15pdmpsol.pdf

OMB No. 1121-0329

U.S. Department of Justice Approval Expires 07/31/2016

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Assistance

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking applications for funding under the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. This program furthers the Department’s mission by providing resources to plan, implement, and enhance prescription drug monitoring programs to prevent and reduce misuse and abuse of prescription drugs and aid in investigations of pharmaceutical crime.

Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program FY 2015 Competitive Grant Announcement

Eligibility PDMP Implementation and Enhancement Grants (Category 1): Applicants are limited to state governments that have a pending or enacted enabling statute or regulation requiring the submission of controlled substance prescription data to an authorized state agency.

PDMP Practitioner and Research Partnerships (Category 2): Applicants are limited to state agencies and units of local government located in states with existing and operational prescription drug monitoring programs.

Data-Driven Multi-Disciplinary Approaches to Reducing Rx Abuse Grants (Category 3):

Applicants are limited to state agencies and units of county government located in states with existing and operational prescription drug monitoring programs.

Tribal Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Data Sharing Grants (Category 4):

Applicants are limited to federally recognized Indian tribal governments as defined under the Indian Self Determination Act, 25 U.S.C. 450b(e).

Several funding categories within this solicitation lend themselves to regional or multidisciplinary partnership initiatives that may span multiple organizations and jurisdictions. This type of partnership is encouraged; however, BJA requires that one eligible entity must serve as the sole applicant with other partners identified within the proposal as subrecipients. The applicant will be responsible for all grant administration and reporting, and must have a mechanism to enter into contractual agreements with subrecipient organizations, as applicable.

BJA may elect to make awards for applications submitted under this solicitation in future fiscal years, dependent on the merit of the applications and on the availability of appropriations.

For additional eligibility information, see Section C. Eligibility Information.

http://www.justice.gov/ http://www.ojp.gov/ https://www.bja.gov/ https://www.bja.gov/

BJA-2015-4189

Deadline Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. All applications are due to be submitted and in receipt of a successful validation message in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on May 28, 2015.

All applicants are encouraged to read this Important Notice: Applying for Grants in

Grants.gov.

For additional information, see How to Apply in Section D. Application and Submission Information.

Contact Information For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800-518-4726 or 606-545-5035, or via e-mail to support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Support Hotline hours of operation are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except federal holidays.

Applicants that experience unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond their control that prevent them from submitting their application by the deadline must e-mail the BJA contact identified below within 24 hours after the application deadline and request approval to submit their application. Additional information on reporting technical issues is found under “Experiencing Unforeseen Grants.gov Technical Issues” in the How to Apply section.

For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, contact the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Response Center at 1–800-851-3420, via totty at 301-240- 6310 (hearing impaired only); email responsecenter@ncjrs.gov; fax to 301-240-5830; or web chat at https://webcontact.ncjrs.gov/ncjchat/chat.jsp. The NCJRS Response Center hours of operation are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. eastern time, Monday through Friday and 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. eastern time on the solicitation close date.

Grants.gov number assigned to this announcement: BJA-2015-4189

Release date: April 2, 2015 http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Grants-govInfo.htm http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Grants-govInfo.htm mailto:support@grants.gov http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp mailto:responsecenter@ncjrs.gov https://webcontact.ncjrs.gov/ncjchat/chat.jsp

Contents

A. Program Description

Overview

Program-Specific Information

Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables

Evidence-Based Programs or Practices

B. Federal Award Information

Type of Award

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls

Budget Information

Cost Sharing or Match Requirement

Pre-Agreement Cost Approvals

Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation; Waiver

Prior Approval, Planning, and Reporting of Conference/Meeting/Training Costs

Costs Associated with Language Assistance (if applicable)

C. Eligibility Information

Cost Sharing or Match Requirement

Limit on Number of Application Submissions

D. Application and Submission Information

What an Application Should Include

How to Apply

E. Application Review Information

Selection Criteria

Review Process

F. Federal Award Administration Information

Federal Award Notices

Administrative, National Policy, and other Legal Requirements

General Information about Post-Federal Award Reporting Requirements

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)

H. Other Information

Provide Feedback to OJP

Application Checklist

Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

(CFDA #16.754)

A. Program Description

Overview The primary purpose of the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) is to enhance the capacity of regulatory and law enforcement agencies and public health officials to collect and analyze controlled substance prescription data and other scheduled chemical products through a centralized database administered by an authorized state agency. The program was created by the FY 2002 U.S. Department of Justice Appropriations Act (Public Law 107-77) and has received funding under each subsequent year’s Appropriations Act.

