Community Service Employment Program National Grants for Program Year 2012

Generic Solicitation for Grant Applications

Control Number 1225-0086

Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) Grants Justification

Abstract:

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is announcing a grant competition for national grantees funded under the Community Service Employment for Older Americans program, authorized under title V of the Older Americans Act (OAA) as amended in 2006, Pub. L. No. 109-365. This program is commonly referred to as the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). Approximately $346,000,000 in grant funds will be available for national grantees. SCSEP grant funds are awarded to states and territories, and to competitively chosen national grantees. This funding opportunity is for national grantees. SCSEP is the only Federally sponsored employment and training program targeted specifically to low-income older individuals who want to enter or re-enter the workforce. Program participants receive work experience at local public or non-profit agencies and are paid the higher of the Federal, State, or local minimum wage, or the prevailing wage for similar employment, for approximately 20 hours per week while in community service and other job training (OAA Amendments § 502(b)(1)(J); 20 CFR 641.565(a)). The dual goals of the program are to promote useful opportunities in community service job training and to move SCSEP participants into unsubsidized employment, where appropriate.

Electronic availability:

This grant solicitation is available on the grants.gov Web site. Based on past DOL experience, the Department anticipates 80 percent of responses will be submitted electronically.

Small Entities:

This information collection will not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities.

Assurances of confidentiality:

These grant solicitations do not offer applicants assurances of confidentiality.

Special circumstances:

This information collection complies with 5 CFR 1320.5.

Burden:

Based on past experience, the DOL expects to receive approximately 40 applications. Public reporting burden for the information collection is estimated to average 20 hours per response for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

40 applications x 20 hours = 800 hours.

In addition to the application, each grantee will be required to submit quarterly financial, performance, and narrative reports to ETA. Those information collection requirements will be cleared under a separate Control Number.

The DOL has increased the November 2011 average hourly earnings in the professional and business services industry of $27.95 by 40 percent (total $39.13) to monetize this burden. See The Employment Situation—January 2012, DOL, Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_02032012.pdf at 32.

800 hours x $39.13 = $31,304.

The DOL associates no other burden costs with this information collection.

Total burden: 40 respondents, 40 responses, 800 hours, $0 other cost burden.

Supporting Statement B; Statistical Methods

This information collection does not employ statistical methods.

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