010.01 Purpose
Vocational training services enable individuals with
disabilities to acquire the qualifications required for employment in their
agreed-on employment goals. Vocational training is an appropriate service when
it will enable the recipient to acquire necessary qualifications to enter
employment in the trade, occupation, or profession that is the employment goal,
and when it (alone or in combination with other vocational rehabilitation
services) will resolve the recipient's impediments to employment. Employment
qualifications include those academic requirements necessary to meet state or
local registration, certification, or licensing requirements to practice the
trade, occupation, or profession. Qualifications for employment or hire in the
specific employment outcome in the recipient's approved Individualized Plan for
Employment determine the type and level of vocational training required.
010.02 Vocational Training Defined
As used in this section, vocational training
includes:
010.02A. Post-secondary
training occurring in institutions of higher education for which Federal
student financial aid is available, including universities, colleges, community
colleges, vocational schools, technical institutes, or hospital schools of
nursing and allied health professions. Post-secondary training results in the
award of an associate, bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree.
010.02B. Miscellaneous training includes
basic academic or literacy training, or other work and/or disability related
skill building training including skill building through post secondary courses
or programs for which federal student financial aid is not available.
010.03 Scope
The scope of vocational training services includes, as
appropriate to the recipient and the specific employment outcome in the
recipient's approved Individualized Plan for Employment, the provision of
training services and related supports to prepare for and take licensing or
certification examinations required for the practice of the trade, occupation,
or profession and remedy deficiencies in prerequisite course requirements
necessary for acceptance into post-secondary training programs.
010.04 Expectation of Completion
The need for vocational training services must be
established, based on an analysis of hiring qualification requirements for the
employment goal in the local labor market or a labor market to which the
recipient is willing to relocate, and the recipient's current level of
vocational qualifications and functioning. In addition, there must be a
reasonable expectation of successfully completing training, based on an
analysis of indicators of training success such as past academic achievement or
test results relating to:
010.04A.
Academic skill or potential;
010.04A1.
Academic skill or potential may be assessed by considering past academic
performance and the results of college entrance and/or placement
examinations;
010.04B.
Intelligence; and,
010.04C.
Vocational aptitudes as measured by psychometric tests or vocational
assessments.
010.05
Admission Requirements
Recipients must meet academic and other established
requirements for admission into a post-secondary training program.
010.06 Graduate Training
Requirements
Before post-secondary training beyond the bachelor's level
may be provided, recipients must apply for admission to both the school and the
graduate program. Recipients who have been denied admission to the school
and/or the graduate program will not be eligible for program financial
assistance.
010.07
Comparable Services
There must be a full search for and use of comparable
services and benefits. If training will be provided in an institution of higher
education, there must be maximum efforts by the program and the recipient to
secure grant assistance in whole or in part from other sources including filing
a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with the United States
Department of Education.
010.07A.
Co-Funding of Miscellaneous Training - Skill Building With Other Public
Programs. When co-funding with the federal Department of Veteran's Affairs
under Title 38, United States Code, Chapter 31, (Training
& Rehabilitation for Veterans with Service-Connected Disabilities);
Dislocated Worker and Youth Services Programs; State or Federal Workers
Compensation Programs or other similar public programs, the coordinated and
combined funding between the co-funding programs cannot exceed the actual cost
of tuition, fees, and required books and supplies.
010.08 Timelines
To receive consideration for program financial assistance,
recipients must have clearly indicated their choice of attending post secondary
training or miscellaneous training-skill building in a time frame that allows
program staff reasonable time to obtain financial aid information, cost of
attendance information, and approve the Individualized Plan for Employment
prior to the first day of school.
010.08A. Initial Term. To receive
consideration for program financial assistance for the initial term of
training, recipients must have their Individualized Plans for Employment
containing post-secondary or miscellaneous training-skill building services
approved at least sixty (60) calendar days before the date on which the
recipient will begin training. In addition, the recipient must provide the
agency with their registration course titles and the total credit hours for the
term at least five (5) business days before the start of the first term. For
post secondary training as defined in Section
010.02A,
recipients must complete the financial aid application and award process in
sufficient time to allow the school to provide Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
with the financial aid award information no later than five (5) business days
before the start of the term.
010.08B. Subsequent Terms. To receive program
financial assistance for subsequent terms of training, recipients must, at
least five (5) business days before the start of any term, provide the agency
with registration course titles and total credit hours for the term, and any
grade report or transcript issued by the institution when requested by VR. For
any subsequent term that is the first term in the financial aid year for
recipients in post secondary training as defined in Section
010.02A of this
Chapter, the recipients must complete the financial aid application and award
process in sufficient time to allow the school to provide VR with the financial
aid award information no later than five (5) business days before the start of
the term.
010.08C. Lack of
compliance. If recipients do not comply with timelines in Sections 010.08,
010.08A and
010.08B of this
Chapter, except for reasons beyond their control, no assistance is provided for
that term.
010.09
Increased Living Costs, Childcare, Occupational Tools and Transportation
If required to enable the recipient to participate in
post-secondary training, financial assistance with the cost of training-related
increased living costs, childcare expenses, occupational tools and
transportation (in addition to the financial assistance for tuition, fee,
textbooks, and supplies) may be provided if unmet need will not be
exceeded.