Program-Specific Information PDMPs help detect and prevent the diversion and abuse of pharmaceutical controlled substances. Forty-nine states and one U.S. territory (Guam) now have operational PDMPs.

Under the BJA grant program, 15 site-based awards were made in FY 2014 for states to implement or enhance a PDMP program or strategy to address prescription drug abuse, misuse, and diversion within their communities. Since inception of the grant program in FY 2002, grants have been awarded to 49 states and 1 U.S. territory to support their efforts to plan, implement, or enhance a PDMP.

Performance measures and other results for current grantees can be found at:

www.bja.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx?Program_ID=72.

The Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program allows for state discretion to plan, implement, or enhance a PDMP to accommodate local decisionmaking based on state laws and preferences, while encouraging the replication of promising practices. In recent years, the program expanded to include tribal participation in drug monitoring activities, and support to states and localities to assemble responsive, collaborative efforts between public health and public safety professionals to pilot innovative ways to use PDMP and other data to inform prevention, treatment, and enforcement efforts. This year’s solicitation introduces a new funding category to enable more rigorous, in-depth study of monitoring strategies designed to contribute to the growing body of knowledge of best practice tools and techniques, and spur innovation among state and local drug abuse programs.

Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables This program is designed to accommodate a range of activities based on local needs and priorities. Depending on the applicant type and the category of funding being sought, grant funds obtained may be used to:

Create, implement, or enhance a state-level PDMP to expand the capacity of regulatory agencies, law enforcement agencies, and health officials to assess, plan, and execute effective responses to preventing drug abuse, misuse, and diversion.

http://www.bja.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx?Program_ID=72

Promote the use of data from the PDMP and other sources to measure drug abuse trends, identify and address sources of diversion, and better inform decisionmaking by prescribers and dispensers.

Facilitate and participate in national evaluation efforts to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of potential best practices.

Plan and implement the exchange of controlled substance prescription dispensing information with other PDMP programs (interstate data sharing) and non-PDMP sources (such as electronic medical records systems) as permitted by law and local regulation.

PDMP data sharing activities must utilize the PMP Information Exchange (PMIX) Architecture.

Contribute to state level opioid abuse prevention plans and determine methodologies to encourage replication of strategies that are proven to be effective.

Enable collaborations between law enforcement, prosecutors, public health, treatment professionals, the medical community, pharmacies, and regulatory boards to promote comprehensive strategies and partnerships that fully leverage the PDMP.

Enable federally recognized tribal governments to establish the policy, legal, and technological infrastructure to share PDMP data from health care facilities with the appropriate state PDMP.

Support local collaborative efforts to collect and analyze various sources of data to determine best practices for sharing data, establishing effective policy and regulatory schemes, supporting investigations, treatment intervention, and prevention efforts for at-risk individuals and communities. Data should be used to identify areas at greatest risk for prescription drug abuse and overdose deaths and create data-driven responses at the local or state level to include education, outreach, treatment, and enforcement.

For information on model PDMP legislation, visit the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws web site.

Any organization using OJP grant funds, in whole or in part, to collect, aggregate, and/or share data on behalf of a government agency must guarantee that the agency that owns the data and its approved designee(s) will retain unrestricted access to the data, in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations, and BJA policy: a) in an expeditious manner upon request by the agency; b) in a clearly defined format that is open, user-friendly, and unfettered by unreasonable proprietary restrictions; and c) at a minimal additional cost to the requestor (which cost may be borne by using grant funds).

BJA administers this program in coordination with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Office of Diversion Control, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.

Please note, applicants who receive funding to support Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs from other federal sources, including the CDC and SAMHSA, will be expected to coordinate activities to prevent duplication of effort, and report to all funding agencies regarding the specific tasks covered by each grant.

Priority Considerations Based on promising practices identified by existing programs and analysis performed by the PDMP Center of Excellence, BJA will give priority consideration to applicants who include http://pdmpassist.org/content/prescription-drug-monitoring-information-architecture-pmix http://pdmpassist.org/content/prescription-drug-monitoring-information-architecture-pmix http://www.namsdl.org/ http://www.namsdl.org/ http://www.pdmpexcellence.org/ activities that address one or more of the following (as applicable by funding category, and in no particular order):

Development of new, innovative, and novel strategies that can be conceptualized, implemented, tested, and evaluated within the grant period to address specific local, state, or regional challenges, with the intention of contributing to the growing catalog of best practices for prescription drug monitoring programs nationwide. Strategies should be data-driven; for example, using PDMP and related data sets to identify high-risk populations or track prescribing patterns in order to target responses to reduce drug abuse and overdose.

