described in 34 CFR 385.2.

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 771a(a))

Sec. 386.3 What regulations apply?

The following regulations apply to the Rehabilitation Long‑Term Training program:

(a) The regulations in this part 386.

(b) The regulations in 34 CFR part 385.

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 771a)

Sec. 386.4 What definitions apply?

The following definitions apply to this program:

(a) Definitions in 34 CFR 385.4.

(b) Other definitions. The following definitions also apply to this part:

Academic year means a full‑time course of study‑‑

(1) Taken for a period totaling at least nine months; or

(2) Taken for the equivalent of at least two semesters, two trimesters, or three quarters.

Certificate means a recognized educational credential awarded by a grantee under this part that attests to the completion of a specified series of courses or program of study.

Professional corporation or professional practice means‑‑

(1) A professional service corporation or practice formed by one or more individuals duly authorized to render the same professional service, for the purpose of rendering that service; and

(2) The corporation or practice and its members are subject to the same supervision by appropriate State regulatory agencies as individual practitioners.

Related agency means‑‑

(1) An American Indian rehabilitation program; or

(2) Any of the following agencies that provide services to individuals with disabilities under an agreement with a designated State agency in the area of specialty for which training is provided:

(I) A Federal, State, or local agency.

(ii) A nonprofit organization.

(iii) A professional corporation or professional practice group.

Scholar means an individual who is enrolled in a certificate or degree granting course of study in one of the areas listed in Sec. 386.1(b) and who receives scholarship assistance under this part.

Scholarship means an award of financial assistance to a scholar for training and includes all disbursements or credits for student stipends, tuition and fees, and student travel in conjunction with training assignments.

State rehabilitation agency means the designated State agency.

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 711(c))

Subpart C‑‑How Does the Secretary Make an Award?

(See SELECTION CRITERIA for Applications - Section F)

Subpart D‑‑What Conditions Must Be Met After an Award?

Sec. 386.30 What are the matching requirements?

The Federal share may not be more than 90 percent of the total cost of a project under this program. The Secretary may waive part of the non‑Federal share of the cost of the project after negotiations if the applicant demonstrates that it does not have sufficient resources to contribute the entire match.

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 711(c))

Sec. 386.31 What are the requirements for directing grant funds?

(a) A grantee must use at least 75 percent of the total award for scholarships as defined in Sec. 386.4.

(b) The Secretary may award grants that use less than 75 percent of the total award for scholarships based upon the unique nature of the project, such as the establishment of a new training program or long‑term training in an emerging field that does not award degrees or certificates.

(c) For multi‑year projects in existence on October 1, 1994, the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section do not apply for the remainder of the project period.

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 711(c) and 771a)

Sec. 386.32 What are allowable costs?

In addition to those allowable costs established in the Education

Department General Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR 75.530 through 75.562, the following items are allowable under long‑term training projects:

(a) Student stipends.

(b) Tuition and fees.

(c) Student travel in conjunction with training assignments.

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 711(c) and 771a)

Sec. 386.33 What are the requirements for grantees in disbursing scholarships?

(a) Before disbursement of scholarship assistance to an individual, a grantee‑‑

(1)(I) Shall obtain documentation that the individual is‑‑

(A) A U.S. citizen or national; or

(B) A permanent resident of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; or

(ii) Shall confirm from documentation issued to the individual by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service that he or she‑‑

(A) Is a lawful permanent resident of the United States; or

(B) Is in the United States for other than a temporary purpose with the intention of becoming a citizen or permanent resident; and

(2) Shall confirm that the applicant has expressed interest in a career in clinical practice, administration, supervision, teaching, or research in the vocational rehabilitation, supported employment, or independent living rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with severe disabilities;

(3) Shall have documentation that the individual expects to maintain or seek employment in a designated State rehabilitation agency or in a nonprofit rehabilitation, professional corporation, professional practice group, or related agency providing services to individuals with disabilities or

individuals with severe disabilities under an agreement with a designated State agency;

(4) Shall reduce the scholarship by the amount in which the combined awards would be in excess of the cost of attendance, if a scholarship, when added to the amount the scholar is to receive for the same academic year under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, would otherwise exceed the scholar's cost of attendance;

(5) Shall limit scholarship assistance to the individual's cost of attendance at the institution for no more than four academic years except that the grantee may provide an extension consistent with the institution's accommodations under section 504 of the Act if the grantee determines that an individual has a disability that seriously affects the completion of the course of study; and

(6) Shall obtain a Certification of Eligibility for Federal Assistance from each scholar as prescribed in 34 CFR 75.60, 75.61, and 75.62.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1820‑0018.)

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 711(c) and 771a(b))

Sec. 386.34 What assurances must be provided by a grantee that intends to provide scholarships?

A grantee under this part that intends to grant scholarships for any academic year beginning after June 1, 1992, shall provide the following assurances before an award is made:

(a) Requirement for agreement.

No individual will be provided a scholarship without entering into a written agreement containing the terms and conditions

required by this section. An individual will sign and date the agreement prior to the initial disbursement of scholarship funds to the individual for payment of the individual's expenses, such as tuition.

(b) Disclosure to applicants.

The terms and conditions of the agreement that the grantee enters into with a scholar will be fully disclosed in the application for scholarship.

(c) Form and terms of agreement.

Each scholarship agreement with a grantee will be in the form and contain the terms that the Secretary requires, including at a minimum the following provisions:

(1) The scholar will‑‑

(I) Maintain employment‑‑

(A) In a nonprofit rehabilitation agency or related agency or in a State rehabilitation agency or related agency, including a professional corporation or professional practice group through which the individual has a service arrangement with the designated State agency;

(B) On a full‑ or part‑time basis; and

(C) For a period of not less than the full‑time equivalent of two years for each year for which assistance under this section was received, within a period, beginning after the recipient completes the training for which the scholarship was awarded, of not more than the sum of the number of years required in this paragraph and two additional years; and

(ii) Repay all or part of any scholarship received, plus interest, if the individual does not fulfill the requirements of paragraph (c)(1(I) of this section, except as the Secretary by regulations may provide for repayment exceptions and deferrals.

(2) The employment obligation in paragraph (c)(1) of this section as applied to a part‑time scholar will be based on the accumulated academic years of training for which the scholarship is received.

(3) Until the scholar has satisfied the employment obligation described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, the scholar will inform the grantee of any change of name, address, or employment status and will document employment satisfying the terms of the agreement.

(4) Subject to the provisions in Sec. 386.41 regarding a deferral or exception, when the scholar enters repayment status under Sec. 386.43(e), the amount of the scholarship that has not been retired through eligible employment will constitute a debt owed to the United States that‑‑

(I) Will be repaid by the scholar, including interest and costs of collection as provided in Sec. 386.43; and

(ii) May be collected by the Secretary in accordance with 34 CFR Part 30, in the case of the scholar's failure to meet the obligation of Sec. 386.43.

(d) Executed agreement.

The grantee will provide an original executed agreement upon request to the Secretary.

(e) Standards for satisfactory progress.

The grantee will establish, publish, and apply reasonable standards for measuring whether a scholar is maintaining satisfactory progress in the scholar's course of study. The

Secretary considers an institution's standards to be reasonable if the standards‑‑

(1) Conform with the standards of satisfactory progress of the nationally recognized accrediting agency that accredits the institution's program of study, if the institution's program of study is accredited by such an agency, and if the agency has those standards;

(2) For a scholar enrolled in an eligible program who is to receive assistance under the Rehabilitation Act, are the same as or stricter than the institution's standards for a student enrolled in the same academic program who is not receiving assistance under the Rehabilitation Act; and

(3) Include the following elements:

(I) Grades, work projects completed, or comparable factors that are measurable against a norm.

(ii) A maximum time frame in which the scholar shall complete the scholar's educational objective, degree, or certificate.

(iii) Consistent application of standards to all scholars within categories of students; e.g., full‑time, part‑time, undergraduates, graduate students, and students attending programs established by the institution.

(iv) Specific policies defining the effect of course incompletes, withdrawals, repetitions, and noncredit remedial courses on satisfactory progress.

(v) Specific procedures for appeal of a determination that a scholar is not making satisfactory progress and for reinstatement of aid.

(f) Exit certification.

The grantee has established policies and procedures for receiving written certification from scholars at the time of exit from the program acknowledging the following:

(1) The name of the institution and the number of the Federal grant that provided the scholarship.

(2) The scholar's field of study.

(3) The number of years the scholar needs to work to satisfy the work requirements in Sec. 386.34(c)(1)(i)(C).

(4) The total amount of scholarship assistance received subject to the work‑or‑repay provision in Sec. 386.34(c)(1)(ii).

(5) The time period during which the scholar must satisfy the work requirements in Sec. 386.34(c)(1)(i)(C).

(6) All other obligations of the scholar in Sec. 386.34.

(g) Tracking system.

The grantee has established policies and procedures to determine compliance of the scholar with the terms of the agreement. In order to determine whether a scholar has met the work‑or‑repay provision in Sec. 386.34(c)(1)(i), the tracking system must include for each employment position maintained by the scholar‑‑

(1) Documentation of the employer's name, address, dates of the scholar's employment, and the position the scholar maintained;

(2) Documentation of how the employment meets the requirements in Sec. 386.34(c)(1)(i); and

(3) Documentation that the grantee, if experiencing difficulty in locating a scholar, has checked with existing tracking systems operated by alumni organizations.

(h) Reports.

The grantee shall make reports to the Secretary that are

necessary to carry out the Secretary's functions under this part.

(i) Records.

The grantee shall maintain the information obtained in paragraphs (g) and (h) of this section for a period of time equal to the time required to fulfill the obligation under Sec. 386.34(c)(1)(i)(C).

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1820‑0018.)

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 711(c) and 771a(b))

Sec. 386.35 What information must be provided by a grantee that is an institution of higher education to assist designated State agencies?

A grantee that is an institution of higher education provided assistance under this part shall cooperate with the following requests for information from a designated State agency:

(a) Information required by section 101(a)(7) of the Act which may include, but is not limited to‑‑

(1) The number of students enrolled by the grantee in rehabilitation training programs; and

(2) The number of rehabilitation professionals trained by the grantee who graduated with certification or licensure, or with credentials to qualify for certification or licensure, during the past year.

(b) Information on the availability of rehabilitation courses leading to certification or licensure, or the credentials to qualify for certification or licensure, to assist State agencies in the planning of a program of staff development for all classes of positions that are involved in the administration and operation of the State agency's vocational rehabilitation program.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1820‑0018.)

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 711(c) and 771a)

Subpart E‑‑What Conditions Must Be Met by a Scholar?

Sec. 386.40 What are the requirements for scholars?

