PKG00263406-instructions.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR: H-1B RURAL HEALTHCARE GRANT PROGRAM

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: FOA-ETA-20-12

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 17.268

KEY DATES: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is November 13, 2020. We must receive applications no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time .

On approximately October 7, 2020, a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page about the H-1B Rural Healthcare Grant Program will be available at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/skills-grants/h1-b-skills-training. Please check this link frequently for future updates, as additional FAQs may be added. A pre-recorded Prospective Applicant Webinar will be available at the same link on approximately October 7, 2020 and available for viewing any time after that date.

While a review of this Webinar is strongly encouraged to support successful grant applications, it is not mandatory.

ADDRESSES: Address mailed applications to:

The U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management Attention: Brinda Ruggles, Grant Officer Reference FOA-ETA-20-12 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716 Washington, D.C. 20210

For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to Section IV.

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/skills-grants/h1-b-skills-training https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/skills-grants/h1-b-skills-training

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE

B. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

C. TARGET INDUSTRIES

D. GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE

E. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES/ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

C. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Screening Criteria

2. Number of Applications Applicants May Submit

3. Eligible Participants

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

1. SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance”

2. Project Budget

3. Project Narrative

4. Attachments to the Project Narrative

C. SUBMISSION DATE, TIME, PROCESS, AND ADDRESS

1. Hardcopy Submission

2. Electronic Submission through Grants.gov

D. INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW

E. FUNDING RESTRICTIONS

1. Indirect Costs

2. Intellectual Property Rights

3. Grant Recipient Technical Assistance Training

4. Use of Grant Funds for Paid Work-based Learning Components

5. Use of Funds for Supportive Services

6. Grant Profit

F. OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. CRITERIA

B. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

1. Merit Review and Selection Process

2. Risk Review Process

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. AWARD NOTICES

B. ADMISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

1. Administrative Program Requirements

2. Other Legal Requirements

3. Other Administrative Standards and Provisions

4. Special Program Requirements

C. REPORTING

1. Quarterly Financial Reports

2. WIOA Primary Indicators of Performance

3. Quarterly Progress Reports

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

A. WEB-BASED RESOURCES

B. INDUSTRY COMPETENCY MODELS AND CAREER CLUSTERS

C. WORKFORCEGPS RESOURCES

D. SKILLSCOMMONS RESOURCES

IX. OMB INFORMATION COLLECTION

APPEXDIX A: ALLOWABLE H-1B HEALTHCARE OCCUPATIONS

APPENDIX B: APPRENTICESHIP RESOURCES

APPENDIX C: NATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL FRAMEWORKS

APPENDIX D: SUGGESTED PERFORMANCE OUTCOME MEASURES TABLE

APPENDIX E: SUGGESTED PROJECT WORK PLAN TABLE

APPENDIX F: SUGGESTED ABSTRACT FORMAT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $40 million in grant funds authorized under the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (ACWIA), as amended (codified at 29 USC 3224a) for the H-1B Rural Healthcare Grant Program.

The intent of this grant program is to alleviate healthcare workforce shortages by creating sustainable employment and training programs in healthcare occupations (including behavioral and mental healthcare) serving rural populations.1

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for healthcare workers, particularly in rural areas where there was already an acute need.2 Expanding employment and training models for the healthcare industry will help individuals gain the skills necessary to provide needed services, fill vacancies, and allow employers to find skilled workers more readily. This grant program will result in increasing the numbers of individuals in healthcare occupations. Employment and training programs funded through this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) can propose a wide range of training models, including Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) and Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs).3 Pre-apprenticeships are permitted only as on-ramps to apprenticeship programs proposed in response to this FOA and must result in placement in apprenticeships during the life of the grant.

Grants under this program will be awarded to partnerships of public and private sector entities.

Eligible lead applicants include employers in the healthcare sector; nonprofit healthcare organizations affiliated with hospitals and other medical facilities; healthcare industry and/or occupation associations; organizations designated as “Primary Care Associations” by the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA); Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State or Local Workforce Development Boards (WDB) and Indian/Native American Tribal Government (federally recognized); and Native American Program entities eligible for funding under Section 166 of WIOA (29 U.S.C. 3221).4 Employers and education and training providers are required partners.

1 For the purposes of this grant program, rural populations are those that 1) meet the criteria defined by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) at https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/about-us/definition/index.html; or 2) any federally recognized Indian tribe.

2 https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/healthcare-access.

