[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 140 (Friday, July 20, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38001-38014]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-18209]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Solicitation for Grant Application (SGA 01-06); Customized
Employment Grants
AGENCY: Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), Department of
Labor.
ACTION: Notice of applicability of funds and Solicitation for Grant
Applications (SGA).
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL or the Department), Office
of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announces the availability of
$3.5 million to award up to seven competitive grants for strategic
planning and implementation activities designed to improve the
employment and career advancement of people with disabilities through
enhanced availability and provision of customized employment services
through the new One-Stop delivery system established under the
Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) (Public Law 105-220, 29 U.S.C.
2801 et seq.).
This Customized Employment Grant program will provide funds to
selected Local Workforce Investment Boards (Local Boards), which will
be the lead entity in a consortium/partnership of public and private
entities, to build the capacity in local One-Stop Centers to provide
customized employment services to those persons with disabilities who
may not now be regularly targeted for services by the One-Stop Center
system. Grants funded under this program will also provide a vehicle
for Local Boards to systemically review their policy and practices in
terms of service to persons with disabilities, and to incorporate new
and innovative practices, as appropriate.
Grants are for a one-year period and may be renewed for a period of
up to four additional years at varying funding levels (see Section V)
depending upon the availability of funds and the efficacy of the
project activities. All forms necessary to prepare an application are
included in this SGA.
DATES: One (1) ink-signed original, complete grant application plus
three (3) copies of the Technical Proposal and three (3) copies of the
Cost Proposal must be submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor,
Procurement Services Center, Attention Grant Officer, Reference SGA 01-
06, Room N-5416, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210,
not later than 4:45 p.m. EST, August 20, 2001. Hand-delivered
applications must be received by the Procurement Services Center by
that time.
ADDRESSES: Grant applications must be hand delivered or mailed to U.S.
Department of Labor, Procurement Services Center, Attention: Grant
Officer, Reference SGA 01-06, Room N-5416, 200 Constitution Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20210. Applicants must verify delivery to this
office directly through their delivery service and as soon as possible.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Applications will not be mailed. The
Federal Register may be obtained from your nearest government office or
library. Questions about this solicitation may be sent to Cassandra
Willis, at the following Internet address: [email protected].
[[Page 38002]]
Late Proposals
The grant application package must be received at the designated
place by the date and time specified or it will not be considered. Any
application received at the Procurement Services Center after 4:45 p.m.
EST, August 20, 2001, will not be considered unless it is received
before the award is made and:
1. It was sent by registered or certified mail not later than the
fifth calendar day before August 20, 2001;
2. It is determined by the Government that the late receipt was due
solely to mishandling by the Government after receipt at the U.S.
Department of Labor at the address indicated; or
3. It was sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day
Service-Post Office to Addressee, not later than 5 p.m. at the place of
mailing two (2) working days, excluding weekends and Federal holidays,
before August 20, 2001.
The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a
late application sent by registered or certified mail is the U.S.
Postal Service postmark on the envelope or wrapper and on the original
receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. If the postmark is not legible,
an application received after the above closing time and date shall be
processed as if mailed late. ``Postmark'' means a printed, stamped or
otherwise place impression (not a postage meter machine impression)
that is readily identifiable without further action as having been
applied and affixed by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service on the
date of mailing. Therefore, applicants should request the postal clerk
place a legible hand cancellation ``bull's-eye'' postmark on both the
receipt and the envelope or wrapper.
The only acceptable evidence to establish the date of mailing of a
late application sent by U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day
Service--Post Office to Addressee is the date entered by the Post
Office receiving clerk on the ``Express Mail Next Day Service--Post
Office to Addressee'' label and the postmark on the envelope or wrapper
and on the original receipt from the U.S. Postal Service. ``Postmark''
has the same meaning as defined above. Therefore, applicants should
request that the postal clerk place a legible hand cancellation
``bull's-eye'' postmark on both the receipt and the envelope or
wrapper.
The only acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at
the U.S. Department of Labor is the date/time stamp of the Procurement
Services Center on the application wrapper or other documentary
evidence or receipt maintained by that office. Applications sent by
telegram or facsimile (FAX) will not be accepted.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Authority
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2001, Public Law 106-554, 114 STAT
2763A-10, 29 U.S.C. 557(b).
II. Background
The President's New Freedom Initiative is designed to increase the
number of people with disabilities who enter, reenter, and remain in
the workforce. It is dedicated to increasing investment in and access
to assistive technologies, a quality education, and increasing the
integration of Americans with disabilities into the workforce and
community life.
The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) provides the
infrastructure for streamlining services and securing employment
through the One-Stop delivery system. WIA requires multiple programs
and agencies (including state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies) to:
(a) Form partnerships in this effort; (b) share expertise and
coordinate resources; and, provide services to assist people in gaining
and retaining employment. The One-Stop Career Centers which comprise
this system are in a position to expand employment opportunities for
people with disabilities, thus ensuring that the intent of the New
Freedom Initiative is accomplished.
Under WIA, collaboration with multiple required partners \1\ is
intended to create a coordinated and streamlined system for the
customer seeking employment. It is essential to involve additional
states or local programs as partners with the One-Stop Center to enable
many people with disabilities to have an increased opportunity for and
choice in employment. These additional programs include, but are not
limited to, state programs for Mental Retardation, Medicaid, Mental
Health and Transportation; State Councils for Developmental
Disabilities; state assistive technology programs, Small Business
Development Centers and secondary education programs. While not
required partners under WIA, these programs have expertise and/or
resources that can contribute to expanding the employment and business
opportunities for people with disabilities. In addition, community
colleges, University Centers for Excellence in Developmental
Disabilities, business incubators, lending institutions, foundations,
faith-based organizations, and other state or local programs may also
be critical partners. These agencies and programs may not be informed
about the potential for coordinating resources and expertise with Local
Boards and One-Stop Centers in order to increase employment, choice and
wages for people with disabilities.