A scholar‑‑

(a) Shall receive the training at the educational institution or agency designated in the scholarship; and

(b) Shall not accept payment of educational allowances from any other Federal, State, or local public or private nonprofit agency if that allowance conflicts with the individual's obligation under Sec. 386.33(a)(4) or Sec. 386.34(c)(1).

(c) Shall enter into a written agreement with the grantee, before starting training, that meets the terms and conditions required in Sec. 386.34;

(d) Shall be enrolled in a course of study leading to a certificate or degree in one of the fields designated in Sec. 386.1(b); and

(e) Shall maintain satisfactory progress toward the certificate or degree as determined by the grantee.

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 711(c) and 771a(b))

Sec. 386.41 Under what circumstances does the Secretary grant a deferral or exception to performance or repayment under a scholarship agreement?

A deferral or repayment exception to the requirements of Sec. 386.34(c)(1) may be granted, in whole or part, by the Secretary as follows:

(a) Repayment is not required if the scholar‑‑

(1) Is unable to continue the course of study or perform the work obligation because of a disability that is expected to continue indefinitely or result in death; or

(2) Has died.

(b) Repayment of a scholarship may be deferred during the time the scholar is‑‑

(1) Engaging in a full‑time course of study at an institution of higher education;

(2) Serving, not in excess of three years, on active duty as a member of the armed services of the United States;

(3) Serving as a volunteer under the Peace Corps Act;

(4) Serving as a full‑time volunteer under Title I of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973;

(5) Temporarily totally disabled, for a period not to exceed three years; or

(6) Unable to secure employment as required by the agreement by reason of the care provided to a disabled spouse for a period not to exceed 12 months.

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 771(c) and 771a(b))

Sec. 386.42 What must a scholar do to obtain a deferral or exception to performance or repayment under a scholarship agreement?

To obtain a deferral or exception to performance or repayment under a scholarship agreement, a scholar shall provide the following:

(a) Written application.

A written application must be made to the Secretary to request a deferral or an exception to performance or repayment of a scholarship.

(b) Documentation.

(1) Documentation must be provided to substantiate the grounds for a deferral or exception.

(2) Documentation necessary to substantiate an exception under Sec. 386.41(a)(1) or a deferral under Sec. 386.41(b)(5) must include a sworn affidavit from a qualified physician or other evidence of disability satisfactory to the Secretary.

(3) Documentation to substantiate an exception under Sec. 386.41(a)(2) must include a death certificate or other evidence conclusive under State law.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1820‑0018.)

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 711(c) and 771a)

Sec. 386.43 What are the consequences of a scholar's failure to meet the terms and conditions of a scholarship agreement?

In the event of a failure to meet the terms and conditions of a scholarship agreement or to obtain a deferral or an exception as provided in Sec. 386.41, the scholar shall repay all or part of the scholarship as follows:

(a) Amount.

The amount of the scholarship to be repaid is proportional to

the employment obligation not completed.

(b) Interest rate.

The Secretary charges the scholar interest on the unpaid balance owed in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3717.

(c) Interest accrual.

(1) Interest on the unpaid balance accrues from the date the scholar is determined to have entered repayment status under

paragraph (e) of this section.

(2) Any accrued interest is capitalized at the time the scholar's repayment schedule is established.

(3) No interest is charged for the period of time during which repayment has been deferred under Sec. 386.41.

(d) Collection costs.

Under the authority of 31 U.S.C. 3717, the Secretary may impose reasonable collection costs.

(e) Repayment status.

A scholar enters repayment status on the first day of the first calendar month after the earliest of the following dates, as applicable:

(1) The date the scholar informs the Secretary he or she does not plan to fulfill the employment obligation under the agreement.

(2) Any date when the scholar's failure to begin or maintain employment makes it impossible for that individual to complete the employment obligation within the number of years required in Sec. 386.34(c)(1).

(f) Amounts and frequency of payment.

The scholar shall make payments to the Secretary that cover principal, interest, and collection costs according to a schedule established by the Secretary.

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 711(c) and 771a(b))

SECTION E

Selection Criteria for Applications

The Secretary uses the following selection criteria to evaluate applications for new grants under this competition. The maximum score for all of these criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses. Because no points are assigned to the selected factors, the Secretary evaluates each factor within each criterion equally.

The criteria are--

RELEVANCE TO STATE-FEDERAL REHABILITATION SERVICE PROGRAM

(25 points)

1. The Secretary reviews each application for information that shows that the proposed project appropriately relates to the mission of the State-Federal rehabilitation service program.

(2) The Secretary looks for information that shows the project can be expected either to increase the supply of trained personnel available to State and other public or nonprofit agencies involved in the rehabilitation of individuals with physical or mental disabilities through degree or certificate-granting programs, or to improve the skills and quality of professional personnel in the rehabilitation field in which the training is to be provided through the granting of a degree or certificate.

NATURE AND SCOPE OF CURRICULUM (20 points)

(1) The Secretary reviews each application for information that demonstrates the adequacy of the proposed curriculum.

(2) The Secretary looks for information that shows--

(i) The scope and nature of the course work reflect content that can be expected to enable the achievement of the established project objectives;

(ii) The curriculum and teaching methods provide for an integration of theory and practice relevant to the educational objectives of the program;

(iii) There is evidence of educationally focused practical and other field experiences in settings that ensure student involvement in the provision of vocational rehabilitation, supported employment, or independent living rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with severe disabilities;

(iv) The course work includes student exposure to vocational rehabilitation, supported employment, or independent living rehabilitation processes, concepts, programs, and services; and

(v) If applicable, there is evidence of current professional accreditation by the designated accrediting agency in the professional field in which grant support is being requested.

QUALITY OF PROJECT SERVICES (10 Points)

(1) In determining the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed project, the Secretary considers the quality and sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for eligible project participants who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability.

(2) The extent to which the training or professional development services to be provided by the proposed project are of sufficient quality, intensity, and duration to lead to improvements in practice among the recipients of these services.

(3) The extent to which the training or professional development services to be provided by the proposed project are likely to alleviate the personnel shortages that have been identified or are the focus of the proposed project.

QUALITY OF THE MANAGEMENT PLAN (15 points)

(1) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly defined responsibilities, timelines and milestones for accomplishing project tasks.

(2) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous improvement in the operation of the proposed project.

(3) The extent to which the time commitments of the project director and principal investigator and other key project personnel are appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed project.

QUALITY OF THE PROJECT EVALUATION (10 points)

(1) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, feasible and appropriate to the goals, objectives and outcomes of the proposed project.

(2) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are appropriate to the context within which the project operates.

(3) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will include the use of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and qualitative data to the extent possible.

QUALITY OF PROJECT PERSONNEL (10 points)

(1) In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary consider the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for employment from persons who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability.

(2) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of the project director or principal investigator.

(3) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of key project personnel.

(4) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience of project consultants or subcontractors.

ADEQUACY OF RESOURCES (10 points)

1. The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment, supplies, and other resources, from the applicant organization or the lead applicant organization.

2. The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the proposed project.

3. The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives, design and potential significance of the proposed project.

4. The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the number of persons to be served and to the anticipated results and benefits.

5. The potential for the incorporation of project purposes, activities or benefits into the ongoing program of the agency or organization at the end of Federal funding.

Section F

Application Transmittal Instructions

ATTENTION ELECTRONIC APPLICANTS:

Please note that you must follow the Application Procedures as described in the Federal Register notice announcing the grant competition. Some programs may require electronic submission of applications, and those programs will have specific requirements and waiver instructions in the Federal Register notice.

An original and two copies of an application for an award must be mailed or hand-delivered by the application deadline date unless it is submitted electronically.

If you want to apply for a grant and be considered for funding, you must meet the following deadline requirements:

Applications Submitted Electronically

You must submit your grant application through the Internet using the software provided on the Grants.gov Web site (http://www.grants.gov) by 4:30:00 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time) on the application deadline date.

If you submit your application through the Internet via the e-Grants Web site, you will receive an automatic acknowledgment when we receive your application.

For more information on using Grants.gov, please refer to the Notice Inviting Applications that was published in the Federal Register, the Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips document found in the application package instructions, and visit http://www.grants.gov.

Applications Sent by Mail (Only for applicants who qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement as described in the Federal Register document for this competition)

You must mail the original and two copies of the application on or before the deadline date to. To help expedite our review of your application, we would appreciate your voluntarily including an additional 3 copies of your application.

Please mail copies to:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Attention: CFDA# 84. 129B

LBJ Basement Level 1

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20202-4260

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

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.

If you mail an 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 Services.

An applicant should note that the U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, an applicant should check with its local post office.

Applications Delivered by Commercial Carrier: (Only for applicants who qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement as described in the Federal Register document for this competition)

Special Note: Due to recent disruptions to normal mail delivery, the Department encourages you to consider using an alternative delivery method (for example, a commercial carrier, such as Federal Express or United Parcel Service; or U. S. Postal Service Express Mail) to transmit your application for this competition to the Department. If you use an alternative delivery method, please obtain the appropriate proof of mailing under “Applications Sent by Mail,” then follow the mailing instructions under the appropriate delivery method.

Applications that are delivered by commercial carrier, such as Federal Express, United Parcel Service, etc. should be mailed to the:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Attention CFDA # 129B

LBJ Basement Level 1

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20202

Applications Delivered by Hand (Only for applicants who qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement as described in the Federal Register document for this competition)

You or your courier must hand deliver the original and number of copies requested of the application by 4:30:00 p.m. (Washington, DC time) on or before the deadline date. To help expedite our review of your application, we would appreciate your voluntarily including an additional 3 copies of your application.

Please hand deliver copies to:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Attention: CFDA#84.129B

550 12^th Street, SW

PCP-Room 7041

Washington, DC 20202–4260

The Application Control Center accepts application deliveries daily between 8:00:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time), except Saturdays, Sundays and Federal holidays

.

PLEASE NOTE – NEW ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION POLICY

Electronic Submission is Required - As outlined in the Federal Register notice for this grant competition, applications must be submitted electronically. You must submit your application using the electronic application system designated in the Federal Register notice. (The notice will designate whether you will use e-Application or Grants.gov). You may not e-mail an electronic copy to us. We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format unless you qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement described below 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.

Under mandatory submission, electronic applications must be received by 4:30:00 pm Washington, DC time on the application deadline date. Under this new policy, Education does not allow for any last minute waiver requests from applicants, which is a change from the previous policy for mandatory electronic submission. Consequently, we strongly encourage you to review the registration and submission procedures for the designated electronic application system right away. In addition, we strongly suggest that you do not wait until the deadline date to submit your application.

Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your application in paper format, by mail or hand delivery, if you are unable to submit an application through the electronic application system designated in the Federal Register notice because––

• You do not have access to the Internet; or

• You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to the 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. (Please follow the fax instructions found in the Federal Register notice for this competition. Also, your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the mail or hand delivery instructions also described in the Federal Register notice for this grant competition.)

For detailed information on the electronic submission requirement for this competition, please refer to the Federal Register notice.

Section G

APPLICATION FORMS

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

Rehabilitation Services Administration

Instructions for an Application for Federal Assistance

(Nonconstruction Programs)

The enclosed forms shall be used by all applicants for Federal Assistance under all Rehabilitation Services Administration programs. A separate application must be submitted for each grant sought. No grant may be awarded unless the completed application forms have been received. If an item does not appear to be relevant to the assistance requested, write "NA" for not applicable.

This application consists of four parts. These parts are organized in the same manner that the submitted application should be organized. These parts are as follows:

Part I Federal Assistance Application Face Page

Part II Budget Information

Part III Program Narrative

Part IV Assurances, Certifications and Disclosures

The following statement must be included in this section of your general application instructions and information document:

Electronic submission requires that narratives and other files be attached to the following attachment forms as per the instruction in this document such as:

 One Page Abstract must be attached to the “Department of Education Abstract Form”

 Program Narratives must be attached to the “Program Narrative Attachment Form”

 Budget Narratives must be attached to the “Budget Narrative Attachment Form”

 All vitas, table of contents, letters, certifications, supplementary statements; and other requested appendices must be attached to the “Other Attachment Form”

NOTE: Please do not attach any narratives, supporting files or application components to the Standard Form (SF 424). Although this form accepts attachments, the Department of Education will only review materials/files attached to the attachment forms listed above.

Each submitted application must include an index or table of contents and a one-page project abstract. Pages should be consecutively numbered.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid

OMB control number for this information collection is 1820-0018. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 40 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

Under terms of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, as amended, and the regulations implementing that Act, the Department of Education invites comment on the public reporting burden in this collection of information. You may send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the:

U.S. Department of Education

Information Management and Compliance Division

Washington, DC 20202-4651

And to the:

Office of Management and Budget

Paperwork Reduction Project 1820-0018

Washington, DC 20503

OMB Number: 4040-0004 Expiration Date: 01/31/2009
Application for Federal Assistance SF-424 Version 02
*1. Type of Submission: Preapplication Application Changed/Corrected Application		*2. Type of Application New Continuation Revision			* If Revision, select appropriate letter(s)
					*Other (Specify)      
3. Date Received : 4. Applicant Identifier:            
5a. Federal Entity Identifier:      				*5b. Federal Award Identifier:      
State Use Only:
6. Date Received by State:      			7. State Application Identifier:      
8. APPLICANT INFORMATION:
*a. Legal Name:      
*b. Employer/Taxpayer Identification Number (EIN/TIN):      				*c. Organizational DUNS:      
d. Address:
*Street 1:      
Street 2:      
*City:      
County:      
*State:      
Province:      
*Country:      
*Zip / Postal Code      
e. Organizational Unit:
Department Name:      				Division Name:      
f. Name and contact information of person to be contacted on matters involving this application:
Prefix:       *First Name:      
Middle Name:      
*Last Name:      
Suffix:      
Title:      
Organizational Affiliation:      
*Telephone Number:       Fax Number:      
*E-mail:      
*9. Type of Applicant 1: Select Applicant Type:
Type of Applicant 2: Select Applicant Type:
Type of Applicant 3: Select Applicant Type:
*Other (Specify)      
*10 Name of Federal Agency:      
11. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number:       CFDA Title:      
*12 Funding Opportunity Number:       *Title:      
13. Competition Identification Number:       Title:      
14. Areas Affected by Project (Cities, Counties, States, etc.):      
*15. Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project:      
16. Congressional Districts Of: *a. Applicant:       *b. Program/Project:      
17. Proposed Project: *a. Start Date:       *b. End Date:      
18. Estimated Funding ($):
*a. Federal *b. Applicant *c. State *d. Local *e. Other *f. Program Income *g. TOTAL	     
	     
	     
	     
	     
	     
*19. Is Application Subject to Review By State Under Executive Order 12372 Process? a. This application was made available to the State under the Executive Order 12372 Process for review on       b. Program is subject to E.O. 12372 but has not been selected by the State for review. c. Program is not covered by E. O. 12372
*20. Is the Applicant Delinquent On Any Federal Debt? (If “Yes”, provide explanation.) Yes No
21. *By signing this application, I certify (1) to the statements contained in the list of certifications** and (2) that the statements herein are true, complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I also provide the required assurances** and agree to comply with any resulting terms if I accept an award. I am aware that any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or claims may subject me to criminal, civil, or administrative penalties. (U. S. Code, Title 218, Section 1001) ** I AGREE ** The list of certifications and assurances, or an internet site where you may obtain this list, is contained in the announcement or agency specific instructions
Authorized Representative:
Prefix:       *First Name:       Middle Name:       *Last Name:       Suffix:      
*Title:      
*Telephone Number:      						Fax Number:      
* Email:      
*Signature of Authorized Representative:      							*Date Signed:      

Authorized for Local Reproduction Standard Form 424 (Revised 10/2005)

Prescribed by OMB Circular A-102

OMB Number: 4040-0004

Expiration Date: 01/31/2009

Application for Federal Assistance SF-424 Version 02

*Applicant Federal Debt Delinquency Explanation

The following should contain an explanation if the Applicant organization is delinquent of any Federal Debt.

     

Instructions for the SF-424

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 45 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0348-0043), Washington, DC 20503.

PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR COMPLETED FORM TO THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET. SEND IT TO THE ADDRESS PROVIDED BY THE SPONSORING AGENCY.

This is a standard form used by applicants as a required face sheet for pre-applications and applications submitted for Federal assistance. It will be used by Federal agencies to obtain applicant certification that States which have established a review and comment procedure in response to Executive Order 12372 and have selected the program to be included in their process, have been given an opportunity to review the applicant’s submission.

Item:	Entry:		Item:	Entry:
1.	Type of Submission: (Required) Select one type of submission in accordance with agency instructions. Preapplication Application Changed/Corrected Application—If requested by the agency, check if this submission is to change or correct a previously submitted application. Unless requested by the agency, applicants may not use this to submit changes after the closing date.		10.	Name of Federal Agency: (Required) Enter the name of the Federal agency from which assistance is being requested with this application.
			11.	Catalog Of Federal Domestic Assistance Number/Title: Enter the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number and title of the program under which assistance is requested, as found in the program announcement, if applicable.
2.	Type of Application: (Required) Select one type of application in accordance with agency instructions. New—An application that is being submitted to an agency for the first time. Continuation—An extension for an additional funding/budget period for a project with a projected completion date. This can include renewals. Revision—Any change in the Federal Government’s financial obligation or contingent liability from an existing obligation. If a revision, enter the appropriate letter(s). More than one may be selected. If "Other" is selected, please specify in text box provided. A. Increase Award B. Decrease Award C. Increase Duration D. Decrease Duration E. Other (specify)		12.	Funding Opportunity Number/Title: (Required) Enter the Funding Opportunity Number and title of the opportunity under which assistance is requested, as found in the program announcement.
			13.	Competition Identification Number/Title: Enter the Competition Identification Number and title of the competition under which assistance is requested, if applicable.
			14.	Areas Affected By Project: List the areas or entities using the categories (e.g., cities, counties, states, etc.) specified in agency instructions. Use the continuation sheet to enter additional areas, if needed.
3.	Date Received: Leave this field blank. This date will be assigned by the Federal agency.		15.	Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project: (Required) Enter a brief descriptive title of the project. If appropriate, attach a map showing project location (e.g., construction or real property projects). For preapplications, attach a summary description of the project.
4.	Applicant Identifier: Enter the entity identifier assigned by the Federal agency, if any, or applicant’s control number, if applicable.
5a	Federal Entity Identifier: Enter the number assigned to your organization by the Federal Agency, if any.		16.	Congressional Districts Of: (Required) 16a. Enter the applicant’s Congressional District, and 16b. Enter all District(s) affected by the program or project. Enter in the format: 2 characters State Abbreviation—2-3 characters District Number, e.g., CA-12 for California 12th district, NC-103 for North Carolina’s 103rd district. If all congressional districts in a state are affected, enter “all” for the district number, e.g., MD—all for all congressional districts in Maryland. If nationwide, i.e. all districts within all states are affected, enter US-all. If the program/project is outside the US, enter 00-000.
5b.	Federal Award Identifier: For new applications leave blank. For a continuation or revision to an existing award, enter the previously assigned Federal award identifier number. If a changed/corrected application, enter the Federal Identifier in accordance with agency instructions.
6.	Date Received by State: Leave this field blank. This date will be assigned by the State, if applicable.
7.	State Application Identifier: Leave this field blank. This identifier will be assigned by the State, if applicable.
8.	Applicant Information: Enter the following in accordance with agency instructions: a. Legal Name: (Required): Enter the legal name of applicant that will undertake the assistance activity. This is the name that the organization has registered with the Central Contractor Registry. Information on registering with CCR may be obtained by visiting the Grants.gov website.
			17.	Proposed Project Start and End Dates: (Required) Enter the proposed start date and end date of the project.
	b. Employer/Taxpayer Number (EIN/TIN): (Required): Enter the Employer or Taxpayer Identification Number (EIN or TIN) as assigned by the Internal Revenue Service. If your organization is not in the US, enter 44-4444444.
			18.	Estimated Funding: (Required) Enter the amount requested or to be contributed during the first funding/budget period by each contributor. Value of in-kind contributions should be included on appropriate lines, as applicable. If the action will result in a dollar change to an existing award, indicate only the amount of the change. For decreases, enclose the amounts in parentheses.
	c. Organizational DUNS: (Required) Enter the organization’s DUNS or DUNS+4 number received from Dun and Bradstreet. Information on obtaining a DUNS number may be obtained by visiting the Grants.gov website.
	d. Address: Enter the complete address as follows: Street address (Line 1 required), City (Required), County, State (Required, if country is US), Province, Country (Required), Zip/Postal Code (Required, if country is US).
			19.	Is Application Subject to Review by State Under Executive Order 12372 Process? Applicants should contact the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for Federal Executive Order 12372 to determine whether the application is subject to the State intergovernmental review process. Select the appropriate box. If “a.” is selected, enter the date the application was submitted to the State
	e. Organizational Unit: Enter the name of the primary organizational unit (and department or division, if applicable) that will undertake the assistance activity, if applicable.
	f. Name and contact information of person to be contacted on matters involving this application: Enter the name (First and last name required), organizational affiliation (if affiliated with an organization other than the applicant organization), telephone number (Required), fax number, and email address (Required) of the person to contact on matters related to this application.
			20.	Is the Applicant Delinquent on any Federal Debt? (Required) Select the appropriate box. This question applies to the applicant organization, not the person who signs as the authorized representative. Categories of debt include delinquent audit disallowances, loans and taxes. If yes, include an explanation on the continuation sheet.
9.	Type of Applicant: (Required) Select up to three applicant type(s) in accordance with agency instructions.		21.	Authorized Representative: (Required) To be signed and dated by the authorized representative of the applicant organization. Enter the name (First and last name required) title (Required), telephone number (Required), fax number, and email address (Required) of the person authorized to sign for the applicant. A copy of the governing body’s authorization for you to sign this application as the official representative must be on file in the applicant’s office. (Certain Federal agencies may require that this authorization be submitted as part of the application.)
	State Government County Government City or Township Government Special District Government Regional Organization U.S. Territory or Possession Independent School District Public/State Controlled Institution of Higher Education Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Federally Recognized) Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Other than Federally Recognized) Indian/Native American Tribally Designated Organization Public/Indian Housing Authority	Nonprofit with 501C3 IRS Status (Other than Institution of Higher Education) Nonprofit without 501C3 IRS Status (Other than Institution of Higher Education) Private Institution of Higher Education Individual For-Profit Organization (Other than Small Business) Small Business Hispanic-serving Institution Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Non-domestic (non-US) Entity Other (specify)

