American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services

To make grants to the governing bodies of Indian tribes (and consortia of such governing bodies) located on Federal and State reservations to provide vocational rehabilitation services to American Indians with disabilities who reside on or near such

The Rehabilitation Act requires the Department to reserve between 1 percent and 1.5 percent of the funds appropriated for the VR State grants program for the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS) program (Section 121 of the Act), which pays part of the costs of VR services for American Indians who are individuals with disabilities residing on or near a reservation. The Department also must use between 1.8 percent and 2 percent of AIVRS funds to provide training and technical assistance to governing bodies of Indian tribes located on Federal and State reservations.

The definition of "Indian Tribe" includes Tribal Organizations as defined in section 4(l) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(l)). AIVRS grant competition: Governing bodies of Indian tribes located on Federal and State reservations (and consortia of such governing bodies) may apply. Training and technical assistance grant: State, local, or tribal governments, non-profit organizations, or institutions of higher education may apply.

American Indians with disabilities residing on or near a Federal or State reservation who meet the definition of an individual with a disability in Section 7 (9) of the Rehabilitation Act.

Financial assistance is provided to the governing bodies of Indian Tribes located on Federal and State reservations (and consortia of such governing bodies) to provide vocational rehabilitation services for American Indians with disabilities residing on or near such reservations under section 121(a) of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 121(c) authorizes the Commissioner to make grants, or enter into contracts or other cooperative agreements with entities that have experience in the operation of vocational rehabilitation services programs under this section to provide such training and technical assistance with respect to developing, conducting, administering, and evaluating such programs to the governing bodies of Indian tribes that have received American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS) grants under section 121(a) of the Act. RSA invites an applicant to indicate whether it intends to consolidate its AIVRS grant funds into a current or future 477 plan in accordance with the provisions of Public Law 115-93, the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Consolidation Act of 2017 (25 U.S.C. 3401 et seq.). Any request to consolidate AIVRS funds into a 477 plan must be made separately to the U.S. Department of Interior. For further information on the integration of grant funds under this program and related programs, contact the Division of Workforce Development, Office of Indian Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior at Office of Indian Services, Division of Workforce Development, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1849 C Street NW, MS-3645-MIB, Washington, DC 20245, Telephone: (202) 219-3938.

Contact the program office contact for more information.

Project support is available for up to 60-months.

The availability of funds is published in the Federal Register. Applications for discretionary grants are subject to peer review procedures by nonfederal experts that lead to recommendations for approval or disapproval. The selection criteria for this competition are from 34 CFR 75.210 of the Education Department General Administrative Regulations and are listed in the application package. Selection criteria include extent of need for the project, significance, quality of the project design, quality of the project services, quality of project personnel, adequacy of resources, and quality of the management plan.

New awards are made based upon the results of a peer review process and the review and approval of staff in various offices within the Department. In making grants, the Department gives priority consideration to applications for the continuation of programs which have been previously funded under the program. The Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration approves continuation awards for existing projects.

Renewals are available only through the new application process. Projects with an approved multi-year project period may be continued based on the availability of appropriated funds and an annual review of accomplishments to determine satisfactory performance.