drc-rfa-final-march9.pdf

OVERVIEW

Federal Agency :

Social Security Administration, Office of Research Evaluation and Statistics (ORES)

Title:

Disability Research Consortium (DRC)

Announcement Type:

New Announcement

Funding Opportunity Number:

SSA-ORES-12-1 (Grants.gov Opportunity Number: DRC-DRC-12-001)

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number:

CFDA 96.007, Research and Demonstration

Dates:

The opening date of this announcement is the date of publication. The closing date for receipt of grant applications under this announcement is April 30, 2012.

Letter of Intent:

Prospective applicants are asked to submit by March 31, 2012, a letter of intent that includes (1) this program announcement number and title; (2) a brief description of the proposed center; (3) the name, postal and e-mail addresses, and the telephone and fax numbers of the center’s director; and (4) the identities of the key personnel and participating institutions. The letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review process of a subsequent application. The sole purpose of the letter of intent is to allow SSA staff to estimate the potential review workload and avoid conflicts of interest in the review. The letter of intent should be sent to: Richard E. Chard, DRC Letter of Intent, Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, Social Security Administration, 500 E St., SW., ITC Room 934, Washington, DC 20254–0001. E-mail: richard.chard@ssa.gov.

Pre-application Activities:

As questions come in regarding the programmatic content of this RFA, we will be posting a running list of questions and answers on the web at http://www.ssa.gov/policy/drc/faq.html. Submit questions to DRC.ORES@ssa.gov. All potential applicants should monitor the website frequently to ensure that they have the latest updates and answers.

mailto:NNNN.NNNNN@ssa.gov http://www.ssa.gov/policy mailto:DRC.ORES@ssa.gov

FULL TEXT ANNOUNCEMENT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Purpose

As authorized under section 1110 of the Social Security Act, SSA announces the solicitation of competitive applications for a cooperative agreement for a Disability Research Consortium (DRC).

SSA seeks applications in support of the DRC that will serve as a national resource fostering high quality research, communication, and education on matters related to disability policy. The DRC is an interdisciplinary extramural policy research program funded by the Social Security Administration (SSA) through a five year cooperative agreement. In addition to research, the DRC will disseminate research results and train graduate students and junior faculty.

One component of the mission of the DRC is to produce and disseminate program and policy-relevant research to assist policymakers in improving services and benefits provided by the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Disability Insurance (DI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs, two of the largest federal programs for people with disabilities. The DI program paid about $123 billion in benefits to over 9.8 million disabled workers and auxiliary beneficiaries in FY 2010. Likewise, in FY 2010 the SSI program paid over $42 billion in federal benefits to over

6.4 million disabled recipients under age 65. In many cases, disability beneficiaries in the DI and SSI programs receive benefits and services from other federal assistance programs for people with disabilities. The DRC will also study other federal programs that provide targeted benefits or services to people with disabilities. These other programs generally fall under the administration and supervision of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Labor, the Department of Education, and the Department of Health and Human Services. These programs are of interest to the DRC because they have different definitions of disability, serve different target populations, and offer different packages of cash and in-kind benefits compared with SSA’s DI and SSI programs. Emphasis will be placed on programmatic research and evaluation with the goal of improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of these programs.

Because these programs do not serve people with disabilities in a vacuum, a second component of the mission of the DRC will be to support research to better understand how federal programs for people with disabilities intersect and interact with each other and with other programs that provide services and benefits to people with disabilities. A recent report from the U.S.

Government Accountability Office noted that more than 20 federal agencies provide a wide range of assistance to people with disabilities through more than 200 programs (GAO-05-626, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05626.pdf). The programs include employment-related services; medical care; monetary support; and food, nutrition, and housing assistance. Yet there is a dearth of information in the policy and program evaluation research literature on how the benefits and services provided to people with disabilities by the DI and SSI programs complement the benefits and services provided by other federally sponsored programs for people with disabilities.

The third component of the mission of the DRC is to address the broader social and economic context within which these programs are administered and operate. This broader context includes the labor market, job market flexibilities, educational institutions, health care and health care financing, the tax system, the legal system, and macroeconomic policies. We are also http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05626.pdf interested in examining how these disability programs are affected by job training, poverty levels among people with disabilities, and labor force participation rates. Of special interest is identifying and eliminating barriers encountered by people with disabilities in returning to work or maintaining their ability to work. Specifically, we are interested in how to improve workforce attachment of people with disabilities and seek to know what program measures can be taken to increase the economic self-sufficiency of people with disabilities.