The provision of unsolicited prescription history reports to prescribers, dispensers, law enforcement investigators, regulatory agencies, and/or licensing boards, and evaluating the impact of this information on prescribing and dispensing decisions.

Implementation of information exchange between state PDMPs (or between PDMPs and other data sharing partners) in compliance with the PMIX Architecture.

The ability to share statistical and/or de-identified data to track trends in drug use and abuse, demographic analysis, geographical analysis, or any other analytical process that can demonstrably improve the understanding of local and regional issues and develop targeted, effective response strategies.

Modernization of technology systems and interfaces that may include implementation of the latest standards for the American Society for Automation in Pharmacy (ASAP), PMIX, electronic prescribing, or health system integration.

Efforts that will demonstrably enhance the timeliness and accuracy of data collected (improved data quality), resulting in more reliable and effective PDMP operation.

An examination of the effectiveness of prescriber- and pharmacist-mandated enrollment and/or utilization of PDMPs, taking into account logistics, benefits, drawbacks, and overall evaluation data that will assist other locales considering similar actions.

An evaluation of the impact of PDMP data and reports on prescriber behavior, with a focus on opportunities for screening assessments, and, where appropriate, linkages to treatment. Proposals that utilize and evaluate the effectiveness of models to support screening assessment, intervention techniques, and linkages to treatment are encouraged.

Evaluating the impact of making PDMP data available to drug courts, probation officers, pretrial officers, medical examiners, drug treatment programs, and/or criminal diversion programs.

Note: If applicable, applicants MUST state in their applications which of the above factors are currently in place or will be addressed upon award, so that priority considerations can be determined.

http://www.asapnet.org/

Information Sharing Requirements In furtherance of states’ goals to improve the monitoring of controlled substance prescriptions, BJA supported the development of consensus-based, national standards to enable interstate sharing of PDMP data. This work resulted in the creation of the National PMIX Architecture, which is currently in use or in the process of being adopted by all existing interstate data sharing hubs. This architecture provides a framework within which states share data seamlessly and securely across state borders regardless of their chosen technical solution.

Guidance materials and technical assistance are available to all state PDMPs that have the authority to exchange data beyond their state border. Funds should be used to implement information sharing with other state PDMPs within the grant period using technical solutions that are compliant with the National PMIX Architecture. Applicants for funding may choose any technical solution that complies with the architecture for interstate data-sharing purposes.

Documentation regarding compliance with this requirement should be included as part of the application.

For more information on the National PMIX Architecture, visit the PDMP Training and Technical Assistance Center’s web site at www.pdmpassist.org/content/prescription-drug-monitoring-information-architecture-pmix.

Evidence-Based Programs or Practices OJP strongly emphasizes the use of data and evidence in policy making and program development in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victim services. OJP is committed to:

Improving the quantity and quality of evidence OJP generates

Integrating evidence into program, practice, and policy decisions within OJP and the field

Improving the translation of evidence into practice

OJP considers programs and practices to be evidence-based when their effectiveness has been demonstrated by causal evidence, generally obtained through one or more outcome evaluations. Causal evidence documents a relationship between an activity or intervention (including technology) and its intended outcome, including measuring the direction and size of a change, and the extent to which a change may be attributed to the activity or intervention. Causal evidence depends on the use of scientific methods to rule out, to the extent possible, alternative explanations for the documented change. The strength of causal evidence, based on the factors described above, will influence the degree to which OJP considers a program or practice to be evidence-based. The OJP CrimeSolutions.gov web site is one resource that applicants may use to find information about evidence-based programs in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victim services.

Collaborative partnerships between researchers and practitioners have great potential to improve practice and policy. The National Institute of Justice recently published findings of the Research-Practitioner Partnerships Study, which documents, synthesizes, and shares what makes partnerships between researchers and practitioners successful: “Recommendations for Collaborating Successfully with Academic Researchers, Findings from the Researcher‐ Practitioner Partnerships Study (RPPS).”

In addition, applicants can obtain more information on PDMP evidence-based strategies at www.pdmpexcellence.org/content/pdmp-best-practices.

http://www.pdmpassist.org/content/prescription-drug-monitoring-information-architecture-pmix http://www.pdmpassist.org/content/prescription-drug-monitoring-information-architecture-pmix http://www.crimesolutions.gov/ https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/243911.pdf https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/243911.pdf https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/243911.pdf http://www.pdmpexcellence.org/content/pdmp-best-practices

B. Federal Award Information

BJA estimates that it will make up to 15 awards for a total of $7 million with project periods beginning on October 1, 2015. Grant amounts and length are identified below.

