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Program Announcement No.: SSA-OESP-01-2

Request for Applications (RFA)--Cooperative Agreements for Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach Projects.  Closing date was: April 05, 2001.

January 05, 2001 Federal Register, Volume 66, No. 4, pg 1168-1179)

The Social Security Administration (SSA) announces its intention to competitively award cooperative agreements to establish community-based benefits planning, assistance, and outreach projects in certain States and portions of States. On May 31, 2000, SSA made a similar announcement of cooperative agreement funds, and requested applications in Vol. 65, No. 105 (34768-34778) of the Federal Register. SSA’s intent was to establish benefits planning, assistance and outreach services in every State and US Territory, and in the District of Columbia, and to ensure that services would be available to all SSA beneficiaries with disabilities throughout each. However, applications either were not received from, or did not score highly enough in a review by independent panelists to be awarded for the following locations:

• The entire States of Alabama, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia; and

• Certain counties in the States of Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Minnesota  (See Part II, C, Number, Size, and Duration of Projects.)

Therefore, this announcement is to request applications for FY 2001 cooperative agreement funds to provide direct benefits planning, assistance and outreach services to all SSA disability beneficiaries in those locations, only. The purpose of these projects is to disseminate accurate information to beneficiaries with disabilities (including transition-to-work aged youth) about work incentives programs and issues related to such programs, to enable them to make informed choices about work.

President Clinton signed the bill that became Public Law 106-170 on December 17, 1999 to expand the availability of health care coverage for working individuals with disabilities, to establish a Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program in SSA to provide beneficiaries with disabilities meaningful opportunities to work, and to provide benefits planning and assistance services, and outreach to beneficiaries with disabilities, among other purposes. SSA must ensure that benefits planning, assistance, and outreach are available to all beneficiaries with disabilities nationally, on a statewide basis.