Withdrawal of Notice Inviting Applications and Cancellation of the Competition for the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program, 50016-50017 [2020-18004]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[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