There are four funding categories within this solicitation. A state should submit at most one application per funding category under Categories 1, 2, and 3. Local governments should submit at most one application per funding category under Categories 2 and 3. Tribal governments should submit one application only under Category 4. The applicant should clearly state in the application which category of funding is being sought, which will determine the competitive pool.

BJA may, in certain cases, provide supplemental funding in future years to awards under this solicitation. Important considerations in decisions regarding supplemental funding include, among other factors, the availability of funding, strategic priorities, assessment of the quality of the management of the award (for example, timeliness and quality of progress reports), and assessment of the progress of the work funded under the award.

All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and to any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law.

CATEGORY 1: PDMP IMPLEMENTATION AND ENHANCEMENT GRANTS. Gant Amount:

Up to $500,000. Project period: 24 months. Competition ID: BJA-2015-4190 States that have in place legislation or regulations that require the submission of dispensing data to a centralized database and authorize and/or designate a state agency to provide program oversight and implementation, or are seeking to improve an existing PDMP may apply for a Category 1 grant. States with legislative authority to establish a pilot program in one or more jurisdictions of that state also may apply for a Category 1 grant. Funds may be used to establish and build a data collection and analysis system; develop an infrastructure to support programmatic activities; facilitate the exchange of information and collected prescription data and other scheduled chemical products among states; facilitate the establishment of collaborations; develop a training program for system users; produce and disseminate educational materials; and assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the program. Funds may also be used to enhance the functioning of a data collection and analysis system; enhance an existing educational or training program; support collaborations with law enforcement and prosecutors or public health officials; support collaborations with treatment providers and drug courts; facilitate electronic information sharing among states in compliance with the National PMIX Architecture; expand monitoring to Schedules II, III, IV, and V; develop or enhance the capacity to provide unsolicited reports of controlled substance prescribing to authorized individuals or entities; and assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the program.

CATEGORY 2: PDMP PRACTITIONER AND RESEARCH PARNERSHIPS. Grant Amount:

Up to $750,000. Project period: 36 months. Competition ID: BJA-2015-4191 PDMPs are charged with supporting the needs of a diverse group of stakeholders, and, as such, many have developed differing practices with respect to the information collected, methods for ensuring data quality and integrity, producing data reports and analysis, creating and enforcing access rules that define to whom and under what circumstances certain data can be made available, and differences in a wide array of other procedures, rules, regulations, capabilities, and practices. This diversity provides an opportunity for researchers to examine the impact of policies and procedures on patient and community-level outcomes.

The goal of this funding category is to strengthen PDMP efforts to develop and test innovative strategies and to implement evidence-based approaches that demonstrate the impact of expanded use of PDMP data to support decisionmaking. Applicants are required to incorporate a research partner to assist with a) data collection and analysis, b) problem assessment, c) strategy development, or d) monitoring and evaluation performance. The research partner can be an independent consultant, or located in an academic institution, a state Statistical Analysis Center, or other research organization. The research partner should have demonstrated expertise conducting the type of work proposed, including policy, program, or organization evaluation experience, and assist with producing a final written report that documents the results of the project.

In addition to identifying the research partner, applicants must explain how the research-practitioner partnership will assist in program development and evaluation, as well as describing relevant organizational experience of the researcher, which must have expertise relevant to the field of substance abuse and prescription drug monitoring programs. Citations of previous evaluations are encouraged, and a letter of support for the grant application from the research partner is required. Evaluation design should focus on demonstrating the impact of policy or practice changes on PDMP utilization, and/or patient- or community-level outcomes. In addition to documenting the outcomes produced by the policy or practice changes, research partners should help document implementation issues, including the resources, partners, and environment needed to implement successfully and maximize the impact.

Where there are gaps in research, applicants are encouraged to build new strategies or test promising interventions with the support of their research partner(s). Category 2 grantees will receive oversight and guidance from BJA’s training and technical assistance (TTA) provider to support their planning and implementation efforts and validate research plans including needs assessment, development of logic models, data collection plans, and evaluation plans. Since this work requires the TTA provider to remain neutral and objective, an applicant may not partner with the BJA TTA provider as their chosen research partner (applies to this funding category only). Multi-agency partnerships are encouraged, especially where evaluation data may span multiple jurisdictions. Applicants should fully consider the partnerships required, the logistics of establishing data sharing or data use agreements, and budget for each partner’s project costs appropriately.