The expectation is that the DRC will foster more collaborative research across federal agencies as well as more collaboration among researchers in the federal government, academia, and research centers. Another important expectation is that research results will help policymakers improve service delivery, enhance coordination of services across programs, build on complementarities across programs, eliminate duplication and waste, and advance cooperation across federal agencies that serve people with disabilities. We anticipate that in addition to informing public policy, programmatic research will provide program managers with information useful for formulating program-specific policy, for improving the quality of the disability determination process, and for improving the efficient and cost-effective operation of the DI, SSI, and other federal programs that serve people with disabilities. The Social Security Administration maintains a vast storehouse of administrative micro-data records that can facilitate this research.

We fully encourage using administrative records and data matches in research projects.

The DRC will consist of one or more research centers. The DRC’s purpose is to benefit the public through the following:

1. Research, evaluation, and data development. SSA expects the DRC to plan, initiate, and maintain a multi-disciplinary research program of high quality that will broadly cover disability policy and Social Security disability program issues. A portion of the research effort can focus on the development of research data sources and providing opportunities to use non-public data at restricted-use data sites, subject to the rules of those sites.

2. Dissemination. The DRC will disseminate policy research findings using a variety of media to inform the academic community, policymakers, and the public. Partnership with federal agencies in disseminating research findings is highly encouraged.

3. Training and education. The DRC will train and provide funding support for graduate students and postgraduates to conduct research on matters related to disability policy.

The DRC may provide applied internship opportunities for researchers who are beginning their research or academic careers. Recipients of these applied internships will spend 9 to 12 months at the Social Security Administration’s headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland as interns conducting research on specific DI or SSI program areas. The expectation is that the internship will afford the researcher with the opportunity of working closely with experienced SSA program managers and subject matter experts on their proposed projects. The intent is to foster collaboration among highly trained researchers, SSA program managers, and subject matter experts to improve the administration of SSA’s disability programs. Similar opportunities may become available through the DRC to work with other federal agencies that administer disability programs.

B. The Role of the Center(s)

1. Priority Research Areas (PRAs)

The successful applicant shall develop and conduct a research and evaluation program that appropriately balances public policy research (research that addresses a broad range of economic issues such as business cycle effects, poverty, income, and inequality) and program-specific issues (research that addresses topics such as program eligibility, benefit determination, definition of disability, and program interactions). SSA has identified six priority research areas within the realm of disability policy. Reviewers will score favorably applications that are mindful of this balance and feature high quality research projects that address the priority areas.

a. Demographics – We seek to understand the demographic composition of people with disabilities, disability benefit recipients, and trends over time. We are interested in the role of the family and issues related to mortality. We are also interested in variations among demographic and socioeconomic groups such as those who identify themselves as disabled compared with those who are deemed disabled based on programmatic definitions of disability. One example of a topic of interest is what will be the demographic characteristics of people with disabilities in the future and what impact is this demographic profile expected to have on SSA’s disability programs and other federal disability programs? Also of interest are children with disabilities in the SSI program and other federal programs that serve young adults with disabilities and their transition into adulthood.

b. Economics – The aim is to examine a broad range of issues as they relate to individuals with disabilities, disability benefit recipients, and disability programs, including business cycle effects, poverty, income inequality, replacement rates, the labor market, job market flexibilities, housing markets, financial markets and financial institutions, and health care and health insurance. We are interested in how various changes in the markets identified above impact people with disabilities and the disability programs that assist people with disabilities. We are interested in how economic incentives and institutions affect individual behavior. Another example of a topic of interest is the barriers encountered by disability beneficiaries as they transition to work. How do economic factors create or eliminate barriers faced by people with disabilities in returning to work or maintaining their ability to work?

c. Health – This area includes health care, public and private health insurance, and health insurance reform as they relate to people with disabilities, disability benefit recipients, and disability programs. It also includes analyses of health impairments, functional limitations, and workplace injuries. One example of a topic of interest is a study of whether entitlement to Medicare improves the health of DI beneficiaries who have completed the two-year waiting period. We also are interested in how people with disabilities will be affected by the Affordable Care Act.

d. Programmatic issues – In this area we seek ways to improve the way in which disability programs issue benefits and services and the way in which these programs determine program eligibility. For example, comparing and contrasting programs targeted to people with disabilities in terms of the definition of disability, the decision making process regarding program eligibility, and populations served and services offered. We are interested in research on program interactions with the DI and SSI programs, including interactions with private disability programs, gaps in coverage, and complementarities in service provision across programs. How can the transition to work of DI and SSI disability beneficiaries result in an increase in economic self-sufficiency?