Supplemental Information Required for the
U.S. Department of Education

1. Project Director:

Name:

     

Prefix:

     

*First Name:

     

Middle Name:

     

*Last Name:

     

Suffix:

     

Address

*Street1:

     

Street2:

     

*City:

     

County:

     

*State:

     

*Zip Code:

     

*Country:

     

*Phone Number (give area code):

     

Fax Number (give area code):

     

E-mail Address:

     

2. Applicant Experience:

Novice Applicant?:

Yes

No

Not applicable to this program

3. Human Subjects Research:

Are any research activities involving human subjects planned at any time during the proposed project Period?

Yes

No

Are ALL the research activities proposed designated to be exempt from the regulations?

Yes

Provide Exemption(s) #:

     

No

Provide Assurance #, if available:

     

Please attach an explanation narrative:

     

Instructions for U.S. Department of Education
Supplemental Information for SF 424

1. Project Director. Name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the person to be contacted on matters involving this application.

2. Novice Applicant. Check “Yes” or “No” only if assistance is being requested under a program that gives special consideration to novice applicants. Otherwise, leave blank.

Check “Yes” if you meet the requirements for novice applicants specified in the regulations in 34 CFR 75.225 and included on the attached page entitled “Definitions for Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424.” By checking “Yes” the applicant certifies that it meets these novice applicant requirements. Check “No” if you do not meet the requirements for novice applicants.

3. Human Subjects Research. (See I. A. “Definitions” in attached page entitled “Definitions for Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424.”)

If Not Human Subjects Research. Check “No” if research activities involving human subjects are not planned at any time during the proposed project period. The remaining parts of Item 3 are then not applicable.

If Human Subjects Research. Check “Yes” if research activities involving human subjects are planned at any time during the proposed project period, either at the applicant organization or at any other performance site or collaborating institution. Check “Yes” even if the research is exempt from the regulations for the protection of human subjects. (See I. B. “Exemptions” in attached page entitled “Definitions for Department of Education Supplemental Information For SF 424.”)

3a. If Human Subjects Research is Exempt from the Human Subjects Regulations. Check “Yes” if all the research activities proposed are designated to be exempt from the regulations. Insert the exemption number(s) corresponding to one or more of the six exemption categories listed in I. B. “Exemptions.” In addition, follow the instructions in II. A. “Exempt Research Narrative” in the attached page entitled “Definitions for Department of Education Supplemental Information For SF 424.”

3a. If Human Subjects Research is Not Exempt from Human Subjects Regulations. Check “No” if some or all of the planned research activities are covered (not exempt). In addition, follow the instructions in II. B. “Nonexempt Research Narrative” in the page entitled “Definitions for Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424

3a. Human Subjects Assurance Number. If the applicant has an approved Federal Wide (FWA) on file with the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, that covers the specific activity, insert the number in the space provided. If the applicant does not have an approved assurance on file with OHRP, enter “None.” In this case, the applicant, by signature on the SF-424, is declaring that it will comply with 34 CFR 97 and proceed to obtain the human subjects assurance upon request by the designated ED official. If the application is recommended/selected for funding, the designated ED official will request that the applicant obtain the assurance within 30 days after the specific formal request.

Note about Institutional Review Board Approval.

ED does not require certification of Institutional Review Board approval with the application. However, if an application that involves non-exempt human subjects research is recommended/selected for funding, the designated ED official will request that the applicant obtain and send the certification to ED within 30 days after the formal request.

Paperwork Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1890-0017. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average between 15 and 45 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to:

U.S. Department of Education

Washington, DC 20202-4700

If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form write directly to:

Joyce I. Mays

Application Control Center

U.S. Department of Education

550 12th St. SW, Room PCP 7076

Washington, DC 20202-4260

Definitions for Department of Education
Supplemental Information for SF 424

(Attachment to Instructions for Supplemental Information for SF 424)

Definitions:

Novice Applicant (See 34 CFR 75.225). For discretionary grant programs under which the Secretary gives special consideration to novice applications, a novice applicant means any applicant for a grant from ED that—

• Has never received a grant or subgrant under the program from which it seeks funding;

• Has never been a member of a group application, submitted in accordance with 34 CFR 75.127-75.129, that received a grant under the program from which it seeks funding; and

• Has not had an active discretionary grant from the Federal government in the five years before the deadline date for applications under the program. For the purposes of this requirement, a grant is active until the end of the grant’s project or funding period, including any extensions of those periods that extend the grantee’s authority to obligate funds.

In the case of a group application submitted in accordance with 34 CFR 75.127-75.129, a group includes only parties that meet the requirements listed above.

PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS IN RESEARCH

I. Definitions and Exemptions

A. Definitions.

A research activity involves human subjects if the activity is research, as defined in the Department’s

regulations, and the research activity will involve use of human subjects, as defined in the regulations.

—Research

The ED Regulations for the Protection of Human Subjects, Title 34, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 97, define research as “a systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.” If an activity follows a deliberate plan whose purpose is to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge it is research. Activities which meet this definition constitute research whether or not they are conducted or supported under a program that is considered research for other purposes. For example, some demonstration and service programs may include research activities.

—Human Subject

The regulations define human subject as “a living individual about whom an investigator (whether professional or student) conducting research obtains (1) data through intervention or interaction with the individual, or (2) identifiable private information.” (1) If an activity involves obtaining information about a living person by manipulating that person or that person’s environment, as might occur when a new instructional technique is tested, or by communicating or interacting with the individual, as occurs with surveys and interviews, the definition of human subject is met. (2) If an activity involves obtaining private information about a living person in such a way that the information can be linked to that individual (the identity of the subject is or may be readily determined by the investigator or associated with the information), the definition of human subject is met. [Private information includes information about behavior that occurs in a context in which an individual can reasonably expect that no observation or recording is taking place, and information which has been provided for specific purposes by an individual and which the individual can reasonably expect will not be made public (for example, a school health record).]

B. Exemptions.

Research activities in which the only involvement of human subjects will be in one or more of the following six categories of exemptions are not covered by the regulations:

(1) Research conducted in established or commonly accepted educational settings, involving normal educational practices, such as (a) research on regular and special education instructional strategies, or (b) research on the effectiveness of or the comparison among instructional techniques, curricula, or classroom management methods.

(2) Research involving the use of educational tests (cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude, achievement), survey procedures, interview procedures or observation of public behavior, unless: (a) information obtained is recorded in such a manner that human subjects can be identified, directly or through identifiers linked to the subjects; and (b) any disclosure of the human subjects’ responses outside the research could reasonably place the subjects at risk of criminal or civil liability or be damaging to the subjects’ financial standing, employability, or reputation. If the subjects are children, exemption 2 applies only to research involving educational tests and observations of public behavior when the investigator(s) do not participate in the activities being observed. Exemption 2 does not apply if children are surveyed or interviewed or if the research involves observation of public behavior and the investigator(s) participate in the activities being observed. [Children are defined as persons who have not attained the legal age for consent to treatments or procedures involved in the research, under the applicable law or jurisdiction in which the research will be conducted.]

(3) Research involving the use of educational tests (cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude, achievement), survey procedures, interview procedures or observation of public behavior that is not exempt under section (2) above, if the human subjects are elected or appointed public officials or candidates for public office; or federal statute(s) require(s) without exception that the confidentiality of the personally identifiable information will be maintained throughout the research and thereafter.

(4) Research involving the collection or study of existing data, documents, records, pathological specimens or diagnostic specimens, if these sources are publicly available or if the information is recorded by the investigator in a manner that subjects cannot be identified, directly or through identifiers linked to the subjects.

(5) Research and demonstration projects which are conducted by or subject to the approval of department or agency heads, and which are designed to study, evaluate, or otherwise examine: (a) public benefit or service programs; (b) procedures for obtaining benefits or services under those programs; (c) possible changes in or alternatives to those programs or procedures; or (d) possible changes in methods or levels of payment for benefits or services under those programs.

(6) Taste and food quality evaluation and consumer acceptance studies, (a) if wholesome foods without additives are consumed or (b) if a food is consumed that contains a food ingredient at or below the level and for a use found to be safe, or agricultural chemical or environmental contaminant at or below the level found to be safe, by the Food and Drug Administration or approved by the Environmental Protection Agency or the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

II. Instructions for Exempt and Nonexempt Human Subjects Research Narratives

If the applicant marked “Yes” for Item 3 of Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, the applicant must provide a human subjects “exempt research” or “nonexempt research” narrative. Insert the narrative(s) in the space provided. If you have multiple projects and need to provide more than one narrative, be sure to label each set of responses as to the project they address.

A. Exempt Research Narrative.

If you marked “Yes” for item 3 a. and designated exemption numbers(s), provide the “exempt research” narrative. The narrative must contain sufficient information about the involvement of human subjects in the proposed research to allow a determination by ED that the designated exemption(s) are appropriate. The narrative must be succinct.

B. Nonexempt Research Narrative.

If you marked “No” for item 3 a. you must provide the “nonexempt research” narrative. The narrative must address the following seven points. Although no specific page limitation applies to this section of the application, be succinct.

1. Human Subjects Involvement and Characteristics: Provide a detailed description of the proposed involvement of human subjects. Describe the characteristics of the subject population, including their anticipated number, age range, and health status. Identify the criteria for inclusion or exclusion of any subpopulation. Explain the rationale for the involvement of special classes of subjects, such as children, children with disabilities, adults with disabilities, persons with mental disabilities, pregnant women, prisoners, institutionalized individuals, or others who are likely to be vulnerable

2. Sources of Materials: Identify the sources of research material obtained from individually identifiable living human subjects in the form of specimens, records, or data. Indicate whether the material or data will be obtained specifically for research purposes or whether use will be made of existing specimens, records, or data.