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\1\ Some of the required partners are adult education and
literacy activities under Title II of WIA; post-secondary vocational
education activities under the Carl Perkins Act (20 U.S.C. 2301 et
seq.); vocational rehabilitation programs authorized under title V
of the Workforce Investment Act; welfare-to-work programs; veterans
employment and training activities, community services block grant
employment and training activities; U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development employment and training activities, and activities
authorized under Title V of the Older Americans Act (WIA sec.
121(b), 29 USCA 2841(b), 20 CFR 662.200).
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In addition, One-Stop Centers may elect to become employment
networks under the Ticket-to-Work Program (42 U.S.C. 1320b-19), thus
making it more likely that they will require expertise in customized
employment strategies in order to successfully facilitate employment
for people with disabilities who are recipients of Supplemental
Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
Ticket-to-Work is providing increased employment opportunities for
people with disabilities who receive SSI and/or SSDI benefits by
addressing some of the major barriers encountered by these individuals
as they attempt to gain or regain employment. Approximately eight
million people with disabilities receive SSI and/or SSDI benefits.
According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, less than one percent
of these individuals leave the rolls each year as a result of paid
employment. Of those who do leave, about one-third return within three
years. The Ticket-to-Work program provides a variety of work
incentives, including, greater choices of needed employment services,
the continuation of Medicare eligibility for SSDI recipients and, at
state option, health coverage under the Medicaid program to certain
workers with disabilities, either by permitting them to purchase
Medicaid coverage or by extending Medicaid eligibility to them without
charge. As a result, there is unprecedented opportunity for these
individuals to enter, or return to the workforce. Increasing numbers of
individuals with disabilities will be approaching their local One-Stop
Centers for assistance.
Many strategies exist for securing integrated, competitive
employment for people with disabilities, including people who
previously might have been considered ``nonfeasible'' for employment,
and people who have been segregated in institutions, nursing homes, and
day activity programs. Many
[[Page 38003]]
exemplary practices and promising strategies have emerged through
decades of research and demonstration projects, and through other
public and private activities promoting increased choice and self-
determination for people with disabilities. These include approaches
such as supported employment; supported entrepreneurship;
individualized job development; job carving and restructuring; use of
personal agents (including individuals with disabilities and family
members); development of micro-boards, micro-enterprises, cooperatives
and small businesses; and use of personal budgets and other forms of
individualized funding that provide choice and control to the person
and promote self-determination. These and other innovations hold the
promise of dramatically increasing both employment and wages for people
with disabilities, in part by increasing their choices for integrated,
competitive employment, business ownership, micro-enterprise
development, entrepreneurship, and other employment options that were
previously seldom available.
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with
Disabilities, which includes membership from eighteen Federal agencies,
has conducted multiple activities relating to increasing employment for
people with disabilities, including people who are SSI and/or SSDI
beneficiaries, people who are in nursing homes, institutions, facility-
based employment, day activity programs and other segregated settings
where they are either not working or are earning less than minimum
wage. A major result of these activities was the identification of the
need for a sustained and coordinated initiative to build professional
competency within One-Stop Centers and their partners, including
providers and employers, about the use of customized employment
strategies. Other findings include the need to: (1) Effectively expand
the availability of personal agents, job development expertise, and
other strategies for achieving customized employment for people with
disabilities; (2) increase the number of eligible training providers
who can provide customized employment assistance; (3) provide
information, technical assistance, training and strategic planning that
focuses on integrating customized employment strategies into the
workforce investment system; (4) coordinate all necessary employment
and related supports from WIA partners and other essential programs
that are not required partners under WIA; and, (5) research and
demonstrate alternative methods of determining effective performance by
the workforce investment system in terms of service to people with
disabilities.
In response to these findings ODEP will pursue a two-pronged
approach:
1. Awarding these strategic planning and implementation grants for
customized employment to develop and/or expand the capacity of local
workforce systems to provide meaningful and effective opportunity
through One-Stops for all persons with disabilities; and
2. Establishing a national technical assistance and training
initiative to help increase the capacity of the workforce investment
system to serve people with disabilities.
The combination of these activities will substantially contribute
to achieving the goals of the President's New Freedom Initiative.
This SGA is designed to address the first of these activities.
Establishing the supporting national technical assistance initiative is
being implemented under a separate solicitation, and is expected to be
in operation in time to assist the planning and implementation
activities of grants funded under this solicitation.
The U.S. Department of Labor also offers Work Incentive Grants
designed to enhance service delivery throughout the National One-Stop
delivery system for people with disabilities. Recognizing that the One-
Stop system generally has limited capacity to serve people with
disabilities in the comprehensive nature envisioned under the WIA, the
Work Incentive Grant program has multiple goals which include but are
not limited to:
1. Establishing the capacity for coordinated, seamless service
delivery to this client group for the many programs and services which
typically impact their entry or retention in the workforce;
2. Increasing the availability of assistive technology in One-Stop
Centers;
3. Ensuring the availability of trained One-Stop staff to serve
people with disabilities;
4. Assuring outreach and marketing of One-Stop services to the
disability community; and
5. Establishing or expanding linkages with public and private
providers of this client group.
Twenty-three Work Incentive Grants were awarded in FY 2000 and
another Solicitation for Grant Applications will be announced in the
summer of 2001 as a continuing and on-going process of building the
One-Stop infrastructure to most effectively meet the needs of customers
with disabilities. The Work Incentive Grants are complementary yet
distinct from the Customized Employment demonstration grants offered in
this SGA. The Work Incentive Grants support systemic change through
capacity building of the One-Stop infrastructure, whereas these
Customized Employment Grants will serve as models of comprehensive
service delivery which extends beyond WIA programs and services for
individuals with disabilities who are the most disenfranchised under
current service delivery systems.
