[Federal Register: February 15, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 32)]
[Notices]
[Page 8935-8938]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15fe08-144]
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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 is announcing the
availability of
[[Page 8936]]
funds for applications for assistance under the ``Per Diem Only''
component of VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program. This
Notice contains information concerning the program, funding priorities,
application process, and amount of funding available.
DATES: An original completed and collated grant application (plus three
completed collated copies) 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 4:00 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, April 9,
2008. Applications 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
application that is received after the deadline. Applicants should take
this practice into account and make early submission of their material
to avoid the risk of loss of eligibility due to unanticipated delays or
other delivery-related problems.
For a Copy of the Application Package: Download directly from VA's
Grant and Per Diem Program Web page at: http://www.va.gov/homeless/page.cfm?pg=3
or call the Grant and Per Diem Program Office at (toll-
free) 1-877-332-0334. In this package is information on Grants.gov
submissions. For a document relating to the VA Homeless Providers Grant
and Per Diem Program, see the Final Rule published in the Federal
Register on September 26, 2003.
Submission of Application: An original completed and collated grant
application (plus three copies) must be submitted to the following
address: VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Field Office, 10770
N. 46th Street, Suite C-200, Tampa, Florida 33617. Applications must be
received in the Grant and Per Diem Field office by the application
deadline. This includes applications submitted through Grants.gov.
Applications must arrive as a complete package. Materials arriving
separately will not be included in the application package for
consideration and may result in the application being rejected or not
funded.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Chelsea Watson, VA Homeless
Providers Grant and Per Diem Program, Department of Veterans Affairs,
10770 North 46th Street, Suite C-200, Tampa, Florida 33617; or you may
call (toll-free) 1-877-332-0334 for further information.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Notice announces the availability of
funds for assistance under VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem
Program for eligible programs that have not previously applied for or
received per diem in connection with a grant (see 38 CFR 61.1 through
61.82). Funding applied for under this Notice is authorized by Public
Law 109-461, Sec. 703, known as the Veterans Benefit, Health Care and
Information Technology Act of 2006, and by 38 U.S.C. 2011, 2012, 2061,
2064, and may be used for aid for supportive housing. Service Centers
will not be funded in this NOFA. Funding will be in the form of per
diem payments issued to eligible entities from the date of award and
will continue subject to availability of funds and the recipients'
compliance with 38 CFR 61.1 through 61.82. For eligibility criteria
please refer to Final Rule published in the Federal Register on
September 26, 2003, 38 CFR 61.30, 61.31, and 61.32.
VA expects that it will take no longer than 90 days from the date
of award for projects to be inspected and become operational. Failure
to meet the 90 day milestone may result in the per diem award being
terminated.
Capital grant recipients who received capital grant funding under
VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program in years 1994
through 2007 for acquisition, renovation or new construction should not
respond to this NOFA. Per diem payments 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.
Previous ``Per Diem Only'' recipients that renewed their PDO grants
in 2005 or 2007 need not reapply to continue these projects.
VA is pleased to issue this Notice of Fund Availability (NOFA) for
the Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program as a part of the
effort to end chronic homelessness among our Nation's veterans. The
Department expects to create approximately 1000 beds 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 supportive services for
homeless veterans. The District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, any territory or possession of the United States, may be
considered eligible entities under the definition of ``State'' in the
38 CFR 61.1 Definitions. 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. Awardees will be required to support their request
for per diem payment with adequate fiscal documentation as to program
income and expenses.
Interested organizations should know that the vast majority of
homeless veterans in this country suffer from mental illness or
substance abuse disorders or are dually diagnosed with both mental
illness and substance abuse disorders. In addition, many homeless
veterans have serious medical problems. The recent events associated
with the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) coupled with the Nation's
returning OIF/OEF veterans further emphasizes the need for
collaboration with VA medical centers, VA community-based outpatient
clinics or other health care providers as well as with VA and other
benefit providers as an important aspect of ensuring that homeless
veterans have access to appropriate health care services. VA considers
this program an important part of our effort to end chronic
homelessness among all veterans.
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 conditionally 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. Applicants should
note that all facilities are to be sprinkled unless they are
specifically exempted under the Life Safety Code and make consideration
of this when submitting their grant applications as no additional funds
will be made available for capital improvements under this per diem
only NOFA. VA will conduct an inspection prior to awardees being able
to submit request for payment to ensure this requirement is met.
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
[[Page 8937]]
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.
VA encourages all eligible and interested entities to review this
NOFA and consider applying for funds to provide service for homeless
veterans.
