Notice2023-05328
Availability of Program Application Instructions for Title VII, Part C of the Rehabilitation Act, Centers for Independent Living (CILs) for Disaster Recovery Assistance in Florida and Puerto Rico
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
March 16, 2023
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentCommunity Living Administration
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 51 (Thursday, March 16, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 51 (Thursday, March 16, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16258-16259]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-05328]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Community Living
Availability of Program Application Instructions for Title VII,
Part C of the Rehabilitation Act, Centers for Independent Living (CILs)
for Disaster Recovery Assistance in Florida and Puerto Rico
Title: Disaster Assistance for Centers for Independent Living in
Florida and Puerto Rico.
Announcement Type: Initial.
Statutory Authority: The statutory authority for grants under this
program announcement is through the Public Health and Social Service
Emergency Fund (Pub. L. 117-2) and awards authorized under Part C of
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29. U.S.C. 796f et seq.), Centers for
Independent Living shall be provided funding under this opportunity.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 93.432.
DATES: The deadline date for the submission of the Disaster Assistance
for Disability Programs in Florida and Puerto Rico: Centers for
Independent Living is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time April 17, 2023.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) announces a new
funding opportunity to address the needs of people with disabilities
impacted by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian. People with disabilities often
have unique needs during a crisis. For example, they may have a wider
variety of functional limitations, sometimes requiring more supports,
many of which are often in short supply during and after a crisis
event. It is critical that individuals, service providers, and
communities actively engage in emergency planning and response that is
inclusive of people with disabilities to ensure they continue to be
supported in their communities and not in institutions. Effective
emergency and disaster response and recovery promotes and protects the
health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work, and
play. The disability networks funded by ACL play essential roles in
that work. As the nation's visible and trusted network of programs,
these organizations provide a variety of services, including those
related to assisting with emergency and disaster recovery efforts, such
as offering case management support, relocating impacted individuals to
safe housing in the community, and ensuring state and local services
provided are accessible to people with disabilities. Understanding the
resources available and the needs of people with disabilities in their
areas, these networks have over 50 years of community experience and
possess intimate knowledge of how to address emergencies and disasters.
Puerto Rico and Florida were directly impacted by major category 4
hurricanes which significantly affected the vital services and programs
that support older adults, people with disabilities, and their family
caregivers to live as independently as possible in their own
communities. The Aging and Disability Network has been attempting to
meet an increased need for services in impacted communities with
current Older Americans Act (OAA) funding, Rehabilitation Act funding,
and Developmental Disabilities Act funding. None of these authorities
include direct funding for disaster related activities and programs are
redirecting funds intended for other activities to address immediate
needs caused by the Hurricanes. This funding is intended for the ACL
Aging and Disability Network in Florida and Puerto Rico to help advance
recovery and response efforts that are inclusive of people with
disabilities and provide gap-filling services for older adults, people
with disabilities, and their family caregivers for immediate and long-
term disaster response and recovery.
Specifically, this program aims to fund CILs to support the needs
of people with disabilities who were impacted by Hurricane Ian in
Florida and Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico to ensure their health,
wellness, and safety. Eligible entities, Centers for Independent Living
(CILs) under the Rehabilitation Act (Rehab Act), shall be provided
funding for allowable activities that are targeted for recovery and
response efforts for the disability community.
Allowable costs include program and staffing costs to support
response and recovery efforts; program materials and supply costs to
support response and recovery efforts; general outreach and information
and referral regarding disaster and recovery assistance for people with
disabilities; monitoring emergency shelters and temporary dwellings for
accessibility, health, wellness, and safety; coordination with
emergency response, recovery partners, and other state, local, and
tribal agencies to ensure the needs of people with disabilities are
met; accessible housing location, home modification, and transition
assistance for those placed in institutional settings or in need of
safe housing; food assistance and home delivered groceries/meals;
assistance with personal care attendants and transportation; and
replacement and distribution costs of critical supplies, including
personal hygiene items, durable medical equipment, and medication not
covered through insurance. As needed, funds may also support rebuilding
of damaged offices of ACL grantees, including CILs. Although not
required for funding, grantees are encouraged to explore options for
funding to sustain emergency response activities after the end of the
grant. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement for this
funding.
