Department of Education July 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Talent Search program provides Federal financial assistance in the form of discretionary grants to to help youth from disadvantaged backgrounds complete secondary education and enroll in and complete programs of postsecondary education; and to publicize the availability of, and facilitate the application for, student financial assistance for persons who seek to pursue postsecondary education. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) is requesting approval of a new TS Annual Performance Report (APR) form to collect annual performance data from projects funded by TS program grants.

On May 29, 2012, we published in the Federal Register (77 FR 31592) a notice inviting applications for the FY 2012 STEP Pilot Grant Competition. That notice established a July 13, 2012, deadline for transmittal of applications. We are reopening the competition for eligible applicants. Applications are due August 9, 2012.

For 60-month projects initially funded in fiscal year (FY) 2007 under the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS) Program, the Department proposes to waive the regulations that generally limit project periods to 60 months and that restrict project period extensions involving the obligation of additional Federal funds. The Department also proposes to extend the project period until September 30, 2013, for the AIVRS grantees whose awards are scheduled to expire on September 30, 2012. The proposed waivers and extensions would enable the eight AIVRS grantees in the FY 2007 funding cohort to request and continue to receive Federal funding beyond the 60-month limitation contained in the Department's regulations, so long as the grantees are meeting the AIVRS program and other applicable requirements. Further, if the proposed waivers and extensions are made final, the Department would not announce a new competition in FY 2012 or make new awards in FY 2012.

Borrowers who receive loans through the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program will use this form to request forbearance on their loans when they are willing but unable to make their currently scheduled monthly payments because of a temporary financial hardship.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda for the upcoming meeting of the National Assessment Governing Board (Board) and also describes the specific functions of the Board. Notice of this meeting is required under Section 10 (a) (2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. This notice is issued to provide members of the general public with an opportunity to attend and/or provide comments. Individuals who will need special accommodations in order to attend the meeting (e.g., interpreting services, assistive listening devices, materials in alternative format) should notify Munira Mwalimu at 202- 357-6938 or at Munira.Mwalimu@ed.gov no later than July 27, 2012. We will attempt to meet requests after this date but cannot guarantee availability of the requested accommodation. The meeting site is accessible to individuals with disabilities.

GEAR UP is a discretionary grant program which encourages applicants to provide support and maintain a commitment to eligible low-income students, including students with disabilities, to assist the students in obtaining a secondary school diploma and preparing for and succeeding in postsecondary education. This GEAR UP project is designed to determine the effectiveness of pairing federally supported college savings accounts with GEAR UP activities as part of an overall college access and success strategy.

The Secretary proposes to amend the Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan) program, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program, and William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) program regulations. The proposed regulations would implement a new Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) plan in the Direct Loan program based on the President's ``Pay As You Earn'' repayment initiative, incorporate recent statutory changes to the Income Based Repayment (IBR) plan in the Direct Loan and FFEL programs, and streamline and add clarity to the total and permanent disability discharge process for borrowers in the title IV, HEA loan programs. The proposed regulations implementing a new ICR Plan and the statutory changes to the IBR plan would assist borrowers in repaying their loans while the proposed changes to the total and permanent disability discharge process would reduce burden for borrowers who are disabled and seeking a discharge of their title IV debt.

On May 4, 2012, we published in the Federal Register (77 FR 26531) an RFI that established a July 3, 2012, deadline for the submission of written comments. We are reopening the public comment period to give interested parties additional time to submit written comments.

On June 4, 2012, we published in the Federal Register (77 FR 32959) an RFI that established a July 5, 2012, deadline for the submission of written comments. We are reopening the public comment period to give interested parties additional time to submit written comments.

The Pell Grant Experiments evaluation is a two-part, five-year demonstration study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education that focuses on the effects of expanded access to Pell grants on students' employment and earnings. The primary outcome of interest is (1) The employment status and earnings of students who participate in the study while secondary outcomes include (2) students' experiences with and participation in education and training, (3) measures of student debt and financial aid, and (4) the extent of participation in job search assistance services.

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) is conducting a rigorous study of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Completion Project. The project will provide 80 Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) or school districts with access to data on whether specific students have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The Annual Payback Report collects data on the status of ``current'' and ``exited'' RSA scholars who are/were the recipients of scholarships. The information collected will provide performance data relevant to the rehabilitation fields and degrees pursued by RSA scholars, as well as the fund owed and the rehabilitation work completed by them.

The Annual Vocational Rehabilitation Program/Cost Report, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)-2 collects data on the vocational rehabilitation (VR) and supported employment (SE) program activities for agencies funded under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Rehabilitation Act).