Notice2022-00401
Availability of Program Application Instructions for Subtitle C of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000, Protection and Advocacy Systems To Expand the Public Health Workforce
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 12, 2022
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentCommunity Living Administration
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 8 (Wednesday, January 12, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 12, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1760-1762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-00401]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Community Living
Availability of Program Application Instructions for Subtitle C
of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of
2000, Protection and Advocacy Systems To Expand the Public Health
Workforce
Title: Expanding the Public Health Workforce within the Disability
Networks: Protection and Advocacy Systems.
Announcement Type: Initial.
Statutory Authority: The statutory authority for grants under this
program announcement is Section 2501 of the American Rescue Plan Act of
2021 (Pub. L. 117-2) and awards authorized under Subtitle C of the
Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000
(42 U.S.C 15041 et seq.), Protection and Advocacy Systems, shall be
provided funding under this opportunity.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 93.630.
DATES: The deadline date for the submission of the Expanding the Public
Health Workforce within Disability Networks: Protection and Advocacy
Systems is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time February 11, 2022.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) announced a new
funding opportunity to expand the public health workforce within the
disability networks. Public health promotes and protects the health of
people and the communities where they live, learn, work, and play. The
disability networks funded by the Administration for Community Living
(ACL) play an essential role in that work. The disability networks
consist of trusted organizations and programs that reach and provide
services and supports to people with disabilities in every community
throughout the nation, including those related to public health
[[Page 1761]]
such as health and wellness education and information, counseling, case
management and guidance related to health and social needs, as well as
how to access those supports. These networks have over 50 years of
community experience and possess intimate knowledge of the public
health and other resources available and the needs of people with
disabilities in their direct area.
As part of its ongoing COVID-19 response efforts, the Biden-Harris
Administration is investing federal funds through the American Rescue
Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) \1\ to recruit, hire, and train public health
workers to respond to the pandemic and prepare for future public health
challenges. Specifically, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) will ``carry out activities related to
establishing, expanding, and sustaining a public health workforce . . .
,'' ARPA Sec. 2501(a), and funds may be used to support costs,
including wages and benefits, of a range of public health professionals
including but not limited to social support professionals, community
health workers, communication and policy experts and ``. . . other
positions as may be required to prevent, prepare for, and respond to
COVID-19 . . . ,'' ARPA Sec. 2501(b)(1).
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\1\ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Public Law 117-2, 135 Stat
4 (Mar. 11, 2021).
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To help advance these efforts, ACL has created the Expanding the
Public Health Workforce within Disability Networks program. This
program aims to increase through the support of wages and benefits the
number of public health professionals within the disability networks to
address the unique needs of individuals with disabilities. Public
health professionals supported through this program may provide a wide
range of public health services and supports, including provision of
culturally affirmative and linguistically accessible information,
access assistance for vaccines and boosters, transition and diversion
from high-risk congregate settings to community living, provision and
connections to health and wellness programs, activities that address
social isolation and social determinants of health, and other
activities that support the public health and wellbeing of people with
disabilities.
Protection and Advocacy Systems (P&As) under the Developmental
Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act)--the eligible
entities for this opportunity--shall be provided funding to support new
staff or increase the full-time equivalent (FTE) of existing staff
under this opportunity to carry out public health services and
supports. Although not required for funding, grantees are encouraged to
explore options for funding to sustain the new FTE after the end of the
grant. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement for this
funding.
Award recipients will be required to submit annual progress reports
in the form of a written summary on the number of full-time equivalents
(FTEs) funded, type of public health professional(s) hired, and the
activities they are engaged in to advance public health. To be eligible
to receive this grant, the P&As must submit a Letter of Assurance to
ACL containing all the assurances required, (see below, ``Section III.
Eligibility Criteria and Other Requirements'' and ``Section IV.
Submission Information''). P&As that do not submit a Letter of
Assurance or otherwise indicate no desire to receive funds, will be
excluded from receiving funds.
ACL may extend deadlines based on the need of the COVID-19
response, e.g., to meet unanticipated issues related to COVID-19 and/or
to allow impacted P&As that missed the cut-off date to submit a letter
of assurance for consideration. ACL intends to issue notices of award
as soon as possible with an estimated start date of March 1, 2022.
