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The Department of Education is announcing the availability of new grant funding through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) under the COVID-19 relief act, CRRSAA, signed into law on December 27, 2020. Proprietary institutions of higher education can apply for these grants to provide financial aid to students facing economic challenges due to the pandemic. Around $680 million is available, and the funds must be used to assist students with exceptional needs, covering expenses like tuition, housing, or child care. Applications, which must be submitted via Grants.gov, are being accepted on a rolling basis until April 15, 2021.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposes changes to its life insurance regulations to make it easier for terminally ill service members and their families to access benefits. Typically, a terminally ill person must apply for their Accelerated Benefit, which allows them to receive part of their insurance payout early. However, the rule change would allow an alternate applicant, like someone with power of attorney, to apply if the insured person cannot do so themselves because of medical reasons. This update would also make it clear who qualifies as a dependent for insurance coverage and aligns VA's practices with industry standards.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is seeking public comments on its proposal to extend approval of information collection requirements under the 4, 4'-Methylenedianiline (MDA) in Construction Standard. This rule is vital to ensuring worker safety by protecting them from the harmful effects of MDA, a chemical that can cause cancer and liver and skin diseases. OSHA aims to reduce the burden on employers by minimizing paperwork while maintaining employee safety through exposure monitoring and medical surveillance. Comments are invited until April 21, 2025, and can be submitted electronically or by mail.

The Department of Education has announced the opening of applications for the 2025 fiscal year Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program. This program aims to fund projects that enhance educator skills through evidence-based practices, focusing on increasing educator diversity and providing quality professional development. Applicants, including institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations, need to demonstrate a 25% cost match from non-federal sources and will be assessed based on their project's design, significance, management plan, and evaluation methods. The grants range between $1,000,000 and $6,000,000 annually, with applications due by March 18, 2025.

The Health and Human Services Department has issued a final rule updating the standards for electronic transactions in retail pharmacies under HIPAA. The rule adopts modifications to improve data exchange, enhance patient safety, and streamline processes, like replacing several free text fields with specific data fields. These changes include implementing the NCPDP Telecommunication Standard Implementation Guide, Version F6, and the NCPDP Batch Standard Subrogation Implementation Guide, Version 10, specifically for Medicaid agencies. The new standards are set to take effect beginning February 11, 2028, with compliance required 36 months after the final rule's publication, including an 8-month transition period to ease the changes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), part of the Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded approximately $5 million to the Ponce Health Sciences Foundation in Puerto Rico. This funding, expected to total $25 million over five years, will support research and surveillance on diseases spread by mosquitoes, like dengue virus. The Ponce Health Sciences Foundation is uniquely positioned to carry out this work due to its existing infrastructure and community trust. The project's goals include improving disease tracking, studying special populations like children and pregnant women, and enhancing collaboration with local stakeholders.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is inviting public comments on its proposal to continue the approval of information collection requirements related to commercial diving operations. The aim is to ensure these requirements remain beneficial for both employers and employees by reducing paperwork and improving safety. OSHA is particularly seeking feedback on the necessity and efficiency of these information collections, as well as ways to make them less burdensome for employers. The deadline for submitting comments is March 7, 2025.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a cost recovery settlement with U.S. Home, LLC, d/b/a Lennar, and B&J Excavating, Inc. regarding the A.I.W. Frank/Mid-County Mustang Superfund Site in Exton, Pennsylvania. The settlement requires the involved parties to pay the EPA $178,818.46 plus interest, covering the EPA's past response costs. The EPA is inviting the public to comment on this proposal until January 22, 2025. During this period, the agency may adjust or withdraw the settlement based on feedback received.

This document from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) corrects technical and typographical mistakes in a previous rule published in November 2024. It involves Medicare and Medicaid Programs, particularly regarding payment systems, quality reporting programs, and various health policies. The corrections ensure accurate implementation of payment methodologies without changing any policy decisions made in the original rule, with the goal of making sure health providers receive correct payments promptly. As these are minor technical fixes, CMS has skipped the usual public notice and comment stages to enable quick implementation.

The U.S. Department of Education is opening applications for new grants under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), as part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA). This initiative is aimed at public and nonprofit universities and colleges that did not receive prior funding under a similar program in the CARES Act. The CRRSAA provides about $22.7 billion for higher education, with grants intended to cover pandemic-related costs, support student activities, and offer financial aid to students. The Department will automatically provide supplemental funds to eligible institutions that have already received grants from the previous CARES Act but requires new applications from institutions that did not.