Federal Register updates via the Rural Assistance Center
Sun May 9 22:46:57 EDT 2010
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National Health Care Workforce Commission; Notice on Letters of Nomination - The Government Accountability Office announces that letters of nomination and resumes for the National Health Care Workforce Commission should be submitted by June 30th, 2010.

Rural Utilities Service; Broadband Initiatives Program; Request for Proposals - The Rural Utilities Service announced its general policy and application procedures for the second round of funding under the broadband initiatives, outlining the requirements for specific grants for Satellite, Rural Library Broadband, and Technical Assistance.

Health Care Reform Insurance Web Portal Requirements; Interim Final Rule with Comment Period - Comments are being requested by the Department of Health and Human Services on a Web site through which individuals and small businesses can obtain information about the insurance coverage options that may be available to them in their State.

Early Retiree Reinsurance Program; Interim Final Rule with Comment Period - Comments are being requested by the Department of Health and Human Services on this interim final rule with comment period that implements the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program that provides reimbursement to participating employment-based plans for a portion of the cost of health benefits for early retirees and their spouses, surviving spouses and dependents.

Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; Promise Neighborhoods Program - The Department of Education announces a funding opportunity for the Promise Neighborhoods program to improve significantly the educational and developmental outcomes of children in our most distressed communities.

Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Changes in Provider and Supplier Enrollment, Ordering and Referring, and Documentation Requirements; and Changes in Provider Agreements; Interim Final Rule with Comment Period - This interim final rule with comment period from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services implements several provisions set forth in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that includes changes in provider and supplier enrollment, ordering and referring, and documentation requirements, and changes in provider agreements.

Food Stamp Program: Eligibility and Certification Provisions of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002; Approval of Information Collection Request; Final Rule - This final rule from the Department of Agriculture implemented 11 provisions of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (FSRIA), which established new eligibility and certification requirements for the receipt of food stamps.

Medicare Program; Proposed Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Proposed Fiscal Year 2011 Rates - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is requesting comments on a proposal to revise the Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems (IPPS) for operating and capital-related costs of acute care hospitals to implement changes arising from their continuing experience with these systems.

HIPAA Privacy Rule Accounting of Disclosures Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act; Request for Information - This document is a request for information to help the Department of Health and Human Services better understand the interests of individuals with respect to learning of disclosures of protected health information, the administrative burden on covered entities and business associates of accounting for such disclosures, and other information that may inform the Department's rulemaking in this area.

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Training and Information for Parents of Children with Disabilities; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010; Parent Training and Information Centers - This priority supports Parent Training and Information Centers in the areas to be served by the centers that will provide parents of children with disabilities, including low-income parents, parents of limited English proficient children, and parents with disabilities, with the training and information they need to enable them to participate cooperatively and effectively in helping their children with disabilities.

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Training and Information for Parents of Children with Disabilities; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010; Community Parent Resource Centers - This priority supports Community Parent Resource Centers in targeted communities that will provide underserved parents of children with disabilities, including low-income parents, parents of limited English proficient children, and parents with disabilities in that community, with the training and information they need to enable them to participate cooperatively and effectively in helping their children with disabilities.

Implementation of the ARRA of 2009 for Adjustments to the 2nd Quarter of F Y 2010 Federal Medical Assistance Percentage Rates for Federal Matching Shares for Medicaid & Title IV-E Foster Care, Adoption Assistance & Guardianship Assistance Program. - This notice from the Department of Health and Human Services provides the adjusted Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) rates for the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10) as required under Section 5001 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

Medicare Program; Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Prospective Payment System Payment--Update for Rate Year Beginning July 1, 2010 (RY 2011); Notice - This notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services updates the payment rates for the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for inpatient psychiatric hospital services provided by inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPFs).

Medicaid Program; State Flexibility for Medicaid Benefit Packages; Final Rule - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announces a final rule that provides States increased flexibility under an approved State plan to define the scope of covered medical assistance by offering coverage of benchmark or benchmark-equivalent benefit packages to certain Medicaid-eligible individuals.

Notice of Federal Property Suitable as Facilities to Assist the Homeless - This notice identifies unutilized, underutilized, excess, and surplus Federal property reviewed by HUD for suitability for possible use to assist the homeless.

Rural Housing Service; Rural Development Consolidated Programs--ARRA Funding; Comment Request - The Rural Housing Service is requesting comments on the Rural Development agency programs that were awarded funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The agencies provide grants, loans and loan guarantee assistance to rural residents, rural communities, and rural utility systems.

Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Small, Socially- Disadvantaged Producer Grant Program in Fiscal Year 2010 - The Rural Business-Cooperative Service announces the availability of approximately $3.463 million in competitive grant funds for fiscal year (FY) 2010 for cooperatives or associations of cooperatives to assist small, socially-disadvantaged agricultural producers.

Urban Non-Urban Homeless Female Veterans and Homeless Veterans With Families' Reintegration Into Employment; New Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications - The Department of Labor announces a grant competition for organizations that will provide comprehensive services "through a client-centered case management approach" that addresses complex problems facing Homeless Female Veterans and/or Veterans with Families eligible to transition into gainful employment.

Notice of Funds Availability for the Section 533 Housing Preservation Grants for Fiscal Year 2010 - The Rural Housing Service (RHS) announces that it is soliciting applications under the Housing Preservation Grant program with funding to assist very low- and low-income homeowners in repairing and rehabilitating their homes in rural areas.

Notice of Web Availability: Notice of Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Opportunity to Register and Other Important Information for Electronic Application Submission for Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs - Through today's Notice, HUD announces the availability on its Web site of its Notice of FY2010 Opportunity to Register and Other Important Information for Electronic Application Submission for the Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Program (CoC Registration Notice).

HIT Standards Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting - This notice announces a forthcoming public meeting of the HIT Standards Advisory Committee of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC, to be held May 26, 2010.

HIT Policy Committee Advisory Meeting; Notice of Meeting - This notice announces a forthcoming public advisory meeting of the HIT policy committee of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to be held May 19, 2010 at a location to be announced.

Notice of Solicitation of Applications (NOSA) for Inviting Applications for Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Grants and Guaranteed Loans Under the Rural Energy for America Program - This notice announces that Rural Business--Cooperative Service is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2010 for the purchase of renewable energy systems and the making of energy efficiency improvements for agriculture producers and rural small businesses in eligible rural areas.

Medicaid Program; State Allotments for Payment of Medicare Part B Premiums for Qualifying Individuals: Federal Fiscal Year 2009 and Federal Fiscal Year 2010; Notice - This notice from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sets forth final allotments available to States to pay the Medicare Part B premiums for Qualifying Individuals (QIs) for the Federal fiscal year (FY) 2009 and the preliminary QI allotments for FY 2010.

Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Waiver of Disapproval of Nurse Aide Training Program in Certain Cases; Final Rule - This final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will permit a waiver of a nurse aide training disapproval as it applies to skilled nursing facilities, in the Medicare program, and nursing facilities, in the Medicaid program, that are assessed a civil money penalty of at least $5,000 for noncompliance that is not related to quality of care.

Medicare Program; Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Conditions for Coverage; Proposed Rule; Comment Request - Comments are being requested by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on this proposed rule that would revise one of the existing conditions for coverage (CfC) that ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) must meet in order to participate in the Medicare program.

Indian Health Service; Elder Care Initiative Long-Term Care Grant Program; Notice of Funding Availability - The Indian Health Service (IHS) announces the availability of up to $600,000 for competitive grants through the Elder Care Initiative Long-Term Care (ECILTC) Grant Program to support planning and implementation of sustainable long-term care services for American Indians and Alaska Native (AI/AN) elders.

Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 - This notice from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services invites applications for 10 separate competitions for financial assistance designed to provide academic training in areas of personnel shortages in rehabilitation.

Small, Rural School Achievement Program; Notice Announcing Application Deadline - Under the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) Program, the U.S. Department of Education awards grants on a formula basis to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) to address the unique needs of rural school districts. In this notice, they establish the deadline for submission of fiscal year (FY) 2010 SRSA grant applications.

Medicaid Program; Final 2008, Revised Preliminary 2009, and Preliminary 2010 Disproportionate Share Hospital Allotments and Final 2008, Revised Preliminary 2009, and Preliminary 2010 Disproportionate Share Hospital Institutions for Mental Disease Limits - This notice announces the final Federal share disproportionate share hospital (DSH) allotments for Federal FY (FY) 2008 and the preliminary Federal share DSH allotments for FY 2010. This notice also announces the final FY 2008 and the preliminary FY 2010 limitations on aggregate DSH payments that States may make to institutions for mental disease and other mental health facilities.