However, the actual award may be released earlier or later than that
date. Because the total amount awarded to each grantee is contingent
upon the total number of grantees applying for funding, grant awards
will be issued after ACL receives responses from all eligible P&As.
Regardless of the date of award, the funding will be available until
September 30, 2024. Grantees may use the funds over any period of time
before this date but are encouraged to use the funding as soon as
possible to have the greatest impact.
II. Award Information
1. Funding Instrument Type
These awards will be made in the form of new grants, evenly
distributed to eligible entities.
2. Anticipated Total Funding per Budget Period
Awards made under this announcement will have an estimated start
date of March 1, 2022 and an end date of September 30, 2024.
The total available funding for this opportunity is $6,384,000.
Eligible entities who do not complete assurance requirements below,
or otherwise indicate no desire to receive funds will be excluded from
receiving funds. This will have the effect of increasing the amount of
funds available for eventual recipients.
ACL will distribute the $6,384,000 evenly to all eligible entities
to ensure a sufficient level of funding to provide substantive support
for the public health workforce, which equates to a minimum award of
$112,000. This figure is based on the current number of eligible
entities and would rise if some eligible entities refuse or are deemed
ineligible.
III. Eligibility Criteria and Other Requirements
1. Eligible Entities
The eligible entity for these awards is designated by ACL as
Protection and Advocacy Systems authorized under Subtitle C of the
Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000.
2. Match
Cost Sharing or Matching is not required.
3. Other Requirements
A. Letter of Assurance
A Letter of Assurance is required to be submitted by the eligible
entity in order to receive an award. The Letter of Assurance must
include the following:
1. Assurance that the award recipient is the agency or entity
designated as the Protection and Advocacy System in the state or
territory under section 143 of the DD Act (42 U.S.C. 15042).
2. Assurance that funds will be spent in ways consistent with the
purpose of the funding to support the cost of wages and benefits for
public health professionals, directly or through contract such as:
<bullet> Case investigator,
<bullet> Contact tracer,
<bullet> Social support specialist,
<bullet> Community health worker,
<bullet> Public health nurse,
<bullet> Disease intervention specialist,
<bullet> Epidemiologist,
<bullet> Program manager,
<bullet> Laboratory personnel,
<bullet> Informaticians,
<bullet> Communication and policy experts,
<bullet> Other positions as may be required to prevent, prepare
for, and respond to COVID-19.
3. Assurance to provide semi-annual federal financial reports and
annual program reports that include the number and type of full-time
equivalents hired, and activities performed to advance public health.
B. DUNS Number
All grant applicants must obtain and keep current a D-U-N-S number
from
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Dun and Bradstreet. It is a nine-digit identification number, which
provides unique identifiers of single business entities. The D-U-N-S
number can be obtained from: <a href="https://iupdate.dnb.com/iUpdate/viewiUpdateHome.htm">https://iupdate.dnb.com/iUpdate/viewiUpdateHome.htm</a>.
C. Intergovernmental Review
Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs, is not applicable to these grant applications.
IV. Submission Information
1. Letter of Assurance
To receive funding, eligible entities must provide a Letter of
Assurance containing all the information outlined in Section III above.
Letters of Assurance should be addressed to: Jennifer Johnson,
Deputy Commissioner, Administration on Disabilities, Administration for
Community Living.
Letters of Assurance should be submitted electronically via email
to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#37677f60717756545b195f5f4419505841"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0d5d455a4b4d6c6e612365657e236a627b">[email protected]</span></a>.
2. Submission Dates and Times
To receive consideration, Letters of Assurance must be submitted by
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on February 11, 2022. Letters of Assurance
should be submitted electronically via email and have an electronic
time stamp indicating the date/time submitted.
VII. Agency Contacts
1. Programmatic and Submission Issues
Direct programmatic and submission inquiries to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#df8f9788999fbebcb3f1b7b7acf1b8b0a9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="76263e21303617151a581e1e0558111900">[email protected]</span></a>.
Dated: January 6, 2022.
Alison Barkoff,
Principal Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2022-00401 Filed 1-11-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P
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