This SGA is designed to develop comprehensive models of direct
service delivery in the context of a One-Stop setting for individuals
with disabilities with the greatest barriers to employment, many of
whom have never been employed, are limited to subsidized employment, or
may be considered unable to be employed. The CustomizedEmployment
grants will involve cutting edge approaches such as use of customized
employment strategies and active involvement of essential programs of
both mandated and non-mandated partners of the workforce system.
III. Purpose
The purpose of this initiative is to maximize the capacity of, and
outcomes from, One-Stop Centers and their partners to effectively serve
people with disabilities through customized employment strategies, and
to integrate those strategies into the policy and practice of the One-
Stop and its partners in order to increase employment, choice and wages
for people with disabilities.
For purposes of this solicitation the Department has chosen to
specifically target the development and provision of customized
employment to those people with disabilities identified in this
section. However, the Department expects that once capacity for using
customized employment strategies is developed or enhanced, the One-Stop
Centers and their partners can expand use of these strategies to other
groups of people with (and without) disabilities.
For purposes of this solicitation, the target groups are people
with disabilities who are either unemployed or under-employed and are:
1. Receiving Supplementary Security Income (SSI) and/or Social
Security Disability Insurance (SSDI); or
2. Participating in day programs (such as day habilitation, day
activity or day health programs) or participating in facility-based or
community employment and earning less than minimum wage; or
[[Page 38004]]
3. Participating in segregated employment and choosing to move to
integrated, competitive employment; or
4. Awaiting employment services and supports following a move from
a residential facility, or as part of a plan to move into a community
under the Supreme Court decision in Olmstead v. L.C. by Zimring, 527
U.S. 581(1999); or
5. Transitioning from, or preparing to transition from, secondary
school under a transition plan under part B of the Individuals with
Disabilities EducationAct, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), and
who, without access to customized employment strategies, would likely
be referred to one of the environments identified in (2), (3)or (4)
above, but who prefers integrated, competitive employment or self-
employment.
For purposes of this solicitation, customized employment means
individualizing the employment relationship between employees and
employers in ways that meet the needs of both. It is based on an
individualized determination of the strengths, needs, and interests of
the person with a disability, and is also designed to meet the specific
needs of the employer. It may include employment developed through job
carving, self-employment or entrepreneurial initiatives, or other job
development or restructuring strategies that result in job
responsibilities being customized and individually negotiated to fit
the needs of individuals with a disability. Customized employment
assumes the provision of reasonable accommodations and supports
necessary for the individual to perform the functions of a job that is
individually negotiated and developed.
IV. Statement of Work
Eligible applicants for these grants are Local Workforce Investment
Boards (LocalBoards) under the Workforce Investment Act. The Local
Board may enter into numerous partnerships with other public and
private entities, consistent with the proposed activities of the grant.
Grantees must implement training and staff development activities
and demonstration projects designed to develop organizational capacity
to serve people with disabilities in One-Stop Centers. These projects
must develop professional competency in customized employment
strategies and serve targeted people with disabilities. Workforce
investment system partners and other non-required but essential
programs must be included in this effort. Grantees must integrate
customized employment strategies with the existing services available
through the One-Stop Center and its partners, including through
demonstrating alternative methods of measuring performance within the
Once-Stop environment. The result of these efforts will be an increase
in employment, choice and wages for people with disabilities through
the use of customized employment, and the systemic evaluation and
modification, as appropriate, of policies and practices to ensure that
customized employment strategies are systemically included in the
services available through the One-Stop Center.
Grantees must demonstrate collaborative activities across relevant
stakeholder groups, including both required and non-required One-Stop
partners, persons with disabilities, their parents and other family
members, advocates, employers, community rehabilitation agencies, and
others as appropriate.\2\ Grantees must:
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\2\ These partners may become a subgroup or an advisory group of
the Local Board. They may be specifically charged with coordinating
funding, resources and expertise in order to increase customized
employment for people with disabilities in the community.
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1. Develop professional competency and capacity for implementing a
variety of innovative and promising practices through customized
employment;
2. Mobilize needed services and supports;
3. Implement systems change demonstrations; and,
4. Implement other initiatives to ensure that these innovations and
promising practices become part of the menu of services available
through the workforce investment system.
Grantees must develop employment opportunities in a variety of jobs
or industries and at a variety of levels, including self-employment and
entrepreneurship, based on the strengths, needs and desires of the
individual with a disability. They must organize services and supports
in ways that provide informed choice and promote self-determination. In
addition, grantees must establish employer involvement; track and
respond to customer service and satisfaction for both persons with
disabilities and employers; and provide services, including follow-up
services to ensure job retention and career development.
It is expected that each grantee will become a ``model'' for both
the state and the Nation in terms of demonstrating effective linkages
and strategies through the One-StopCenter system. These models will
demonstrate successful strategies for customized employment for people
with disabilities which result in increased employment and wages. Each
grantee must also review policy and practice as it relates to people
with disabilities, including researching alternative methods for
performance accountability that are relevant to the characteristics of
this population.
Grantees must pursue the following objectives:
1. Develop and implement strategic planning and implementation
activities across the One-Stop required partner programs as identified
in the Workforce Investment Act, (WIA sec. 121(b), 29 USCA,
2841(b)(such as Vocational Rehabilitation and others as appropriate) as
well as other essential programs (such as Medicaid, Medicare, Mental
Health,Transportation, Small Business Development Centers, State
Councils on Developmental Disabilities, community colleges, benefits
counseling and assistance programs, lending and financial
institutions), whose expertise, services, and/or funds could contribute
to employment services and supports needed by people with disabilities
in order to secure customized employment.
