plus real property for public health purposes, complete an environmental assessment of the proposed transaction in keeping with applicable provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Archeological Data Preservation Act, and other related acts. No permit to use surplus real property shall allow the permittee to make, or cause to be made, any irreversible change in the condition of said property, and no use permit shall be employed for the purpose of delaying or avoiding compliance with the requirements of these Acts.

(b) Applicants shall be required to provide such information as the Department deems necessary to make an assessment of the impact of the proposed Federal action on the human environment. Materials contained in the applicant's official request, responses to a standard questionnaire prescribed by the Director of the Office of Federal Property Assistance, as well as other relevant information, will be used by the Department in making said assessment.

(c) If the assessment reveals (1) That the proposed Federal action involves properties of historical significance which are listed, or eligible for listing, in the National Register of Historic Places, or (2) that a more than insignificant impact on the human environment is reasonably foreseeable as a result of the proposed action, or (3) that the proposed Federal action could result in irreparable loss or destruction of archeologically significant items or data, the Department will, except as provided for in paragraph (d) below, prepare and distribute, or cause to be prepared or distributed, such notices and statements and obtain such approvals as are required by the above cited Acts.

(d) If a proposed action involves other Federal agencies in a sequence of actions, or a group of actions, directly related to each other because of their functional interdependence, the Department may enter into and support a lead agency agreement to designate a single lead agency which will assume primary responsibility for coordinating the assessment of environ

mental effects of proposed Federal actions, preparing and distributing such notices and statements, or obtaining such approvals, as are required by the above cited Acts. The procedures of the designated lead agency will be utilized in conducting the environmental assessment. In the event of disagreement between the Department and another Federal agency, the Department will reserve the right to abrogate its lead agency agreement with the other Federal Agency.

§ 12.11 Special terms and conditions.

(a) Applicants will be required to pay all external administrative costs which will include, but not be limited to, taxes, surveys, appraisals, inventory costs, legal fees, title search, certificate or abstract expenses, decontamination costs, moving costs, closing fees in connection with the transaction and service charges, if any, made by State Agencies for Federal Property Assistance under the terms of a cooperative agreement with the Department.

(b) In the case of off-site property, applicants will be required to post performance bonds, make performance guarantee deposits, or give such other assurances as may be required by the Department or the holding agency to insure adequate site clearance and to pay service charges, if any, made by State Agencies for Federal Property Assistance under the terms of a cooperative agreement with the Department.

(c) Whenever negotiations are undertaken for disposal to private nonprofit public health organizations of any surplus real property which cost the Government $1 million or more, the Department will give notice to the Attorney General of the United States of the proposed disposal and the terms and conditions thereof. The applicant shall furnish to the Department such information and documents as the Attorney General may determine to be appropriate or necessary to enable him to give the advice as provided for by section 207 of the Act.

(d) Where an applicant proposes to acquire or lease and use in place improvements located on land which the Government does not own, he shall be

required, before the transfer is consummated, to obtain a right to use the land commensurate with the duration of the restrictions applicable to the improvements, or the term of the lease. The applicant will be required to assume, or obtain release of, the Government's obligations respecting the land including but not limited to obligations relating to restoration, waste, and rent. At the option of the Department, the applicant may be required to post a bond to indemnify the Government against such obligations.

(e) The Department may require the inclusion in the transfer or lease document of any other provision deemed desirable or necessary.

(f) Where an eligible applicant for an on-site transfer proposes to construct new, or rehabilitate old, facilities, the financing of which must be accomplished through issuance of revenue bonds having terms inconsistent with the terms and conditions of transfer prescribed in § 12.9 (c), (d), and (e) of this chapter, the Department may, in its discretion, impose such alternate terms and conditions of transfer in lieu thereof as may be appropriate to assure utilization of the property for public health purposes.

§ 12.12 Utilization.

(a) Where property or any portion thereof is not being used for the purposes for which transferred, the transferee will be required at the direction of the Department:

(1) To place the property into immediate use for an approved purpose;

(2) To retransfer such property to such other public health user as the Department may direct;

(3) To sell such property for the benefit and account of the United States; (4) To return title to such property to the United States or to relinquish any leasehold interest therein;

(5) To abrogate the conditions and restrictions of the transfer, as set forth in § 12.9(d) of this chapter, except that, where property has never been placed in use for the purposes for which transferred, abrogation will not be permitted except under extenuating circumstances; or

(6) To make payments as provided for in § 12.3(c) of this chapter.

(b) Where the transferee or lessee desires to place the property in temporary use for a purpose other than that for which the property was transferred or leased, approval from the Department must be obtained, and will be conditioned upon such terms as the Department may impose.

§ 12.13 Form of conveyance.

(a) Transfers or leases of surplus real property will be on forms approved by the Office of General Counsel of the Department and will include such of the disposal or lease terms and conditions set forth in this part and such other terms and conditions as the Office of General Counsel may deem appropriate or necessary.

(b) Transfers of on-site property will normally be by quitclaim deed without warranty of title.

Percent allowed

100% will be granted. This public benefit allowance applies only to surplus real property being sold for on-site use. When surplus real property is to be moved from the site, a basic public benefit allowance of component of other facilities.

