Strengthening the Medical Examiner - Coroner System

 

The program aims to help address the shortage of board-certified forensic pathologists and accredited Medical Examiner (ME) and Coroner offices in the United States. Objectives are to: (1) Increase the number and quality of board-certified forensic pathologists who choose the forensic pathology sub-specialty following the completion of an accredited pathology medical residency program; and (2) Assists ME and Coroner offices achieve accreditation through a recognized accreditation body [Examples: National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) and the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners (IACME).] Performance Measure 1: The number of participants who completed forensic pathology fellowship training under the Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner System Program.; and, Performance Measure 2: Number of individuals who initiated the certification process with Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner System Program funding during the reporting period.

Active 16.037 Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2020 Fellowship/Purpose Area 1 • 39 fellowships funded by this program. • 15 participants have completed fellowship training using program funds. • 2,306 deaths were investigated by the program funded fellows. • 2,217 autopsies were performed by the program funded fellows. Accreditation/Purpose Area 2 • 73 individuals seeking certification using program funds. • 12 individuals achieved certification using program funds. • 3 organizations have achieved accreditation using program funds. *Please note that due to COVID 19, many grantee’s program goals were delayed, especially with respect to accreditation. **Success Stories: The autopsy performance by the fellow reduced the overall caseload average for the full time forensic pathologists, helping to keep them below 325 annual autopsies, preserving critical criteria that must be met for NAME accreditation . The fellowship was an affordable and cost effective approach to solving concerns regarding record autopsy numbers, as well as by bolstering forensic pathology of the future, by providing two well trained forensic pathologists to an undermanned field. Montgomery County Coroner’s Office , Ohio With the hiring of this fellow, MCMEO was able to increase the number of autopsies performed by 6% when compared with the twelve months prior and allowed the office to offer support to surrounding jurisdictions in need of forensic autopsy services. During this timeframe, MCMEO was able to provide autopsy support to 14 other jurisdictions, which is an increase of more than 100% from years prior ~Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office
Fiscal Year 2022 See “Grantee Highlights” located on the following website for BJA’s Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner System Program for more information - https://bja.ojp.gov/program/strengthening-mec/grantees Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2023, Public Law 117-328, Statute 136,4459, 4536 City or township governments o County governments o For profit organizations other than small businesses o Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) o Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) o Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education o Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education o Private institutions of higher education o Public and State controlled institutions of higher education o Special district governments, and o State governments Not applicable. The following items are critical application elements required to pass Basic Minimum Requirements (BMR). An application that OJP determines does not include the application elements designated to be critical, will neither proceed to peer review, nor receive further consideration. o Program Narrative; o Budget Narrative; and o Budget Detail Worksheet (Note, the web-based form includes the budget details and the budget narrative.) Preapplication coordination is required. An environmental impact assessment is required for this listing. This program is excluded from coverage under 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Upon approval by the Office of Justice Programs Assistant Attorney General, successful applicants are notified via DOJ's Justice Grants System (JustGrants). The grant award must be accepted electronically by the receiving organizations authorized official in JustGrants. Deadlines are included with the application instructions available at the Office of Justice Programs web site (https://www.ojp.gov/funding/explore/current-funding-opportunities). From 60 to 90 days. An applicant that experiences unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond its control that prevent it from submitting its application by the deadline must email the BJA contact identified below within 24 hours after the application deadline to request approval to submit its application after the deadline. Additional information on reporting technical issues appears under "Experiencing Unforeseen Grants.gov Technical Issues" in the How To Apply (Grants.gov) section in the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide. There are no appeal rights for rejection of a discretionary application, but for discretionary awards, please see section 28 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 18. In some cases, award periods may be extended if specific criteria are met. For details, please review the discussion of no-cost extensions in the Criteria for Award Extension section of the Department of Justice Grants Financial Guide available at https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedoj/iii-postaward-requirements. See the current fiscal years' program solicitation available at the Office of Justice Programs web site at https://www.ojp.gov/funding/explore/current-funding-opportunities. Purpose Area 1: Forensic Pathology Fellowships - To help address the extreme shortage of board-certified forensic pathologists in the United States, allowable