Collapse to view only § 773. Demonstration and training programs
- § 771. Declaration of purpose and competitive basis of grants and contracts
- § 772. Training
- § 773. Demonstration and training programs
- §§ 774, 775. Repealed.
- § 776. Measuring of project outcomes and performance
The Secretary shall ensure that all grants and contracts are awarded under this subchapter on a competitive basis.
Grants and contracts under paragraph (1) may be expended for scholarships and may include necessary stipends and allowances.
In carrying out this subsection, the Commissioner may make grants to and enter into contracts with States and public or nonprofit agencies and organizations, including institutions of higher education, to furnish training regarding provisions of Federal statutes, including section 794 of this title, title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12111 et seq.), and the provisions of titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq. and 1381 et seq.), that are related to work incentives for individuals with disabilities.
Training and other activities provided under paragraph (4) for personnel may be jointly funded with the Department of Labor, using funds made available under subtitle B of title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act [29 U.S.C. 3151 et seq.].
The Commissioner may make grants to, and enter into contracts with, States and public or nonprofit agencies and organizations (including institutions of higher education) to pay part of the costs of academic training projects to provide training that leads to an academic degree or academic certificate. In making such grants or entering into such contracts, the Commissioner shall target funds to areas determined under subsection (e) to have shortages of qualified personnel.
Except as provided in subparagraph (B), no grant or contract under this subsection may be used to provide any one course of study to an individual for a period of more than 4 years.
If a grant or contract recipient under this subsection determines that an individual has a disability which seriously affects the completion of training under this subsection, the grant or contract recipient may extend the period referred to in subparagraph (A).
Grants and contracts under paragraph (1) may be expanded to provide services that include the provision of scholarships and necessary stipends and allowances.
The Commissioner shall be responsible for the enforcement of each agreement entered into under subparagraph (A) upon completion of the training involved under such subparagraph.
The Commissioner, in carrying out this section, shall make grants to historically Black colleges and universities and other institutions of higher education whose minority student enrollment is at least 50 percent of the total enrollment of the institution.
A grant may not be awarded to a State or other organization under this section unless the State or organization has submitted an application to the Commissioner at such time, in such form, in accordance with such procedures, and containing such information as the Commissioner may require. Any such application shall include a detailed description of strategies that will be utilized to recruit and train individuals so as to reflect the diverse populations of the United States as part of the effort to increase the number of individuals with disabilities, and individuals who are from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds, who are available to provide rehabilitation services.
The Commissioner shall evaluate the impact of the training programs conducted under this section, and collect information on the training needs of, and data on shortages of qualified personnel necessary to provide services to individuals with disabilities. The Commissioner shall prepare and submit to Congress, by September 30 of each fiscal year, a report setting forth and justifying in detail how the funds made available for training under this section for the fiscal year prior to such submission are allocated by professional discipline and other program areas. The report shall also contain findings on such personnel shortages, how funds proposed for the succeeding fiscal year will be allocated under the President’s budget proposal, and how the findings on personnel shortages justify the allocations.
The Commissioner shall award grants under this subsection for programs in geographic areas throughout the United States that the Commissioner considers appropriate to best carry out the objectives of this section.
In awarding grants under this subsection, the Commissioner shall give priority to public or private nonprofit agencies or organizations with existing programs that have a demonstrated capacity for providing interpreter training services.
The Commissioner is authorized to provide technical assistance to State designated agencies and community rehabilitation programs, directly or through contracts with State designated agencies or nonprofit organizations. Any technical assistance provided to community rehabilitation programs shall be focused on the employment outcome of competitive integrated employment for individuals with disabilities.
An expert or consultant appointed or serving under contract pursuant to this section shall be compensated at a rate, subject to approval of the Commissioner, that shall not exceed the daily equivalent of the rate of pay for level 4 of the Senior Executive Service Schedule under section 5382 of title 5. Such an expert or consultant may be allowed travel and transportation expenses in accordance with section 5703 of title 5.
The Commissioner, subject to the provisions of section 776 of this title, may require that recipients of grants or contracts under this section provide information, including data, with regard to the impact of activities funded under this section.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $33,657,000 for fiscal year 2015, $36,257,000 for fiscal year 2016, $37,009,000 for fiscal year 2017, $37,830,000 for fiscal year 2018, $38,719,000 for fiscal year 2019, and $39,540,000 for fiscal year 2020.