2. Develop local and statewide policy initiatives to ensure that
customized employment and multiple innovative strategies and promising
practices become part of the menu of services available to people with
disabilities including investigating alternative methods for
performance accountability that consider the characteristics of the
population.
3. Develop and document the increased capacity of the One-Stop
system, including WIA required partners, community providers of
employment services, and other essential programs, to provide
customized employment for persons with disabilities. Such capacity
includes enhancing collaboration between required WIA partners and
building new collaborative initiatives with other essential programs.
4. Develop and document the capacity of the One-Stop system to
increase the wages of people with disabilities who are currently
working at less than minimum wage through the use of customized
employment strategies.
5. Develop an increased understanding by One-Stop Centers' staff
about health care, work incentives, benefits planning, ``tickets'' and
other provisions under the Ticket-to-Work and Work Incentives
ImprovementAct of 1999 (42 USC 1320b-19 et seq.); and document
increased use of these programs by the One-Stop Center and its partner
programs to secure customized employment for recipients of SSI and/or
SSDI who are entering the workforce or returning to work.
[[Page 38005]]
6. Demonstrate and document the increasing use of resources from a
number of system partners and other essential programs, including
providing individual budgets (e.g., individual training accounts/
contractual services; tickets; vouchers; and other sources of
individualized funding or personal funding accounts) for persons with
disabilities to obtain customized employment.
7. Develop and leverage linkages with other state and local
initiatives that provide services and supports for people with
disabilities (including, but not limited to, state systems change
efforts which promote systems improvement and comprehensive
coordination; initiatives involving health care; benefits planning and
assistance; housing; transportation; education; supported employment;
small business development; technology-related assistance; initiatives
of private foundations; and faith-based programs and others as
appropriate).
8. Educate relevant stakeholders, including state and local
policymakers and systems personnel, about needed changes in policy and
practice in order to increase customized employment and wages for
people with disabilities. Organize education activities to enable
customized employment and personalized supports to become available and
used in local communities, including (as appropriate) activities
necessary to secure adoption of the Medicaid buy-in in the state.
9. Collaborate with the national technical assistance cooperative
agreement funded by the ODEP to provide assistance and training on
increasing employment for adults with disabilities.
10. Identify and pursue other activities, as appropriate, to
achieving the goals of these grants.
Funds must be used in a flexible manner, as determined appropriate
by input from stakeholders and identified needs, so long as
requirements for outcome and evaluation data and other requirements of
Federal statutes, regulations, administrative requirements and OMB
circulars and the requirements delineated in this SGA are met.
Activities may include, the following possibilities:
1. Necessary staffing across agencies to implement grantee
activities and otherwise demonstrate effective partnerships and
interactions necessary to effectively leverage resources and expertise
from partnering systems and programs.
2. Outreach to relevant stakeholders.
3. Strategic planning.
4. Demonstration activities which provide methods to increase the
employment of people with disabilities that are designed for systemic
inclusion (including but not limited to demonstrating the use of
individual training accounts or contractual services, tickets, and
individual budgeting initiatives; economic stimulus activities
including low-interest loans for person-centered micro-boards focused
on increasing economic prosperity for specific individuals with
disabilities; entrepreneurial employment initiatives that are consumer-
owned or operated; demonstrations of innovation and cutting-edge
strategies providing personal control, choice and customized assistance
resulting in employment, including business ownership, micro-enterprise
development or development of cooperatives for persons with
disabilities; and other supports needed by specific individuals with
disabilities to increase choice and wages in employment).
5. Other activities necessary to address needs and achieve goals
identified through strategic planning and implementation, including
collection of necessary data and evaluation.
6. Collaboration with the education system, parents and families to
ensure transition of young people with disabilities from school to
customized employment or training, and documentation of the outcomes of
such efforts.
7. Training and education activities (including training regarding
Medicaid buy-in provisions and other policy implications for increasing
employment through state activities) designed to further the goal of
increasing customized employment for persons with disabilities. These
training activities include the education of One-Stop and partner
personnel; state systems personnel and policymakers; developing and
disseminating educational information and materials; and otherwise
promoting policy and practice to increase the wide spread community-
based use of customized employment strategies and personalized
supports.
8. Researching and demonstrating alternative methods of measuring
WIA performance outcomes that consider the various characteristics of
people with disabilities and developing demonstrations of performance
measures that document new methods for measuring program effectiveness;
and coordinating the availability of and access to assistive technology
9. Establishing connections to and collaborating with other
entities, including employers, lending and financial institutions,
foundations, faith-based organizations, institutions of higher
education, consumer and family organizations, small business
development centers and others, as appropriate, to further customized
employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in local
communities.
10. Educating the media and the general public about successful
strategies for and the benefits of securing employment for people with
disabilities. This will assist in obtaining long-term support for
continuation of grantee activities following completion of funding.
11. Increasing the availability of personal agents and job
development personnel offering customized services through customer-
controlled approaches that result in customized employment (including
demonstrating effectiveness of paying family members and/or other
individuals with disabilities to serve as personal agents when selected
by the individual with a disability to assist in negotiating and
implementing employment plans and services.)
12. Assisting community providers of segregated employment services
to develop integrated, competitive options for individuals with
disabilities, including implementation of conversion and other
organizational change initiatives conducted with segregated provider
programs that wish to change their services to integrated employment.
Upon the award of a grant, grantees must begin a strategic planning
and implementation process that will address multiple components of
needed change. Planning, implementation and ongoing evaluation for
continuous improvement are expected to be implemented from year one in
recognition that dynamic planning will occur and evolve over time. By
the end of year five, it is expected that a more long-term strategic
plan will be in place for expanding the availability and provision of
customized employment, and for systemically revising policy and
practices consistent with this goal. All grantees must provide a
detailed management plan for project goals, objectives and activities.
