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The Secretary, acting through the Service, is authorized to enter into contracts with, or make grants to, Indian tribes or tribal organizations providing health care services pursuant to a contract entered into under the Indian Self-Determination Act [25 U.S.C. 450f et seq.], to establish demonstration projects for the delivery of home- and community-based services to functionally disabled Indians.

Not later than 180 days after October 29, 1992, the Secretary, after consultation with Indian tribes and tribal organizations, shall develop and issue criteria for the approval of applications submitted under this section. Such criteria shall ensure that demonstration projects established under this section promote the development of the capacity of tribes and tribal organizations to deliver, or arrange for the delivery of, high quality, culturally appropriate home- and community-based services to functionally disabled Indians; ^[1]

The Secretary shall provide such technical and other assistance as may be necessary to enable applicants to comply with the provisions of this section.

At the discretion of the tribe or tribal organization, services provided under a demonstration project established under this section may be provided (on a cost basis) to persons otherwise ineligible for the health care benefits of the Service.

The Secretary shall establish not more than 24 demonstration projects under this section. The Secretary may not establish a greater number of demonstration projects under this section in one service area than in any other service area until there is an equal number of such demonstration projects established with respect to all service areas from which the Secretary receives applications during the application period (as determined by the Secretary) which meet the criteria issued pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.

The Secretary shall submit to the President, for inclusion in the report which is required to be submitted under section 1671 of this title for fiscal year 1999, a report on the findings and conclusions derived from the demonstration projects conducted under this section, together with legislative recommendations.

For the purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

There are authorized to be appropriated for each of the fiscal years 1996 through 2000 such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section. Such sums shall remain available until expended.