3 Apprenticeship programs can be either Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) or Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs). The definition of a RAP can be found in 29 CFR, Part 29, Subpart A. The definition of an IRAP can be found in 29 CFR, Part 29, Subpart B. RAPs are approved through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship or a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, whereas IRAPs are approved through a Standards Recognition Entity (SRE) recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. Key to both apprenticeship models are employer involvement, a paid work-based learning component (sometimes referred to as on-the-job learning (OJL) or on-the-job training (OJT)), a related technical instruction component, mentorship, and a recognized postsecondary credential upon program completion.

4 PCAs are state or regional nonprofit organizations that provide training and technical assistance to health centers and their communities. Assistance is based on statewide and regional needs to help health centers improve https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/about-us/definition/index.html https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/healthcare-access

For applicants proposing RAPs or IRAPs in states with federally recognized State Apprenticeship Agencies (SAAs), the applicant must include the SAA as a partner.5

These public-private partnerships will leverage resources across federal and state funding streams as well as from the private sector. They will work together toward a coordinated approach to preparing a skilled healthcare workforce for a rural area. The Department encourages applicants to generate at least 15 percent of the total amount of requested funds as leveraged funds to support the grant project. By engaging partners and aligning grant projects with broader workforce activities, applicants will position their projects to sustain efforts beyond the grant period of performance.

Eligible participants served through this grant program must be at least 17 years old and not currently enrolled in secondary school within a local educational agency. Among the individuals eligible to receive training, those of particular interest include veterans, military spouses, transitioning service members, and underrepresented populations, including women, people of color, ex-offenders, individuals with disabilities, and other populations with employment barriers that hinder movement into middle- to high-skilled H-1B healthcare occupations.

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. PROGRAM PURPOSE

This Announcement solicits applications for the H-1B Rural Healthcare Grant Program. The recent COVID-19 crisis has placed an unprecedented strain on our nation’s healthcare system.

Rural areas in particular have struggled with providing needed healthcare services to their communities.6 The purpose of the grant program is to (1) increase the number of individuals training in healthcare occupations that directly impact patient care; and (2) alleviate healthcare workforce shortages by creating sustainable employment and training programs in healthcare occupations (including behavioral and mental healthcare) serving rural populations.7 programmatic, clinical, and financial performance and operations, including developing strategies to recruit and retain staff. PCAs were established to create economies of scale for health centers, maximize the federal Section 330 investments in states, assess and monitor the policy and regulatory environments, and assist health centers in adapting to changing demands from an evolving healthcare environment. PCAs facilitate collaboration between health centers and governors, Medicaid Directors and state health departments to educate them on the health center program and its value to patients, and to work with health centers on the best approaches to meet the needs of their constituents.

5A map indicating the states which have State Apprenticeship Agencies is located at https://www.doleta.gov/OA/contactlist.cfm.

6 https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/health-care-workforce#workforce.

7 For the purposes of this grant program, rural populations are those that (1) meet the criteria defined by HRSA’s FORHP at https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/about-us/definition/index.html; or (2) any federally recognized Indian tribe.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, the U.S. had approximately 6.8 million job openings, many of which required skilled labor. Research suggests that the U.S. does not only have a shortage of healthcare workers, it has a shortage of skilled workers for the jobs that are available.8 Based on the most recently available data (FY 2020), the U.S. issued 7,515 H-1B visas for healthcare-related jobs. Additionally, the U.S. population and workforce are aging, and this will affect future demand for healthcare workers over the next decade.9 The Bureau of Labor Statistics published the top ten fastest growing occupations for the 2018-28 decade, and six of those occupations were healthcare-related.10

The need for healthcare workers has intensified with the current COVID-19 crisis. Expanding employment and training models for the healthcare industry will help individuals gain the skills necessary to fill these vacancies and allow employers to find skilled workers more readily. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, proposed training models should consider whether is it necessary and feasible to offer educational instruction and/or work-based learning in a virtual or socially-distanced learning environment. Online and technology-enabled (including hybrid, or a blend of online and classroom instruction) learning strategies may provide adults an opportunity to balance the competing demands of work and family while acquiring new knowledge and skills at a time, place, and/or pace that are convenient for them. The Department encourages applicants to incorporate new and emergent technologies, such as interactive simulations, personalized and virtual instruction, educational gaming, or digital tutors, into the educational component of their training design. However, applicants should be consider whether any training components require in-person instruction.