We are also interested in what specific insurance, noncash benefits, and cash benefits (other than DI and SSI) are available to people with disabilities and how these cash and noncash benefits affect participation in the DI and SSI programs. We are also broadly interested in how federal agencies running disability programs convey procedures and program policy to staff who process disability claims.

e. Work and education – We seek to understand the effects of education, rehabilitation programs, and return-to-work services for people with disabilities in the SSA disability programs compared to people with disabilities who receive services and benefits from other federal programs that serve people with disabilities. We are interested in early intervention efforts as well as programs and services targeted toward people with disabilities that might allow them to maintain independence. We are interested in innovative research that can help to improve existing programs and services, as well as new thinking on how to improve employment outcomes and increase economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. For example, a researcher may look into return-to-work or education-oriented programs available to people with disabilities to identify the “optimal mix” of services leading to sustained employment.

f. International comparisons – The aim is to learn from other countries’ experiences through cross-country comparisons of programs, processes, populations, policies, and reforms. We are interested in the lessons the U.S. can learn from changes in disability programs and policies from economies with similar labor markets and mature social protection systems. We are also interested in how U.S. based disability programs affect eligible populations living abroad.

SSA realizes competent analysis of all priority research areas may be beyond the capacity of any one center and thus each center may wish to focus their individual resources and expertise on a subset of the areas listed above. Similarly, a center may choose to concentrate on a few aspects of the priority research areas more strongly than others. SSA expects each center to describe its quality assurance process. The goal of the DRC as a whole is to produce high-quality research covering the range of objectives discussed above, across the separate priority areas.

SSA encourages centers to form formal partnerships with community based organizations that provide services to the disabled and to work collaboratively with these service providers to develop and execute research that produce research findings policy makers can use to improve the delivery of services and benefits to the disabled. Such organizations include those that provide , vocational rehabilitation, job search assistance, and education to the disabled.

2. Tasks. Each center will perform the following tasks:

a. Research, evaluation, and data development. Each center will be expected to plan, initiate, and maintain a research program that meets the highest standards of rigor and objectivity.

Joint research between DRC and SSA researchers is encouraged, as is collaboration with other organizations interested in disability policy. Federal employees cannot receive any funding support for collaborations. Planning and execution of the research program shall always consider the policy implications of research findings. However, SSA also considers it appropriate, for example, to engage in activities to make advances in research techniques, where these are related to the primary objectives of the DRC.

SSA recognizes the value of high-quality comprehensive micro-data for conducting policy research. The DRC should work to facilitate the development of micro-data sources as well as provide researchers with opportunities to use non-public data for research purposes under secure conditions. Such efforts must adhere to clear privacy protection requirements. For example, DRC researchers may be allowed to access SSA administrative data, including administrative data files that have been linked to surveys sponsored by SSA or other federal agencies, at SSA sites by following the requirements of SSA and other federal agencies. They may be subject to background checks and fingerprinting in accordance with SSA personnel suitability requirements. SSA will distribute the necessary forms and consents for completion to awardees interested in accessing administrative data at SSA sites. DRC researchers can also access restricted data at other federal agency restricted data sites, such as the Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics, subject to the rules of those sites.

Examples of data improvement efforts include improving the quality of existing data sources and their documentation; helping researchers use administrative data extracts at SSA sites for policy-relevant research projects; developing sophisticated statistical techniques to mask micro-data; and developing new sources of data for disability policy analysis.

To ensure the policy relevance, utility, and scope of the centers' research, evaluation, and data development goals, a group of nationally recognized scholars and practitioners (See Part I, Section C, 1. Center Responsibilities) shall periodically review the center's activities.

b. Collaboration with SSA disability subject matter experts and researchers. To facilitate the connection between disability programs and research projects, centers are expected consult with SSA disability program managers or subject matter experts. The extent and nature of this collaboration will depend on the specific research project in question. For example, centers working on research on the transition to work among people with disabilities would work closely with subject matter specialists and program managers in SSA’s Office of Employment Support Programs. Similarly, centers working on research designed to inform disability regulations, rulings, or program policy would collaborate with subject matter specialists and program policy specialists in SSA’s Office of Disability Policy. In some cases, for example, when a center researcher needs access to sensitive or restricted data, they would collaborate with researchers in the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics. The centers are encouraged to initiate similar interactions with subject matter experts at other federal agencies where appropriate.

