[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 107 (Monday, June 6, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32863-32865]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-11182]
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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Fund Availability Under the VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per
Diem Program
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is announcing the
availability of funds for currently operational VA Per Diem Only
Recipients (projects that were originally awarded in 2002, 2003, and
2004 that are currently providing services and receiving per diem
payments as of May 15, 2005) to make reapplication for assistance for
their existing project number under the Per Diem Only Grant Component
of VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program. The focus
of this Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) is to provide previous
recipients that have demonstrated performance in the delivery of
services to the homeless veteran population an opportunity to seek re-
application. This Notice contains information concerning the program,
re-application process, and the amount of funding available.
DATES: An original request for re-application letter, on agency
letterhead for assistance under the VA's Homeless Providers Grant and
Per Diem Program, must be received in the Grant and Per Diem Field
Office, by 4 p.m. Eastern Time on October 5, 2005. Requests for re-
application may not be sent by facsimile (FAX). In the interest of
fairness to all competing applicants, this deadline is firm as to date
and hour, and VA will treat as ineligible for consideration any request
for re-application that is received after the deadline. Applicants
should take this practice into account and make early submission of
their material to avoid any risk of loss of eligibility brought about
by unanticipated delays or other delivery-related problems.
For a Copy of the Application Package: An application package is
not needed for this NOFA. Applicants submitting a letter requesting re-
application on their agency's letterhead
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agree to VA using their previously awarded Per Diem Only application
for scoring purposes (see re-application requirements in this NOFA).
Submission of Application: An original and complete letter
requesting re-application with project number (see re-application
requirements in this NOFA) must be submitted to the following address:
VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Field Office, 10770 N. 46th
Street, Suite C-200, Tampa, FL, 33617. Letters of re-application must
be received in the Grant and Per Diem Field office by the re-
application deadline. Any additional materials arriving separately will
not be included in the re-application package for consideration.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Guy Liedke, VA Homeless Providers
Grant and Per Diem Program, Department of Veterans Affairs, 10770 N.
46th Street, Suite C-200, Tampa, FL, 33617; (toll-free) 1-877-332-0334.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Notice announces the availability of
funds for assistance under VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem
Program for eligible currently operational programs that have
previously received a VA Per Diem Only grant in 2002, 2003, and 2004
under VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program. The Final
Rule, published in the Federal Register, September 26, 2003, secs. 61.0
through 61.82. Public Law 107-95, Sec. 5(a)(1) the Homeless Veterans
Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001 codified at 38 U.S.C. 2011, 2012,
2061, and 2064 authorizes this program. Funding applied for under this
Notice may be used for aid for service centers and supportive housing.
Funding will be in the form of per diem payments issued to eligible
entities beginning on 1/31/06 and will continue so long as the grantee
meets the requirements of 38 CFR part 61. Per diem payments are also
subject to availability of funds and will run concurrently with the
reauthorization period of the Grant and Per Diem Program.
Capital grant recipients who received capital grant funding under
VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program in 1994, 1995, 1996,
1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2003 for acquisition, renovation or
new construction should not respond to this NOFA. Per diem for those
portions of their programs that were created with capital grant funds
is requested in the capital grant application and paid at the time of
capital grant project completion and inspection.
VA is pleased to issue this NOFA for the Homeless Providers Grant
and Per Diem Program. The Department expects to award approximately $38
million annually under this NOFA.
Funding available under this NOFA is being offered to help offset
the operating expenses of existing state and local governments, Indian
Tribal governments, faith-based, and community-based organizations that
are capable of providing supported housing and/or supportive service
center services for homeless veterans. It should be noted that VA
payment is limited to the applicant's cost of care per eligible veteran
minus other sources of payments to the applicant for furnishing
services to homeless veterans up to the per day rate VA pays for State
Home Domiciliary care, which is currently $27.44. Awardees will be
required to support their request for per diem payment with adequate
fiscal documentation as to program income and expenses.