3. Recruitment and Informed Consent: Describe plans for the recruitment of subjects and the consent procedures to be followed. Include the circumstances under which consent will be sought and obtained, who will seek it, the nature of the information to be provided to prospective subjects, and the method of documenting consent. State if the Institutional Review Board (IRB) has authorized a modification or waiver of the elements of consent or the requirement for documentation of consent.

4. Potential Risks: Describe potential risks (physical, psychological, social, legal, or other) and assess their likelihood and seriousness. Where appropriate, describe alternative treatments and procedures that might be advantageous to the subjects.

5. Protection Against Risk: Describe the procedures for protecting against or minimizing potential risks, including risks to confidentiality, and assess their likely effectiveness. Where appropriate, discuss provisions for ensuring necessary medical or professional intervention in the event of adverse effects to the subjects. Also, where appropriate, describe the provisions for monitoring the data collected to ensure the safety of the subjects.

6. Importance of the Knowledge to be Gained: Discuss the importance of the knowledge gained or to be gained as a result of the proposed research. Discuss why the risks to subjects are reasonable in relation to the anticipated benefits to subjects and in relation to the importance of the knowledge that may reasonably be expected to result.

7. Collaborating Site(s): If research involving human subjects will take place at collaborating site(s) or other performance site(s), name the sites and briefly describe their involvement or role in the research.

Copies of the Department of Education’s Regulations for the Protection of Human Subjects, 34 CFR Part 97 and other pertinent materials on the protection of human subjects in research are available from the Grants Policy and Oversight Staff, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202-4250, telephone: (202) 245-6120, and on the U.S. Department of Education’s Protection of Human Subjects in Research Web Site: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/OCFO/humansub.html

NOTE: The State Applicant Identifier on the SF 424 is for State Use only. Please complete it on the OMB Standard 424 in the upper right corner of the form (if applicable).

	U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BUDGET INFORMATION NON-CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS							OMB Control Number: 1894-0008 Expiration Date: 02/28/2011
Name of Institution/Organization					Applicants requesting funding for only one year should complete the column under "Project Year 1." Applicants requesting funding for multi-year grants should complete all applicable columns. Please read all instructions before completing form.
SECTION A - BUDGET SUMMARY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FUNDS
Budget Categories		Project Year 1 (a)	Project Year 2 (b)	Project Year 3 (c)		Project Year 4 (d)	Project Year 5 (e)		Total (f)
1. Personnel
2. Fringe Benefits
3. Travel
4. Equipment
5. Supplies
6. Contractual
7. Construction
8. Other
9. Total Direct Costs (lines 1-8)
10. Indirect Costs*
11. Training Stipends
12. Total Costs (lines 9-11)
*Indirect Cost Information (To Be Completed by Your Business Office): If you are requesting reimbursement for indirect costs on line 10, please answer the following questions: Do you have an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by the Federal government? ____Yes ____ No If yes, please provide the following information: Period Covered by the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: From: ___/___/______ To: ___/___/______ (mm/dd/yyyy) Approving Federal agency: ____ ED ____ Other (please specify): __________________________ For Restricted Rate Programs (check one) -- Are you using a restricted indirect cost rate that: ___ Is included in your approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement? or ___ Complies with 34 CFR 76.564(c)(2)?

Name of Institution/Organization:				Applicants requesting funding for only one year should complete the column under "Project Year 1." Applicants requesting funding for multi-year grants should complete all applicable columns. Please read all instructions before completing form.
SECTION B - BUDGET SUMMARY NON-FEDERAL FUNDS
Budget Categories	Project Year 1 (a)	Project Year 2 (b)	Project Year 3 (c)		Project Year 4 (d)	Project Year 5 (e)	Total (f)
1. Personnel
2. Fringe Benefits
3. Travel
4. Equipment
5. Supplies
6. Contractual
7. Construction
8. Other
9. Total Direct Costs (Lines 1-8)
10. Indirect Costs
11. Training Stipends
12. Total Costs (Lines 9-11)
SECTION C – BUDGET NARRATIVE (see instructions)

Instructions for ED Form 524

General Instructions

This form is used to apply to individual U.S. Department of Education (ED) discretionary grant programs. Unless directed otherwise, provide the same budget information for each year of the multi-year funding request. Pay attention to applicable program specific instructions, if attached. Please consult with your Business Office prior to submitting this form.

Section A: Budget Summary — U.S. Department of Education Funds

All applicants must complete Section A and provide a breakdown by the applicable budget categories shown in lines 1-11.

Lines 1-11, columns (a)-(e): For each project year for which funding is requested, show the total amount requested for each applicable budget category.

Lines 1-11, column (f): Show the multi-year total for each budget category. If funding is requested for only one project year, leave this column blank.

Line 12, columns (a)-(e): Show the total budget request for each project year for which funding is requested.

Line 12, column (f): Show the total amount requested for all project years. If funding is requested for only one year, leave this space blank.

Indirect Cost Information: If you are requesting reimbursement for indirect costs on line 10, this information is to be completed by your Business Office.

(1) Indicate whether or not your organization has an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement that was approved by the Federal government.

(2) If you checked “yes” in (1), indicate in (2) the beginning and ending dates covered by the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement. In addition, indicate whether ED or another Federal agency (Other) issued the approved agreement. If you check “Other,” specify the name of the Federal agency that issued the approved agreement.

(3) If you are applying for a grant under a Restricted Rate Program (34 CFR 75.563 or 76.563), indicate whether you are using a restricted indirect cost rate that is included on your approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement or whether you are using a restricted indirect cost rate that complies with 34 CFR 76.564(c)(2). Note: state or local government agencies may not use the provision for a restricted indirect cost rate specified in 34 CFR 76.564(c)(2). Check only one response. Leave blank, if this item is not applicable.

Section B: Budget Summary — Non-Federal Funds

If you are required to provide or volunteer to provide matching funds or other non-Federal resources to the project, these should be shown for each applicable budget category on lines 1‑11 of Section B.

Lines 1-11, columns (a)-(e): For each project year, for which matching funds or other contributions are provided, show the total contribution for each applicable budget category.

Lines 1-11, column (f): Show the multi-year total for each budget category. If non-Federal contributions are provided for only one year, leave this column blank.

Line 12, columns (a)-(e): Show the total matching or other contribution for each project year.

Line 12, column (f): Show the total amount to be contributed for all years of the multi-year project. If non-Federal contributions are provided for only one year, leave this space blank.

Section C: Budget Narrative

[Attach separate sheet(s)] Pay attention to applicable program specific instructions, if attached.

1. Provide an itemized budget breakdown, and justification by project year, for each budget category listed in Sections A and B. For grant projects that will be divided into two or more separately budgeted major activities or sub-projects, show for each budget category of a project year the breakdown of the specific expenses attributable to each sub-project or activity.

2. If applicable to this program, provide the rate and base on which fringe benefits are calculated.

3. If you are requesting reimbursement for indirect costs on line 10, this information is to be completed by your Business Office. Specify the estimated amount of the base to which the indirect cost rate is applied and the total indirect expense. Depending on the grant program to which you are applying and/or your approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, some direct cost budget categories in your grant application budget may not be included in the base and multiplied by your indirect cost rate. For example, you must multiply the indirect cost rates of “Training grants" (34 CFR 75.562) and grants under programs with “Supplement not Supplant” requirements ("Restricted Rate" programs) by a “modified total direct cost” (MTDC) base (34 CFR 75.563 or 76.563). Please indicate which costs are included and which costs are excluded from the base to which the indirect cost rate is applied.

When calculating indirect costs (line 10) for "Training grants" or grants under "Restricted Rate" programs, you must refer to the information and examples on ED’s Web site at:

www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.

You may also contact 202-377-3838 for additional information regarding calculating indirect cost rates or general indirect cost rate information.

4. Provide other explanations or comments you deem necessary.

Paperwork Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1890-0004. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to vary from 13 to 22 hours per response, with an average of 17.5 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data sources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to:

U.S. Department of Education

Washington, DC 20202-4651

If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to:

(insert program office)

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Ave., SW

Washington, DC 20202

Part III: Application Narrative

This narrative section of the application requires applicants to address the selection criteria that will be used by reviewers in evaluating individual applications. Please refer to the “Selection Criteria and Format” sections in this package for the competition to which you wish to submit an application.

Also, all of the competitions covered by this package have page limitations for the application narrative. Please refer to the “Page Limits” information for the competition to which you wish to submit an application.

OMB Approval No. 0348-0040

Assurances - Non-Construction Programs

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0348-0040), Washington, DC 20503

PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR COMPLETED FORM TO THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET. SEND IT TO THE ADDRESS PROVIDED BY THE SPONSORING AGENCY.

Note: Certain of these assurances may not be applicable to your project or program. If you have questions, please contact the awarding agency. Further, certain Federal awarding agencies may require applicants to certify to additional assurances. If such is the case, you will be notified.

As the duly authorized representative of the applicant I certify that the applicant:

1. Has the legal authority to apply for Federal assistance, and the institutional, managerial and financial capability (including funds sufficient to pay the non-Federal share of project cost) to ensure proper planning, management, and completion of the project described in this application.

2. Will give the awarding agency, the Comptroller General of the United States, and if appropriate, the State, through any authorized representative, access to and the right to examine all records, books, papers, or documents related to the award; and will establish a proper accounting system in accordance with generally accepted accounting standards or agency directives.

3. Will establish safeguards to prohibit employees from using their positions for a purpose that constitutes or presents the appearance of personal or organizational conflict of interest, or personal gain.

4. Will initiate and complete the work within the applicable time frame after receipt of approval of the awarding agency.

5. Will comply with the Intergovernmental Personnel Act of 1970 (42 U.S.C. §§4728-4763) relating to prescribed standards for merit systems for programs funded under one of the 19 statutes or regulations specified in Appendix A of OPM's Standards for a Merit System of Personnel Administration (5 C.F.R. 900, Subpart F).

6. Will comply with all Federal statutes relating to nondiscrimination. These include but are not limited to: (a) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-352) which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin; (b) Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C. §§1681-1683, and 1685-1686), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex; (c) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. §794), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of handicaps; (d) the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended (42 U.S.C. §§ 6101-6107), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age; (e) the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1972 (P.L. 92-255), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination on the basis of drug abuse; (f) the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-616), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination on the basis of alcohol abuse or alcoholism; (g) §§ 523 and 527 of the Public Health Service Act of 1912 (42 U.S.C. §§ 290 dd-3 and 290 ee 3), as amended, relating to confidentiality of alcohol and drug abuse patient records; (h) Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq.), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination in the sale, rental or financing of housing; (i) any other nondiscrimination provisions in the specific statute(s) under which application for Federal assistance is being made; and (j) the requirements of any other nondiscrimination statute(s) which may apply to the application.

