When the President signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) on July 22, 2014, it became effective on that date.
The Rehabilitation Act is contained in WIOA and the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) has announced an opportunity for you to directly inform the discussion surrounding the implementation of WIOA. RSA has developed an open email box ([email protected]) that will receive all WIOA inquiries and comments. Your comments to RSA need to be submitted before 5:00 p.m. Eastern on September 12, 2014.
Today, NCIL submitted the following comments to RSA and encourages you to submit your comments as well.
We expect RSA to:
- Provide a seamless, transparent and non-disruptive system when transferring the Independent Living program, Assistive Technology (AT) program, and NIDDR to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) / the Administration for Community Living (ACL).
- Ensure all contracts and grants remain in place and are paid in a timely manner.
- Ensure ALL parts of the Assistive Technology (AT) Act; Protection and Advocacy for Assistive Technology (PAAT), Alternative Financing Programs (AFP) and the AT Act programs are transferred together. This also includes the Telework Programs, which were developed with the AFP programs.
- Permanently suspend all site reviews of CILs and SILCs until the transfer of Independent Living to ACL is complete.
Changes to Independent Living Contained in WIOA include:
- The establishment of the Independent Living Administration in the Administration for Community Living (ACL) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Transition is added as a fifth core service
- SILC activities can now include resource development and advocacy
- SPIL sign-off will now include CIL Directors
- States will choose their ‘designated state entity’ (formerly known as the DSU). The DSUs will remain the same for the “723 states” of Massachusetts and Minnesota.
