The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:

1. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: SAVING AND CREATING JOBS AND REFORMING EDUCATION U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration April 2009

2. Guiding Principles

3. IL ARRA Funds • Independent Living - $52.5 million (100 percent of IL ARRA formula grant funds) were made available on April 1, 2009: • State IL Services (IL Part B) Program - $18.2 million • IL Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind - $34 .3 million • Centers for Independent Living Program (CIL): $87.5 million (to follow)

4. Balance Speed and Effectiveness • Balance speed and stimulus with careful planning and effective reforms • Maximize short-term investments with lasting results • Minimize unsustainable ongoing commitments • Integrate coherent improvement strategies that are aligned with the core reform goals

5. Accountability and Transparency • All ARRA funds must be tracked separately • Reporting template being developed for use by States to capture required information • Transparency allows opportunity to quantify/define goals and mobilize support for improving results

6. Topics: IL Part B ARRA Funds Similarities with Regular IL Part B Differences with Regular IL Part B Reporting Examples of Uses of IL Part B ARRA Funds Pending Questions Common Inquiry Topics Questions and Answers

7. IL Part B ARRA Similarities States must provide the requisite non-Federal share of 10 percent for all ARRA funds expended under the IL Part B program, in addition to the regular FY 2009 and FY 2010 appropriations. The carryover of ARRA funds until September 30, 2011 is contingent upon meeting the matching requirement by September 30, 2010.

8. IL Part B ARRA Similarities States are eligible to receive ARRA funds under this program based on their approved State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL) and the provision of the certification required by section 1607 of the ARRA. The assurances in a state's SPIL, as well as the requirements of the ARRA, will apply to the use of ARRA funds. A state does not need to submit a new SPIL to receive its ARRA IL Part B funds.

9. IL Part B ARRA Similarities State plan amendments are not required for the receipt and expenditure of the funds under the State IL Grants Program, as long as those expenditures are consistent with the FY 2008-10 SPIL.

10. IL Part B ARRA Similarities However, as required by the IL program regulations at 34 C.F.R. §364.20 and the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) at 34 C.F.R. §76.140 and 76.141, a state must amend its SPIL if there will be a significant and relevant change in the information or assurances in the plan, the administration or operation of the plan, or the organization, policies, or operations of the state agency that received the grant, if the change materially affects the information or assurances in the plan.

11. IL Part B ARRA Similarities (cont’d) All ARRA funds for IL Part B programs under the Rehabilitation Act must be used consistently with the current statutory and regulatory requirements for those programs, as well as applicable requirements in the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) and EDGAR.

12. IL Part B ARRA Differences The ARRA funds received by the State IL Grants program will remain available for obligation by grantees until September 30, 2011, which includes one year of carry over in accordance with section 19 of the Rehabilitation Act. The Department has assigned a new CFDA number to the IL Part B ARRA funds in order to facilitate separate accounting for the funds.

13. IL Part B ARRA Differences (cont’d) Generally, funds should be used for short-term investments that have the potential for long-term benefits, rather than for commitments that the State may not be able to sustain once ARRA funds are expended.

14. IL Part B ARRA Funds Reporting ARRA requires that recipients of funds made available under that act separately account for, and report on, how those funds are spent. Recipients will need to maintain accurate documentation of all ARRA expenditures to ensure that the data reported are accurate, complete, and reliable. States will be expected to monitor sub-recipients to help ensure data quality and the proper expenditure of ARRA funds.

15. IL Part B ARRA Funds Reporting (cont’d) IL Part B ARRA expenditures will be reported on the Recovery.gov Web site. State is required to submit reports containing the information required under section 1512(c) of the ARRA. These reports must be submitted not later than 10 days after the end of each calendar quarter. First one is due in October.

16. IL Part B ARRA Funds Reporting (cont’d) OMB issued draft standard data elements for use in complying with the report requirements under section 1512 of the ARRA on April 1, 2009 in the FR beginning on page 14824. Further information on reporting instructions will be provided online at www.FederalReporting.gov.

17. Examples of IL Part B ARRA Funds Uses Improving Performance and Serving More Individuals Staff Development State Agency Infrastructure including Technology Service Provider Infrastructure and Improving Quality of Services Program Management including Quality Assurance and Improving Use of Data

18. IL Part B Improving Performance and Serving More Individuals Developing and maintaining Web sites to disseminate information and resources to consumers with disabilities Improving the availability of services to groups of consumers who have been unserved or underserved Improving the availability of rehabilitation technology to program participants

19. IL Part B Improving Performance and Serving More Individuals (cont’d) Providing services to additional individuals who wish to transition from nursing homes to their communities Increasing IL services to students with disabilities transitioning from school to employment and independent living

20. IL Part B Staff Development Training staff in data analysis, evaluation, statistics, and program management Training staff and SILC members in writing and evaluating SPIL goals, objectives, and work plans Training Part B CILs on fiscal management

21. IL Part B Staff Development (cont’d) Training staff to improve the monitoring and oversight of Part B funds Training staff on effective ways of providing assistive technology to consumers

22. IL Part B State Agency Infrastructure including Technology Designing or re-designing the State's IL website Purchasing technology to address the challenges of providing services in rural areas e.g., technology that allows staff to have wireless access to case management systems Purchasing technology to collect, analyze, and enter performance and management data

23. Service Provider Infrastructure and Improving Quality of Services Increasing the capacities of public or nonprofit agencies and organizations and other entities to develop comprehensive approaches or systems for providing IL services Pairing CILs with expertise in specific areas (e.g., financial management, nursing home transition services, youth services) to mentor less experienced CILs

24. IL Part B Program Management Including Quality Assurance and Improved Use of Data Developing a strategic plan Developing written policies and procedures Conducting program evaluations

25. Pending Questions What will the reporting requirements be for IL Part B ARRA funds? Will agencies have to report on their ARRA funds as they do with their regular funds in addition to the ARRA-specific reporting requirements? Are there IL Part B sub-recipients for the purpose of ARRAreporting?

26. IL Part B ARRA Common Inquiry Topics Reallotment

27. More Information www.ed.gov and www.recovery.gov FAQs, Hot Topics, etc Independent Living and Vocational Rehabilitation Questions: RSARecoveryActComments@ed.gov