2 Applicable when this is the primary use to be made of the property. The public benefit allowance for the overall health program is applicable when such facilities are conveyed as a minor

53-155 0-85--3

§ 13.1 Purpose of these rules.

These rules implement section 203 of the Equal Access to Justice Act, 5 U.S.C. 504 and 504 note, for the Department of Health and Human Services. They describe the circumstances under which the Department may award attorney fees and certain other expenses to eligible individuals and entities who prevail over the Department in certain administrative proceedings (called "adversary adjudications").

The Department may reimburse parties for expenses incurred in adversary adjudications if the party prevails in the proceeding and if the Department's position in the proceeding was not substantially justified. These rules

explain how to apply for an award. They also describe what proceedings constitute adversary adjudications covered by the Act, what types of persons and entities may be eligible for an and award, and what procedures standards the Department will use to make a determination as to whether a party may receive an award.

§ 13.2 When these rules apply.

These rules apply to adversary adjudications pending before the Department between October 1, 1981 and September 30, 1984.

§ 13.3 Proceedings covered.

(a) These rules apply only to adversary adjudications. For the purpose of these rules, only an adjudication required to be under 5 U.S.C. 554, in which the position of the Department or one of its components is represented by an attorney or other representative ("the agency's litigating party") who enters an appearance and participates in the proceeding, constitutes an adversary adjudication. These rules do not apply to proceedings for the purpose of establishing or fixing a rate or for the purpose of granting, denying, or renewing a license. Department proceedings covered by these rules, if the agency's litigating party enters an appearance and participates, are listed in Appendix A.

(b) If a proceeding is covered by these rules, but also involves issues excluded under paragraph (a) of this section from the coverage of these rules, reimbursement is available only for fees and expenses resulting from covered issues.

§ 13.4 Eligibility of applicants.

(a) To be eligible for an award of attorney fees and other expenses under these regulations, the applicant must be a party, as defined in 5 U.S.C. 551(3), to the adversary adjudication for which it seeks an award. An applicant must show that it meets all conditions of eligibility set out in this subpart and in Subpart B.

(b) The categories of eligible applicants are as follows:

(1) Individuals with a net worth of not more than $1 million;

(2) Sole owners of unincorporated businesses if the owner has a net worth of not more than $5 million, including both personal and business interests, and not more than 500 employees;

(3) Charitable or other tax-exempt organizations described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3)) with not more than 500 employees;

(4) Cooperative associations as defined in section 15(a) of the Agricultural Marketing Act (12 U.S.C. 1141j(a)) with not more than 500 employees, and

(5) All other partnerships, corporations, associations or public or private organizations with a net worth of not more than $5 million and with not more than 500 employees.

(c) For the purpose of determining eligibility, the net worth and number of employees of an applicant is calculated as of the date the proceeding was initiated. The net worth of an applicant is determined by generally accepted accounting principles.

(d) Whether an applicant who owns an unincorporated business will be considered as an "individual" or a "sole owner of an unincorporated business" will be determined by whether the applicant's participation in the proceeding is related primarily to individual interests or to business interests.

(e) The employees of an applicant include all those persons regularly providing services for remuneration for the applicant, under the applicant's direction and control. Part-time employees shall be included on a proportional basis.

(f) The net worth and number of employees of the applicant and all of its affiliates shall be aggregated to determine eligibility. Any individual, corporation or other entity that directly or indirectly controls or owns a majority of the voting shares or other interest of the applicant, or any corporation or other entity of which the applicant directly or indirectly owns or controls a majority of the voting shares or other interest, will be considered an affiliate for purposes of this part, unless the adjudicative officer determines that such treatment would

be unjust and contrary to the purposes of the Act in light of the actual relationship between the affiliated entities. In addition, the adjudicative officer may determine that financial relationships of the applicant other than those described in this paragraph constitute special circumstances that would make an award unjust.

(g) An applicant is not eligible if it appears from the facts and circumstances that it has participated in the proceedings only primarily on behalf of other persons or entities that are ineligible.

§ 13.5

or

Standards for awards.

(a) Awards will not be made for fees and expenses where the Department's position in the proceeding was substantially justified at the time the proceeding was initiated. The fact that a party has prevailed in a proceeding does not create a presumption that the Department's position was not substantially justified. The burden of proof that an award should not be made to an eligible prevailing applicant is on the agency's litigating party, which may avoid an award by showing that its position was reasonable in law and fact.

(b) When two or more matters are joined together for one hearing, each of which could have been heard separately (without regard to laws or rules fixing a jurisdictional minimum amount for claims), and an applicant has prevailed with respect to one or several of the matters, an eligible applicant may receive an award for expenses associated only with the matters on which it prevailed if the Department's position on those matters was not substantially justified.

(c) Awards for fees and expenses incurred before the date on which a proceeding was initiated will be made only if the applicant can demonstrate that they were reasonably incurred in preparation for the proceeding.

(d) Awards will be reduced or denied if the applicant has unduly or unreasonably protracted the proceeding or if other special circumstances make an award unjust.