Award Special Condition (Category 2 Grantees only):

The following information applies to Category 2 grantees only. At the time of award each grant will have in place a special condition withholding all but $100,000 of the total award amount.

The first task will be to submit to BJA a complete action plan within 180 days of accepting the award. The action plan must:

Describe the policy, practice, or activity to be examined, the problem, and the data that led to its identification.

Provide a logic model that identifies the solution(s) to be tested and projects result(s).

Describe the evaluation to be conducted including an overview of the methods to be used and the research questions to be answered.

Provide an executed contract, agreement, or other memoranda of understanding or agreement that delineates the role and responsibilities of the research partner. This document should establish the authority of the research partner to access agency data, interview personnel, and monitor operations that are relevant to the evaluation of the initiative.

Demonstrate executive support and commitment of agency resources to the project, Include letters of commitment from external agencies or organizations that are expected to participate in the project.

Upon approval of the action plan by BJA, the remaining funds will be released to the grantee.

CATEGORY 3: DATA-DRIVEN MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES TO REDUCING

PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE. Grant Amount: Up to $500,000. Project period: 24 months. Competition ID: BJA-2015-4192 States and localities within states with an existing and operational prescription drug monitoring program seeking to pilot an innovative approach to combating and reducing prescription drug abuse may apply for Category 3 grant funding. Funds may be used to form multidisciplinary action groups consisting of local, state, and federal criminal justice professionals in addition to state and local health authorities as well treatment providers. Action group members may include (but are not limited to): district attorney’s office, state or local health department, state medical and pharmacy boards, police and sheriff departments, probation and parole, local drug treatment providers, and community organizations. The action groups will collect data from various sources such as medical examiners, emergency rooms, crime data, and other relevant sources that can help to corroborate PDMP data as well as provide additional information to help pinpoint specific locations within the county that are at-risk for prescription drug abuse and drug overdose deaths. Grant activities should focus on data-sharing arrangements, data collection, and analysis. Applicants should describe the type of strategies to be developed and the areas (e.g., prevention, treatment, regulatory activity, enforcement) in which the action group plans to have impact to address prescription drug abuse rates in a defined jurisdiction(s).

It is anticipated that grantees will determine best practices for sharing data, establishing effective policy and regulatory schemes, supporting investigations, treatment intervention, and prevention efforts for at-risk individuals and communities. Data should be used to identify areas at greatest risk for prescription drug abuse and overdose deaths and create data-driven responses at the local or state level to include education, outreach, treatment, and enforcement.

Applicants for this funding category must describe how they will collaborate with the PDMP to partner on grant activities, obtain relevant data sets, perform data analysis and assessment, and communicate with stakeholders. If the PDMP is named as a partner organization but is not the applicant, then a letter of support from the PDMP must accompany the application.

CATEGORY 4: TRIBAL PDMP DATA SHARING GRANTS. Grant Amount: Up to $150,000.

Project period: 24 months. Competition ID: BJA-2015-4193 Tribal governments seeking to report to and request data from individual states’ PDMPs for the purpose of equipping providers with prescription drug monitoring history data are eligible to apply for Category 4 funding. Funds may be used to enable federally-recognized Indian tribal governments to develop and implement the necessary legal, policy, and technical infrastructure to support the reporting and requesting of patient-level controlled substance prescription dispensing data transmission from tribal and urban health care facilities (to include tribes, tribal organizations, or urban health programs operating under Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA) Title I Self-Determination Contracts, ISDEAA Title V Self- Governance Compacts, or Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA) Title V Contracts) to the state prescription drug monitoring program; facilitate the establishment of collaborations;

develop a training program for system users and practitioners; and produce and disseminate educational materials.

Type of Award1 BJA expects that it will make any award from program Categories 1 and 4 in the form of a grant.

BJA expects that it will make any award from program Categories 2 and 3 in the form of a cooperative agreement, which is a particular type of grant used if BJA expects to have ongoing substantial involvement in award activities. Substantial involvement includes direct oversight and involvement with the grantee organization in implementation of the grant, but does not involve day-to-day project management. See Administrative, National Policy, and other Legal Requirements, under Section F. Federal Award Administration Information, for details regarding the federal involvement anticipated under an award from this solicitation.

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls If selected for funding, the award recipient must:

(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-federal entity is managing the federal award in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States and the “Internal Control Integrated Framework”, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

(b) Comply with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal awards.

(c) Evaluate and monitor the non-federal entity's compliance with statute, regulations and the terms and conditions of federal awards.

