TEGL 10-22-A (Accessible PDF).pdf

ETA Advisory File Text

EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION ADVISORY SYSTEM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Washington D.C. 20210 CLASSIFICATION SCSEP CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL OWI DNPPTA DATE March 17 2023 RESCISSIONS None EXPIRATION DATE Continuing ADVISORY TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER NO. 1 0-22 TO SENIOR COMMUNITY SERVICE EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM GRANTEES FROM BRENT PARTON s Acting Assistant Secretary SUBJECT Program Year PY 2022 Information Technology IT Implementation and Support Funding for Senior Community Service Employment Program SCSEP State Territorial and National Grantees 1.Purpose. To announce the availability of 9 500 000 to assist SCSEP state territory and national grantees with IT implementation and support costs related to the Department of Labor transition and implementation of the new Grantee Performance Management System GPMS case management tool. These grants will be funded through SCSEP recaptured funds. 2.Action Requested. To apply for PY 22 IT Implementation and Support Grant funds SCSEP grantees must follow the instructions in this TEGL and submit all documents to grants.gov by April 17 2023. 3.Summary and Background. a.Summary- The Employment and Training Administration ETA went live with GPMS July 1 2022 creating a new case management tool to modernize service delivery and data validation for the SCSEP program. ETA anticipates however that SCSEP grantees may face additional administrative and program costs to implement this system in its first year. To help grantees cover these implementation and support costs ETA is making available this one-time funding authorized under Section 517 c of the Older Americans Act OAA 42 U.S.C. 3056o c and the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act 2020 P.L. 116-94 . The grant period of performance will be 12 months with an anticipated start date of June 30 2023 however ETA encourages grantees to spend these funds earlier in the period of performance since such investments may expedite the success of a grantee s transition to GPMS. ETA will award all IT Implementation and Support Grants by June 30 2023. 2 b.Background- Section 517 c of the Older Americans Act OAA provides that the Secretary of Labor may recapture any unexpended funds for the program year and re- obligate such funds within the 2 succeeding program years for 1 incentive grants to entities that are State grantees or national grantees under section 502 b 2 technical assistance or 3 grants or contracts for any other activity under this title. Additionally the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act 2020 P.L. 116-94 provides that SCSEP funds appropriated in that year may be recaptured and re- obligated in accordance with section 517 c of the OAA. In accordance with OAA section 517 c 3 ETA is making a portion of the PY 2020 recaptured funds available for obligation during PY 2022 for grants that will cover the IT-related costs explained in this TEGL. 4. Information Technology Implementation and Support Funding Opportunity. a.Eligibility- Eligible applicants for this grant opportunity are current PY 22 SCSEP grantees states territories and national grantees selected as award recipients under FOA-ETA-20-09 Senior Community Service Employment Program SCSEP National Grants for Program Year PY 2020. b.Grant Activities- SCSEP recipients may use this funding for 1 additional personnel 2 technology-related supplies 3 technology-related equipment 4 contractual costs related to IT and data support and or 5 other costs which must be allowable under SCSEP regulations and 2 CFR 200 related to transitioning to and implementing the new GPMS case management system. c.Availability of Funds and Application Review and Award- The Department expects to have available approximately 9.5 million of recaptured federal SCSEP funding. The Department intends to re-obligate this funding amongst all 77 existing grantees pending grantees interest and submission of applications meeting the requirements of this TEGL. We encourage all SCSEP grantees to ask for the maximum amount they need to fully implement the model. Applicants must submit a justification for the funding request based upon their need for the funds. However when determining this need applicants must consider the size and scope of the previous SCSEP base award. As a baseline point of reference we consider a request of 1 2 percent of the PY22 federal grant award with proper justification as likely appropriate for most if not all recipients. However we recognize new systems create certain fixed costs so for smaller SCSEP awards we will award no less than 150 000 regardless of how much the amount exceeds the general target of 1 2 percent. Final award amounts are subject to the availability of funds. If the cumulative funding requested by all applicants exceeds the amount of funds available all grant awards will be reduced proportionately. Conversely if the cumulative requests are lower than the 3 total available amount or if additional funds become available grant awards may be increased proportionately. If ETA does not receive responsive applications it may request applicants whose applications were deemed non-responsive to resubmit a revised application for reconsideration depending on the availability of funding. The Department may negotiate funding levels and program elements. Selected awardees will receive special conditions of award requiring the revision of the SF-424 and budget documents should there be discrepancies between funding requests and actual award amounts. To receive this implementation funding applicants must meet all requirements described in this TEGL and submit a responsive application that addresses the grant application components outlined in this document as well as in Attachments I and II. If an applicant omits any of the documents or substantially fails to address the requirements of one or more of such documents ETA will deem their application non- responsive and ineligible for funding consideration. ETA encourages applicants to submit quality final applications before the deadline. If an applicant submits multiple versions of an application ETA will consider the latest submitted application to be the official submission. d. Grant Application Requirements- To achieve greater efficiency and as part of ETA s ongoing effort to streamline the grant award process grantees must submit the following items through Grants.gov at grants.gov 1 An electronically signed copy of an SF-424 - Application for Federal Assistance OMB Control No. 4040-0004 . 