A central goal of this grant program is to increase the number of workers in rural healthcare occupations. Given the number of displaced and unemployed workers in the aftermath of the COVID-19 health crisis, applicants are encouraged to design their grant programs to assist unemployed individuals seeking entry or reentry into the workforce and underemployed workers in need of new skills and full-time employment opportunities. Applicants may serve incumbent workers who need to increase their skills to remain competitive and advance along a career ladder, and are encouraged to backfill those positions with unemployed and underemployed individuals.

Within these three groups of eligible participants that may be served through the grant (unemployed, underemployed, or incumbent workers), applicants may design programs to address the needs of particular populations. Applicants may describe populations, such as veterans, military spouses, transitioning service members, and underrepresented populations, including women, people of color, and ex-offenders, individuals with disabilities, and other

8 https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/Documents/SHRM%20Skills%20Gap%202019.pdf.

9 https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/Documents/Preparing-for-an-Aging- Workforce-Gap-Analysis-Research.pdf.

10 https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecopro.pdf.

https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/Documents/SHRM%20Skills%20Gap%202019.pdf https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/Documents/SHRM%20Skills%20Gap%202019.pdf https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/Documents/Preparing-for-an-Aging-Workforce-Gap-Analysis-Research.pdf https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/Documents/Preparing-for-an-Aging-Workforce-Gap-Analysis-Research.pdf https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecopro.pdf populations with employment barriers that hinder movement into middle- to high-skilled H-1B healthcare occupations.

Applicants are required to track and report participant-level characteristics and data on the proposed outcomes and outputs that the project will achieve during the period of performance.

Outcomes are measurable characteristics that directly result from the implementation of specific project design activities. Outputs are tangible products or services that result from the project.

In addition, the Department requires H-1B grants to align with and report on the six WIOA primary indicators of performance, as set forth in WIOA Section 116(b)(2).11 More detail on performance reporting expectations can be found in Section IV.B.3.

While these projects address critical needs for an economic region, they are small investments in the context of the larger workforce development system. Therefore, the Department is requiring grantees to align these efforts with other workforce development activities occurring in the state.

This alignment is important to sustaining training beyond the grant period of performance.

Successful applicants will leverage the public workforce development system’s demonstrated experience in improving workers’ employment-related skills and their involvement in initiatives to help address workers’ barriers to employment. This includes evidence that state or local WDBs are involved in the development and implementation of the grant project, ranging from leveraging state or local systems for data tracking and reporting, leveraging expertise and braiding funds and other in-kind resources. Applications also will be evaluated on the extent to which they have leveraged resources to support these activities. The Department encourages applicants to generate at least 15 percent of the total requested amount of the grant as leveraged funds to support the grant project.

B. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

The H-1B Rural Healthcare Grant Program is authorized under Section 414(c) of the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (ACWIA), as amended (codified at 29 U.S.C. 3224a). These grants are financed by a user fee paid by employers to bring foreign workers into the United States under the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program.

C. TARGET INDUSTRIES

The H-1B Rural Healthcare Grant Program will fund projects that expand healthcare occupations in rural areas by providing employment and training opportunities that lead to well-paying, middle- and high-skilled jobs. While program participants will have varying levels of skills upon enrollment in training programs, applicants must design grant programs to help participants

11 TEGL No.14-18, Aligning Performance Accountability Reporting, Definitions, and Policies Across Workforce Employment and Training Programs Administered by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), March 25, 2019.

access a viable healthcare career pathway through education and training that results in employment in middle- and high-skilled jobs.

• This grant program is designed to support healthcare programs that focus on direct patient care; therefore, occupations such as healthcare-related Information Technology (IT) training will not be allowable under this FOA.

• Applicants must address the healthcare occupations specified in this FOA, and/or adequately demonstrate in-demand healthcare occupation(s) in the service area proposed through labor market information and/or other supporting documentation (See Appendix A).

Applicants must design their programs to serve rural areas at the local/regional or statewide level with healthcare training (including training in behavioral and mental healthcare occupations).

See Geographic Scope Section I.D. for the definition of rural populations.

The healthcare industry sector is one of the top ten industries that are using H-1B visas to hire foreign workers.12 Applicants may choose to expand training programs in healthcare occupations that affect direct patient care in rural areas along a career pathway to middle- to high-skilled jobs. Applicants may propose to serve a specific occupation or multiple healthcare occupations within the healthcare industry.

Applicants will not receive points in the scoring criteria if the application does not clearly identify they are training for a healthcare occupation(s) that affects direct patient care.

