§ 300z–5 — Requirements For Applications

(a) An application for a grant for a demonstration project for services under this subchapter shall be in such form and contain such information as the Secretary may require, and shall include— (1) an identification of the incidence of adolescent pregnancy and related problems; (2) a description of the economic conditions and income levels in the geographic area to be served; (3) a description of existing pregnancy prevention services and programs of care for pregnant adolescents and adolescent parents (including adoption services), and including where, how, by whom, and to which population groups such services are provided, and the extent to which they are coordinated in the geographic area to be served; (4) a description of the major unmet needs for services for adolescents at risk of initial or recurrent pregnancies and an estimate of the number of adolescents not being served in the area; (A) in the case of an applicant who will provide care services, a description of how all core services will be provided in the demonstration project using funds under this subchapter or will otherwise be provided by the grantee in the area to be served, the population to which such services will be provided, how such services will be coordinated, integrated, and linked with other related programs and services and the source or sources of funding of such core services in the public and private sectors; or (B) in the case of an applicant who will provide prevention services, a description of the necessary services to be provided and how the applicant will provide such services; (6) a description of the manner in which adolescents needing services other than the services provided directly by the applicant will be identified and how access and appropriate referral to such other services (such as medicaid; licensed adoption agencies; maternity home services; public assistance; employment services; child care services for adolescent parents; and other city, county, and State programs related to adolescent pregnancy) will be provided, including a description of a plan to coordinate such other services with the services supported under this subchapter; (7) a description of the applicant’s capacity to continue services as Federal funds decrease and in the absence of Federal assistance; (8) a description of the results expected from the provision of services, and the procedures to be used for evaluating those results; (9) a summary of the views of public agencies, providers of services, and the general public in the geographic area to be served, concerning the proposed use of funds provided for a demonstration project for services under this subchapter and a description of procedures used to obtain those views, and, in the case of applicants who propose to coordinate services administered by a State, the written comments of the appropriate State officials responsible for such services; (10) assurances that the applicant will have an ongoing quality assurance program; (11) assurances that, where appropriate, the applicant shall have a system for maintaining the confidentiality of patient records in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Secretary; (12) assurances that the applicant will demonstrate its financial responsibility by the use of such accounting procedures and other requirements as may be prescribed by the Secretary; (13) assurances that the applicant (A) has or will have a contractual or other arrangement with the agency of the State (in which the applicant provides services) that administers or supervises the administration of a State plan approved under title XIX of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.] for the payment of all or a part of the applicant’s costs in providing health services to persons who are eligible for medical assistance under such a State plan, or (B) has made or will make every reasonable effort to enter into such an arrangement; (14) assurances that the applicant has made or will make and will continue to make every reasonable effort to collect appropriate reimbursement for its costs in providing health services to persons who are entitled to benefits under title V of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 701 et seq.], to medical assistance under a State plan approved under title XIX of such Act [42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.], or to assistance for medical expenses under any other public assistance program or private health insurance program; (15) assurances that the applicant has or will make and will continue to make every reasonable effort to collect appropriate reimbursement for its costs in providing services to persons entitled to services under parts B and E of title IV [42 U.S.C. 620 et seq., 670 et seq.] and title XX of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1397 et seq.]; (A) a description of— (i) the schedule of fees to be used in the provision of services, which shall comply with section 300z–3(c) of this title and which shall be designed to cover all reasonable direct and indirect costs incurred by the applicant in providing services; and (ii) a corresponding schedule of discounts to be applied to the payment of such fees, which shall comply with section 300z–3(c) of this title and which shall be adjusted on the basis of the ability of the eligible person to pay; (B) assurances that the applicant has made and will continue to make every reasonable effort— (i) to secure from eligible persons payment for services in accordance with such schedules; (ii) to collect reimbursement for health or other services provided to persons who are entitled to have payment made on their behalf for such services under any Federal or other government program or private insurance program; and (iii) to seek such reimbursement on the basis of the full amount of fees for services without application of any discount; and (C) assurances that the applicant has submitted or will submit to the Secretary such reports as the Secretary may require to determine compliance with this paragraph; (17) assurances that the applicant