2 An SF-424A - Budget Information Form Non-Construction Programs OMB Control No. 4040-0006 . 3 A Budget Narrative that fully explains the projected costs reflected in each line item of the SF-424A see Attachment I for instructions . 4 A Project Narrative see Attachment 2 for instructions . e. Grants.gov Submission Process- Applicants must submit the application package through Grants.gov. Applicants who need to register with Grants.gov may do so at the following hyperlink grants applications. Registration is a one-time process applicants with a Grants.gov account do not need to register again. To submit the required application package applicants must 1 Select the Search Grants tab on the Grants.gov homepage. 2 Under the section Basic Search Criteria enter the Funding Opportunity Number ETA-TBD. 3 Select the link to the applicable Opportunity Number provided in the search results. 4 Select the Package tab. 5 Under the Actions column select Apply. 4 An electronically submitted SF-424 through Grants.gov constitutes the official signed document and must reflect the total amount requested in item 18 Estimated Funding. Item 11 must include the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 17.235. ETA encourages application submission as soon as possible however applications must be received by 11 59 PM EST on April 17 2023. This submission process may at times be complicated and time-consuming. As such the Department strongly encourages applicants to initiate the process as soon as possible to allow time to resolve unanticipated technical problems. Applicants must supply a Unique Entity Identifier UEI on the SF-424. If your entity is registered with the System for Award Management SAM SAM.gov your UEI has already been assigned and is viewable under your entity record. Organizations not registered with SAM.gov can obtain more information about a UEI at www.sam.gov. Before submitting applicants must also ensure their registration with SAM.gov. Applicants may find instructions for registering with SAM at https www.sam.gov. An awardee must always maintain an active SAM registration with current information during which it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration. To remain registered in the SAM database after the initial registration entities must review and update the registration at least every 12 months from the date of initial registration. Failure to register with SAM and maintain an active account will result in Grants.gov rejecting the application submission. For technical issues encountered during application submission applicants may call 800-518-4726 or 606-545-5035 to speak to a Customer Support Representative or emailsupport grants.gov. The Contact Center is open 24 hours a day seven days a week but closes on federal holidays. f. Administrative and Program Costs- Subpart H of the SCSEP regulations define the functions and activities that constitute administrative and program costs at 20 CFR 641.856 and at 20 CFR 641.864 respectively. Administrative costs include both personnel and non-personnel costs and both direct and indirect costs. Also note that section 641.859 provides special rules governing the classification of SCSEP administrative and program costs. Given that this additional funding is separate from the Senior Community Services Employment Program SCSEP base funds proposed expenditures for this grant are not required to meet the 13.5 percent administrative cost limits as required by formula provided in Section 506 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 OAA as amended 42 USC 3056d and operate on a PY basis from July 1 through the following June 30. g. Other Award Considerations- At its discretion ETA intends to fund applicants who adequately demonstrate eligibility and meet the application requirements set out in this TEGL. ETA may elect to award a grant with or without discussions with the applicant. Should a grant be awarded without discussions the award will be based on the applicant s signature on the SF-424 including an electronic signature which constitutes a binding offer by the applicant. 5 NOTE The Department will determine if the applicant had any restriction on spending for any ETA grant due to adverse monitoring findings within the past three years. Depending on the severity of the findings the Grant Officer may elect to not provide the applicant a grant award or to impose conditions on the award. All applications deemed to be complete and responsive by the Grant Officer will go through a risk review process. Before making an award ETA will review information available through any OMB-designated repository of government-wide eligibility qualification or federal integrity information such as the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System FAPIIS and Do Not Pay. Additionally ETA will comply with the requirements of 2 CFR Part 180 Government-wide Debarment and Suspension Non-Procurement . This risk evaluation may incorporate results of the evaluation of the applicant s eligibility application screening or the quality of its application technical review . If ETA determines that an entity is responsible and an award will be made special conditions that correspond to the degree of risk assessed may be applied to the award. Risk- related criteria evaluated include Financial stability. Quality of management systems and ability to meet the management standards prescribed in the Uniform Grant Guidance. History of performance. The Applicant s record in managing awards cooperative agreements or