Applicants must provide sufficient evidence of need in the area served by the grant, such as proposing to serve Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).13

A list of H-1B healthcare occupations that are acceptable is provided in Appendix A. Applicants may also choose to target specific H-1B occupation(s) even if that occupation is not in one of the identified H-1B occupations listed in Appendix A. If the occupation is not listed in Appendix A, the application must provide data showing that the H-1B occupation is focused on direct patient care and is one for which a significant number of H-1B visas have been certified. Applicants must use verifiable data to make this demonstration, such as data provided by DOL’s Foreign Labor Certification Data Center. Applicants may propose to serve more than one H-1B occupation.

12 Office of Foreign Labor Certification, Labor Conditions Application Specialty Occupations Labor Condition Program Industries Profile - FY 2020, March 31, 2020.

13 High-need and high-demand areas are identified as sites located within Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Information about Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) can be found at https://bhw.hrsa.gov/shortage-designation/hpsas.

D. GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE

Applicants must identify the geographic scope of the proposed project. Applicants can propose to serve rural areas at the local/regional or statewide level with healthcare training (including behavioral and mental healthcare occupations).

• For the purposes of this grant program, rural populations are those that: (1) meet the criteria defined by the HRSA’s FORHP at https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/about-us/definition/index.html; or (2) any federally recognized Indian tribe.

o Local/regional means serving a rural part of one state or a contiguous area that includes multiple rural sites in an economic region that do not cross state boundaries.

o Statewide means serving an entire state or multiple non-contiguous sites within one state. A statewide approach must encompass and emphasize services to rural areas.

E. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES/ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES

The grant program also allows applicants to design or customize training models that meet the needs of healthcare employers and training participants in rural areas. Applicants must design workforce development strategies that support:

• Engaging healthcare providers and employers in the adoption and deployment of employment and training services to address specific healthcare needs in rural areas;

• Establishing new or expanding existing career pathways in the healthcare sector that focus on the skills, competencies, and credentials needed for middle to high-skilled direct patient healthcare occupations;

• Offering high quality training options (such as work-based learning training models) to prepare individuals to successfully move into middle- to high-skilled employment in healthcare occupations;

• Creating an infrastructure to successfully sustain the program components after the life of the grant;

• Providing supportive services to participants necessary to ensure they are able to participate fully in employment and training activities; and

• Identifying an existing system through the partnership with the local workforce development board or other WIOA partners for the purpose of collecting and reviewing program data, and monitoring results to assess program performance.

1. Training and Education Services

Projects funded under this FOA will provide a range of training and education services that lead to middle- and high-skilled jobs in healthcare occupations. These services include assessment, coaching and counseling, and occupational skills training models that lead to recognized postsecondary credentials.14 This may include robust, comprehensive, and customized work-based learning strategies such as On-the-Job Training (OJT); customized training for cohorts;

Incumbent Worker Training; Registered Apprenticeship Programs; Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs; pre-apprenticeship programs that lead to grant-funded apprenticeship programs; and paid work and paid internships, classroom training, and technology-based training strategies. All projects will incorporate a strong up-front assessment component that allows for a customization of services and training to meet the needs of the program participants to get a job, retain their employment, or advance to a new position in healthcare occupations.

Applicants may propose these strategies or a combination of these strategies to meet the needs of employers and jobs seekers, and allow flexibility for program delivery. The Department encourages co-enrolling participants into WIOA Title I programs, where appropriate, to leverage training costs. The intent of co-enrollment is to meet the training and employment needs of program participants by leveraging the resources and services available through other funding sources.

a. On-the-Job Training (OJT)

OJT can bridge the divide between unemployment and employment by addressing the gap between an individual’s skills and the requirements for a particular occupation. Individuals who participated in OJT in the past have demonstrated improved labor market attachment and enhanced job tenure, as illustrated by higher rates of job placement and retention. OJT also offers participants a “learn and earn” training option, allowing individuals to learn new skills while earning a regular paycheck. OJT differs from other types of workplace training, including customized training, in several ways:

• Participants are hired by an employer and earn wages during training;

• OJT is based on an individualized training plan that reflects the results of an individual skills assessment and analysis of job requirements;

• Training is conducted in the workplace under the direction of one or more of the employer’s supervisory personnel; and

• The grantee pays the employer a reimbursement to cover the extraordinary costs of the training.

OJT has specific requirements explained in Section IV.E. Funding Restrictions. Incumbent workers are not eligible to participate in OJT.

