[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 159 (Monday, August 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50016-50017]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18004]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Withdrawal of Notice Inviting Applications and Cancellation of
the Competition for the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation
Services Program
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
(OSERS), Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Education (Department) withdraws the
notice inviting applications (NIA) and cancels the competition for the
fiscal year (FY) 2020 American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation
Services (AIVRS) program under Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) number 84.250N. The Department intends to announce a new
competition in FY 2021.
DATES: The withdrawal and cancellation of the document published on
March 9, 2020 (85 FR 13636) is effective August 17, 2020.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: August Martin, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 5064A, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-1800. Telephone: 202-245-7410. Email:
[email protected].
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Under section 121(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended
(the Act), the purpose of the AIVRS program is to provide grants to the
governing bodies of Indian Tribes located on Federal and State
reservations (and consortia of such governing bodies) to pay 90 percent
of the costs of vocational rehabilitation (VR) services, including
culturally appropriate services, to American Indians with disabilities
who reside on or near Federal or State reservations, consistent with
each eligible individual's strengths, resources, priorities, concerns,
abilities, capabilities, interests, and informed choice, so that each
individual may prepare for, and engage in, high-quality employment that
will increase opportunities for economic self-sufficiency.
On March 9, 2020, the Department published in the Federal Register
(85 FR 13636) an NIA for the FY 2020 AIVRS competition, CFDA 84.250N,
Grants.gov opportunity number ED-GRANTS-030920-001.
At roughly the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic began to affect the
United States. American Indian reservations experienced and continue to
experience a high rate of COVID-19 infections. Many of the entities
eligible for AIVRS grants across the country took actions to limit the
spread of COVID-19 by requiring their non-essential personnel to
shelter at home. We have been informed that many AIVRS personnel who
continue to shelter-in-place at home to avoid exposure to COVID-19 have
limited access to the necessary technology to telework, such as
personal computers, Wi-Fi, or internet availability to connect to
workplace servers or workplace resources, and we assume that would also
be true of personnel who do not currently receive a grant but would be
eligible to apply. This limits their ability to access the information
needed to prepare a quality application for the FY 2020 AIVRS
competition.
In addition, we have been notified that some of the programs
attempting to develop grant applications have had difficulty acquiring
the Tribal resolutions needed to submit an application for Federal
funding or working with the Tribes' administration, including the
authorized representatives needed to approve, sign, and submit
applications in Grants.gov.
On May 20, 2020, the Department published a notice in the Federal
Register (85 FR 30690) extending the deadline for the transmittal of
applications for the AIVRS program competition (84.250N) to June 26,
2020. However, given the ongoing and, for some Tribes, escalating cases
of COVID-19 and the continuing challenges resulting from the pandemic,
the 30-day extension has not been sufficient to address these
circumstances. Therefore, the Department is withdrawing the NIA and
cancelling the FY 2020 AIVRS CFDA 84.250N grant competition.
In order to allow for continuity of services for the AIVRS program,
the Department is, through a document published elsewhere in this issue
of the Federal Register, extending the project period and waiving the
requirements in 34 CFR 75.250, which prohibit project periods exceeding
five years, as well as waiving the requirements in 34 CFR 75.261(a) and
(c)(2), which allow the extension of a project period only if the
extension does not involve the obligation of additional Federal funds.
The extension and waivers will enable the Department to provide
additional funds to the current 29 projects under CFDA 84.250K, which
were awarded in
[[Page 50017]]
FY 2015 and will expire as of September 30, 2020. With the additional
funds, the Department will also be able to extend those grants to
September 30, 2021.
The Department intends to announce a new AIVRS grant competition
for five-year grants in FY 2021. Through that competition the
Department intends to make funds available for all eligible applicants,
including the 29 AIVRS grantees funded in FY 2015 and the 13 AIVRS
grantees funded in FY 2016, whose grants will be expiring on September
30, 2021.
Intergovernmental Review
These programs are not subject to Executive Order 12372 and the
regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print,
audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of
Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can view this
document, as well as all other documents of this Department published
in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
the site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Mark Schultz,
Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration, Delegated the
authority to perform the functions and duties of the Assistant
Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services.
[FR Doc. 2020-18004 Filed 8-13-20; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P