(a) In order for a State to receive refugee resettlement assistance from funds appropriated under section 414 of the Act, it must submit to ORR a plan that meets the requirements of title IV of the Act and of this part and that is approved under § 400.8 of this part.

(b) A State must certify no later than 30 days after the beginning of each Federal fiscal year that the approved State plan is current and continues in effect. If a State wishes to change its plan, a State must submit a proposed amendment to the plan. The proposed amendment will be reviewed and approved or disapproved in accordance with § 400.8.

[51 FR 3912, Jan. 30, 1986, as amended at 60 FR 33602, June 28, 1995]

The plan must:

(a) Provide for the designation of, and describe the organization and functions of, a State agency (or agencies) responsible for developing the plan and administering, or supervising the administration of, the plan;

(b) Describe how the State will coordinate cash and medical assistance with support services to ensure their successful use to encourage effective refugee resettlement and to promote employment and economic self-sufficiency as quickly as possible.

(c) Describe how the State will ensure that language training and employment services are made available to refugees receiving cash assistance, and to other refugees, including State efforts to actively encourage refugee registration for employment services;

(d) Identify an individual designated by the Governor or the appropriate legislative authority of the State, with the title of State Coordinator, who is employed by the State and will have the responsibility and authority to ensure coordination of public and private resources in refugee resettlement in the State;

(e) Provide for, and describe the procedures established for, the care and supervision of, and legal responsibility (including legal custody and/or guardianship under State law, as appropriate) for, unaccompanied refugee children in the State;

(f) Provide for and describe (1) the procedures established to identify refugees who, at the time of resettlement in the State, are determined to have medical conditions requiring, or medical histories indicating a need for, treatment or observation, and (2) the procedures established to monitor any necessary treatment or observation;

(g) Provide that assistance and services funded under the plan will be provided to refugees without regard to race, religion, nationality, sex, or political opinion; and

(h) Provide that the State will, unless exempted from this requirement by the Director, assure that meetings are convened, not less often than quarterly, whereby representatives of local resettlement agencies, local community service agencies, and other agencies that serve refugees meet with representatives of State and local governments to plan and coordinate the appropriate placement of refugees in advance of the refugees' arrival. All existing exemptions to this requirement will expire 90 days after the effective date of this rule. Any State that wishes to be exempted from the provisions regarding the holding and frequency of meetings may apply by submitting a written request to the Director. The request must set forth the reasons why the State considers these meetings unnecessary because of the absence of problems associated with the planning and coordination of refugee placement. An approved exemption will remain in effect for three years, at which time a State may reapply.

(i) Provide that the State will:

(1) Comply with the provisions of title IV, Chapter 2, of the Act and official issuances of the Director;

(2) Meet the requirements in this part;

(3) Comply with all other applicable Federal statutes and regulations in effect during the time that it is receiving grant funding; and

(4) Amend the plan as needed to comply with standards, goals, and priorities established by the Director.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0960-0418) [51 FR 3912, Jan. 30, 1986, as amended at 60 FR 33602, June 28, 1995; 65 FR 15443, Mar. 22, 2000]

A plan or plan amendment under title IV of the Act must be submitted to the State Governor or his or her designee, for review, comment, and signature before the plan is submitted to ORR.

[51 FR 3913, Jan. 30, 1986]

(a) The State agency must submit the State plan and plan amendments which have been signed by the Governor, or his or her designee, together with one copy of such plan or amendment, to the Director of ORR, or his or her designee, for approval. States are encouraged to consult with the Director, or his or her designee, when a plan or amendment is in preparation.

(b) The Director, or his or her designee, may initiate any necessary discussions with the State agency to clarify aspects of the plan.

(c) No later than 45 days after the State plan or plan amendment is submitted, the Director, or his or her designee, will—(1) Determine whether a State plan or plan amendment meets or continues to meet requirements for approval based on relevant Federal statutes and regulations, and (2) approve or disapprove the plan or plan amendment.