14 See Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No.14-18, Aligning Performance Accountability Reporting, Definitions, and Policies Across Workforce Employment and Training Programs Administered by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), March 25, 2019 and Training Employment Notice (TEN) No. 25-19 Understanding Postsecondary Credentials in the Public Workforce System, June 8, 2020 for information on recognized postsecondary credentials.

b. Customized Training

Cohort-based customized training is designed to meet the specific requirements of an employer or group of employers with the commitment that the employer(s) hire an individual upon successful completion of the training. Applicants that propose a customized training model must work with Local WDBs and American Jobs Centers to co-enroll grant participants and negotiate and arrange for participants to receive individual training accounts to pay for cohort or customized training. The employer must pay for a portion of the cost of training, as determined by the Local WDB, taking into account the size of the employer and other factors the Local WDB determines are appropriate, which may include the number of employees participating in training, wage and benefit levels of those employees (at present and anticipated upon completion of the training), relation of the training to the competitiveness of a participant, and other employer-provided training and advancement opportunities.

c. Incumbent Worker Training

Incumbent Worker Training is allowable to meet the needs of employers and individuals who are employed but need training to upgrade their skills to secure full-time employment, increase their skills to remain competitive, and advance in their careers, or retain their current occupations in H-1B occupations and industries. The training provided to incumbent workers is developed in collaboration with the employer for which an individual is employed when they are determined eligible to participate in the grant. As such, we encourage you to work with employer partners to develop plans to create career pathways in middle- and high-skill jobs to move existing healthcare workers into higher-skill occupations. The training provided to incumbent workers is developed with an employer or employer association.

d. Registered Apprenticeship Programs, Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs, and Pre-Apprenticeship Programs

Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAP): RAPs (29 CFR Part 29, Subpart A, and 29 CFR Part 30) combine an educational or instructional component with a paid work-based learning component. RAPs are registered through the DOL’s Office of Apprenticeship or a DOL recognized State Apprenticeship Agency. Registered apprentices are paid employees and receive progressive wage increases commensurate with their skill attainment throughout the training program. Registered apprentices have a 1:1 ratio with a mentor throughout their on-the-job learning. Upon successful completion of all phases of work-based learning and related-instruction components, registered apprentices receive nationally recognized certificates of completion leading to long-term career opportunities.

For more information on RAPs, please visit www.apprenticeship.gov.

Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAP): IRAPs (29 CFR Part 29, Subpart B) are high-quality apprenticeship programs that provide individuals with opportunities to obtain workplace relevant knowledge and progressively advancing skills.

IRAPs are recognized through a Standards Recognition Entity (SRE). IRAPs include a paid work component and an educational or instructional component, and result in an industry-recognized credential. IRAPs are developed or delivered by entities such as trade and industry groups, corporations, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, unions, and joint labor-management organizations. For more information on IRAPs, please visit https://www.apprenticeship.gov/industry-recognized-apprenticeship-program.

Pre-apprenticeship Programs: A pre-apprenticeship program is defined as a set of strategies designed to prepare individuals for entry into an apprenticeship.15 Pre-apprenticeship programs differ from internships, job shadowing, externships, and co-ops that also offer individuals an opportunity to experience firsthand a profession or practice, but do not always engage in “real world” experiential learning. For the purposes of this FOA, pre-apprenticeship programs funded through this grant are only allowable when participants advance into an apprenticeship program(s) as proposed in the application.

e. Other Work-Based Learning Activities: Paid Work Experience and Paid Internships

Paid work experience is defined as a planned and structured learning experience that takes place in a workplace for a limited period of time. For the purposes of this FOA, work experiences are required to be paid work experiences. The specific requirements of these paid work experiences are detailed in Section IV.E. Funding Restrictions. Incumbent workers are not eligible to participate in paid work experience.

Paid internships provide a monitored or supervised work or service experience in an individual’s career field where he or she has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what is learned throughout the experience. These learning goals can include academic learning, career development, and skill development. Internships are considered part of a structured program where the grantee establishes the criteria for determining who will participate in these programs; set for a period of time that is generally limited in duration, but may be flexible to allow interns to spend limited time in the classroom; support the attainment of credentials in the individual’s expected career field (where such credentials exist); relate to training provided through the grant and help participants prepare for employment opportunities on which the grant focuses; and, not necessarily carrying an offer of regular employment upon successful completion of the internship.