7. Will comply, or has already complied, with the requirements of Titles II and III of the uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-646), which provide for fair and equitable treatment of persons displaced or whose property is acquired as a result of Federal or federally assisted programs. These requirements apply to all interests in real property acquired for project purposes regardless of Federal participation in purchases.

8. Will comply, as applicable, with the provisions of the Hatch Act (5 U.S.C. §§1501-1508 and 7324-7328) which limit the political activities of employees whose principal employment activities are funded in whole or in part with Federal funds.

9. Will comply, as applicable, with the provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act (40 U.S.C. §§276a to 276a-7), the Copeland Act (40 U.S.C. §276c and 18 U.S.C. §§874) and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (40 U.S.C. §§ 327-333), regarding labor standards for federally assisted construction subagreements.

10. Will comply, if applicable, with flood insurance purchase requirements of Section 102(a) of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-234) which requires recipients in a special flood hazard area to participate in the program and to purchase flood insurance if the total cost of insurable construction and acquisition is $10,000 or more.

11. Will comply with environmental standards which may be prescribed pursuant to the following: (a) institution of environmental quality control measures under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (P.L. 91-190) and Executive Order (EO) 11514; (b) notification of violating facilities pursuant to EO 11738; (c) protection of wetlands pursuant to EO 11990; (d) evaluation of flood hazards in floodplains in accordance with EO 11988; (e) assurance of project consistency with the approved State management program developed under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. §§1451 et seq); (f) conformity of Federal actions to State (Clear Air) Implementation Plans under Section 176(c) of the Clear Air Act of 1955, as amended (42 U.S.C. §§7401 et seq.); (g) protection of underground sources of drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, as amended, (P.L. 93-523); and (h) protection of endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, (P.L. 93-205).

12 Will comply with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (16 U.S.C. §§1721 et seq.) related to protecting components or potential components of the national wild and scenic rivers system.

13. Will assist the awarding agency in assuring compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. §470), EO 11593 (identification and protection of historic properties), and the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. §§469a-1 et seq.).

14. Will comply with P.L. 93-348 regarding the protection of human subjects involved in research, development and related activities supported by this award of assistance.

15. Will comply with the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act of 1966 (P.L. 89-544, as amended, 7 U.S.C. §§2131 et seq.) pertaining to the care, handling, and treatment of warm blooded animals held for research, teaching, or other activities supported by this award of assistance.

16. Will comply with the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act (42 U.S.C. §§4801 et seq.) which prohibits the use of lead- based paint in construction or rehabilitation of residence structures.

17. Will cause to be performed the required financial and compliance audits in accordance with the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 and OMB Circular No. A-133, “Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations.”

18. Will comply with all applicable requirements of all other Federal laws, executive orders, regulations and policies governing this program.

SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED CERTIFYING OFFICIAL	TITLE
APPLICANT ORGANIZATION		DATE SUBMITTED

Certification Regarding Lobbying

Certification for Contracts, Grants, Loans and Cooperative Agreements.

The undersigned certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, that:

(1) No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the undersigned, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal grant, the making of any Federal Loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any Federal contract, grant, loan or cooperative agreement.

2. If any funds other Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this Federal contract, grant, loam or cooperative agreement, the undersigned shall complete and submit Standard Form – LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,” in accordance with its instructions.

3. The undersigned shall require that the language of this certification be included in the award documents for all subawards at all tiers (including subcontracts, subgrants and contracts under grants, loans, and cooperative agreements) and that all subrecipients shall certify and disclose accordingly. This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this transaction was made or entered into. Submission of this certification is a prerequisite for making or entering into this transaction imposed by section 1352, title 31, U.S. Code. Any person who fails to file the required certification shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such failure.

Statement for Loan Guarantees and Loan Insurance.

The undersigned states, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, that:

If any funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee or any agency, a member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this commitment providing for the United States to insure or guarantee a loan, the undersigned shall complete and submit Standard Form-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,” in accordance with its instructions. Submission of this statement is a prerequisite for making or entering into this transaction imposed by section 1352, title 31, U.S. Code. Any person who fails to file the required statement shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such failure.

Applicant’s Organization

Printed Name of Authorized Representative Printed Title of Authorized Representative

Signature Date

ED80-0013 08/05

Approved by OMB

0348-0046

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

Complete this form to disclose lobbying activities pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 1352

(See reverse for public burden disclosure)

Type of Federal Action: a. contract ____ b. grant c. cooperative agreement d. loan e. loan guarantee f. loan insurance	Status of Federal Action: a. bid/offer/application _____ b. initial award c. post-award		Report Type: a. initial filing _____ b. material change For material change only: Year _______ quarter _______ Date of last report___________
Name and Address of Reporting Entity: ____ Prime _____ Subawardee Tier______, if Known: Congressional District, if known:		If Reporting Entity in No. 4 is Subawardee, Enter Name and Address of Prime: Congressional District, if known:
6. Federal Department/Agency:		7. Federal Program Name/Description: CFDA Number, if applicable: __________________
8. Federal Action Number, if known:		9. Award Amount, if known: $
10. a. Name and Address of Lobbying Registrant (if individual, last name, first name, MI):		b. Individuals Performing Services (including address if different from No. 10a) (last name, first name, MI):
11. Information requested through this form is authorized by title 31 U.S.C. section 1352. This disclosure of lobbying activities is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed by the tier above when this transaction was made or entered into. This disclosure is required pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 1352. This information will be reported to the Congress semi-annually and will be available for public inspection. Any person who fails to file the required disclosure shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such failure.		Signature: __________________________________ Print Name:_________________________________ Title:______________________________________ Telephone No.: ________________ Date: _______
Federal Use Only		Authorized for Local Reproduction Standard Form - LLL (Rev. 7-97)

Instructions for Completion of SF-LLL,
Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

This disclosure form shall be completed by the reporting entity, whether subawardee or prime Federal recipient, at the initiation or receipt of a covered Federal action, or a material change to a previous filing, pursuant to title 31 U.S.C. section 1352. The filing of a form is required for each payment or agreement to make payment to any lobbying entity for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with a covered Federal action. Complete all items that apply for both the initial filing and material change report. Refer to the implementing guidance published by the Office of Management and Budget for additional information.

1. Identify the type of covered Federal action for which lobbying activity is and/or has been secured to influence the outcome of a covered Federal action.

2. Identify the status of the covered Federal action.

3. Identify the appropriate classification of this report. If this is a follow-up report caused by a material change to the information previously reported, enter the year and quarter in which the change occurred. Enter the date of the last previously submitted report by this reporting entity for this covered Federal action.

4. Enter the full name, address, city, State and zip code of the reporting entity. Include Congressional District, if known. Check the appropriate classification of the reporting entity that designates if it is, or expects to be, a prime or subaward recipient. Identify the tier of the subawardee, e.g., the first subawardee of the prime is the 1st tier. Subawards include but are not limited to subcontracts, subgrants and contract awards under grants.

5. If the organization filing the report in item 4 checks “Subawardee,” then enter the full name, address, city, State and zip code of the prime Federal recipient. Include Congressional District, if known.

6. Enter the name of the federal agency making the award or loan commitment. Include at least one organizational level below agency name, if known. For example, Department of Transportation, United States Coast Guard.

7. Enter the Federal program name or description for the covered Federal action (item 1). If known, enter the full Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for grants, cooperative agreements, loans, and loan commitments.

8. Enter the most appropriate Federal identifying number available for the Federal action identified in item 1 (e.g., Request for Proposal (RFP) number; Invitations for Bid (IFB) number; grant announcement number; the contract, grant, or loan award number; the application/proposal control number assigned by the Federal agency). Included prefixes, e.g., “RFP-DE-90-001.”

9. For a covered Federal action where there has been an award or loan commitment by the Federal agency, enter the Federal amount of the award/loan commitment for the prime entity identified in item 4 or 5.

10. (a) Enter the full name, address, city, State and zip code of the lobbying registrant under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 engaged by the reporting entity identified in item 4 to influence the covered Federal action.

(b) Enter the full names of the individual(s) performing services, and include full address if different from 10(a). Enter Last Name, First Name, and Middle Initial (MI).

11. The certifying official shall sign and date the form, print his/her name, title, and telephone number.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act, as amended, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control Number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is OMB No. 0348-0046. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 10 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0348-0046), Washington, DC 20503.

Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants

Purpose

The Federal government is committed to ensuring that all qualified applicants, small or large, non-religious or faith-based, have an equal opportunity to compete for Federal funding. In order for us to better understand the population of applicants for Federal funds, we are asking nonprofit private organizations (not including private universities) to fill out this survey.

Upon receipt, the survey will be separated from the application. Information provided on the survey will not be considered in any way in making funding decisions and will not be included in the Federal grants database. While your help in this data collection process is greatly appreciated, completion of this survey is voluntary.

Instructions for Submitting the Survey

If you are applying using a hard copy application, please place the completed survey in an envelope labeled “Applicant Survey.” Seal the envelope and include it along with your application package. If you are applying electronically, please submit this survey along with your application.

Applicant’s (Organization) Name:
Applicant’s DUNS Number:
Federal Program:				CFDA Number:

1. Has the applicant ever received a grant or contract from the Federal government?

Yes No

2. Is the applicant a faith-based organization?

Yes No

3. Is the applicant a secular organization?

Yes No

4. Does the applicant have 501(c)(3) status?

Yes No

5. Is the applicant a local affiliate of a national
organization?

Yes No

6. How many full-time equivalent employees does the applicant have? (Check only one box).

3 or Fewer 15-50

4-5 51-100

6-14 over 100

7. What is the size of the applicant’s annual budget? (Check only one box.)

Less Than $150,000

$150,000–$299,999

$300,000–$499,999

$500,000–$999,999

$1,000,000–$4,999,999

$5,000,000 or more

Survey Instructions on
Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants

Provide the applicant’s (organization) name and DUNS number and the grant name and CFDA number.

1. Self-explanatory.

2. Self-identify.

3. Self-identify.

4. 501(c)(3) status is a legal designation provided on application to the Internal Revenue Service by eligible organizations. Some grant programs may require nonprofit applicants to have 501(c)(3) status. Other grant programs do not.

5. Self-explanatory.

6. For example, two part-time employees who each work half-time equal one full-time equivalent employee. If the applicant is a local affiliate of a national organization, the responses to survey questions 2 and 3 should reflect the staff and budget size of the local affiliate.

