Client assistance program (cap)

The Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services awarded Disability Rights Tennessee $232,433 on October 1, 2025, under the Rehabilitation Services Client Assistance Program (CFDA 84.161), a formula grant providing advisory and advocacy services to individuals seeking or receiving vocational rehabilitation benefits under the Rehabilitation Act.

Disability Rights Tennessee, the designated Protection and Advocacy system for Tennessee, delivers client assistance services including advising eligible individuals and applicants about available benefits, rights, and responsibilities under the Rehabilitation Act; individual and systemic advocacy; and pursuit of legal and administrative remedies to protect client rights. The award covers the period October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026, with place of performance in Nashville, Tennessee. The program requires State VR agencies to operate CAP to receive VR State grant funds and mandates that VR consumers be informed of available CAP services and contact information.

Disability Rights Tennessee receives formula grants from multiple federal funding sources, including the Department of Education, the Administration on Disabilities, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to support an integrated portfolio of Protection and Advocacy programs spanning individual rights (PAIR), client assistance (CAP), mental illness (PAIMI), assistive technology access (PAAT), traumatic brain injury (PATB), developmental disabilities (PADD), and voting access (PAVA).