For the purposes of this FOA, internships are required to be paid internships. Under this FOA, paid internships have specific requirements, which are detailed in Section IV.E.

Funding Restrictions. Incumbent workers are not eligible to participate in paid internships.

15 Describing a Quality Pre-Apprenticeship and Related Tools and Resources Training and Employment Notice No.

13-12, available at https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/attach/TEN/TEN_13-12.pdf.

https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/attach/TEN/TEN_13-12.pdf

f. Classroom, Competency-Based, and Online Accelerated Training Strategies

In addition to the types of work-based training previously listed, a variety of other types of training strategies may include, but are not limited to, classroom occupational training that is accelerated and competency-based, distance learning, and technology-based learning or simulation training. Simulation training links the classroom learning with real-life clinical experience. Accelerated and competency-based training strategies can rapidly train participants efficiently and effectively for employment. They can include competency-based programs that give participants credit for skills they have already developed and allow participants to move through coursework based on mastery of skills or online programs that prepare individuals for jobs in middle- to high-skill jobs in H-1B industries and occupations.

g. Supportive Service Strategies

Up to 10 percent of grant funds may be used to provide supportive services for training participants. Supportive services are those necessary to enable an individual to participate in education and training activities funded through this grant program. Examples of such services include but are not limited to transportation, childcare, dependent care, housing, and needs-related payments. Grantees may fund supportive services through various means, including providing the actual supportive service (e.g., childcare), providing participants with a voucher for the service (e.g., public transportation cards or tokens), or providing a stipend directly to the participant. See Section IV.E.5. Use of Funds for Supportive Services.

h. Other Activities

A wide range of activities may assist applicants in their efforts to establish new training models, expand existing programs, and offer employment and training services.

Accordingly, applicants may propose to use grant funds to undertake additional activities designed to create an environment for employment and training opportunities, including, but not limited to, those listed in this section.

The Department wishes to ensure that individuals, employers, educators and training providers have access to the most complete, current and beneficial information about providers, programs credentials and competencies supported with these public, federal funds. To this end, the Department requires that information about all credentials (including but not limited to diplomas, badges, certificates, certifications, apprenticeships, licenses, and degrees of all levels and types) and competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) developed or delivered through the use of these public federal funds be made publicly accessible through the use of linked open data formats that support full transparency and interoperability, such as through the use of credential transparency description language specifications. ETA will provide specific guidance and technical assistance on data elements to include in the published open data, such as information about the credential provider, the credential and its associated competencies, delivery mode, geographic coverage, the industry sector(s) and occupation(s) for which the credential was developed, related assessments, related accreditations or other quality assurances where appropriate, costs, and available outcomes.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

Funding will be provided in the form of a grant. We expect availability of approximately $40 million to fund approximately 15-40 grants ranging from $500,000 to $2,500,000 based on the scope of the project. Awards made under this Announcement are subject to the availability of federal funds. In the event that additional funds become available, we reserve the right to use such funds to select additional grantees from applications submitted in response to this Announcement.

Applicants must propose to train a specific number of participants based on the size of the award requested and geographic area considerations, such as the population of the proposed service area or the number of healthcare employers in the service area.

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance is 48 months with an anticipated start date of January 15, 2021. This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities. These activities include promoting rural healthcare programs within the targeted service area, developing or expanding training activities for individuals, providing training to participants, and undertaking follow-up for tracking and reporting performance outcomes. We expect that hiring appropriate grant project personnel and undertaking start-up activities will begin immediately and that grantees will begin enrolling participants no later than nine months after the date of grant award. We strongly encourage applicants to develop their project work plans and timelines accordingly. Grantees must plan to expend all of grant funds by the end of the period of performance.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

In keeping with the authority provided by Congress under ACWIA, grants under this program will be awarded to a partnership of public and private sector entities. Grants will be awarded to the lead applicant, which will serve as the grantee and have overall fiscal and administrative responsibility for the grant.

Eligible Lead Applicant Entities

This funding opportunity is open to all eligible applicants as identified below. The following organizations are eligible to apply as a lead applicant:

Eligible grant leads will include:

• Healthcare employers, and healthcare industry and/or occupation associations;

• Nonprofit healthcare organizations affiliated with hospitals and other medical facilities;

• Organizations designated as “Primary Care Associations” by Health Resources and

Service Administration (HRSA);16

• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State and Local WDBs, under

Sections 101 and 107 of WIOA (29 U.S.C. 3111 and 3122); Indian/Native American Tribal Government (federally recognized); and

• Native American Program entities eligible for funding under Section 166 of WIOA (29 U.S.C. 3221).