(d) The Director, or designee, will notify the State agency promptly of all actions taken on State plans and amendments.

(e) The effective date of an approved State plan or plan amendment may not be earlier than the first day of the calendar quarter in which the State agency submits the plan or plan amendment, except as otherwise approved by the Director.

[51 FR 3913, Jan. 30, 1986]

(a) Any State dissatisfied with a determination by the Director, or his or her designee, under § 400.8 with respect to any plan or plan amendment may, within 60 days after the date of notification of such determination, file a petition with the Director, or designee, for reconsideration of the determination.

(b) A State may request that a hearing be held, but it is not required to do so.

(c) If a State requests a hearing, the Director, or designee, will notify the State within 30 days after receipt of such a petition, of the time and location of the hearing to reconsider the issue.

(d) The hearing must be held not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days after the date the notice of the hearing is furnished to the State, unless the Director, or designee, and the State agree in writing on another time.

(e) The hearing procedures in part 213 of this title will be used except that:

(1) “The Director” is substituted where there is a reference to “the Administrator,” and

(2) “ORR Hearing Clerk” is substituted where there is reference to the “SRS Hearing Clerk.”

(f) The Director will affirm, modify, or reverse the original decisions within 60 days of the receipt of the State's petition or, if a hearing is held, within 60 days after the hearing.

(g) The initial determination by the Director, or designee, that a plan or amendment is not approvable shall remain in effect pending the reconsideration.

(h) If the Director reverses the original decision, ORR will reimburse any funds incorrectly withheld or otherwise denied.

[51 FR 3913, Jan. 30, 1986]

(a) Quarterly grants. Subject to the availability of funds (and in accordance with the limitations of subpart J of this part), ORR will make two types of quarterly grants to eligible States:

(1) Grants for cash assistance, medical assistance, and related administrative costs (“CMA grants”), for the following purposes: Cash assistance provided by a State or local public agency under the program of temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act, under the adult assistance programs (AABD, AB, APTD, or OAA) in the territories, or under section 412(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act; foster care maintenance provided under part E of title IV of the Social Security Act; State supplementary payments under section 1616(a) of the Social Security Act or section 212 of the Pub. L. 93-66; medical assistance under title XIX of the Social Security Act or under section 412(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act; assistance and services to unaccompanied minors under section 412(d)(2)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act; and cash or medical assistance provided under a public assistance program established under authority other than Federal law and under which such assistance is generally available to needy individuals or families in similar circumstances within the State; and

(2) Grants for social services, as set forth in this part. ORR will compute the amount of the quarterly awards based on documents submitted by the State agency in accordance with this section and such other pertinent facts as the Director may find necessary.

(b) Form and manner of State application for grant award—(1) CMA grants. For quarterly grants for cash assistance, medical assistance, and related administrative costs, including assistance and services to unaccompanied minors (“CMA grants”), a State must submit to the Director, or designee, yearly estimates for reimbursable costs for the fiscal year, identified by type of expense, and a justification statement in support of the estimates no later than 45 days prior to the beginning of the fiscal year in accordance with guidelines prescribed by the Director.

(2) Grants for refugee social services. For quarterly grants for refugee social services, a State must submit to the Director, or designee, an annual plan developed on the basis of local consultative process on a form and at a time prescribed by the Director.

(3) Quarterly adjustments. If a State revises its estimates required in paragraph (b)(1), it must submit to the Director, or designee, the revisions, accompanied by a justification statement, no later than 30 days prior to the beginning of the quarter in which the revision or adjustment applies.

(c) Financial status report. A State must submit to the Director, or designee, a financial status report described in § 75.341 of this title, no later than 30 days after the end of each quarter. Final financial reports must be submitted in accordance with the requirements described in § 400.210.

(d) Review. ORR will determine whether the State's description of services, estimates, other relevant information, and any adjustments to be made for prior periods meet the requirements under this part, and will compute the quarterly award.

(e) Grant award. (1) ORR will transmit to the State the grant award form showing, by type of assistance, the amount of the award.

