Section 61.53 - Technical assistance grant application packages-rating criteria(a)General. Applicants that meet the threshold requirements in § 61.52 will then be rated using the selection criteria listed in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section. To be eligible for a technical assistance grant, an applicant must receive at least 600 points (out of a possible 800).(b)Quality of the technical assistance. VA will award up to 400 points based on the following:(1) How the recipients of technical training will increase their skill level regarding the completion of applications;(2) How the recipients of technical training will learn to find grant opportunities in a timely manner;(3) How the technical assistance provided will be monitored and evaluated and changes made, if needed; and(4) How the proposed technical assistance programs will be implemented in a timely fashion.(c)Ability of applicant to demonstrate expertise in preparing grant applications and to develop and operate a technical assistance program. VA will award up to 400 points based on the extent to which the application demonstrates all of the following: (1) Ability to find grants available for addressing the needs of homeless veterans.(2) Ability to find and offer technical assistance to entities eligible for such assistance.(3) Ability to administer a technical assistance program.(4) Ability to provide grant technical assistance.(5) Ability to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the technical assistance program and to make adjustments, if necessary, based on those evaluations.(6) Past performance. VA may use historical documents of past performance from both VA and non-VA, including those from other Federal, state and local agencies and audits by private or public entities in scoring technical assistance applications. Authority: 38 U.S.C. 501 , 2064