This program is designed to support a system in each State to protect the legal and human rights of eligible individuals with disabilities.

(Authority: Section 509(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; 29 U.S.C. 794e(a))

(a)(1) A protection and advocacy system that is established under part C of title I of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (DD Act), 42 U.S.C. 15041 et seq., and that meets the requirements of § 381.10 is eligible to apply for a grant award under this part.

(2)(i) For any fiscal year in which the appropriation to carry out the activities of this part equals or exceeds $10,500,000, the eligible system serving the American Indian Consortium is eligible to apply for a grant award under this part.

(ii) For purposes of this part, an eligible system is defined at § 381.5(c).

(iii) For purposes of this part, the American Indian Consortium means a consortium established as described in section 102 of the DD Act (42 U.S.C. 15002).

(b) In any fiscal year in which the amount appropriated to carry out this part is less than $5,500,000, a protection and advocacy system from any State or from Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, may apply for a grant under the Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights (PAIR) program to plan for, develop outreach strategies for, and carry out a protection and advocacy program authorized under this part.

(c) In any fiscal year in which the amount appropriated to carry out this part is equal to or greater than $5,500,000, an eligible system from any State and from any of the jurisdictions named in paragraph (b) of this section may apply to receive the amount allotted pursuant to section 509(c)-(e) of the Act.

(Authority: Section 509(b), (c), and (m) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; 29 U.S.C. 794e(b), (c), and (m))

(a) Funds made available under this part must be used for the following activities:

(1) Establishing a system to protect, and advocate for, the rights of individuals with disabilities.

(2) Pursuing legal, administrative, and other appropriate remedies or approaches to ensure the protection of, and advocacy for, the rights of eligible individuals with disabilities within the State or the American Indian Consortium.

(3) Providing information on and making referrals to programs and services addressing the needs of individuals with disabilities in the State or American Indian Consortium, including individuals with disabilities who are exiting from school programs.

(4) Coordinating the protection and advocacy program provided through an eligible system with the advocacy programs under—

(i) Section 112 of the Act (the Client Assistance Program (CAP));

(ii) The Older Americans Act of 1965 (the State long-term care ombudsman program) (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.);

(iii) Part C of the DD Act; and

(iv) The Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness Act of 2000 (PAIMI) (42 U.S.C. 10801-10807).

(5) Developing a statement of objectives and priorities on an annual basis and a plan for achieving these objectives and priorities.

(6) Providing to the public, including individuals with disabilities and, as appropriate, their representatives, an opportunity to comment on the objectives and priorities described in § 381.10(a)(6).

(7) Establishing a grievance procedure for clients or prospective clients of the eligible system to ensure that individuals with disabilities are afforded equal access to the services of the eligible system.

(b) Funds made available under this part also may be used to carry out any other activities consistent with the purpose of this part and the activities listed in paragraph (a) of this section.

(Authority: Sections 12(c) and 509(f) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; 29 U.S.C. 709(c) and 794e(f)).

The following regulations apply to the PAIR program:

(a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) as follows:

(1) 34 CFR part 75 (Direct Grant Programs) for purposes of an award made under § § 381.20 or 381.22(a)(1).

(2) 34 CFR part 76 (State-Administered Programs), if the appropriation for the PAIR program is equal to or greater than $5,500,000 and the eligible system is a State or local government agency, except for—

(i) Section 76.103;

(ii) Sections 76.125 through 76.137;

(iii) Sections 76.300 through 76.401;

(iv) Section 76.704;

(v) Section 76.734; and

(vi) Section 76.740.

(3) 34 CFR part 77 (Definitions that Apply to Department Regulations).

(4) 34 CFR part 79 (Intergovernmental Review of Department of Education Programs and Activities).

(5) 34 CFR part 81 (General Education Provisions Act—Enforcement).

(6) 34 CFR part 82 (New Restrictions on Lobbying).

(b) 2 CFR part 180 (OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement)), as adopted at 2 CFR part 3485.

(c) 2 CFR part 200 (Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards), as adopted at 2 CFR part 3474.

(d) The regulations in this part 381.

(Authority: Sections 12(c) and 509 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; 29 U.S.C. 709(c) and 794e)

(a) Definitions in EDGAR at 34 CFR part 77.

(b) Definitions in 2 CFR part 200 subpart A.

(c) Other definitions. The following definitions also apply to this part:

Act means the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

Advocacy means pleading an individual's cause or speaking or writing in support of an individual. Advocacy may be formal, as in the case of a lawyer representing an individual in a court of law or in formal administrative proceedings before government agencies (whether tribal, State, local, or Federal). Advocacy also may be informal, as in the case of a lawyer or non-lawyer representing an individual in negotiations, mediation, or informal administrative proceedings before government agencies (whether tribal, State, local, or Federal), or as in the case of a lawyer or non-lawyer representing an individual's cause before private entities or organizations, or government agencies (whether tribal, State, local, or Federal). Advocacy may be on behalf of—

(i) A single individual, in which case it is individual advocacy;

(ii) More than one individual or a group or class of individuals, in which case it is systems (or systemic) advocacy; or

(iii) Oneself, in which case it is self advocacy.

Eligible individual with a disability means an individual who—

(i) Needs protection and advocacy services that are beyond the scope of services authorized to be provided by the CAP under section 112 of the Act; and

(ii) Is ineligible for—

(A) Protection and advocacy programs under part C of the DD Act; and

(B) Protection and advocacy programs under the PAIMI.

Eligible system means a protection and advocacy system that is established under part C of the DD Act and that meets the requirements of § 381.10.

Mediation means the act or process of using an independent third party to act as a mediator, intermediary, or conciliator to settle differences or disputes between persons or parties. The third party who acts as a mediator, intermediary, or conciliator must not be any entity or individual who is connected in any way with the eligible system or the agency, entity, or individual with whom the individual with a disability has a dispute. Mediation may involve the use of professional mediators or any other independent third party mutually agreed to by the parties to the dispute.

State means, in addition to each of the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, except for purposes of sections 509(c)(3)(B) and (c)(4) of the Act, in which case State does not mean or include Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

(Authority: Sections 7(34), 12(c), and 509 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; 29 U.S.C. 705(34), 709(c) and 794e)