(d) Take prompt action when instances of noncompliance are identified including noncompliance identified in audit findings.

(e) Take reasonable measures to safeguard protected personally identifiable information and other information the federal awarding agency or pass-through entity designates as sensitive or the non-federal entity considers sensitive consistent with applicable Federal, state and local laws regarding privacy and obligations of confidentiality.

In order to better understand administrative requirements and cost principles, award applicants are encouraged to enroll, at no charge, in the Department of Justice Grants Financial Management Online Training available here.

Budget Information

Cost Sharing or Match Requirement This solicitation does not require a match. However, if a successful application proposes a voluntary match amount, and OJP approves the budget, the total match amount incorporated into the approved budget becomes mandatory and subject to audit.

1 See generally 31 U.S.C. §§ 6301-6305 (defines and describes various forms of federal assistance relationships, including grants and cooperative agreements (a type of grant)).

http://gfm.webfirst.com/

Pre-Agreement Cost Approvals OJP does not typically approve pre-agreement costs; an applicant must request and obtain the prior written approval of OJP for all such costs. If approved, pre-agreement costs could be paid from grant funds consistent with a grantee’s approved budget, and under applicable cost standards. However, all such costs prior to award and prior to approval of the costs are incurred at the sole risk of an applicant. Generally, no applicant should incur project costs before submitting an application requesting federal funding for those costs. Should there be extenuating circumstances that appear to be appropriate for OJP’s consideration as pre-agreement costs, the applicant should contact the point of contact listed on the title page of this announcement for details on the requirements for submitting a written request for approval. See the section on Costs Requiring Prior Approval in the Financial Guide, for more information.

Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation; Waiver With respect to any award of more than $250,000 made under this solicitation, recipients may not use federal funds to pay total cash compensation (salary plus cash bonuses) to any employee of the award recipient at a rate that exceeds 110 percent of the maximum annual salary payable to a member of the Federal Government’s Senior Executive Service (SES) at an agency with a Certified SES Performance Appraisal System for that year.2 The 2015 salary table for SES employees is available on the Office of Personnel Management web site. Note: A recipient may compensate an employee at a greater rate, provided the amount in excess of this compensation limitation is paid with non-federal funds. (Any such additional compensation will not be considered matching funds where match requirements apply.)

The Assistant Attorney General for OJP may exercise discretion to waive, on an individual basis, the limitation on compensation rates allowable under an award. An applicant requesting a waiver should include a detailed justification in the budget narrative of the application. Unless the applicant submits a waiver request and justification with the application, the applicant should anticipate that OJP will request the applicant to adjust and resubmit the budget.

The justification should include the particular qualifications and expertise of the individual, the uniqueness of the service the individual will provide, the individual’s specific knowledge of the program or project being undertaken with award funds, and a statement explaining that the individual’s salary is commensurate with the regular and customary rate for an individual with his/her qualifications and expertise, and for the work to be done.

Prior Approval, Planning, and Reporting of Conference/Meeting/Training Costs OJP strongly encourages applicants that propose to use award funds for any conference-, meeting-, or training-related activity to review carefully – before submitting an application – the OJP policy and guidance on conference approval, planning, and reporting available at www.ojp.gov/financialguide/PostawardRequirements/chapter15page1.htm. OJP policy and guidance (1) encourage minimization of conference, meeting, and training costs; (2) require prior written approval (which may affect project timelines) of most such costs for cooperative agreement recipients and of some such costs for grant recipients; and (3) set cost limits, including a general prohibition of all food and beverage costs.

2 This limitation on use of award funds does not apply to the non-profit organizations specifically named at Appendix VIII to 2 C.F.R. part 200.

http://ojp.gov/financialguide/index.htm http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/15Tables/exec/html/ES.aspx http://www.ojp.gov/financialguide/PostawardRequirements/chapter15page1.htm

Costs Associated with Language Assistance (if applicable) If an applicant proposes a program or activity that would deliver services or benefits to individuals, the costs of taking reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to those services or benefits for individuals with limited English proficiency may be allowable. Reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to services or benefits may include interpretation or translation services where appropriate.

For additional information, see the "Civil Rights Compliance" section under “Solicitation Requirements” in the OJP Funding Resource Center.

C. Eligibility Information For additional eligibility information, see Title page.

Cost Sharing or Match Requirement For additional information on cost sharing and match requirement, see Section B. Federal Award Information.