will make maximum use of funds available under subchapter VIII of this chapter; (18) assurances that the acceptance by any individual of family planning services or family planning information (including educational materials) provided through financial assistance under this subchapter shall be voluntary and shall not be a prerequisite to eligibility for or receipt of any other service furnished by the applicant; (19) assurances that fees collected by the applicant for services rendered in accordance with this subchapter shall be used by the applicant to further the purposes of this subchapter; (20) assurances that the applicant, if providing both prevention and care services will not exclude or discriminate against any adolescent who receives prevention services and subsequently requires care services as a pregnant adolescent; (21) a description of how the applicant will, as appropriate in the provision of services— (A) involve families of adolescents in a manner which will maximize the role of the family in the solution of problems relating to the parenthood or pregnancy of the adolescent; (B) involve religious and charitable organizations, voluntary associations, and other groups in the private sector as well as services provided by publicly sponsored initiatives; (A) assurances that— (i) except as provided in subparagraph (B) and subject to clause (ii), the applicant will notify the parents or guardians of any unemancipated minor requesting services from the applicant and, except as provided in subparagraph (C), will obtain the permission of such parents or guardians with respect to the provision of such services; and (ii) in the case of a pregnant unemancipated minor requesting services from the applicant, the applicant will notify the parents or guardians of such minor under clause (i) within a reasonable period of time; (B) assurances that the applicant will not notify or request the permission of the parents or guardian of any unemancipated minor without the consent of the minor— (i) who solely is requesting from the applicant pregnancy testing or testing or treatment for venereal disease; (ii) who is the victim of incest involving a parent; or (iii) if an adult sibling of the minor or an adult aunt, uncle, or grandparent who is related to the minor by blood certifies to the grantee that notification of the parents or guardians of such minor would result in physical injury to such minor; and (C) assurances that the applicant will not require, with respect to the provision of services, the permission of the parents or guardians of any pregnant unemancipated minor if such parents or guardians are attempting to compel such minor to have an abortion; (23) assurances that primary emphasis for services supported under this subchapter shall be given to adolescents seventeen and under who are not able to obtain needed assistance through other means; (24) assurances that funds received under this subchapter shall supplement and not supplant funds received from any other Federal, State, or local program or any private sources of funds; and (25) a plan for the conduct of, and assurances that the applicant will conduct, evaluations of the effectiveness of the services supported under this subchapter in accordance with subsection (b). (1) Each grantee which receives funds for a demonstration project for services under this subchapter shall expend at least 1 per centum but not in excess of 5 per centum of the amounts received under this subchapter for the conduct of evaluations of the services supported under this subchapter. The Secretary may, for a particular grantee upon good cause shown, waive the provisions of the preceding sentence with respect to the amounts to be expended on evaluations, but may not waive the requirement that such evaluations be conducted. (2) Evaluations required by paragraph (1) shall be conducted by an organization or entity which is independent of the grantee providing services supported under this subchapter. To assist in conducting the evaluations required by paragraph (1), each grantee shall develop a working relationship with a college or university located in the grantee’s State which will provide or assist in providing monitoring and evaluation of services supported under this subchapter unless no college or university in the grantee’s State is willing or has the capacity to provide or assist in providing such monitoring and assistance. (3) The Secretary may provide technical assistance with respect to the conduct of evaluations required under this subsection to any grantee which is unable to develop a working relationship with a college or university in the applicant’s State for the reasons described in paragraph (2). (c) Each grantee which receives funds for a demonstration project for services under this subchapter shall make such reports concerning its use of Federal funds as the Secretary may require. Reports shall include, at such times as are considered appropriate by the Secretary, the results of the evaluations of the services supported under this subchapter. (1) A grantee shall periodically notify the Secretary of the exact number of instances in which a grantee does not notify the parents or guardians of a pregnant unemancipated minor under subsection (a)(22)(B)(iii). (2) For purposes of subsection (a)(22)(B)(iii), the term “adult” means an adult as defined by State law. (e) Each applicant shall provide the Governor of the State in which the applicant is located a copy of each application submitted to the Secretary for a grant for a demonstration project for services under this subchapter. The Governor shall submit to the applicant comments on any such application within the period of sixty days beginning on the day when the Governor receives such copy. The applicant shall include the comments of the Governor with such application. (f) No application submitted for a grant for a demonstration project for care services under this subchapter may be approved unless the Secretary is satisfied that core services shall be available through the applicant within a reasonable time after such grant is received.