Rehabilitation Services-vocational Rehabilitation Grants To States, Recovery Act (84.390)

Program

84.390 Rehabilitation Services-vocational Rehabilitation Grants To States, Recovery Act

Federal Agency

Agency: Department of Education

Authorization

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title I, Parts A and B, Sections 100-111; and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

Program Number

84.390

Last Known Status

Active

Objectives

To assist States in operating comprehensive, coordinated, effective, efficient and accountable programs of vocational rehabilitation; to assess, plan, develop, and provide vocational rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities, consistent with their strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, and capabilities so they may prepare for and engage in competitive employment.

Types of Assistance

Formula Grants

Uses and Use Restrictions

Federal and State funds are used to cover the costs of providing vocational rehabilitation services which include: assessment, counseling, vocational and other training, job placement, reader services for the blind, interpreter services for the deaf, medical and related services and prosthetic and orthotic devices, rehabilitation technology, transportation to secure vocational rehabilitation services, maintenance during rehabilitation, and other goods and services necessary for an individual with a disability to achieve an employment outcome. Services are provided to families of disabled individuals when such services will contribute substantially to the rehabilitation of such individuals who are being provided vocational rehabilitation services. Funds can also be used to provide Vocational Rehabilitation services for the benefit of groups of individuals with disabilities including the construction and establishment of community programs.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

None

Beneficiary Eligibility

None

Credentials/Documentation

No Credentials or documentation are required. OMB Circular No. A-87 applies to this program.

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Preapplication coordination is required. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.

Application Procedure

This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110. There is no separate application required for States to be eligible to receive funds under the ARRA. State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies do not need to submit a new or amended State Plan. However, State VR agencies will be required to submit information for review and approval by the Department that addresses the record-keeping and reporting requirements that are specified in the ARRA.

Award Procedure

ARRA grant awards will be made to State VR agencies with an approved FY 2009 State Plan. States are notified of their allotment under the funding formula. Grant awards are issued to State VR agencies and funds are withdrawn under the Electronic Transfer System.

Deadlines

Not Applicable.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

There is no deadline associated with the first 50 percent of each State�s ARRA grant allocation for the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services program. Funds will be made available to each State agency based on the State�s eligibility determination for FY 2009 Vocational Rehabilitation State Grant funds. Changes to the State Plan and annual updates related to the regular appropriation must be submitted to the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) by July 1 of each year. In order to receive the remaining 50 percent of the State�s allocation for the State VR Services program under the ARRA, States must submit information for review and approval by the Department that addresses the record-keeping and reporting requirements that are specified in the ARRA.

Appeals

Not Applicable.

Renewals

Not Applicable.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

Statutory Formula: Title I, Part A, Subpart 110.

Matching Requirements: Funds are distributed based on population weighted by per capita income. The statistical factors for fund allocation are: per capita income 3-year average by State (Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates) and U.S. total and State population (Annual Population Estimates, Bureau of the Census).

MOE requirements are not applicable to this program.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Funds are available for obligation at the Federal level until September 30, 2010. State VR agencies have an additional 12-month period to obligate the funds they receive. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Funds are distributed by electronic transfer.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Annual and quarterly reports are required. Grantees must report on how ARRA funds under this program are spent. ARRA reporting requirements will be included in grant award documents. Annual and quarterly progress reports; annual budget and case service reports; quarterly financial reports. Grantees must report on how ARRA funds under this program are spent. Information on ARRA reporting requirements will be included in grant award documents. Additional information on ARRA record keeping and reporting requirements will be provided later. The Rehabilitation Act requires the conduct of annual reviews of periodic on-site monitoring of whether a State VR agency is complying substantially with the provisions of its State plan and with the program's performance indicators established under section 106 of the Act.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. Conducted by ED Office of Inspector General and by site visits of regional staff. Both are periodic but no set schedule.

Records

Case service records for individual consumers. Financial and programmatic records must be kept for a prescribed period of 3 years (34 CFR 80.42).

Program Accomplishments

Not Applicable.

Financial Information

Account Identification

91-0302-0-1-506.

Obligations

(Formula Grants) FY 08 $0; FY 09 est $540,000,000; FY 10 est $0

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

The range of ARRA grant awards is expected to be $204,598 to $56,470,213.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

Vocational Rehabilitation Regulations (34 CFR 361). Vocational Rehabilitation Manual. Rehabilitation Services Policy Directives and Technical Assistance Circulars.

Related Programs

84.126 Rehabilitation Services_Vocational Rehabilitation Grants to States

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

None.

Headquarters Office

William Bethel U. S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, District of Columbia 20202 Email: william.bethel@ed.gov Phone: (202) 245-6775

Web Site Address

http://www.ed.gov/programs/rsabvrs/index.html

Examples of Funded Projects

Not Applicable.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

Not Applicable.