All grantees must collect and provide to the DOL information on the
individuals with disabilities served under this grant and who secure
employment through use of customized strategies (including information
on types of jobs, wages and benefits secured by specific individuals
with disabilities, and other areas addressed
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through the linkages and networks facilitated by grant activities).
All grantees must agree to cooperate with an independent evaluation
to be conducted by the Department of Labor. DOL will arrange for and
conduct this independent evaluation of the outcomes, impacts, and
accomplishments of each funded grant. Grantees must agree to make
available records on all parts of grant activity, including participant
employment and wage data, and to provide access to personnel, as
specified by the evaluator(s), under the direction of the Department.
This independent evaluation is separate from the ongoing evaluation for
continuous improvement required of the grantee for grant
implementation.
V. Funding Availability
The Department of Labor anticipates awarding up to seven grants
with a range of between $400,000 and $750,000 each. These awards will
be for a one-year period and may be renewed annually for up to four
additional years for a total of five years depending upon the
availability of funds and the efficacy of the grant activities,
established through independent reviews conducted by the Department of
Labor or its designee. Proposals must include budgetary information for
a five-year period. The funding for Years Four and Five will be at
successively lower levels, with funding during Year Four at 80 percent
of third-year funds and during Year Five at 60 percent. Grantees are
expected to use this grant as seed money to develop other public and
private resources in order to ensure sustainability of grant activities
following completion of the funding period.
Funds must not be used for modifying buildings or equipment for
physical or communication accessibility, although the strategic
planning should address how resources will be leveraged for such
purposes from other sources, as appropriate.
VI. Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants for these grants are restricted to Local
Workforce InvestmentBoards (Local Boards) as established under the
Workforce Investment Act (WIA sec.117,29 USCA 2832.) The Local Board
may coordinate numerous partnerships with other public and private
entities, consistent with proposed activities of the grant and
applicable administrative requirements.
The U.S. Department of Labor encourages Local Boards to join with
otherState/local entities and public/private non-profit organizations.
Such entities and organizations could include state programs for
Vocational Rehabilitation, Mental Health,Medicaid, Mental Retardation,
Housing and/or Transportation; State Councils on Developmental
Disabilities; Protection and Advocacy Programs; University Centers for
Excellence in Developmental Disabilities; institutions of higher
education; Centers for Independent Living (CIL's); disability advocacy
and provider organizations; organizations of parents; federally-funded
disability grant entities; Small Business Development Centers;
cooperatives and micro-enterprises; lending and financial institutions;
training programs; media and marketing agencies; employers;
foundations; community and faith-based programs; and other
organizations or programs which provide or support services and/or
advocacy for people with disabilities. Letters of support and
commitment from these programs must be included in the Appendix of the
proposal.
Indian and Native American Tribal entities, or consortia of Tribes,
may apply for these grants. These grants could involve coordination of
services and enhancement to a One-Stop system approach for people with
disabilities in a specific Indian community or covering multiple Tribal
entities which may cut across multiple States and/or workforce
investment areas. Grants to Indian and Native American tribal grantees
are treated differently because of sovereignty and self-governance
established under the Indian Self-Determination and Education
Assistance Act allowing for the government to government relationship
between the Federal and Tribal Governments.
Please Note That Eligible Applicants Must Not be Classified Under
the Internal Revenue Code as 501 (c)(4) Entity. See 26 U.S.C.506(c)(4).
According to Section 18 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, an
organization, as described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, that engages in lobbying activities will not be eligible
for the receipt of federal funds constituting an award, grant, or loan.
VII. Application Contents
There are three required Parts and an Appendix of the application.
Requirements for each Part are provided in this application package, as
are all required forms.
Part I--Project Financial Plan (Budget).
Part II--Executive Summary.
Part III--Project Narrative.
Appendices--Letters of Commitment/Support, Resumes, etc.
General Requirements--Three copies and an original of the proposal
must be submitted, one of which must contain an original signature.
Proposals must be submitted by the applicant only. Page limits do not
apply to the Project Financial Plan or the Appendices (assurances,
resumes, bibliography or references as appropriate, and letters of
support.) A font size of at least twelve (12) point is required
throughout.
Part I--Project Financial Plan (Budget)
To be considered, applications must include a detailed financial
plan which identifies by line item the budget plan designed to achieve
the goals of this grant. TheProject Financial Plan must contain the SF-
424, Application for Federal Assistance,(Appendix A) and an SF-424A
Budget Information Sheet (Appendix B).
The Project Financial Plan (Budget) must include on a separate page
a detailed cost analysis of each line item. Justification for
administrative costs must be provided.Approval of a budget by DOL is
not the same as the approval of actual costs. The individual signing
the SF-424 on behalf of the applicant must represent and be able to
bind the responsible financial and administrative entity for a grant
should that application result in an award.
Part II--Executive Summary
The application must contain an Executive Summary limited to no
more than two (2) single-spaced, single-sided pages. Each application
must provide a grant synopsis which identifies the following:
1. The applicant;
2. The consortium partners; the organizations or systems they
represent; and their role in grant implementation;
3 . Data on people with disabilities in the area, including, to the
extent it is available, information about the target group for this
solicitation and other data relevant to the proposed grant;
4. The geographic service area of the Local Board;
5. The planned period of performance (projected annually through a
five year cycle, assuming grant renewals awards);
6. The actions already taken by the One-Stop system in the local
area to address the needs of people with disabilities, including
activities related to increasing availability of customized employment
and leveraging resources and expertise across non-required partners of
the One-Stop Centers;
7. A brief statement of the goals of the proposal and how they will
be achieved; and,
[[Page 38007]]
8. Assurances of commitment in support of this proposal from the
fiscal agent and all partner agencies.
Part III--Project Narrative
The Grant Narrative should provide complete information on how the
applicant will address the requirements of this SGA and is limited to
no more than 75 double-spaced, single-sided, numbered pages (not
including Appendices).