c. Dissemination. Another important feature of each center’s responsibilities is making knowledge and information available to the academic and policy communities and the public. The DRC will facilitate the process of translating basic behavioral and social research theories and findings into practical policy alternatives. The centers will be expected to maintain a dissemination system of quarterly newsletters, research papers, and policy briefs. These products should be accessible to the public via the Internet on a center-maintained website. In addition, the centers will be expected to organize conferences, workshops, lectures, seminars, or other ways of sharing current research activities and findings. Whenever possible, centers are encouraged to partner or work with appropriate federal government agencies that have programs for people with disabilities. The DRC will hold semi-annual workshops, one to be held at SSA headquarters in Woodlawn, Maryland and one to be held in Washington, D.C. in a venue accessible to the public. The hosting center will also have the responsibility for preparing and distributing materials related to the workshops.

SSA encourages applicants to propose creative methods of disseminating data and information. Applications should show sensitivity to alternative dissemination strategies that may be appropriate for different audiences, such as policymakers, practitioners, the public, advocates, and academics. The research and dissemination will be nonpartisan and of value to all levels of policymaking. SSA reserves the right to review all publications created using DRC funding.

Any form of documentation provided (i.e. training manual, user guides, embedded documents etc.), including any documentation deliverables required in the request for applications, shall be provided in a fully accessible format. The documents shall be provided in one of the following formats: Text, RTF, Microsoft Word or HTML format, or properly “tagged” PDF. Properly tagged PDFs can be verified by using Adobe Acrobat’s Accessibility Checker. Documentation delivered in a manner that is interactive (e.g., table of contents, index, search, etc.) shall be keyboard navigable, move focus to selected items (or have a keyboard alternative), and be comparable in keyboard access to mouse usage. All images (especially screenshots and technical diagrams that are the sole means for conveying instructions) should include alternative text explaining the image so that a person who is blind would understand the screenshot, chart, figure, etc.

Documentation shall include information on the accessibility features of the product. If keyboard shortcuts are provided to allow access to program functionality, a list of the keyboard shortcuts shall be provided. Documentation that is delivered in a video or multimedia publication shall comply with the Section 508 requirements detailed in 36 CFR part 1194.24 and the functional performance criteria detailed in 36 CFR 1194 Subpart C. In addition, SSA requires conformance to SSA’s Accessibility Requirements for all video and multi-media deliverables. SSA does not accept text equivalents used to replace speech, and requires captions to be synchronized with speech. See http://access-board.gov/508.htm for additional information on accessibility and the Section 508 requirements.

d. Training and education. The DRC is expected to both train new scholars and work with

SSA to educate academics and practitioners on new techniques and research findings on issues of disability policy. SSA expects each center to develop and expand a diverse corps of scholars/researchers who focus their analytical skills on research and policy issues central to the DRC’s mission.

SSA expects the centers to financially support the training and research of junior scholars or researchers new to the field of disability. When appropriate, the centers may work with SSA to develop internships at SSA for junior scholars or researchers new http://access-board.gov/508.htm to the field of disability. The centers may wish to pursue similar opportunities with other federal agencies that administer disability programs.

The DRC should allocate funding for educational and training opportunities. These may include but are not limited to: dissertation fellowships to support graduate students, small research grants to support postdoctoral researchers and junior scholars, and post-doctoral fellowships. Applications solicited widely and nationally are encouraged.

Graduate students working with DRC researchers on funded projects as research assistants will be included in the research budget, not in the training budget. The centers will conduct educational seminars for government analysts and policymakers on the DRC's research findings and methodological advancements.

To assure the quality of its research, dissemination, and training, each center should establish and maintain a formal tie with a university, including links with appropriate departments within that university. Each center must have a major presence at a single site; however, alternative arrangements among entities and with individual scholars are encouraged and may be proposed.

e. Reporting. Every three months during the award period, the grantee will produce a progress report. The grantee's quarterly progress reports should provide a concise summary of the progress being made toward completion of activities in the annual work plan. The grantee should pay particular attention to reporting on achieving any milestones set forth in the work plan, delays in achieving milestones, and the impact of delays on the final product. Details regarding the format of quarterly progress reports will be provided in the DRC Terms and Conditions at the time of award.

C. Responsibilities

1. Center Responsibilities:

The centers have the primary and lead responsibility to define objectives and approaches;

plan research, conduct studies, and analyze data; and publish results, interpretations, and conclusions of their work.