Lead applicants must identify their institution type in Section 9 of the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance.

Please note that all elements of 2 CFR Part 200 (Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards) and 2 CFR Part 2900 (DOL’s Supplement to 2 CFR Part 200) apply to any entity that carries out a federal award as a recipient or subrecipient, including for-profit organizations. This includes the monitoring and the examination of their records. In addition, the entity may not earn or keep any profit resulting from federal financial assistance.

In the required Abstract (see Section IV.B.4. Attachments to the Project Narrative), you must clearly identify the lead applicant and each member of the Rural Healthcare Partnership.

The lead applicant will serve as the grantee, must be the organization specified in Section 8 of the SF-424 Application Form, and will be: (1) the point of contact with the Department to receive and respond to all inquiries or communications under this FOA and any subsequent grant award; (2) the entity with authority to withdraw or draw down funds through the Department of Health and Human Services - Payment Management System (HHS-PMS); (3) the entity responsible for submitting to the Department all deliverables under the grant, including all technical and financial reports related to the project, regardless of which partnership member performed the work; (4) the entity that may request or agree to a revision or amendment of the

16 PCAs are state or regional nonprofit organizations that provide training and technical assistance to health centers and their communities. Assistance is based on statewide and regional needs to help health centers improve programmatic, clinical, and financial performance and operations, including developing strategies to recruit and retain staff. PCAs were established to create economies of scale for health centers, maximize the federal Section 330 investments in states, assess and monitor the policy and regulatory environments, and assist health centers in adapting to changing demands from an evolving healthcare environment. PCAs facilitate collaboration between health centers and governors, Medicaid Directors and state health departments to educate them on the health center program and its value to patients, and to work with health centers on the best approaches to meet the needs of their constituents.

grant agreement or statement of work; (5) the entity with overall responsibility for carrying out the programmatic functions of the grant, as well as for the stewardship of all expenditures under the grant; (6) the entity responsible for coordinating with the national evaluator, including participating in an evaluation and other studies, if selected by DOL; and (7) the entity responsible for working with DOL to close out the grant.

H-1B Rural Healthcare Grant Partnership

Grants under this program will be awarded to partnerships of public and private sector entities.

The applicant must identify and include the required partners listed below, which represents both public and private partner institutions. Those organizations collectively form the “H-1B rural healthcare grant partnership,” and demonstrate strong engagement of the required partners necessary to meet grant goals. Additionally, applicants should consider including additional optional partners that support the goals of the Rural Healthcare Partnership.

a) Required Partners

To demonstrate the active involvement of the required Rural Healthcare Partnership entities, applicants must provide signed documentation of commitments—such as signed memoranda of understanding, a partnership agreement, or other types of signed agreements—that demonstrates the commitment of each type of entity listed below.

Applicants will be scored based on the inclusion of this documentation, as well as the level and quality of involvement in the project as described in Section IV.B.3.c.1. H-1B Rural Healthcare Grant Partnership. Required partners in the Rural Healthcare Partnership include:

1. Employer Partners

A minimum of two (2) employer partners who are committed to hiring individuals trained through the grant; or an industry/trade association or other business association, such as a Chamber of Commerce, that represents at least two (2) employers who are committed to hiring individuals trained through the grant.

2. Education and Training Providers

One or more public or nonprofit education and training providers, including institutions of higher education as defined in Section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001), community and technical colleges and systems; joint labor-management training partnerships; nonprofit and community-based organizations that offer job training, including those organizations that have been approved as WIOA Eligible Training Providers.

3. For applicants proposing to provide Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) or Industry- Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs) in service areas whose states are federally recognized State Apprenticeship Agencies (SAAs),17 the SAA must be included as a partner; and

4. Entities involved in administering the workforce development system established under WIOA, including State and Local WDBs and Native American Program entities eligible for funding under WIOA.

b) Optional Partners

While the required partner(s) reflect the scope and reach of the project, we strongly encourage applicants to collaborate with other partners that can support and advance the work of the Rural Healthcare Partnership. These include additional trade and industry groups; organizations functioning as workforce and industry intermediaries (including entities such as labor-management organizations, community-based organizations, and industry associations, which help broker local, regional, and national workforce solutions); nonprofit organizations specializing in serving rural populations or populations with mental and behavioral health needs;

state agencies with the responsibility for public health (including behavioral and mental healthcare and addiction services); other organizations to support outreach and training activities, such as American Job Center operators; community organizations that provide social support and/or wrap-around services; foundations and philanthropic organizations; and other federally funded programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and other WIOA Title II Adult Education programs.