Limit on Number of Application Submissions If an applicant submits multiple versions of the same application, BJA will review only the most recent system-validated version submitted. For more information on system-validated versions, see How to Apply. This does not prohibit certain applicants from submitting different applications to more than one funding category – in this case, only the most recent version submitted within each category will be reviewed.

D. Application and Submission Information

What an Application Should Include Applicants should anticipate that if they fail to submit an application that contains all of the specified elements, it may negatively affect the review of their application; and, should a decision be made to make an award, it may result in the inclusion of special conditions that preclude the recipient from accessing or using award funds pending satisfaction of the conditions.

Moreover, applicants should anticipate that applications that are determined to be nonresponsive to the scope of the solicitation, or that do not include the application elements that BJA has designated to be critical, will neither proceed to peer review nor receive further consideration. Under this solicitation, BJA has designated the following application elements as critical: Program Abstract, Program Narrative, Budget Detail Worksheet, and Budget Narrative.

Applicants may combine the Budget Narrative and the Budget Detail Worksheet in one document. However, if an applicant submits only one budget document, it must contain both narrative and detail information. Please review the “Note on File Names and File Types” under How to Apply to be sure applications are submitted in permitted formats.

OJP strongly recommends that applicants use appropriately descriptive file names (e.g., “Program Narrative,” “Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative,” “Timelines,” “Memoranda of Understanding,” “Resumes”) for all attachments. Also, OJP recommends that applicants include resumes in a single file.

http://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm

1. Information to Complete the Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) The SF-424 is a required standard form used as a cover sheet for submission of pre-applications, applications, and related information. Grants.gov and OJP’s Grants Management System (GMS) take information from the applicant’s profile to populate the fields on this form. When selecting "type of applicant," if the applicant is a for-profit entity, select "For-Profit Organization" or "Small Business" (as applicable).

Intergovernmental Review: This funding opportunity (program) is not subject to Executive Order 12372. (In completing the SF-424, applicants are to make the appropriate selection in response to question 19 to indicate that the “Program is not covered by E.O. 12372.”)

2. Project Abstract Applications should include a high-quality project abstract that summarizes the proposed project in 400 words or less. Project abstracts should be—

Be written for a general public audience

Be submitted as a separate attachment with “Project Abstract” as part of its file name

Be single-spaced, using a standard 12-point font (Times New Roman) with 1-inch margins

Identify the category under which the application is being submitted

List all priority considerations that the applicant meets

List the total number of prescribers in the past year that have prescribed a controlled substance, including the percentage of those prescribers who are registered with the state PDMP (Categories 1 and 2 only)

Provide the percentage of prescribers who have prescribed a controlled substance in the past month who have checked the PDMP database (Categories 1 and 2 only)

As a separate attachment, the project abstract will not count against the page limit for the program narrative.

All project abstracts should follow the detailed template available at ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/ProjectAbstractTemplate.pdf.

3. Program Narrative

The program narrative should be double-spaced, using a standard 12-point font (Times New Roman is preferred) with 1-inch margins, and must not exceed 20 pages. Number pages “1 of 20,” “2 of 20,” etc.

If the program narrative fails to comply with these length-related restrictions, BJA may consider such noncompliance in peer review and in final award decisions.

The following sections should be included as part of the program narrative:

a. Statement of the Problem

b. Project Design and Implementation

c. Capabilities and Competencies http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/ProjectAbstractTemplate.pdf

d. Plan for Collecting the Data Required for this Solicitation’s Performance Measures

To assist the Department with fulfilling its responsibilities under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), Public Law 103-62, and the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010, Public Law 111–352, applicants that receive funding under this solicitation must provide data that measure the results of their work done under this solicitation. Post award, recipients will be required to submit quarterly performance metrics through BJA’s online Performance Measurement Tool (PMT), located at www.bjaperformancetools.org. Applicants should review and understand the complete list of PDMP program performance measures at:

www.bjaperformancetools.org/help/PDMPPerformanceMeasures.pdf.

BJA does not require applicants to submit performance measures data with their application. Performance measures are included as an alert that BJA will require successful applicants to submit specific data as part of their reporting requirements. For the application, applicants should indicate an understanding of these requirements and discuss how they will gather the required data, should they receive funding.

Note on Project Evaluations Applicants that propose to use funds awarded through this solicitation to conduct project evaluations should be aware that certain project evaluations (such as systematic investigations designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge) may constitute “research” for purposes of applicable DOJ human subjects protection regulations. However, project evaluations that are intended only to generate internal improvements to a program or service, or are conducted only to meet OJP’s performance measure data reporting requirements likely do not constitute “research.”

