Current through Bulletin 2024-06, March 15, 2024
(1) To be
eligible for the Education and Training Voucher Program, an individual must
meet the following requirements:
(a) an
individual in out-of-home care who has not yet reached 26 years of
age;
(b) an individual no longer in
out-of-home care who reached 18 years of age while in out-of-home care and who
has not yet reached 26 years of age;
(c) an individual adopted or entered
guardianship from out-of-home care after reaching 16 years of age and who has
not yet attained 26 years of age;
(d) has an individual educational assessment
and individual education plan completed by Child and Family Services or their
designee;
(e) submits a completed
application for the Education and Training Voucher Program;
(f) has applied for or been accepted to a
qualified college, university, or vocational program;
(g) applies for available financial aid from
other sources before obtaining funding from the Education and Training Voucher
Program;
(h) enrolls as a full-time
or part-time student in the college, university, or vocational program;
and
(i) maintains a 2.0 cumulative
grade point average on a 4.0 scale or equivalent as determined by the
educational institution.
(2) The regional Transition to Adult Living
program staff or their designee will review and approve the application and
attachments. Individuals meeting the requirements will be accepted for program
participation when Education and Training Voucher Program funding is available.
If demand exceeds available funding, Child and Family Services may establish a
waiting list, which will then be awarded to the applicants in the order
received on a first-come first-serve basis for funding or Child and Family
Services may approve applications for lesser amounts of funding. The individual
will receive written notice of approval or denial of the application. If denied
or terminated, a notice of agency action will be provided.
(3) If an application for benefits under the
Education and Training Voucher Program is denied, the applicant has the right
to appeal the decision through an administrative hearing in accordance with
Section 63G-4-201.
(4) The individual may participate in the
Education and Training Voucher Program until:
(a) the completion of the degree or
vocational program;
(b) the
individual reaches age 26 years; or
(c) the individual has completed a maximum of
five years in the Education and Training Voucher Program.
(5) The individual must provide ongoing
documentation of full-time or part-time enrollment, satisfactory progress as
detailed in the individual education plan, additional requests for funding, and
any changes in total costs for attendance or other financial aid to Child and
Family Services to continue receiving benefits under the program.
(6) A program participant who receives less
than a 2.0 GPA in a single grading period will be placed on probationary
status:
(a) the individual shall receive
written notice of the probationary status;
(b) the individual will have one subsequent
grading period to regain or show significant progress toward a 2.0 GPA to
continue in the program;
(c) upon
completion of a satisfactory grading period, the participant will be notified
that the probation period is over; or
(d) the participant that does not receive
satisfactory grades while on probation will receive written notice of loss of
eligibility for the Education and Training Voucher Program.
(7) An individual under age 26
years who has previously been denied acceptance to the program or who lost
eligibility for the program due to not making satisfactory progress may reapply
for the program at any time.
(8)
(a) An individual may receive vouchers up to
a maximum amount of $5,000 per year through the Education and Training Voucher
Program. Amounts are determined by the cost of tuition at specific educational
institutions and enrollment status.
(b) The total amount awarded may not exceed
the total cost of attendance, minus:
(i)
expected contributions from the individual's family; and
(ii) estimated financial assistance from
other state or federal grants or programs;
(c) Awards are subject to the availability of
Child and Family Services Education and Training Voucher Program funds
appropriated for this program.
(d)
In accordance with the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program of 2011,
42 U.S.C.
677, the amount of benefits received through
the Education and Training Voucher Program may be disregarded in determining an
individual's eligibility for, or amount of, any other federal or federally
supported assistance.