Each application must provide, in response to the objectives of
this SGA, a comprehensive strategy and implementation plan for
developing capacity and providing customized employment through the One
Stop system.
Appendix--Letters of Support and/or Commitment, Resumes
VIII. Evaluation Criteria/Selection
A. Evaluation Criteria
The Project Narrative should address the following evaluation
element:
1. Statement of Need (10 Points)
Applicants must include in their proposed plan the following items.
a. The current employment circumstances facing people with
disabilities in the area to be served, including barriers,
facilitators, and resources, systems and activities that could be
leveraged to address needed changes.
b. The number of persons with disabilities in the area who fit the
other requirements of the defined target group of persons with
disabilities who may be served under this grant.
c. Related issues that need to be addressed in order to develop
and/or enhance capacity of the One-Stop system to use customized
employment strategies to increase employment, choice and wages for
persons with disabilities, including the contribution the proposed
grant will make to influence systemic changes in the local workforce
system.
2. Comprehensive Strategy for Strategic Planning and Implementation to
Build Capacity for Customized Employment (25 points)
Applicants must include in their proposed plan the following items:
a. The technical plan to implement the purpose and objectives of
thisSGA to enhance the capacity of the workforce investment system to
increase employment, choice and wages for persons with disabilities
through the use of customized employment strategies and to ensure that
such strategies are systemically included in the policy and practice of
the One-Stop Center(s);
b. The provision of necessary programmatic and physical access,
including assistive technology, and compliance with section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. 794(d), [as amended by the FY 2001
appropriation for military construction, Pub. L. No. 106-246(July 13,
2000)] in order to ensure access to persons with disabilities;
c. The plan for developing, implementing and expanding the
availability and use of customized employment strategies throughout the
WIA system of required partners and non-required programs;
d. The plan for how the expertise of the State Vocational
Rehabilitation program will be used;
e. The plan to involve appropriate private entities, including but
not limited to community-based organizations and faith-based
organizations, as appropriate;
f. The plan for reaching people with disabilities and their
families, including their involvement in grant design and
implementation;
g. The plan for gaining support and assistance of area employers;
h. The plan for meeting the needs of individuals with disabilities
from diverse cultures and/or ethnic groups;
i. The plan for expanding the use of customized employment
strategies over time to:
1. All groups of persons with disabilities targeted under this
solicitation; and
2. Other groups of individuals with disabilities (such as
individuals who are receiving TANF benefits) following completion of
the grant;
j. The plan for leveraging resources over time in order to ensure
grant sustainability upon completion of funding, including the plan for
implementing grant activities during years four and five at 80% and 60%
funding, respectively; and
k. The plan for responding to the measures by which program success
will be evaluated.
3. Collaboration and Coordination (15 Points)
Applicants must include in their proposed plan the following items:
a. Demonstrations of support and commitment from key organizations
and individuals who advocate through or on behalf of persons with
disabilities to participate in this effort;
b. Demonstrations of support and commitment from One-Stop partners
and non-required but essential programs;
c. Demonstrations of support from area employers and employer
organizations and evidence of their interest in participating in this
effort.
d. Demonstrations of support from persons with disabilities and
their families for implementation of the proposed activities; and,
e. A commitment to cooperate with ODEP's planned technical
assistance initiative in a joint effort to develop capacity and
disseminate promising practices so that the national workforce system
can profit from this experience.
4. Quality of Grant Personnel (15 Points)
Applicants must include in their proposed plan the following items:
a. The names and qualifications of staff and related technical
experts and consultants to support the objectives of this project for
grantee and key sub-contractors and consultants. A resume of key staff
and consultants must be included in the Appendix and must clearly
indicate qualifications of each individual for designated role in
project implementation.
b. The extent to which the applicant encourages applications for
employment from persons who are members of groups that have
traditionally been under-represented based on race, color, national
origin, gender, age or disability.
5. Management Plan (10 Points)
Applicants must include in their proposed plan the following items:
a. The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives of
the proposed grant on time and within budget, including clearly defined
responsibilities, time lines, and milestones for accomplishing grant
activities;
b. The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous
improvement in the operation of the proposed grant;
c. The extent to which the time commitments of key grant personnel
are appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed
grant;
d. How the applicant will insure that customized employment
strategies become a part of the menu of services available in the local
community.
6. Evaluation and Continuous Improvement (15 Points)
Applicants must include in their proposed plan the following items:
a. All grantees must agree to participate in the independent
evaluation outlined in Section IV of this SGA.
b. In addition, all grantees must implement ongoing evaluation of
grant activities in order to determine
[[Page 38008]]
effectiveness of implementation efforts for continuous improvement of
the grant. In determining the quality of the evaluation for continuous
improvement, the Department considers the following:
1. The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough,
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives and outcomes of the
proposed grant;
2. The extent to which the methods of evaluation and continuous
improvement are appropriate to the context within which the grant
operates;
3. The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use of
objective performance measures that are clearly related to the intended
outcomes of the grant and will produce quantitative and qualitative
data to the extent possible (including data on wages, wage changes,
benefits, types of jobs, customer satisfaction, resources leveraged
from partner programs, systemic changes implemented to sustain grant
over time); and
4. The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about
effective strategies suitable for replication in other settings.
7. Adequacy of Resources and Budget (10 Points)
Applicants must include in their proposed plan the following items:
a. The adequacy of support for grant implementation, including
facilities, equipment, supplies, and other resources;
b. The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the
proposed grant.
B. Selection Criteria
Acceptance of a proposal and an award of federal funds to sponsor
any program(s) does not provide a waiver of any grant requirement and/
or procedures. Grantees must comply with all applicable Federal
statutes, regulations, administrative requirements andOMB Circulars.