Occasionally, SSA will request quick turnaround projects from the DRC. These projects include: a personal consultation (through a telephone call or presentation/briefing) with a researcher (or researchers) to learn more about a specific issue; a short policy brief summarizing an issue or question; a spin-off of recent research; a seminar or small conference on a specific issue or question; or, research on emerging issues. Funding for these as well as other related activities should be included in the budget narrative at a level of up to $100,000. The agency can raise the ceiling above $100,000 for quick turnaround projects if a need and funds exist.

Jointly with SSA, each center will select approximately six nationally recognized scholars and practitioners who are unaffiliated with any center to provide assistance in formulating the center's research agenda and advice on implementation. Each center shall select three scholars/practitioners, and SSA will select three scholars/practitioners. Efforts will be made in selecting the scholars/practitioners to assure a broad range of disciplines and political viewpoints. Funded under this agreement, the scholars/practitioners must meet twice a year. On occasion, all centers' scholars/practitioners will meet jointly to evaluate and provide advice on DRC objectives and progress. Further, the centers may contact the scholars/practitioners throughout the year for suggestions regarding center activities. The SSA Project Officer or representative will participate in all meetings.

2. SSA Responsibilities:

SSA will be involved with the DRC in jointly establishing research priorities and deliverable dates to accomplish the objectives of this announcement. SSA will also identify subject matter experts in the DI and SSI programs, as appropriate, for researchers with projects on these programs to establish a dialog in order to ensure that research results provide useful and needed information to SSA program managers and policymakers. A similar dialog is expected between researchers and experts on disability programs from other federal agencies if the research in question focuses on such programs.

SSA, or its representatives, will provide the following types of support to the Consortium:

a. Consultation and technical assistance in planning, operating, and evaluating the DRC's activities.

b. Information about SSA programs, policies, and research priorities. At SSA’s discretion, there may be a meeting to discuss priority research areas for the upcoming budget period. SSA will be responsible for coordinating the meeting time, location, and agenda.

Each center is responsible for sending their director, and up to three researchers or staff

c. Assistance in identifying SSA information and technical assistance resources pertinent to the centers' success.

d. Review of DRC activities and collegial feedback to ensure that objectives and award conditions are being met. SSA may suspend or terminate any cooperative agreement in whole or in part at any time before the date of expiration, if the awardee materially fails to comply with the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement, technical performance requirements are not met, or the project is no longer relevant to the agency. SSA will promptly notify the awardee in writing of the determination and the reasons for suspension or termination together with the effective date. SSA reserves the right to suspend funding for individual projects in process or in previously approved research areas or tasks after awards have been granted.

In general, SSA seeks organizations with demonstrated capacity for providing quality policy research and training, and working with government policymakers.

II: Award Information

A. Type of Award

All awards made under this program will be made in the form of a cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement, as distinct from a grant, anticipates substantial involvement between the agency and the awardee during the performance of the project. A comprehensive annual review process will allow us to evaluate, recommend changes, and approve each center's activities. Our involvement may include collaboration or participation in the activities of the centers as determined at the time of award. The terms of the award are in addition to, not in lieu of, otherwise applicable guidelines and procedures. The issuance of the terms occurs along with the notice of award.

The grantee must apply to continue the cooperative agreement to receive funds in subsequent years of the five-year agreement. The grantee will produce a continuation application, subject to review and approval by us. The continuation application should clearly describe a set of research and dissemination activities that best address the priorities of the agency. We will engage in a dialogue with grantees throughout the award period regarding research topics.

Based on that dialogue, we will provide the grantee with guidance (in writing) on the agency’s research priorities for the subsequent continuation cycle.

B. Availability and Duration of Funding

1. Approximately $5.0 million will be available to fund the initial 12-month budget period of a proposed five-year cooperative agreement(s) pursuant to the announcement.

2. Applicants must include detailed budget estimates for the first year, assuming a funding level of $3.0 million.

3. The amount of funds available for the cooperative agreement in future years has not been established. Legislative support for continued funding of the DRC cannot be guaranteed and funding is subject to future appropriations and budgetary approval. We expect DRC support during future fiscal years at an annual level of approximately $5.0 million.

4. The announcement allows for the unequal division of funds among multiple chosen centers.

5. Additional funds may become available from SSA or other federal agencies in support of

DRC projects.

