[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 123 (Friday, June 26, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36813-36815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-15745]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Community Living
Final Priority; National Institute on Disability, Independent
Living, and Rehabilitation Research--Rehabilitation Research and
Training Centers
AGENCY: Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and
Human Services.
ACTION: Final priority.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CFDA Number: 84.133B-4.
SUMMARY: The Administrator of the Administration for Community Living
announces a priority for the Rehabilitation Research and Training
Center (RRTC) Program administered by the National Institute on
Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
Specifically, we announce a priority for an RRTC on Self-Directed Care
to Promote Recovery, Health, and Wellness for Individuals with Serious
Mental Illness (SMI). The Administrator of the Administration for
Community Living may use this priority for competitions in fiscal year
(FY) 2015 and later years. We take this action to focus research
attention on an area of national need. We intend for this priority to
contribute to improved health and wellness for individuals with serious
mental illness.
Note: On July 22, 2014, President Obama signed the Workforce
Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA). WIOA was effective immediately.
One provision of WIOA transferred the National Institute on
Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) from the Department
of Education to the Administration for Community Living
[[Page 36814]]
(ACL) in the Department of Health and Human Services. In addition,
NIDRR's name was changed to the National Institute on Disability,
Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). Because
of HHS policy, there are changes in the way that NIDILRR will award
and oversee grants that are made with funds from NIDILRR and other
agencies. These changes apply for this priority because SAMHSA's
Center for Mental Health Services provides funding for activities
carried out under the award. These changes are reflected in the
final notice, the Notice Inviting Applications, and the grant
application kit.
DATES: Effective Date: This priority is effective July 27, 2015.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marlene Spencer, U.S. Department of
Health And Human Services, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5133, Potomac
Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2700. Telephone: (202) 245-
7532 or by 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:
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Disability and
Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program is to plan and
conduct research, demonstration projects, training, and related
activities, including international activities, to develop methods,
procedures, and rehabilitation technology that maximize the full
inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living,
family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals
with disabilities, especially individuals with the most severe
disabilities, and to improve the effectiveness of services authorized
under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Rehabilitation Act).
Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers
The purpose of the RRTCs, which are funded through the Disability
and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program, is to achieve
the goals of, and improve the effectiveness of, services authorized
under the Rehabilitation Act through well-designed research, training,
technical assistance, and dissemination activities in important topical
areas as specified by NIDILRR. These activities are designed to benefit
rehabilitation service providers, individuals with disabilities, family
members, policymakers and other research stakeholders. Additional
information on the RRTC program can be found at: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/rrtc/index.html#types.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(b)(2)(A).
Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 350.
We published a notice of proposed priority (NPP) for this program
in the Federal Register on February 25, 2015 (80 FR 10099). That notice
contained background information and our reasons for proposing the
particular priority.
Public Comment: Eight parties submitted wholly supportive comments
in response to our invitation in the notice of proposed priority.
Analysis of the Comments and Changes: An analysis of the comments
and of any changes in the priority since publication of the NPP
follows.
Agency Requirement: SAMHSA/CMHS funds for this Center must be
applied to clearly defined tasks and must be tracked separately by the
grantee. In addition, the grantee must provide separate reports for
activities carried out with NIDILRR and SAMHSA/CMHS funds. In addition
to funding for training, technical assistance, and knowledge
translation, CMHS funds can be applied to evaluative studies but not to
research projects.
Discussion: Details on the necessary changes to the application
process will be spelled out in the application kit.
Changes: Evaluative studies has been added to the priority
requirements.
Final Priority
The Administrator of the Administration for Community Living
establishes a priority for the RRTC on Self-Directed Care to Promote
Recovery, Health, and Wellness for Individuals with Serious Mental
Illness (SMI). This RRTC will also support activities funded by the
Center for Mental Health Services, of the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration. The RRTC will conduct research and
evaluative studies to develop, adapt, and enhance self-directed models
of general medical, mental health, and nonmedical services that are
designed to improve health, recovery, and employment outcomes for
individuals with serious mental illness. The RRTC must conduct
research, evaluative studies, knowledge translation, training,
dissemination, and technical assistance within a framework of consumer-
directed services and self-management. Evaluative studies conducted by
this RRTC will focus on existing programs or services; research studies
will generate new knowledge, generalizable to the relevant target
population(s). Under this priority, the RRTC must contribute to the
following outcomes:
(1) Increased knowledge that can be used to enhance the health and
well-being of individuals with serious mental illness and co-occurring
conditions. The RRTC must contribute to this outcome by:
(a) Conducting research and evaluative studies to develop a better
understanding of the barriers to and facilitators of implementing
models that integrate general medical and mental health care for
individuals with SMI. These models must incorporate self-management and
self-direction strategies. The research and evaluative studies must
specifically examine models that incorporate peer-provided services and
supports along with research-based service integration strategies such
as health navigation and care coordination.
(b) Conducting research to identify or develop and then test
interventions that use individual budgets or flexible funds to increase
consumer choice. The RRTC must design this research to determine the
extent to which the consumer-choice intervention improves health
outcomes and promotes recovery among individuals living with SMI. In
carrying out this activity, the grantee must investigate the
applicability of strategies that have proven successful with the
general population or other subpopulations to determine if they are
effective with individuals with SMI and co-occurring conditions.
(2) Improved employment outcomes among individuals with SMI. The
RRTC must contribute to this outcome by:
(a) Conducting research and evaluative studies to develop a better
understanding of the barriers to and facilitators of implementing
vocational service and support models that incorporate self-management
and self-direction features. These features must include self-directed
financing and flexible funding of services that support mental health
treatment and recovery, general health, and employment. These services
may include services and supports not traditionally supplied by mental
health or general medical systems.
(3) Increased incorporation of research and evaluative study
findings related to SMI, self-directed care, health management, and
employment into practice or policy.
(a) Developing, evaluating, or implementing strategies to increase
utilization of research or evaluative study findings related to SMI,
co-occurring conditions, health management, and employment.
[[Page 36815]]
(b) Conducting training, technical assistance, and dissemination
activities to increase utilization of research and evaluative study
findings related to self-directed care of individuals living with SMI
to promote and co-occurring conditions, health management, and
employment.
Types of Priorities
When inviting applications for a competition using one or more
priorities, we designate the type of each priority as absolute,
competitive preference, or invitational through a notice in the Federal
Register. The effect of each type of priority follows:
Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority, we consider only
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference
priority, we give competitive preference to an application by (1)
awarding additional points, depending on the extent to which the
application meets the priority (45 CFR part 75); or (2) selecting an
application that meets the priority over an application of comparable
merit that does not meet the priority (45 CFR part 75).
Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority, we are
particularly interested in applications that meet the priority.
However, we do not give an application that meets the priority a
preference over other applications (45 CFR part 75).
This notice does not preclude us from proposing additional
priorities, requirements, definitions, or selection criteria, subject
to meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which we choose to use this priority, we invite applications through
a notice in the Federal Register.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free
Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well
as all other documents of ACL published in the Federal Register, in
text or Adobe 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.
Dated: June 22, 2015.
John Tschida,
Director, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and
Rehabilitation Research.
[FR Doc. 2015-15745 Filed 6-25-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P