The Commissioner may make grants to States and public or nonprofit agencies and organizations to pay all or part of the costs of projects to demonstrate ways to increase client choice in the rehabilitation process, including the selection of providers of vocational rehabilitation services.
Entities that receive grants under paragraph (1) shall maintain such records as the Commissioner may require and comply with any request from the Commissioner for such records.
At least 80 percent of the funds awarded for any project under this subsection shall be used for direct services, as specifically chosen by eligible clients.
The Commissioner may conduct an evaluation of the demonstration projects with respect to the services provided, clients served, client outcomes obtained, implementation issues addressed, the cost-effectiveness of the project, and the effects of increased choice on clients and service providers. The Commissioner may reserve funds for the evaluation for a fiscal year from the amounts appropriated to carry out projects under this section for the fiscal year.
The term “direct services” means vocational rehabilitation services, as described in section 723(a) of this title.
The term “eligible client” means an individual with a disability, as defined in section 705(20)(A) of this title, who is not currently receiving services under an individualized plan for employment established through a designated State unit.
The Commissioner, subject to the provisions of section 776 of this title, may provide grants to, or enter into contracts with, eligible entities to pay all or part of the cost of programs that expand and improve the provision of rehabilitation and other services authorized under this chapter or that further the purposes of the chapter, including related research and evaluation activities.
To be eligible to receive a grant, or enter into a contract, under paragraph (1), an entity shall be a State vocational rehabilitation agency, community rehabilitation program, Indian tribe or tribal organization, or other public or nonprofit agency or organization, or as the Commissioner determines appropriate, a for-profit organization. The Commissioner may limit competitions to one or more types of organizations described in this subparagraph.
A grant or contract under paragraph (1) shall contain such terms and conditions as the Commissioner may require.
The Commissioner is authorized to make grants to private nonprofit organizations for the purpose of establishing programs to provide training and information to enable individuals with disabilities, and the parents, family members, guardians, advocates, or other authorized representatives of the individuals to participate more effectively with professionals in meeting the vocational, independent living, and rehabilitation needs of individuals with disabilities. Such grants shall be designed to meet the unique training and information needs of the individuals described in the preceding sentence, who live in the area to be served, particularly those who are members of populations that have been unserved or underserved by programs under this chapter.
Each organization carrying out a program receiving assistance under this subsection shall consult with appropriate agencies that serve or assist individuals with disabilities, and the parents, family members, guardians, advocates, or authorized representatives of the individuals, located in the jurisdiction served by the program.
The Commissioner shall provide coordination and technical assistance by grant or cooperative agreement for establishing, developing, and coordinating the training and information programs. To the extent practicable, such assistance shall be provided by the parent training and information centers established pursuant to section 1471 of title 20.
The board of directors or special governing committee of an organization receiving a grant under this subsection shall meet at least once in each calendar quarter to review the training and information program, and each such committee shall directly advise the governing board regarding the views and recommendations of the committee.
If a nonprofit private organization requests the renewal of a grant under this subsection, the board of directors or the special governing committee shall prepare and submit to the Commissioner a written review of the training and information program conducted by the organization during the preceding fiscal year.
From the amount appropriated to carry out this section for a fiscal year, 20 percent of such amount or $500,000, whichever is less, may be reserved to carry out paragraph (6).
The Commissioner shall make grants to, and enter into contracts with, States and public or nonprofit agencies and organizations, including institutions of higher education, to pay all or part of the cost of training in the use of braille for personnel providing vocational rehabilitation services or educational services to youth and adults who are blind.
To be eligible to receive a grant, or enter into a contract, under paragraph (1), an agency or organization shall submit an application to the Commissioner at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Commissioner may require.
For the purpose of carrying out this section there are authorized to be appropriated $5,796,000 for fiscal year 2015, $6,244,000 for fiscal year 2016, $6,373,000 for fiscal year 2017, $6,515,000 for fiscal year 2018, $6,668,000 for fiscal year 2019, and $6,809,000 for fiscal year 2020.
The Commissioner may require that recipients of grants under this subchapter submit information, including data, as determined by the Commissioner to be necessary to measure project outcomes and performance, including any data needed to comply with the Government Performance and Results Act.