6. Initial awards, pursuant to this announcement, will be made on or about August 1, 2012.

Although we anticipate one or more awards, nothing in this announcement restricts our ability to make more or fewer awards, to make an award of a lesser amount, or to add additional centers to the DRC in the future. Further, we are not required to fund all proposed DRC activities in any year. We will review all proposed activities annually.

III: Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

We are seeking applications from domestic institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, commercial organizations, state governments, and Native American tribal organizations. A research team may consist of organizations, individuals, or institutions that are geographically distant, to the extent that the research design requires and accommodates such arrangements. Nothing in this announcement precludes non-academic entities from being affiliated with an applicant.

No cooperative agreement funds may be paid as profit to any cooperative agreement recipient.

For-profit organizations may apply with the understanding that no funds may be paid as profit.

Profit is considered as any amount in excess of the allowable costs of the award recipient.

In accordance with an amendment to the Lobbying Disclosure Act, popularly known as the Simpson-Craig Amendment, those entities organized under section 501(c)4 of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying are prohibited from receiving federal cooperative agreement awards.

B. Cost Sharing

We will not provide a center's entire funding. Recipients of our cooperative agreement are required to contribute a non-federal match of at least 5 percent toward the total approved cost of each center. The total approved cost of the project is the sum of the federal share (maximum of 95 percent) and the non-federal share (minimum of 5 percent). The non-federal share may be cash or in-kind (property or services) contributions.

C. Other

Each center director must have a demonstrated capability to organize, administer, and direct the center. The director will be responsible for the organization and operation of the center and for communication with us on scientific and operational matters. The director must also have a minimum time commitment of 25 percent to DRC activities. Racial/ethnic minority individuals, women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as directors. Submission of a list of previous grants and cooperative agreements held by the director is required, including the names and contact information of each grant's and cooperative agreement's administrator. In addition to the director, skilled personnel and institutional resources capable of providing a strong research, development and testing base in the specified priority areas must be available.

The institution must show a strong commitment to the DRC's support. Such commitment may be provided as dedicated space, salary support for investigators or key personnel, dedicated equipment or other financial support for the proposed center.

IV: Applicant Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

We require that applicants submit an electronic application through http://www.grants.gov/ for Funding Opportunity Number DRC-DRC-12-001. The Grants.gov ‘‘Get Registered’’ webpage is available to help explain the registration and application submission process. In addition, new federal grant applicants may find the Grants.gov ‘‘Registration Brochure’’ at the following link to be helpful (http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp).

If you experience problems with the steps related to registering to do business with the federal government or application submission, your first point of contact is the Grants.gov support staff at support@grants.gov, 1–800–518–4726. If your Grants.gov difficulties are not resolved, you may also contact the SSA Grants Management Team for assistance: Audrey Adams, (410) 965– 9469 or Dionne Mitchell, (410) 965–9534.

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp

Should extenuating circumstances prevent you from submitting an application through Grants.gov, please contact Audrey Adams for possible prior approval to download, complete, and submit an application by mail.

As questions come in regarding the programmatic content of this RFA, we will be posting a running list of questions and answers on the web at http://www.ssa.gov/policy/drc/faq.html.

Submit questions to DRC.ORES@ssa.gov. All potential applicants should monitor the website frequently to ensure that they have the latest updates and answers.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

As stated above, we require that applicants submit an electronic application through www.Grants.gov for Funding Opportunity Number DRC-DRC-12-001.

A complete application package consists of one electronic application. It should include the following items:

1. Project Abstract/Summary (not to exceed three pages);

2. Table of Contents;

3. Part I (Face Sheet)—Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424);

4. Part II—Budget Information—

5. Form SF–424A—Sections A through F

6. Budget Narrative for Section B—Budget Categories (refer to appropriate Cost Principals for guidance on allowable costs-see Section VI-Administrative and National Policy Section for hyperlinks);

a. Detailed Personnel- must include salary and fringe breakdown for all key personnel being charged to the grant (for recommended format, see sample worksheet at:

http://www.ssa.gov/oag/grants/current/ssa_personnel_calc_spreadsheet.xlsx).

b. Other Support (Federal and Non-Federal)

c. Budget Narrative

d. Cost Share-clearly identify category and amount of match, including calculation

e. Indirect Costs-Indicate the indirect cost requested. If lower than negotiated rate, include a detailed explanation.