Applicants should provide sufficient information for OJP to determine whether the particular project they propose would either intentionally or unintentionally collect and/or use information in such a way that it meets the DOJ regulatory definition of research.

Research, for the purposes of human subjects protections for OJP-funded programs, is defined as, “a systematic investigation, including research development, testing, and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge” 28 C.F.R. § 46.102(d). For additional information on determining whether a proposed activity would constitute research, see the decision tree to assist applicants on the “Research and the Protection of Human Subjects” section of the OJP Funding Resource Center web page (ojp.gov/funding/Explore/SolicitationRequirements/EvidenceResearchEvaluationRequire ments.htm). Applicants whose proposals may involve a research or statistical component also should review the “Data Privacy and Confidentiality Requirements” section on that Web page.

e. Plan for Measuring Program Success to Inform Plans for Sustainment

4. Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative

a. Budget Detail Worksheet A sample Budget Detail Worksheet can be found at www.ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/BudgetDetailWorksheet.pdf. Applicants that submit their budget in a different format should include the budget categories listed in the sample budget worksheet.

http://www.bjaperformancetools.org/ http://www.bjaperformancetools.org/help/PDMPPerformanceMeasures.pdf http://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm http://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/SolicitationRequirements/EvidenceResearchEvaluationRequirements.htm http://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/SolicitationRequirements/EvidenceResearchEvaluationRequirements.htm http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/BudgetDetailWorksheet.pdf

BJA anticipates several meetings will occur during the grant period for which applicants must budget their travel. All applicants should budget for at least two staff to attend an annual 3-day national meeting in Washington, DC normally held during the fall season.

Category 1 applicants should additionally budget for at least two staff to attend one regional meeting that will occur on a biannual basis at locations to be determined later.

Category 2 and 3 applicants should additionally budget for at least two staff to attend an annual coordination meeting, likely to be held in Washington, DC. Applicants should note that projects which span multiple years may need to budget for multiple meetings to accommodate their participation throughout the life of the grant.

The purpose of this travel may vary according to funding category and specific project goals; however, BJA wants to ensure that all grantees have the opportunity to present their work and collaborate with their peers and other national and federal stakeholder groups. BJA and the PDMP Training and Technical Assistance Center will be in contact with grantees post-award to plan the logistics of attending the regional and national meetings.

Applicants may budget additional travel funding for regional trips if it is required as part of the proposed project; for instance, to conduct educational campaigns or training programs or to facilitate meetings between multidisciplinary action teams.

For questions pertaining to budget and examples of allowable and unallowable costs, see the Financial Guide at www.ojp.gov/financialguide/index.htm.

b. Budget Narrative The budget narrative should thoroughly and clearly describe every category of expense listed in the Budget Detail Worksheet. OJP expects proposed budgets to be complete, cost effective, and allowable (e.g., reasonable, allocable, and necessary for project activities).

Applicants should demonstrate in their budget narratives how they will maximize cost effectiveness of grant expenditures. Budget narratives should generally describe cost effectiveness in relation to potential alternatives and the goals of the project. For example, a budget narrative should detail why planned in-person meetings are necessary, or how technology and collaboration with outside organizations could be used to reduce costs, without compromising quality.

The narrative should be mathematically sound and correspond with the information and figures provided in the Budget Detail Worksheet. The narrative should explain how the applicant estimated and calculated all costs, and how they are relevant to the completion of the proposed project. The narrative may include tables for clarification purposes but need not be in a spreadsheet format. As with the Budget Detail Worksheet, the Budget Narrative should be broken down by year.

c. Non-Competitive Procurement Contracts In Excess of Simplified Acquisition Threshold If an applicant proposes to make one or more non-competitive procurements of products or services, where the non-competitive procurement will exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (also known as the small purchase threshold), which is currently http://www.ojp.gov/financialguide/index.htm set at $150,000, the application should address the considerations outlined in the Financial Guide.

d. Pre-Agreement Cost Approvals For information on pre-agreement costs, see Section B. Federal Award Information.

5. Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable)

Indirect costs are allowed only if the applicant has a current federally approved indirect cost rate. (This requirement does not apply to units of local government.) Attach a copy of the federally approved indirect cost rate agreement to the application. Applicants that do not have an approved rate may request one through their cognizant federal agency, which will review all documentation and approve a rate for the applicant organization, or, if the applicant’s accounting system permits, costs may be allocated in the direct cost categories.

For the definition of Cognizant Federal Agency, see the “Glossary of Terms” in the Financial Guide.