Nursing Excellence Fund

Improving Oversight of Federal GrantmakingVA is required to ensure compliance with all applicable statutes, regulations, and Executive Orders when evaluating and awarding grants. In accordance with Executive Order 14332, Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking, aside from the evaluation criteria published in this announcement, VA has discretion to remove from consideration any applicant VA deems does not clearly advance the President's or VA's priorities. VA will not fund activities that use racial preference for eligibility criteria or promote gender ideology. VA will not fund activities that promote or facilitate violations of immigration laws or are sources of waste, fraud, or abuse. VA will not tolerate activity or conduct by grant recipients that constitute acts of moral turpitude, are scandalous, or bring the recipient, the project funded by this grant, or VA into public disrepute, contempt, or ridicule. These grants support the President's priority to increase the excellence of and options for care, benefits, and services for veterans, as demonstrated in Executive Order 14332. Program is subject to Public Law 117-58 Build America, Buy America Act. Recipients of an award of Federal financial assistance from a program for infrastructure are hereby notified that none of the funds provided under this award may be used for a project for infrastructure unless:(1) all iron and steel used in the project are produced in the United States--this means all manufacturing processes, from the initial melting stage through the application of coatings, occurred in the United States; (2) all manufactured products used in the project are produced in the United States—this means the manufactured product was manufactured in the United States; and the cost of the components of the manufactured product that are mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States is greater than 55 percent of the total cost of all components of the manufactured product, unless another standard for determining the minimum amount of domestic content of the manufactured product has been established under applicable law or regulation; and (3) all construction materials44 are manufactured in the United States—this means that all manufacturing processes for the construction material occurred in the United States. The Buy America preference only applies to articles, materials, and supplies that are consumed in, incorporated into, or affixed to an infrastructure project. As such, it does not apply to tools, equipment, and supplies, such as temporary scaffolding, brought to the construction site and removed at or before the completion of the infrastructure project. Nor does a Buy America preference apply to equipment and furnishings, such as movable chairs, desks, and portable computer equipment, that are used at or within the finished infrastructure project, but are not an integral part of the structure or permanently affixed to the infrastructure project. Grants are available to State and Tribal Governments for construction or renovations of State/Tribal owned and operated Veterans Extended Care Facilities. The Department of Veterans Affairs participation may not exceed 65% of the total project costs. Review governing regulation before submitting an application (38 CFR Part 59). If the state is submitting a new grant application, it must submit a complete initial application (Section A of the project checklist) on Grants.gov by April 15th in order to be eligible for listing on the Priority List for the next fiscal year. Once the complete initial application is retrieved from Grants.gov by Program Staff, the grant applicant will receive 1) an automated notification from Grants.gov confirming receipt by the Program and 2) an email from Program Staff indicating the application's FAI number and corresponding project page in MAX.gov for submission of subsequent items. Note that Grants.gov is used only once to submit a new grant application. Applicants must submit complete initial applications on Grants.gov in order to be considered. Please contact Program Staff prior to submission if you need assistance understanding the requirements pertaining to an initial grant application, or if you need general assistance. Renovation or Life Safety initial grant applications require items A.1.-A.7. in Section A of the project checklist. Grant applicants, do not submit items A.8.-.A.13 for Renovation of Life Safety grants. Adult Day Health Care, New Home Construction or Bed Replacement initial grant applications require all items in Section A (A.1.-A.13) of the project checklist. Required for ALL applications A.1.A Project Scope A.1.B Form SF424 A.1.C Form SF424D A.1.D Form SF424C A.1.E Budget Justification Worksheet (must align with SF424C budget form) A.2. Governor's designation of authorized state official and contact person A.3. Needs assessment (as outlined in VA Form 10-0388-1) A.4. State Clearinghouse Comments (E.O. 12372) single point of contact and compliance statement A.5. Schematics A.6. Signed Initial Application Certification VA Form 10-0388-1 A.7. Safety citation/letter (Only Life Safety projects need to submit this). Required for Adult Day Health Care, Bed Replacement or New Construction - Items A1-A6 and the below items A.8. Space program analysis (NHC use Form 10-0388-3, ADHC use Form 10-0388-4) A.9. Five-year capital plan for state's entire state home program A.10. Financial plan for state facility's first three years of operation A.11. Documentation that there is a reasonable basis to conclude that the facility when complete will be fully occupied A.12. Authorized state official's certification of the total number of state-operated nursing home and domiciliary beds and occupancy rate A.13. Authorized state official's certification that the number of state home beds does not exceed the requirement in 38 CFR 59.40 or justification for number of state home beds exceeding 38 CFR 59.40 based on travel distance Funding Opportunity Number: VA-GRANTS-112508-002. Assistance Listing: 64.005. Funding Instrument: G. Category: HL. Award Amount: $260K – $275M per award.