Supporting Statement: Disability Employment Initiative Cooperative Agreements

Funding Opportunity Announcement

Disability Employment Initiative Cooperative Agreements

Supplemental Justification

Supplemental Supporting Statement A: Justification

This request seeks OMB approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act for the unique information collection requirements in the Disability Employment Initiative Cooperative Agreements Grant Program Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) will announce the availability of approximately $15.6 million in grant funds authorized by Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act section 169, subsection (b).

This announcement solicits applications for Round VII of the Disability Employment Initiative (DEI). The purpose of this program is to provide funding to expand the capacity of American Job Centers (AJCs), also known as One-Stop Centers, to improve the employment outcomes of three population focus areas: 1) adults (ages 18 and older) with visible and non-visible disabilities, including those who have acquired disabilities in adulthood; 2) youth (ages 14-24) with visible and non-visible disabilities, including those who have chronic health conditions; and 3) individuals (ages 14 and older) with significant disabilities. The DEI plans to accomplish this by increasing their participation in career pathways systems and successful existing programs in the public workforce system in partnership with vocational rehabilitation, community colleges and other education, human service, and business partners. Capitalizing on the flexibility that the career pathways model provides to use innovative service delivery strategies, grantees will use their award to support job-driven approaches in their pre-existing career pathway systems and programs. This will further equip individuals with disabilities with the skills, competencies, and credentials necessary to help them obtain in-demand jobs, increase earnings, and advance their careers.

The DOL expects to fund approximately 8 cooperative agreements (as defined in 2 CFR 200.24) to state workforce agencies, ranging from $1.5 million to $2.5 million each. Applicants may also include entities receiving funds under WIOA Section 166 grants. An eligible applicant is a tribe, tribal consortium, or tribal non-profit organization that receives funds under WIOA Section 166 Indian and Native American Program. States that received DEI Round VI funds are not eligible for funding under this FOA.

The Department intends to award at least one cooperative agreement in each of three population focus areas: 1) adults (ages 18 and older) with visible and non-visible disabilities, including those who have acquired disabilities in adulthood; 2) youth (ages 14-24) with visible and non-visible disabilities, including those who have chronic health conditions; and 3) individuals (ages 14 and older) with significant disabilities. The period of performance is 42 months with an anticipated start date of October 1, 2016. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities.

Applications will include the following information collections: 1) Signed SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance; 2) SF-424A, Budget Information Form; 3) Budget Narrative; 4) Project Narrative; and 5) Work Plan (Attachment 1).

Electronic availability:

The FOA will be available electronically at: http://www.grants.gov/. Based on past DOL experience, the Department anticipates that 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 FOA implicates no special circumstances.

Burden:

Based on past experience, the DOL expects to receive approximately 20 applications from an equal number of respondents. The ETA estimates public reporting burden for the information collection to average 20 hours per response for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining needed data, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

20 applications x 20 hours = 400 hours.

The DOL has increased the average March 2016 hourly earnings in the professional and business services industry to $30.56 per hour by 40 percent ($42.78 total) to monetize this burden. See The Employment Situation—May 2016, DOL, Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_06032016.pdf at page 33.

400 hours x $42.78 = $17,112.

The DOL associates no other burden costs with this information collection. In addition to the application, each grantee will be required to submit quarterly financial, performance, and narrative reports to the ETA. Those information collection requirements will be cleared under a separate control number.

Total burden: 20 respondents, 20 responses, 400 hours, $0 other cost burdens.

Supplemental Supporting Statement B: Statistical Methods

This information collection does not employ statistical methods.

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