It is important to be aware that VA places great emphasis on
responsibility and accountability. VA has procedures in place to
monitor services provided to homeless veterans and outcomes associated
with the services provided in grant and per diem-funded programs. VA is
also implementing new procedures to further this effort. Applicants
should be aware of the following:
All awardees that are selected in response to this NOFA must meet
the Life Safety Code of the National Fire and Protection Association as
it relates to their specific facility. VA will conduct an inspection
prior to awardees being able to submit a request for per diem payment
under this NOFA to ensure this requirement is met.
Note: 2002 Per Diem Only awardees that have a project co-located
at a facility that has been given an extension to meet the Life
Safety Code by Public Law 107-95 have until December 21, 2006, to do
so. If selected for refunding and the project does not meet the Life
Safety Code by that date, per diem funding will be stopped as per
the requirement set forth in Section 5(a)(1) of Public Law 107-95.
Per Diem Only programs that have received a ``Special Needs Grant''
in conjunction with their Per Diem Only Project are advised that
``Special Needs'' funding is also subject to reauthorization of the
special need component and may not continue if not reauthorized.
Each per diem-funded program will have a liaison appointed from a
nearby VA medical facility to provide oversight and monitor services
provided to homeless veterans in the per diem-funded program.
Monitoring will include at least an annual review of each per diem
program's progress toward meeting internal goals and objectives in
helping veterans attain housing stability, adequate income support, and
self sufficiency as identified in each per diem program's original
application. Monitoring will also include a review of the agency's
income and expenses as they relate to this project to ensure per diem
payment is accurate.
Each per diem-funded program will participate in VA's national
program monitoring and evaluation system administered by VA's Northeast
Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC). It is the intention of VA to develop
specific performance targets with respect to housing for homeless
veterans. NEPEC's monitoring procedures will be used to determine
successful accomplishment of these housing outcomes for each per diem-
funded program.
Authority: VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program is
authorized by Public Law 107-95, Sec. 5(a)(1) the Homeless Veterans
Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001 codified at 38 U.S.C. 2011, 2012,
2061, 2064 and has been extended through Fiscal Year 2005. The program
is implemented by the final rule codified at 38 CFR part 61.0. The
final rule was published in the Federal Register on September 26, 2003,
the regulations can be found in their entirety in 38 CFR, sec. 61.0
through 61.82. Funds made available under this notice are subject to
the requirements of those regulations.
Allocation: Approximately $38 million annually is available for the
per diem only award component of this program. This funding is expected
to be available from 1/31/06 subject to the availability of funds and
reauthorization of the program past September 30, 2005.
Funding Priorities: None.
Methodology: VA will review all previously awarded operational Per
Diem Only grant recipients applications that request reapplication in
response to this notice of funding availability. Applicants will then
be ranked based on score and any ranking criteria set forth only if the
applicant scores at least 500 cumulative points from paragraphs (b) (c)
(d) (e) and (i) of 38 CFR 61.13.
The highest-ranked application for which funding is available, will
be conditionally selected for eligibility to receive per diem payment
in accordance with its ranked order until VA reaches the projected
funding allowance for this NOFA.
[[Page 32865]]
Reapplication Requirements: The specific grant re-application
requirements are: An original request for reapplication letter on
agency letterhead for assistance under the VA's Homeless Providers
Grant and Per Diem Program requesting that the previous Per Diem Only
project number be considered for reapplication. Applicants that do not
know or are not sure of their project number should contact the Grant
and Per Diem Field Office (toll-free) at 1-877-332-0334 to obtain their
existing project number.
A new application package is not needed for this NOFA. Applicants
submitting a letter requesting reapplication on agency letterhead agree
to VA using their previously awarded Per Diem Only application for
scoring purposes. Selections will be made based on criteria described
in the original application, final rule, and NOFA. Applicants who are
selected will be notified of any additional information needed to
confirm or clarify information provided in the reapplication.
Applicants will then be notified of the deadline to submit such
information. If an applicant is unable to meet any conditions for grant
award within the specified time frame, VA reserves the right to not
award funds and to use the funds available for other grant and per diem
applicants.
Dated: May 31, 2005.
R. James Nicholson,
Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 05-11182 Filed 6-3-05; 8:45 am]
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