(2) The State may draw funds, under the Department's Payment Management System (PMS), as needed, to meet the Federal share of disbursements.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0960-0418) [51 FR 3913, Jan. 30, 1986, as amended at 54 FR 5475, Feb. 3, 1989; 60 FR 33602, June 28, 1995; 65 FR 15443, Mar. 22, 2000; 81 FR 3021, Jan. 20, 2016]

(a) Policy. The Secretary has established a Departmental Grant Appeals Board for the purpose of reviewing and providing hearings on post-award disputes which may arise in the administration of certain grant programs by constituent agencies of HHS. Section 16.3(c) of this title mandates an appellant to exhaust any preliminary appeal process required by regulation before a formal appeal to the Board will be allowed. Paragraph (d) of this section provides an informal preliminary appeal process for resolution of such disputes within ORR prior to appeal to the Board.

(b) Scope. Adverse determinations to which this procedure is applicable are as follows:

(1) Termination, in whole or in part, of a grant for failure of the grantee to carry out its approved project or program in accordance with applicable law and the terms and conditions of such assistance or for failure of the grantee otherwise to comply with any law, regulation, assurance, term, or condition applicable to the grant.

(2) A determination that an expenditure not allowable under the grant has been charged to the grant or that the grantee has otherwise failed to discharge its obligation to account for grant funds.

(3) The disapproval of a grantee's written request for permission to incur an expenditure during the term of a grant.

(4) A determination that a grant is void because the award was obtained fraudulently, or was otherwise illegal or invalid from inception.

(c) Notice of adverse determination. If the Director, or his or her designee, makes an adverse determination with respect to a grant, he or she shall promptly issue a notice of adverse determination to the State which contains the reasons for the determination in sufficient detail to enable the State agency to respond and informing the State agency of the opportunity for review under paragraph (d) of this section.

(d) Request for review of an adverse determination. (1) If the State agency wants a review of the determination, it must submit a request for such review to the Director no later than 30 days after the postmark on the notice, unless an extension of time is granted for good cause.

(2) The request for review must contain a full statement of the State's position with respect to the determination being appealed and the pertinent facts and reasons in support of such position. The State agency must attach to the submission a copy of the notice.

(3) The Director may, at his or her discretion, invite the State to discuss pertinent issues and to submit such additional information as he or she deems appropriate.

(4) Based on his or her review, the Director will send a written response to the State. If the response is adverse to the State's position, the correspondence shall state the State's right to appeal to the Departmental Grant Appeals Board, pursuant to part 16 of this title.

(e) Request for appeal of an adverse determination. (1) To appeal an adverse determination, a State agency must file an appeal with the Departmental Grant Appeals Board, in accordance with requirements contained in part 16 of this title.

(2) The State's application for review must be postmarked no later than 30 days after the postmark on the Director's response to the State's request for review in paragraph (d)(4) of this section.

[51 FR 3914, Jan. 30, 1986]

(a) A State must allocate costs, both direct and indirect, appropriately between the Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP) and other programs which it administers.

(b) Within the RRP, a State must allocate costs appropriately among its CMA grant, social services grant, and any other Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP) grants which it may receive, as prescribed by the Director.

(c) Certain administrative costs incurred for the overall management of the State's refugee program (e.g., development of the State plan, overall program coordination, and salary and travel costs of the State Refugee Coordinator), as identified by the Director, may be charged to the CMA grant. All other costs must be allocated among the CMA grant, social services grant, and any other Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP) grants.

(d) Costs of case management services, as defined in § 400.2, may not be charged to the CMA grant.

(e) Administrative costs incurred by local resettlement agencies in the administration of the public/private RCA program (i.e., administrative costs of providing cash assistance) may be charged to the CMA grant. Administrative costs of managing the services component of the RCA program must be charged to the social services grant.

[54 FR 5476, Feb. 3, 1989, as amended at 60 FR 33602, June 28, 1995; 65 FR 15443, Mar. 22, 2000]