For example, the OMB circulars require, and an entity's procurement
procedures must require that all procurement transactions must be
conducted, as practical, to provide open and free competition. If a
proposal identifies a specific entity to provide the services, the DOL/
ODEP's award does not provide the justification or basis to sole-source
the procurement, i.e., avoid competition.
A panel will objectively rate each complete application against the
criteria described in this SGA. The panel recommendations to the Grant
Officer are advisory in nature. The Grant Officer may elect to award
grants either with or without discussion with the applicant. In
situations where no discussion occurs, an award will be based on the
signed SF 424 form (see Appendix A), which constitutes a binding offer.
The GrantOfficer may consider the availability of funds and any
information that is available and will make final award decisions based
on what is most advantageous to the Government, considering factors
such as:
1. Findings of the grant technical evaluation panel;
2. Geographic distribution of the competitive applications; and,
3. The Project's Financial Plan.
IX. Reporting
The Department of Labor is responsible for ensuring the effective
implementation of each competitive grant project in accordance with the
provisions of this announcement, the grant agreement and other
applicable administrative requirements. Applicants should assume that
Department staff or their designees will conduct at least one on-site
project review. In addition, all grantees will be expected to provide
information on individuals with disabilities securing employment
through use of customized strategies (including information on types of
jobs, wages and benefits secured by specific individuals with
disabilities, and other areas addressed through the linkages and
networks facilitated by project activities).
Grantees will be required to submit periodic financial and
participation reports under the Customized Employment grant program.
Specifically the following reports will be required:
1. Monthly progress reports, during initial start-up and
implementation of the project (approximately six months), and quarterly
reports thereafter. It is estimated that the monthly report will take
five hours to prepare during the first six months of the grant. The
quarterly report is estimated to take ten hours during the remainder of
the grant. The final report is estimated to take 20 hours. The
Department will work with the grantee to identify the requirements of
the various reports, which will, among other things, include measures
of ongoing analysis for continuous improvement and customer
satisfaction.
2. Standard Form 269, Financial Status Report Form, on a quarterly
basis;
3. Final Project Report, including an assessment of project
performance and outcomes achieved. This report will be submitted in
hard copy and on electronic disk using a format and instructions which
will be provided by the Department. A draft of the final report is due
to the Department 45 days before the termination of the grant.
DOL will arrange for and conduct an independent evaluation of the
outcomes, impacts, and accomplishments of each funded project. Grantees
must agree to make available records on all parts of project activity,
including participant employment and wage data, and to provide access
to personnel, as specified by the evaluator(s), under the direction of
the Department. This independent evaluation is separate from the
ongoing evaluation for continuous improvement required of the grantee
for project implementation.
X. Administration Provisions
A. Administrative Standards and Provisions
The grant awarded under this SGA shall be subject to the following:
29 CFR Part 95--Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and
Cooperative Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, etc.
29 CFR Part 96--Federal Standards for Audit of Federally Funded Grants,
Contracts, and Agreements
29 CFR Part 97--Uniform Administrative Requirement for Grants and
Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments
B. Allowable Cost
Determinations of allowable costs shall be made in accordance with
the following applicable Federal cost principles:
State and Local Government--OMB Circular A-87
Nonprofit Organizations--OMB Circular A-122
Profit-making Commercial Firms--48 CFR Part 31
Profit will not be considered an allowable cost in any case.
Signed at Washington, DC this 17th day of July, 2001.
Daniel P. Murphy,
Grant Officer.
Appendix A. Application for Federal Assistance, Form SF 424
Appendix B. Budget Information Sheet, Form SF 424A
Appendix C. Assurances and Certifications Signature Page
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
[[Page 38009]]
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
facesheet for preapplications 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 and entry:
1. Self-explanatory.
2. Date application submitted to Federal agency (or State if
applicable) and applicant's control number (if applicable).
3. State use only (if applicable).
4. If this application is to continue or revise an existing
award, enter present Federal identifier number. If for a new
project, leave blank.
5. Legal name of applicant, name of primary organizational unit
which will undertake the assistance activity, complete address of
the applicant, and name and telephone number of the person to
contact on matters related to this application.
6. Enter Employer Identification Number (EIN) as assigned by the
Internal Revenue Service.
7. Enter the appropriate letter in the space provided.
8. Check appropriate box and enter appropriate letter(s) in the
space(s) provided:
--``New'' means a new assistance award.
--``Continuation'' means an extension for an additional funding/
budget period for a project with a projected completion date.
--``Revision'' means any change in the Federal Government's
financial obligation or contingent liability from an existing
obligation.
9. Name of Federal agency from which assistance is being
requested with this application.
10. Use the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number and
title of the program under which assistance is requested.
11. Enter a brief descriptive title of the project. If more than
one program is involved, you should append an explanation on a
separate sheet. If appropriate (e.g., construction or real property
projects), attach a map showing project location. For
preapplications, use a separate sheet to provide a summary
description of this project.
12. List only the largest political entities affected (e.g.,
State, counties, cities).
13. Self-explanatory.
14. List the applicant's Congressional District and any
District(s) affected by the program or project.
15. 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. If both basic and supplemental amounts are
included, show breakdown on an attached sheet. For multiple program
funding, use totals and show breakdown using same categories as item
15.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. To be signed by the authorized representative of the
applicant. A copy of the governing body's authorization for you to
sign this application as 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.)
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE SF-424A
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is
estimated to average 180 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 (0348-0044),
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.
General Instructions
This form is designed so that application can be made for funds
from one or more grant programs. In preparing the budget, adhere to
any existing Federal grantor agency guidelines which prescribe how
and weather budgeted amounts should be separately shown for
different functions or activities within the program. For some
programs, grantor agencies may require budgets to be separately
shown by function or activity. For other programs, grantor agencies
may require a breakdown by function or activity. Sections A, B, C,
and D should include budget estimates for the whole project except
when applying for assistance which requires Federal authorization in
annual or other funding period increments. In the latter case,
Sections A, B, C, and D should provide the budget for the first
budget period (usually a year) and Section E should present the need
for Federal assistance in the subsequent budget periods. All
applications should contain a breakdown by the object class
categories shown in Lines a-k of Section B.