7. Copy of the applicant’s approved indirect cost rate agreement;

8. Part III—Project Narrative. The project narrative should be organized in five sections:

a. Background Analysis. A brief (not more than 20 pages) background analysis of the key disability policy issues and trends with a focus on the primary research themes of the proposed center. The analysis should discuss concisely, but comprehensively, important priority research issues and demonstrate the applicant's grasp of the policy and research significance of recent and future social, economic, political, health, and demographic issues.

b. Research, Evaluation, and Data Development Prospectus. A research and evaluation prospectus for a five-year research agenda, outlining the major research themes to be investigated over the next five years. In particular, the prospectus will describe the activities planned for the priority research areas and other additional research topics proposed by the applicant. The prospectus should discuss the kind of research activities that are needed to both address current disability issues and anticipate future policy debates. The prospectus should follow from the background analysis section. It may, of course, also discuss research areas and issues that were not mentioned in the analysis if the author(s) of the application feel there have been gaps in past research, or that new http://www.ssa.gov/policy mailto:DRC.ORES@ssa.gov http://www.ssa.gov/oag/grants/current/ssa_personnel_calc_spreadsheet.xlsx factors have begun to affect or will soon begin to affect national disability policy. If a center intends to enhance data for disability research purposes, they should include a discussion of the technical expertise of center staff and proposed mechanisms to facilitate data sharing.

The prospectus shall include detailed descriptions of individual research projects that are expected in the center's first year of operation. The prospectus should be specific about long-term research themes and projects. The lines of research described in the prospectus should be concrete enough that project descriptions in subsequent research plan amendments can be viewed as articulating a research theme discussed in the prospectus. An application that contains an ad hoc, unstructured set of research projects, rather than a set of projects that strike a coherent theme, will be judged unfavorably.

Note: Once a successful DRC applicant has been selected, SSA will review the DRC research agenda and determine research priorities. This may include the addition, modification, or removal of proposed research projects. After review, each center will submit to SSA a revised research plan and budget. The research plan will be periodically reviewed and revised as necessary. The application should discuss how the centers select research projects to propose, including involvement of the outside scholars/practitioners, SSA, and other advisors and participants in the DRC.

c. Dissemination Prospectus. A prospectus for dissemination, including ways to reach a broad audience of researchers, policymakers, and the public. Dissemination plans should detail proposed publications and conferences.

d. Training and Education Prospectus. A prospectus for training and education, including proposed training and educational strategies.

e. Staffing Proposal, Including Staff Use, Background, and Organizational Experience. A staffing and organization proposal for the center, including an analysis of the types of background needed among staff members, the center's organizational structure, and linkages with the host institution and other organizations. In this section, the applicant should specify how it will assure an effective approach to research, and where appropriate, identify the necessary links to university departments, other organizations and scholars engaged in research and government policymaking.

The applicant should identify the center director and key senior research staff. Full resumes of proposed staff members must be included as a separate appendix to the application. The time commitment to the center and other commitments for each proposed staff membermust be included. The application should specify how administrative arrangements would be made to minimize start-up and transition delays.

Note that once the cooperative agreement has been awarded, changes in key staff will require prior approval from SSA. The kinds of administrative and tenure arrangements, if any, the center proposes to make should also be discussed in this section. In addition, the authors of the application and the role that they will play in the proposed center must be specified.

This section shall discuss the financial arrangements for supporting research assistants, dissertation fellowships, affiliates, resident scholars, etc. The discussion should include the expected number and type of scholars to be supported and the level of support anticipated.

If the applicant envisions an arrangement of several universities or entities, this section should describe the specifics of the relationships, including leadership, management, and administration. The staffing proposal should pay particular attention to discussing how a focal point for research, training, and scholarship will be maintained.

The application also should discuss the role, selection procedure, and expected contribution of the outside scholars/practitioners.

The application should provide a summary of past work at the institution proposed as the center that relates directly or indirectly to the research priorities of this request.

This discussion should include more than a listing of the projects completed by the individuals who are included in the application. It should provide a sense of institutional commitment to policy research on issues involving disability policy. The application must list in an appendix appropriate recent or current research projects, with a brief research summary, contact person, references, and address and telephone numbers of references.

This section should also discuss the experience of the research staff in working with the government agencies and their demonstrated capacity to provide policy relevant support to these agencies.

9. Assurances—

a. (a) Form SF–424B,

b. SSA Additional Assurances;

10. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, Form SF–LLL, if applicable (See Section VI-Administrative and National Policy for 20 CFR Part 438).

11. Any appendices/attachments (include letters of support here)- Any files uploaded or attached to the Grants.gov application must be of the following file formats and must contain a valid file format extension in the filename – Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint, Corel WordPerfect, ASCII Text, Adobe PDF, or image formats (JPG, GIF, TIFF, or BMP only).