7. Annual budget means the amount of money your organization spends each year on all of its activties.

Paperwork Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1890-0014. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average five (5) minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: The Agency Contact listed in this grant application package.

SECTION H

IMPORTANT NOTICES

Notice Regarding Submission of Training Materials to the National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials

For a number of years the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) has provided funding for a National Clearinghouse Rehabilitation Training Materials (NCHRTM). The purpose of the NCHRTM is to provide training materials that would benefit rehabilitation personnel. NCHRTM promotes a computerized on-line catalog of RSA training materials by circulation of its materials collection through electronic catalogs and inventory systems.

The success of the NCHRTM depends largely upon training projects sharing their materials with the NCHRTM. To this end, RSA requires training grantees to submit any training materials developed for their projects to:

The National Clearinghouse on Rehabilitation Training Materials

Michael Millington, Ph.D.

Director, Utah State University

Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation

6524 Old Main Hill

Logan, UT 84322-6524

Toll Free #:1-866-821-5355

Email: ncrtm@cc.usu.edu

Paperwork Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1890-0014. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average five (5) minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: The Agency Contact listed in this grant application package.

NOTICE TO ALL APPLICANTS:

Program Performance Measures Under The
Government Performance And Results Act (GPRA)

What is GPRA

The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 is a straightforward statute that requires all Federal agencies to manage their activities with attention to the consequences of those activities. Each agency is to clearly state what it intends to accomplish, identify the resources required, and periodically report it’s progress to the Congress. In doing so, it is expected that GPRA will contribute to improvements in accountability for the expenditures of public funds, improve Congressional decision-making through more objective information on the effectiveness of Federal programs, and promote a new government focus on results, service delivery, and customer satisfaction.

How has the United States Department of Education responded to the GPRA Requirements?

As required by GPRA, the United States Department of Education (the Department) has prepared a strategic plan for 2007-20012. This plan reflects the Department’s priorities and integrates them with its mission and program authorities and describes how the Department will work to improve education for all children and adults in the United States. The Department’s goals, as listed in the plan, are:

Goal 1: Create a Culture of Achievement: Create a culture of achievement throughout the nation's education system by effectively implementing the new law, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and by basing all federal education programs on its principles: accountability, flexibility, expanded parental options and doing what works.

Goal 2: Improve Student Achievement: Improve student achievement for all groups of students by putting reading first, expanding high-quality mathematics and science teaching, reforming high schools, and boosting teacher and principal quality, thereby closing the achievement gap.

Goal 3: Develop Safe Schools and Strong Character: Establish disciplined and drug-free education environments that foster the development of good character and citizenship.

Goal 4: Transform Education into an Evidence-based Field: Strengthen the quality of education research.

Goal 5: Enhance the Quality of and Access to Postsecondary and Adult Education: Increase opportunities for students and the effectiveness of institutions.

Goal 6: Establish Management Excellence: Create a culture of accountability throughout the Department of Education.

Important Notice to Prospective Participants
in U.S. Department of Education
Grant and Contract Programs

GRANTS

Applicants for grants from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) have to compete for limited funds. Deadlines assure all applicants that they will be treated fairly and equally, without last minute haste. For these reasons, ED must set strict deadlines for grant applications. Prospective applicants can avoid disappointment if they understand that:

Failure to meet a deadline will mean that an applicant will be rejected without any consideration.

The rules, including the deadline, for applying for each grant are published, individually, in the Federal Register. A one-year subscription to the Register may be obtained by sending $555.00 to:

Superintendent of Documents

U.S. Government Printing Office

Washington, DC 20402-9371

(Send check or money order only, no cash or stamps.)

In addition, the Federal Register is available on-line for free on Government Printing Office (GPO) Access: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html. Depository Library location and Federal Register services: http://www.archives.gov/.

The instructions in the Federal Register must be followed exactly. Do not accept any other advice you may receive. No ED employee is authorized to extend any deadline published in the Federal Register. No ED employees are authorized to extend any deadline published in the Federal Register. Questions regarding submission of applications may be addressed to:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Washington, DC 20202-4725

CONTRACTS

Competitive procurement actions undertaken by the ED are governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulations and implementing Department of Education Acquisition Regulations.

Generally, prospective competitive procurement actions are synopsized in the Commerce Business Daily (CBD). Prospective offerors are therein advised of the nature of the procurement and where to apply for copies of the Request for Proposals (RFP). All of ED’s RFP’s are now available on-line for downloading at the following url: http://www.ed.gov/offices/ocfo/contracts/currrfp.html.

Offerors are advised to be guided solely by the contents of the CBD synopsis and the instructions contained in the RFP. Questions regarding the submission of offers should be addressed to the Contracts Specialist identified on the face page of the RFP. Offers are judged in competition with others, and failure to conform with any substantive requirements of the RFP will result in rejection of the offer without any consideration whatever.

Do not accept any advice you receive that is contrary to instructions contained in either the CBD synopsis or the RFP. No ED employee is authorized to consider a proposal which is non-responsive to the RFP. A subscription to the CBD is available for $208.00 per year via second class mailing or $261.00 per year via first class mailing. Information included in the Federal Acquisition Regulation is contained in Title 48, Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter 1 ($49.00). The foregoing publication may be obtained by sending your check or money order only, no cash or stamps, to:

Superintendent of Documents

U.S. Government Printing Office

Washington, DC 20402-9371

In addition, the Commerce Business Daily is available on-line for free at the following url: http://cbdnet.access.gpo.gov/. The Federal Acquisition Regulations are available on-line at the following url: http://www.arnet.gov/far/ In an effort to be certain this important information is widely disseminated, this notice is being included in all ED mail to the public. You may therefore, receive more than one notice. If you do, we apologize for any annoyance it may cause you.

Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs

This appendix applies to each program that is subject to the requirements of Executive Order 12372 (Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs) and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.

The objective of the Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and to strengthen federalism by relying on State and local processes for State and local government coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.

Applicants must contact the appropriate State Single Point of Contact to find out about, and to comply with, the State's process under Executive Order 12372. Applicants proposing to perform activities in more than one State should immediately contact the Single Point of Contact for each of those States and follow the procedure established in each of those States under the Executive order. A listing containing the Single Point of Contact for each State is included in this appendix.

In States that have not established a process or chosen a program for review, State, area wide, regional and local entities may submit comments directly to the Department.

Any State Process Recommendation and other comments submitted by a State Single Point of Contact and any comments from State, area wide, regional, and local entities must be mailed or hand-delivered by the date indicated in the actual application notice to the following address:

The Secretary

EO 12372--CFDA# [commenter must insert number--including suffix letter, if any]

U.S. Department of Education, Room 7W301

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20202.

Proof of mailing will be determined on the same basis as applications (see 34 CFR 75.102). Recommendations or comments may be hand-delivered until 4:30:00 p.m. (Washington, DC time) on the date indicated in the actual application notice.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE ADDRESS IS NOT THE SAME ADDRESS AS THE ONE TO WHICH THE APPLICANT SUBMITS ITS COMPLETED APPLICATION. DO NOT SEND APPLICATIONS TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS.

State Single Points of Contact (SPOCs)

It is estimated that in 2004 the Federal Government will outlay $400 billion in grants to State and local governments. Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs," was issued with the desire to foster the intergovernmental partnership and strengthen federalism by relying on State and local processes for the coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance and direct Federal development. The Order allows each State to designate an entity to perform this function. Below is the official list of those entities. For those States that have a home page for their designated entity, a direct link has been provided on the official version: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.

States that are not listed on this page have chosen not to participate in the intergovernmental review process, and therefore do not have a SPOC. If you are located within one of these States, you may still send application materials directly to a Federal awarding agency.

Contact information for Federal agencies that award grants can be found in The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Contents Page. You can access Appendix IV by Agency [http://12.46.245.173/CFDA/appx4_web.pdf] or by State [http://12.46.245.173/CFDA/appx4_web_state.pdf].