Section A. Budget Summary Lines 1-4 Columns (a) and (b)
For applications pertaining to a single Federal grant program
(Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog number) and not requiring a
functional or activity breakdown, enter on Line 1 under Column (a)
the Catalog program title and the Catalog number in Column (b).
For applications pertaining to a single program requiring budget
amounts by multiple functions or activities, enter the name of each
activity or function on each line in Column (a), and enter the
Catalog number in Column (b). For applications pertaining to
multiple programs where none of the programs require a breakdown by
function or activity, enter the Catalog program title on each line
in Column (a) and the respective Catalog number on each line in
Column (b).
For applications pertaining to multiple programs where one or
more programs require a breakdown by function or activity, prepare a
separate sheet for each program requiring the breakdown. Additional
sheets should be used when one form does not provide adequate space
for all breakdown of data required. However, when more than one
sheet is used, the first page should provide the summary totals by
programs.
Lines 1-4, Columns (c) through (g)
For new applications, leave Column (c) and (d) blank. For each
line entry in Columns (a) and (b), enter in Columns (e), (f), and
(g) the appropriate amounts of funds needed to support the project
for the first funding period (usually a year).
For continuing grant program applications, submit these forms
before the end of each funding period as required by the grantor
agency. Enter in Columns (c) and (d) the estimated amounts of funds
which will remain unobligated at the end of the grant funding period
only if the Federal grantor agency instructions provide for this.
Otherwise, leave these columns blank. Enter in Columns (e) and (f)
the amounts of funds needed for the upcoming period. The amount(s)
in Column (g) should be the sum of amounts in Columns (e) and (f).
For supplemental grants and changes to existing grants, do not
use Columns (c) and (d). Enter in Column (e) the amount of the
increase or decrease of Federal funds and enter in Column (f) the
amount of the increase or decrease of non-Federal funds. In Column
(g) enter the new total budgeted amount (Federal and non-Federal)
which includes the total previous authorized budgeted amounts plus
or minus, as appropriate, the amounts shown in Columns (e) and (f).
The amount(s) in Column (g) should not equal the sum of amounts in
Columns (e) and (f).
Line 5--Show the totals for all columns used.
Section B. Budget Categories
In the column headings (1) through (4), enter the titles of the
same programs, functions, and activities shown on Lines 1-4, Column
(a), Section A. When additional sheets are prepared for Section A,
provide similar column headings on each sheet. For each program,
function or activity, fill in the total requirements for funds (both
Federal and non-Federal) by object class categories.
Line 6a-i--Show the totals of Lines 6a to 6h in each column.
Line 6j--Show the amount of indirect cost.
Line 6k--Enter the total of amounts on Lines 6i and 6j. For all
applications for new grants and continuation grants the total amount
in column (5), Line 6k, should be the same as the total amount shown
in Section A, Column (g), Line 5. For supplemental grants and
changes to grants, the total amount of the increase or decrease as
shown in Columns (1)-(4), Line 6k should be the same as the sum of
the amounts in Section A, Columns (e) and (f) on Line 5.
Line 7--Enter the estimated amount of income, if any, expected
to be generated from this project. Do not add or subtract this
amount from the total project amount. Show under the program
narrative statement the nature and source of income. The estimated
amount of program income may be considered by the Federal grantor
agency in determining the total amount of the grant.
Section C. Non-Federal Resources
Lines 8-11--Enter amounts of non-Federal resources that will be
used on the grant. If in-kind contributions are included, provide a
brief explanation on a separate sheet.
Column (a)--Enter the program titles identical to Column (a),
Section A. A breakdown by function or activity is not necessary.
Column (b)--Enter the contribution to be made by the applicant.
Column (c)--Enter the amount of the State's cash and in-kind
contribution if the applicant is not a State or State agency.
Applicants which are a State or State agencies should leave this
column blank.
Column (d)--Enter the amount of cash and in-kind contributions
to be made from all other sources.
Column (e)--Enter totals of Columns (b), (c), and (d).
Line 12--Enter the total for each of Columns (b)-(e). The amount
in Column (e) should be equal to the amount on Line 5, Column (f),
Section A.
Section D. Forecasted Cash Needs
Line 13--Enter the amount of cash needed by quarter from the
grantor agency during the first year.
Line 14--Enter the amount of cash from all other sources needed
by quarter during the first year.
Line 15--Enter the totals of amounts on Lines 13 and 14.
Section E. Budget Estimates of Federal Funds Needed for Balance of the
Project
Lines 16-19--Enter in Column (a) the same grant program titles
shown in Column (a), Section A. A breakdown by function or activity
is not necessary. For new applications and continuation grant
applications, enter in the proper columns amounts of Federal funds
which will be needed to complete the program or project over the
succeeding funding periods (usually in years). This section need not
be completed for revisions (amendments, changes, or supplements) to
funds for the current year of existing grants.
If more than four lines are needed to list the program titles,
submit additional schedules as necessary.
Line 20--Enter the total for each of the Columns (b)-(e). When
additional schedules are prepared for this Section, annotate
accordingly and show the overall totals on this line.
Section F. Other Budget Information
Line 21--Use this space to explain amounts for individual direct
object class cost categories that may appear to be out of the
ordinary or to explain the details as required by the Federal
grantor agency.
Line 22--Enter the type of indirect rate (provisional,
predetermined, final or fixed) that will be in effect during the
funding period, the estimated amount of the base to which the rate
is applied, and the total indirect expense.
Line 23--Provide any other explanations or comments deemed
necessary.
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