Authority: VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program is
authorized by Public Law 109-461, Sec. 703, known as the Veterans
Benefit, Health Care and Information Technology Act of 2006, and by 38
U.S.C. 2011, 2012, 2061, 2064. 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 $12 million annually is available for the
per diem only award component of this program. This funding subject to
the availability of funds and will be available so long as recipients
meet the requirements of 38 CFR 61.1 through 61.82.
Funding Priorities: VA is offering to eligible applicants funding
priorities for transitional housing and services to; (1) Serve women,
women with care of dependent children, (2) serve all veterans in the
States of Vermont, Nebraska, and Alaska and, (3) Indian Tribal
Governments. Additionally, VA is encouraging interested state and local
governments, Indian Tribal Governments, and faith-based and community-
based organizations to apply for funding under this NOFA. In this round
of capital grant funding, VA expects to award funding to create
approximately 1000 community-based supported housing beds.
Funding priority 1. VA is offering the opportunity for providers
who are willing to create new projects specifically for women and women
with care of dependent children only, which are 30 beds or less. Of
those eligible entities in the first funding priority, that are legally
fundable, the highest scoring applicants will be funded first until
approximately 150 beds are awarded. Applicants not funded in this
priority will be considered in the fourth funding priority. Should not
enough eligible projects be funded under the first funding priority,
beds not awarded in this priority will fall to the fourth funding
priority.
Funding priority 2. VA is offering the opportunity for providers
who are willing to create new or expand existing projects for homeless
veterans in the States of Vermont, Nebraska, and Alaska. Applicants
whose projects are physically located in these states will be
considered in the second funding priority. Of those eligible entities
in the second funding priority, that are legally fundable, the highest
scoring applicants will be funded first until approximately 100 beds
are awarded. Applicants not funded in this priority will be placed in
the fourth funding priority. Should not enough eligible projects be
funded under the second funding priority, beds in this priority will
fall to the fourth funding priority.
Funding priority 3. VA is offering the opportunity to Indian Tribal
Governments or non-profit agencies that will provide transitional
housing and services on Indian Tribal Property to apply for funding
under this NOFA to create transitional housing and services for
homeless veterans. Eligible entities that are Indian Tribal Governments
or non-profit agencies willing to provide transitional housing and
services on Indian Tribal Property will be considered in the third
funding priority as applicable. Of those eligible entities in the third
funding priority, that are legally fundable, the highest scoring
applicants will be funded first until approximately 100 beds are
awarded. Applicants not funded in this priority will be placed in the
fourth funding priority. Should not enough eligible projects be funded
under the third funding priority, beds in this priority will fall to
the fourth funding priority. Note: Non-profit agencies who apply under
this priority will be required to provide a letter of assurance from
the Indian Tribal Government that if funded the provision of service
will occur on Indian Tribal Property.
Funding priority 4. VA is encouraging interested, state and local
governments, Indian Tribal Governments, faith-based and community-based
organizations, as well as eligible entities located in The District of
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any territory or
possession of the United States, to apply for funding under this NOFA
to create transitional housing and services for all homeless veterans.
Eligible entities that are state and local governments, Indian Tribal
Governments, faith-based, and community-based organizations, or any
territory or possession of the United States, will be considered in the
fourth funding priority as applicable. Of those eligible entities that
are legally fundable, the highest-ranked applications for which funding
is available, will be conditionally selected for eligibility to receive
a per diem only award in accordance with their ranked order until
funding is expended (approximately 650 beds).
Methodology: VA will review all non-capital grant recipients in
response to this notice of funding availability. VA will then group the
applicants into the funding priorities categories. Applicants will then
be ranked within their respective funding category based on score and
any ranking criteria set forth in that funding category 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,
within the highest funding category, will be conditionally selected for
eligibility to receive per diem payment in accordance with their ranked
order until VA reaches the projected bed totals for each category. If
funds are still available after selection of those applications in the
highest priority group VA will continue to conditionally select
applicants in lower priority categories in accordance with the
selection method set forth in the final rule Section 61.32.
Application Requirements: Applicants must include a cover letter
clearly stating under which funding priority they wish to be
considered. Non-profit agencies who apply under funding priority three
are required to provide a letter of assurance from the Indian Tribal
Government that if funded, the provision of service will occur on
Indian Tribal property. The specific grant application requirements
will be specified in the application package. The package includes all
required forms and certifications. Selections will be made based on
criteria described in the application, Final Rule, and NOFA. Applicants
who are selected will be notified of any additional information needed
to confirm or clarify information provided
[[Page 8938]]
in the application. 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: February 1, 2008.
Gordon H. Mansfield,
Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. E8-2933 Filed 2-14-08; 8:45 am]
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