Award recipients will be required to submit an annual progress
report in the form of a written summary on the activities and/or
staffing funded to support emergency and disaster response and recovery
efforts and the results of these efforts, including number of people
supported, number of partners involved, and the outcomes of these
efforts.
To be eligible to receive this grant, the eligible entity must
submit:
<bullet> an action plan (maximum 5-10 pages in 12-point, Times New
Roman font). The action plan should define the need they plan to
address and how they intend to implement authorized activities to
address the needs of people with disabilities impacted by Hurricanes
Fiona or Ian.
<bullet> a budget request (5 pages maximum) with justification for
how the funds would be used to support disaster recovery efforts.
<bullet> a Letter of Assurance to ACL (see below, ``Section III.
Eligibility Criteria and Other Requirements'' and ``Section IV.
Submission Information'').
Collaboration with other entities that serve people with
disabilities in the plan and the budget is encouraged. Eligible
entities that do not submit an action plan, a budget request with
justification, and a Letter of Assurance will not be considered for
funding.
II. Award Information
1. Funding Instrument Type
These awards will be made in the form of new grants to eligible
entities.
2. Anticipated Total Funding per Budget Period
Awards made under this announcement have an estimated start
[[Page 16259]]
date of October 1, 2022, and an estimated end date of September 30,
2024, for a two-year budget and performance period.
The total available funding for this opportunity is $4 million for
recovery efforts in Florida, and $1 million for recovery efforts in
Puerto Rico. The final grant amount awarded to each grantee will vary
based on individual budget requests; the reasonableness and rationale
of the submitted plan and budget to meet the needs of individuals with
disabilities; and availability of funding.
III. Eligibility Criteria and Other Requirements
1. Eligible Entities
The eligible entity for these awards is designated by ACL as
Centers for Independent Living under Part C of the Rehabilitation Act
that are supporting recovery efforts of Hurricane Fiona or Ian in
Puerto Rico and Florida.
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 an entity designated as a
Part C funded CIL under the Rehab Act.
2. Assurance that funds will be spent in ways consistent with the
purpose of the funding.
3. Assurance to provide annual federal financial reports.
4. Assurance to provide annual program reports in the form of a
written summary on the activities and/or staffing funded to support
emergency and disaster response and recovery efforts and the results of
these efforts, including number of people supported, number of partners
involved, and the outcomes of these efforts.
B. Action Plan
To be eligible to receive this grant, the eligible entity must
submit an action plan detailing the need(s) they plan to address of
people with disabilities impacted by Hurricanes Ian or Fiona and how
they intend to implement authorized activities to address these needs.
The plan must include a budget request with a budget justification for
how the funds would be used to support disaster recovery efforts.
C. Intergovernmental Review
Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs, is not applicable to these grant applications.
IV. Submission Information
1. Application Packet
To receive funding, eligible entities must submit: a Letter of
Assurance containing all the information outlined in Section III above;
an Action Plan that details the identified need and how the entity
proposes to address the need; and a budget request includes a breakdown
of the budgetary costs with supporting justification that fully
explains and justifies the costs for each major budget item.
Applications should be submitted electronically to the OILP Program
Officer assigned to that region. For Florida, it is Veronica Hogan,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#730516011c1d1a10125d1b1c14121d3312101f5d1b1b005d141c05"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="017764736e6f6862602f696e66606f4160626d2f6969722f666e77">[email protected]</span></a> and for Puerto Rico it is Jennifer Martin at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e5af808b8b8c838097cb888497918c8ba5848689cb8d8d96cb828a93"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6f250a010106090a1d41020e1d1b06012f0e0c034107071c41080019">[email protected]</span></a>.
2. Submission Dates and Times
To receive consideration, Application packets must be submitted by
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 17, 2023. 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#ce8baab9afbcaae08fa6abbca08eafada2e0a6a6bde0a9a1b8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ca8faebdabb8aee48ba2afb8a48aaba9a6e4a2a2b9e4ada5bc">[email protected]</span></a>.
Statutory Authority: The statutory authority for grants under this
program announcement is through the Public Health and Social Service
Emergency Fund (Pub. L. 117-2) and awards authorized under Part C of
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29. U.S.C. 796f et seq.), Centers for
Independent Living shall be provided funding under this opportunity.
Dated: March 10, 2023.
Alison Barkoff,
Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 2023-05328 Filed 3-15-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P
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