Applicants that are proposing to develop new rural healthcare programs are strongly encouraged to partner with professional associations, industry groups, and academic institutions that can support employment and training activities through the grant and provide quality assurance.

B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

This program does not require cost sharing or matching funds. Including such funds is not one of the application screening criteria and applications that include any form of cost sharing or match will not receive additional consideration during the review process. Instead, the agency considers any resources contributed to the project beyond the funds provided by the agency as leveraged resources. Section IV.B.2 provides more information on leveraged resources.

The Department encourages applicants to generate at least 15 percent of the total requested amount of the grant award as leveraged funds to supplement grant activities. Applicants may count and document as leveraged resources any cash or in-kind commitments. Leveraged resources can come from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to: the private sector (e.g., businesses or industry associations); the investor community (e.g., angel networks or economic development entities); the philanthropic community (e.g., foundations); and the non-

17 A map indicating the states who have State Apprenticeship Agencies is located at https://www.doleta.gov/OA/contactlist.cfm.

profit sector (e.g., community organizations, faith-based organizations, or education and training institutions).

Reporting Leveraged Resources DOL grantees must track and report leveraged resources quarterly on the ETA Form 9130. The ETA Form 9130 may be found at http://www.doleta.gov/grants/financial_reporting.cfm.

C. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Screening Criteria

You should use the checklist below as a guide when preparing your application package to ensure that the application has met all of the screening criteria. Note that this checklist is only an aid for applicants and should not be included in the application package. We urge you to use this checklist to ensure that your application contains all required items. If your application does not meet all of the screening criteria, it will not move forward through the merit review process.

Application Requirement Instructions Complete?

The deadline submission requirements are met Section IV.C

Eligibility Section III.A

If submitted through Grants.gov, the components of the application are saved in any of the specified formats and are not corrupt. (We will attempt to open the document, but will not take any additional measures in the event of problems with opening.)

Section IV.C.2

Application Federal funds request is within the grant award range of $500,000 to $2.5 million Section II.A

SAM Registration Section IV.B.1

SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance Section IV.B.1

SF-424 includes a DUNS Number Section IV.B.1

SF-424A, Budget Information Form Section IV.B.2

Budget Narrative Section IV.B.2

Project Narrative Section IV.B.3

Provision of Rural Healthcare Training that Focus on Direct Patient Care

Appendix A or Documentation supporting Verifiable Data

2. Number of Applications Applicants May Submit

We will consider only one application from each organization serving as the lead applicant. If we receive multiple applications from the same organization serving as the lead applicant, we will consider only the most recently received application that met the deadline. If the most recent application is disqualified for any reason, we will not replace it with an earlier application.

3. Eligible Participants

a) Participants Eligible to Receive Training The intent of this FOA is to fund projects that provide employment and training services to individuals that will gain the skills and competencies required to enter middle- and high-skilled jobs along a career pathway in healthcare occupations. This program will train individuals whose employment status when determined eligible for the program is unemployed, underemployed, or an incumbent worker.

All participants must be 17 years of age or older and not currently enrolled in secondary school within a local educational agency. Training must result in advancement of an individual’s skills along a career pathway into middle- and high-skilled healthcare occupations.

Among the individuals eligible to receive training, those of particular interest include veterans, military spouses, transitioning service members, and underrepresented populations including women, people of color, ex-offenders, individuals with disabilities, and other populations with employment barriers that hinder movement into middle-to high-skilled H-1B healthcare occupations. Applicants are also strongly encouraged to include individuals who are not traditionally represented in the proposed healthcare occupations.

To facilitate the inclusion of lower skilled and disadvantaged workers, applicants may serve individuals who are lower skilled, without the necessary skills and competencies to be in middle- and high-skilled jobs, as long as the program provides the skills necessary for individuals to enter a middle- to high-skilled job, or a job along a career pathway in a healthcare occupations upon completion of the program. The employment and training program must include components that will assist those who do not have particular educational prerequisites and/or experience.

For the purposes of this FOA, the following definitions apply:

1) Unemployed workers: An unemployed worker is an individual who is without a job and is available to work.

2) Underemployed workers: This term refers to individuals who are not currently connected to a full-time job commensurate with the individual’s level of education, skills, or…