ARKANSAS Tracy L. Copeland Manager, State Clearinghouse Office of Intergovernmental Services Department of Finance and Administration 1515 W. 7th St., Room 412 Little Rock, Arkansas 72203 Telephone: (501) 682-1074 Fax: (501) 682-5206 tracy.copeland@dfa.state.ar.us	CALIFORNIA Grants Coordination State Clearinghouse Office of Planning and Research P.O. Box 3044, Room 222 Sacramento, California 95812-3044 Telephone: (916) 445-0613 Fax: (916) 323-3018 state.clearinghouse@opr.ca.gov
DELAWARE Jennifer L. Carlson Associate Fiscal and Policy Analyst Office of Management and Budget Budget Development, Planning & Administration Haslet Armory, Third Floor 122 William Penn Street Dover, Delaware 19901 Telephone: (302) 739-4206 Fax: (302) 739-5661 jennifer.carlson@state.de.us	DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Donna Bexley DC Government Office of Partnerships and Grants Development 441 4th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 Telephone: (202) 727-6437 Fax: (202) 727-1652 Donna.bexley@dc.gov
FLORIDA Lauren P. Milligan Florida State Clearinghouse Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection 3900 Commonwealth Blvd. Mail Station 47 Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000 Telephone: (850) 245-2161 Fax: (850) 245-2190 Lauren.Milligan@dep.state.fl.us	GEORGIA Barbara Jackson Georgia State Clearinghouse 270 Washington Street, SW, 8th Floor Atlanta, Georgia 30334 Telephone: (404) 656-3855 Fax: (404) 656-7916 gach@opb.state.ga.us
IOWA Kathy Mabie Iowa Department of Management State Capitol Building Room G12 1007 E Grand Avenue Des Moines, Iowa 50319 Telephone: (515) 281-8834 Fax: (515) 242-5897 Kathy.Mabie@iowa.gov	KENTUCKY Lee Nalley The Governor’s Office for Local Development 1024 Capital Center Drive, Suite 340 Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 Telephone: (502) 573-2382 Ext. 274 Fax: (502) 573-1519 Lee.Nalley@ky.gov
MAINE Joyce Benson State Planning Office 184 State Street 38 State House Station Augusta, Maine 04333 Telephone: (207) 287-3261 (Direct) (207) 287-1461 Fax: (207) 287-6489 Joyce.benson@maine.gov	MARYLAND Linda C. Janey, J.D. Director, Maryland State Clearinghouse For Intergovernmental Assistance 301 West Preston Street, Room 1104 Baltimore, Maryland 21201-2305 Telephone: (410) 767-4490 Fax: (410) 767-4480 ljaney@mdp.state.md.us
MICHIGAN William Parkus Southeast Michigan Council of Governments 535 Griswold, Suite 300 Detroit, Michigan 48226 Telephone: (313) 961-4266 Fax: (313) 961-4869 mailto:parkus@semcog.org	MISSISSIPPI Janet Riddell Clearinghouse Officer Department of Finance and Administration 1301 Woolfolk Building, Suite E 501 North West Street Jackson, Mississippi 39201 Telephone: (601) 359-6762 Fax: (601) 359-6758 JRiddell@dfa.state.ms.us
MISSOURI Sara VanderFeltz Federal Assistance Clearinghouse Office of Administration Commissioner’s Office Capitol Building, Room 125 Jefferson City, Missouri 65102 Telephone: (573) 751-0337 Fax: (573) 751-1212 sara.vanderfeltz@oa.mo.gov	NEVADA Gosia Sylwesprzak Department of Administration Nevada State Clearinghouse Coordinator/SPOC 209 E. Musser Street, Room 200 Carson City, Nevada 89701 Telephone: (775) 684-0209 Fax: (775) 684-0260 clearinghouse@budget.state.nv.us
NEW HAMPSHIRE Amy Ignatius, Acting Director New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning Attn: Intergovernmental Review Process Mark Toussiant 57 Regional Drive Concord, New Hampshire 03301 Telephone: (603) 271-2155 Fax: (603) 271-2615 amy.ignatius@nh.gov	NORTH DAKOTA Jim Boyd ND Department of Commerce 1600 East Century Avenue, Suite 2 P.O. Box 2057 Bismarck, North Dakota 58502-2057 Telephone: (701) 328-2676 Fax: (701) 328-2308 jboyd@state.nd.us
RHODE ISLAND Bill McKenna Division of Planning One Capitol Hill Providence, Rhode Island 02908 Telephone: (401) 222-6185 Fax: (401) 222-2083 billm@doa.ri.gov	SOUTH CAROLINA Jean Ricard Office of State Budget 1201 Main Street, Suite 870 Columbia, South Carolina 29201 Telephone: (803) 734-1314 Fax: (803) 734-0645 JRicard@budget.sc.gov
TEXAS Denise S. Francis Director, State Grants Team Governor's Office of Budget and Planning P.O. Box 12428 Austin, Texas 78711 Telephone: (512) 305-9415 Fax: (512) 936-2681 Grants@governor.state.tx.us	UTAH Tenielle Young Utah State Clearinghouse Governor's Office of Planning and Budget Utah State Capitol Complex Suite E210, PO Box 142210 Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-2210 Telephone: (801) 538-1570 Fax: (801) 538-1547 Tenielleyoung@utah.gov
WEST VIRGINIA Bobby Lewis Director, Community Development Division West Virginia Development Office Building #6, Room 553 Charleston, West Virginia 25305 Telephone: (304) 558-4010 Fax: (304) 558-3248 rlewis@wvdo.org	WISCONSIN Division of Intergovernmental Relations Wisconsin Department of Administration 101 East Wilson Street, 10th Floor P.O. Box 8944 Madison, Wisconsin 53708 Telephone: (608) 261-7533 Fax: (608) 267-6917 spoc@wisconsin.gov
AMERICAN SAMOA Pat M. Galea'i Federal Grants/Programs Coordinator Office of Grants Policy/Office of the Governor Department of Commerce American Samoa Government Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799 Telephone: (684) 633-5155/4116 Fax: (684) 633-4195/2269 pmgaleai@yahoo.com	GUAM Roland C.P. Villaverde Administrator Guam State Clearinghouse Office of I Segundo na Maga’lahen Guåhan Office of the Governor P.O. Box 2950 Hågatña, Guam 96932 Telephone: (671) 475-9380 ext. 901 Fax: (671) 477-2007 administrator@guamclearinghouse.com
NORTH MARIANA ISLANDS Antonio S. Muna Special Assistant for Management Office of Management and Budget Office of the Governor Saipan, MP 96950 Telephone: (670) 664-2289 Fax: (670) 323-2272 e_macaranas@yahoo.com	PUERTO RICO Ing. David Rodríguez / Luz H. Olmeda Puerto Rico Planning Board Federal Proposals Review Office PO Box 41119 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00940-1119 Telephone: 787-723-6190 Fax: 787-722-6783 Olmeda_L@jp.gobierno.pr
VIRGIN ISLANDS Debra Gottlieb (Acting Director) Director, Office of Management and Budget #41 Norre Gade Emancipation Garden Station, Second Floor Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands 00802 Telephone: (340) 774-0750 Fax: (340) 776-0069 dbgottlieb@omb.gov.vi

Changes to this list can be made only after OMB is notified by a State’s officially designated representative. E-mail messages can be sent to ephillips@omb.eop.gov. If you prefer, you may send correspondence to the following postal address:

Attn: Grants Management

Office of Management and Budget

New Executive Office Building, Suite 6025

725 17^th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20503

Please note: Inquiries about obtaining a Federal grant should not be sent to the OMB e-mail or postal address shown above. The best source for this information is the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance or CFDA http://www.cfda.gov and the Grants.gov website (http://www.grants.gov).

SECTION I

Application Checklist

Does your application include each of the following?

[ ] Cover page (If paper application use the ED 424, If Grants.gov use SF 424 and ED Supplement)

[ ] Budget form (ED Form 524)

[ ] Program specific budget form [if applicable]

[ ] Budget narrative – Attach this to the Budget Narrative Attachment form [if applicable]

[ ] Program narrative and responses to the selection criteria should be attached to the project narrative attachment form

[ ] The one page abstract should be attached to the ED Abstract Form

[ ] Assurances and Certifications [list]

[ ] Other supporting documents, i.e. appendices, resumes, should be attached to the Other Attachment Form

Did You –

[ ] Provide one (1) original plus two (2) copies of the application (One original and six copies are requested)?

[ ] Include all required forms with original signatures and dates?

[ ] Submit a copy of the application to the State Single Point of Contact, if applicable?

[ ] *Mail Application To:	OR	[ ] **Hand-deliver* Application To:
Rehabilitation Long-Term Training U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center ATTN: 84.129B LBJ Basement Level 1 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202-4260		Rehabilitation Long-Term Training U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center ATTN: 84.129B 550 12th Street, SW Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza Washington, DC 20202-4260

* The Application Control Center accepts deliveries daily between 8:00:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time), except Saturdays, Sundays and Federal holidays. Application must be received by mail postmarked no later than the closing date.

** Hand-delivered applications must be received by 4:30:00 p.m. no later than the closing date. A person delivering an application must show identification to enter the building.

NOTE: These options are available only to applicants who qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirements

Common Questions and Answers

Below are some examples of Q's & A's that programs may include in their application booklets. Programs may want to add others. Generally speaking, Q's & A's should not repeat information that is given elsewhere in the application. However, there may be exceptions to this "rule of thumb." Q's & A's should not be subregulatory and should not take the place of instructions.

Q. What happens to my application after it is received in the Department?

A. The Department's Application Control Center receives each application, assigns each an identifying number (PR/Award number), confirms receipt of applications, and sends the applications to the appropriate program office, which screens them for eligibility. The program conducts a peer review of all eligible applications sent to a program competition, ranks them and recommends the highest ranked applications for funding with exceptions as provided by law. The responsible official for the applicable program reviews the program office's recommendations, checks the adequacy of the documentation supporting the recommendations, and approves a final list, or slate, of recommended projects and funding amounts. RSA Training Division staff discuss the recommendations with the successful applicants and awards the grants.

Q. What happens to my application if the Department finds it to be ineligible?

A. The Department immediately returns an application that does not meet the eligibility criteria for the particular program. A letter from the Department explaining why it is not being reviewed in the competition accompanies the application.

Q. How does the Department review an application?

A. Each application is assessed by knowledgeable persons from outside and sometimes inside the Department who are asked for their judgments about the quality and significance of the proposed project. These persons represent a diversity of disciplines and institutional, regional, and cultural backgrounds. The advice of these experts is compiled by Departmental staff who comment on matters of fact or on significant issues that would otherwise be missing from the review. The results are then presented to the responsible official responsible for the program who approves the recommendations for funding.

Q. What Criteria do the reviewers use when scoring an application?

A. Reviewers score each application using the selection criteria published in the Federal Register as part of the program regulations, which are given in Section F of this application package. Reviewers are instructed to use only the published criteria.

Q. Is a recommended application guaranteed funding?

A. No. Funding is not final until discussions have been successfully concluded and a grant award notification has been signed by the grants office and mailed to the applicant.

Q. How long does it take the Department to complete the review process?

1. Most review processes take from four to six months.

Q. How does the invitational, competitive and absolute priorities differ?

A. Invitational Priority

The Secretary may simply invite applicants to meet a priority. However, an application that addresses invitational priorities receives no competitive or absolute preference over applications that do not meet this priority.

Competitive Priority

If a program uses weighted selection criteria, the Secretary may award selection points to an application that meets the priority. These points are in addition to any points the application earns under the selection criteria. The notice states the maximum number of additional points that the Secretary may award to applications that meet the priority in a particularly effective way. Or the Secretary may simply select applications that meet the competitive priority over applications of comparable merit that do not meet the priority.

Absolute Priority

Under an absolute priority, the Secretary may select for funding only those applications that meet the priority.

Q. Can changes in the size of subsequent year awards be made after the multi-year budget has been negotiated?

A. Yes, a grantee can renegotiate his or her multi-year budget and may be awarded additional funds if sufficient justification is presented to the Secretary and funds are available. Also, funds can be decreased if it is determined that the multi-year budget was overestimated.

Q. How will funding continuation decisions be made if the Department is phasing out the use of non-competing continuation applications after fiscal year 1995?

A. Grantees will be required to complete annual performance reports that describe the projects' accomplishments, evaluations and finances. These performance reports, along with other information, will be used by the Department to decide whether to continue funding projects.

DUNS Number Instructions

D‑U‑N‑S No.: Please provide the applicant's D‑U‑N‑S Number. You can obtain your D‑U‑N‑S Number at no charge by calling 1‑800‑333‑0505 or by completing a D‑U‑N‑S Number Request Form. The form can be obtained via the Internet at the following URL:

https://eupdate.dnb.com

The D‑U‑N‑S Number is a unique nine‑digit number that does not convey any Information about the recipient. A built in check digit helps assure the accuracy of the D‑U‑N‑S Number. The ninth digit of each number is the check digit, which is mathematically related to the other digits. It lets computer systems determine if a D‑U‑N‑S Number has been entered correctly.

Dun & Bradstreet, a global information services provider, has assigned D‑U‑N‑S numbers to over 43 million companies worldwide.

Grant Application Receipt Acknowledgement

If you fail to receive the notification of application within fifteen (15) days from the closing date, call:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

202-245-6288

Grant and Contract Funding Information

The Department of Education provides information about grant and contract opportunities electronically in several ways:

ED Internet Home Page www.ed.gov