uses of funds for Purpose Area 1 include: • A salary/stipend for the fellow and related costs that may include fringe benefits (if applicable), at the applicant institution’s discretion. • Loan Repayments – To offset the financial burden associated with educational debt and assist with recruiting qualified candidates, an award recipient may use up to $75,000 of the available $150,000 award amount for fellowship loan repayments for each fellowship position. If they are applying for two fellowship positions, they may use up to $150,000 of the available $300,000 award amount to make the loan repayments. • Recruitment Travel -- As part of a marketing and recruitment strategy, applicants may use a portion of funding for mentee-type travel, so that fellowship candidates may gain more training and knowledge about the fellowships. • Equipment and Supplies – The purchase of minor equipment and supply items (e.g., microscopes) for fellows are allowable costs; however, all purchases need to be justified and approved by BJA. The applicant will need to include information within their application stating that the purchase of the item(s) is needed for fellows to complete the program. • Training, including travel associated with the fellow(s) attending training activities. • Medical license reimbursement Purpose Area 2: Medical Examiner-Coroner Office Accreditation - Accreditation provides an independent measure of quality assurance by assessing that an ME/C office maintains written policies and procedures, adequate staff, equipment, training, and suitable physical facilities to produce a forensically documented, accurate, and credible death investigation product. Under this program, allowable uses of funds for Purpose Area 2 include: • Equipment and Supplies – Award funds may be used to purchase equipment and supplies as long as the applicant can justify that the items are necessary to achieve or maintain accreditation. However, all purchases need to be justified and approved by BJA. • Personnel – Funds may be used to pay personnel within the ME/C agencies that are seeking certification. • Travel – Travel costs are allowable if they are incurred while supporting the ME/C office’s accreditation. • “Microgrants” – An entity may use funding to establish microgrants for individual ME/C offices. Since an ME/C office’s accreditation fee (~$10,000 to $20,000) is lower than this purpose area’s overall award amount ($100,000), an entity may apply for funds to distribute payments for the accreditation fee on behalf of several ME/C offices. • Funds may be used to support new ME/C office accreditation. • Funds may be used to maintain existing accreditation. • “Construction” – Construction costs are unallowable under this program. Budget Information for BOTH Purpose Areas 1 and 2: • Training – Award recipients must attend the annual 2-day forensics workshop for all recipients that will take place in the Washington, D.C., area. Key personnel (up to three representatives per awardee are allowed) will be expected to attend each annual meeting during the course of the grant period (starting in 2023), and applicants should budget accordingly. The workshop will focus on the elements of a successful project and key issues regarding forensics, medical examiners, and coroners. • No-Cost Extensions – If awarded, an award recipient can request a no-cost extension to lengthen their project period. This would allow them the capability to complete their fellowship program in relation to their state/local level timeframe, which may not correlate with the federal fiscal year or federal project duration. • Certification Fees – Certification fees are allowable as long as the applicant can justify that they are in support of the overall scope of the ME/C Program and purpose area. Performance Reports: To assist in fulfilling the Departments responsibilities under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), Public Law 103-62, and the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010, Public Law 111–352, recipients must provide data that measures the results of their work. Not applicable. In accordance with the requirement set forth in 2 CFR 200, Subpart F, grantees must maintain all financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other records pertinent to the award for at least 3 years following the close of the most recent audit. For additional guidance, please visit https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedoj/iii-postaward-requirements. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. The award period under this program is 36 months. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: Lump. None/Not specified. Thurston Bryant
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
810 7th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20531 USA
Thurston.Bryant@usdoj.gov
Phone: (202) 598-0379 https://www.ojp.gov/about/offices/bureau-justice-assistance-bja 15-0401-0-1-754 (Project Grants) FY 22$2,050,000.00; FY 23 est $2,050,000.00; FY 24 est $0.00; FY 21$1,589,287.00; FY 20$1,707,098.00; FY 19 - BJA expects to make up to 17 awards: o Purpose Area 1 (Fellowships) - Up to 7 awards are estimated to be made. Applicants may apply for one fellowship position (for up to $150,000), or they may apply for two fellowship positions (for up to $300,000 = $150,000 each) o Purpose Area 2 (Accreditation) - Up to 10 awards are estimated to be made. Applicants may apply for up to $100,000, per award. Office of Justice Programs funding opportunities https://www.ojp.gov/funding/explore/current-funding-opportunities Department of Justice Grants Financial Guide (https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedoj/overview) and Post award Instructions (https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedoj/iii-postaward-requirements), applicable OMB Circulars and regulations, and Department of Justice regulations applicable to specific types of grantees. Fiscal Year 2022 See the abstract information for the awards made under FY22 for more details - https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2022-171339