010.10 The actual
cost of tuition, fees, textbooks, and supplies may be provided if the recipient
is attending Gallaudet or the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, the
Southwest Institute of the Deaf or any other educational institution determined
by the Director to provide a comparable level of educational support as the
post-secondary institutions specifically mentioned herein.
010.11 Reasonable Progress
Recipients in vocational training programs must maintain
reasonable progress, according to progress criteria stated in their
Individualized Plans for Employment.
010.11A. In post-secondary training programs
the following minimum progress criteria must be included in the progress
criteria set out in the recipient's Individualized Plan for Employment:
010.11A1. Complete at least:
010.11A1a. 24 semester hours of credit during
the academic year in a university or college that operates on a two semester
and summer school system; or,
010.11A1b. 36 hours of credit during the
academic year in a university or college that operates on a three semester
system; or,
010.11A1c. 48 quarter
hours of credit during the academic year in a technical school or community
college that operates on a 4 quarter system; and,
010.11A1d. Maintain an overall minimum grade
point average of "C" or equivalent, or better, unless a higher GPA is required
by the program of study.
010.11B. In miscellaneous training skill
building, the following minimum progress criteria must be included in the
progress criteria set out in the recipient's Individualized Plan for
Employment.
010.11B1. Complete the courses
registered for and maintain an overall minimum grade point average of "C" or
equivalent, or better, unless a higher course grade or GPA is required by the
program of study.
010.11C. A recipient may take a reduced
course load due to impairment or need to maintain employment or a comparable
benefit. The agreed upon reduced number of hours to be completed each term
shall be documented in the case service record.
010.11D. If the recipient fails to maintain
reasonable progress in a vocational training program, appropriate corrective
actions should be taken, in cooperation with the training provider, to remedy
the problem. Financial assistance with the cost of training may be continued
for three months (or one academic term or semester for post-secondary training)
to determine whether the recipient is able to make reasonable progress with the
corrective actions. If reasonable progress is not achieved at the end of that
period, financial assistance will be discontinued and the Individualized Plan
for Employment should be reviewed and revised to determine a more suitable
vocational goal.
010.12
Congressional Intent
Congress intended that program recipients avail themselves
of the numerous grant and student assistance programs which are available to
pay for higher education before program funds are used to pay these costs. A
decision to use program funds must be consistent with the intent that program
resources be used as a last resort to pay for training in institutions of
higher education.
010.13
Financial Aid Information
Before the amount of vocational rehabilitation financial
assistance can be determined and authorized, the program must receive from the
financial aid office of the school the recipient will be attending the
information in subsections
010.13A - D below.
If attending a school and program eligible to offer federal financial aid, the
client must file a FAFSA with the United States Department of Education.
010.13A. The budget used to determine the
cost of attendance;
010.13B. The
amount of the expected family contribution;
010.13C. The amount of gift aid to be awarded
which is any educational benefit paid because of enrollment in a postsecondary
education institution or to cover postsecondary education expenses. Gift aid
includes federal and state grants, federal loans, scholarships, tuition
waivers, fellowships, assistantships, and any other award or scholarship not
based on merit; and,
010.13D. The
amount of unmet need remaining as calculated by the financial aid
office.
010.14 Unmet
Need Limitation
There are no circumstances under which the program can
provide financial assistance exceeding the amount of unmet need determined by
the school's financial aid office.
010.15 Post-Secondary Training Financial
Assistance Rates
Program financial assistance for training costs which
include tuition, fees, textbooks and required consumable supplies shall be
available at the amounts in Appendix B.
010.16 Maximum Credit Hours of Assistance for
Post-secondary Training
The maximum credit hours of assistance for which the program
will provide financial assistance is the number of credit hours required by the
educational institution for the agreed upon program of study. The following
credit hours, regardless of the funding source, shall count toward the maximum
credit hours for their program of study.
010.16A. Transfer credit hours accepted by
the institution and program of study.
010.16B. Alternative course credit hours
accepted by the institution and program of study.
010.16C. Course credits earned by the
recipient while under an Individualized Plan for Employment.
010.16D. Course credit hours authorized for,
but not earned because the:
010.16D1. Course
was not completed with a grade of C or equivalent, or a grade required by the
program of study;
010.16D2. Course
was withdrawn from after the 100% refund period; or
001.16D3. Course or courses completed do not
meet the degree requirements of the institution and program of
study.
010.17
Remedial or Developmental Classes
Limited program financial assistance is available for
remedial or developmental classes. Remedial or developmental classes shall mean
those classes designed to increase the ability of a recipient to pursue a
course of study leading to a certificate or degree. Program financial
assistance will only be provided for a maximum of six (6) semester hours or
nine (9) quarter hours for remedial or developmental class hours. Costs for all
remedial or developmental class hours in excess of six (6) semester hours or
nine (9) quarter hours will be the recipient's responsibility.
010.18 Exceptions
Office Directors have the authority and discretion to make
reasonable exceptions to the program financial assistance provisions in this
section that do not exceed unmet need based on individual circumstances.
Exceptions may be granted if the Office Director determines there is no
alternative to addressing a recipient's need for vocational training necessary
to achieve the employment outcome on the recipient's approved Individualized
Plan for Employment.