procurement awards if it is a prior recipient of such Federal awards including timeliness of compliance with applicable reporting requirements and if available the extent to which any previously awarded amounts will be expended prior to future awards. Reports and findings from audits performed under Sub-part F Audit Requirements of the Uniform Grant Guidance 2 CFR 200.500 2 CFR 200.520 or the reports and findings of any other available audits and monitoring reports containing finds issues of non-compliance or questioned costs and The applicant s ability to effectively implement statutory regulatory or other requirements imposed on recipients. The selection of an organization as a recipient does not constitute approval of the grant application as submitted. Before the actual grant is awarded the Department may negotiate with an applicant regarding such items as program components staffing and funding levels and administrative systems in place to support grant implementation. If the negotiations do not result in a mutually acceptable submission the Grant Officer reserves the right to terminate the negotiations and decline to fund the application. The Department reserves the right to not fund any application related to this TEGL. h. Grantee Performance Reporting Requirements- a. Financial Reports. All ETA award recipients are required to report financial data on the ETA-9130 Financial Report. ETA-9130 reports are due no later than 45 calendar days after the end of each specified reporting quarter. Reporting quarter 6 end dates are March 31 June 30 September 30 and December 31. A final 9130 for the last quarter of the period of performance must be submitted no later than 120 calendar days after the quarter ends. See 2 CFR 200.344. Note On April 3 2023 ETA is replacing its legacy E-Grants Grantee Reporting System GRS by transitioning to the Payment Management System PMS for grant recipient submission of the quarterly ETA-9130 financial reports. PMS is operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services HHS . Please see Training and Employment Notice No. 16-22 for additional information. b. Performance Reports. Since these funds are specifically for IT implementation and support ETA is not asking for separate additional performance reports on employment outcomes of participants. However grantees that receive these funds should provide status updates on activities that the funds support in their quarterly narrative reports both how these funds are used and the status of any larger activity to which the funds are contributing. Grantees should continue to submit program performance reports for their base grants. i. Paperwork Reduction Act PRA Statement- The Department notes that a federal agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information nor is the public required to respond to a collection of information unless the Office of Management and Budget OMB under the PRA approves it and it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number 44 U.S.C. 3507 . SCSEP Performance Data Collection Approval Office of Management and Budget No. 1205-0040 expiration date November 30 2024 . Also notwithstanding any other provision of law no person shall be subject to penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if the collection of information does not display a currently valid OMB Control Number 44 U.S.C. 3512 . According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions searching existing data sources gathering and maintaining the data needed and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments about the burden estimated or any other aspect of this collection of information including suggestions for reducing this burden to the U.S. Department of Labor to the attention of the Departmental Clearance Officer 200 Constitution Avenue NW Room N-1301 Washington D.C. 20210. Comments may also be emailed to DOL PRA PUBLIC dol.gov. Please do not return your grant application to this address. Send only comments about the burden caused by the collection of information to this address. Send your grant application to the sponsoring agency as specified earlier in this announcement. The information being collected through this Training and Employment Guidance Letter is 7 for the purpose of awarding a grant. This information is required to be considered for this grant. j. Notice of Grant Award- ETA will issue a notice of grant award with new grant numbers and obligation amounts. 5. Inquiries. Questions regarding this guidance should be directed to Grant Specialist Flowers.Jeannette dol.gov. 6. References. Older Americans Act 42 USC 3056 et seq. as amended through Public Law 116-131 March 25 2020 Further Consolidated Appropriations Act 2020 P.L. 116-94 September 30 2020 TEGL 17-20 Senior Community Services Employment Program -Updated Guidance on Priority of Service Durational Limits and State Plan Submissions April 15 2021 Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act of 2020 CARES Act Pub. L. 116-136 March 27 2020 TEGL 17-16 Infrastructure Funding of the One-Stop Delivery System January 18 2017 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act WIOA Pub. L. 113-128 Sec. 121 Funding of One-Stop Infrastructure Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 Pub. L. 104-13 May 22 1995 SCSEP Performance Data Collection Approval Office of Management and Budget No. 1205-0040 expiration date November 30 2024 OMB Uniform Administrative Requirements Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards Final Rule 78 FR 78589 December 26 2013 published at 2 CFR Part 200 TEGL 12-06 Revised Income Inclusions and Exclusions and Procedures for Determining Senior Community Service Employment Program SCSEP Eligibility December 28 2006 VOW Veterans Opportunity to Work to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 Pub. L. 112-56 November 21 2011 Federal Poverty Guidelines Federal Register 87 FR 3315 January 21 2022 or HHS website at https aspe.hhs.gov topics poverty-economic-mobility poverty-guidelines. 7. Attachments. Attachment I Budget Narrative Instructions Attachment II Program Narrative Instructions