Even though Grants.gov allows applicants to attach any file format as part of their application, SSA restricts this practice and only accepts the file formats identified above. Any file submitted as part of the Grants.gov application that is not in a file format identified above, or contains password protection, will not be accepted for processing and will be excluded from the application during the review process. In addition, the use of compressed file formats such as ZIP or RAR will not be accepted. The application must be submitted in a file format that can easily be copied and read by reviewers. It is recommended that scanned copies not be submitted through Grants.gov unless the applicant confirms the clarity of the documents. Pages cannot be reduced resulting in multiple pages on a single sheet to avoid exceeding the page limitation. All documents that do not conform to the above will be excluded from the application during the review process

C. Submission Dates and Times

Prospective applicants are asked to submit, preferably with an e-mail attachment, within 30 days of publication of this RFA, an e-mail, fax, postcard or letter of intent that includes (1) the program announcement number (SSA–ORES-12– 1) and title (Disability Research Consortium);

(2) the name of the organization that is applying and (3) the name, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone number, and fax number for the organization’s contact person. The notice of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review process of a subsequent application. The purpose of the notice of intent is to allow our staff to estimate the number of independent reviewers needed and to avoid potential conflicts of interest in the review. The notice of intent should be faxed to (202) 358-6187 or mailed to: Richard E. Chard, DRC Letter of Intent, Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, Social Security Administration, 500 E St., SW., ITC Room 934, Washington, DC 20254–0001. E-mail: richard.chard@ssa.gov.

Applicants must submit applications through www.grants.gov by the closing date of April 30, 2012. However, when the SSA Grants Management Team approves the submission of a mailed application due to extenuating circumstances, applications may be mailed or hand-delivered to:

Social Security Administration, Office of Acquisition and Grants, Grants ORES-12–1, 1st Floor- Rear Entrance, 7111 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21244. Hand-delivered applications are accepted between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. An application will be considered as meeting the deadline if it is either:

1. Received from Grants.gov on or before the deadline date; or

2. Received at the above address on or before the deadline, when a mailed application has been authorized by the Grants Management Team; or

3. Postmarked by April 30, 2012 when a mailed application has been authorized by the Grants

Management Team. Packages approved for mailing must be sent through the U.S. Postal Service or by commercial carrier on or before the deadline date and received in time to be considered during the competitive review and evaluation process. Applicants are cautioned to request a legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark or to obtain a legibly dated receipt from a commercial carrier as evidence of timely mailing. Private metered postmarks are not acceptable as proof of timely mailing. Applications that do not meet the above criteria will be considered late applications. We will not waive or extend the deadline for any applicant unless we waive or extend the deadline for all applicants. We will notify each late applicant of non-application consideration.

D. Intergovernmental Review

Executive Order 12372 and 12416—Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs This program is not covered by the requirements of Executive Order 12372, as amended by Executive Order 12416, relating to the federal policy for consulting with state and local elected officials on proposed federal financial assistance.

Catalog of Domestic Federal Assistance:

Program No. 96.007, Social Security mailto:NNNN.NNNNN@ssa.gov

E. Funding Restrictions

The grantee must apply to continue the grant to receive funds in subsequent years of the five-year grant. The grantee will produce a continuation application, subject to review and approval by SSA. Awards are contingent on availability of continuation funding.

At SSA’s discretion, there may be a meeting to discuss priority research areas for the upcoming budget period. SSA will be responsible for coordinating the meeting time, location, and agenda.

Each center is responsible for sending their director, and up to three researchers or staff.

F. Other Submission Requirements

We require that applicants submit an electronic application through www.grants.gov for Funding Opportunity Number SSA–ORES–12–1. Before an applicant, institution/organization can submit an electronic application, please go to www.grants.gov and follow the steps under the “Get Registered” link. Please note:

1. Your organization will need to obtain a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number and register with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) as part of the Grants.gov registration process: (see Section VI-Administrative and National Policy for 2 CFR Subtitle A, Chapter 1 and Part 25).

2. If your organization does not have a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN), allow for extra time. A valid TIN or EIN is necessary for CCR registration.

3. The CCR also validates the EIN against Internal Revenue Service records, a step that will take an additional one to two business days. See Section IV, B. (10) above for requirements of file formats of attachments uploaded with grant applications.

If you experience problems with the steps related to registering to do business with the federal government or application submission, your first point of contact is the Grants.gov support staff at support@grants.gov , 1–800–518–4726.