§ 15024. State plan

(a) In general

Any State desiring to receive assistance under this part shall submit to the Secretary, and obtain approval of, a 5-year strategic State plan under this section.

(b) Planning cycle

The plan described in subsection (a) of this section shall be updated as appropriate during the 5-year period.

In order to be approved by the Secretary under this section, a State plan shall meet each of the following requirements:

(1) State Council

The plan shall provide for the establishment and maintenance of a Council in accordance with section 15025 of this title and describe the membership of such Council.

(2) Designated State agency

The plan shall identify the agency or office within the State designated to support the Council in accordance with this section and section 15025 (d) of this title (referred to in this part as a “designated State agency”).

(3) Comprehensive review and analysis

The plan shall describe the results of a comprehensive review and analysis of the extent to which services, supports, and other assistance are available to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, and the extent of unmet needs for services, supports, and other assistance for those individuals and their families, in the State. The results of the comprehensive review and analysis shall include—

(A) a description of the services, supports, and other assistance being provided to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families under other federally assisted State programs, plans, and policies under which the State operates and in which individuals with developmental disabilities are or may be eligible to participate, including particularly programs relating to the areas of emphasis, including—

(i) medical assistance, maternal and child health care, services for children with special health care needs, children’s mental health services, comprehensive health and mental health services, and institutional care options;

(ii) job training, job placement, worksite accommodation, and vocational rehabilitation, and other work assistance programs; and

(iii) social, child welfare, aging, independent living, and rehabilitation and assistive technology services, and such other services as the Secretary may specify;

(B) a description of the extent to which agencies operating such other federally assisted State programs, including activities authorized under section 3003 or 3004 of title 29, pursue interagency initiatives to improve and enhance community services, individualized supports, and other forms of assistance for individuals with developmental disabilities;

(C) an analysis of the extent to which community services and opportunities related to the areas of emphasis directly benefit individuals with developmental disabilities, especially with regard to their ability to access and use services provided in their communities, to participate in opportunities, activities, and events offered in their communities, and to contribute to community life, identifying particularly—

(i) the degree of support for individuals with developmental disabilities that are attributable to either physical impairment, mental impairment, or a combination of physical and mental impairments;

(ii) criteria for eligibility for services, including specialized services and special adaptation of generic services provided by agencies within the State, that may exclude individuals with developmental disabilities from receiving services described in this clause;

(iii) the barriers that impede full participation of members of unserved and underserved groups of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families;

(iv) the availability of assistive technology, assistive technology services, or rehabilitation technology, or information about assistive technology, assistive technology services, or rehabilitation technology to individuals with developmental disabilities;

(v) the numbers of individuals with developmental disabilities on waiting lists for services described in this subparagraph;

(vi) a description of the adequacy of current resources and projected availability of future resources to fund services described in this subparagraph;

(vii) a description of the adequacy of health care and other services, supports, and assistance that individuals with developmental disabilities who are in facilities receive (based in part on each independent review (pursuant to section 1396a (a)(30)(C) of this title) of an Intermediate Care Facility (Mental Retardation) within the State, which the State shall provide to the Council not later than 30 days after the availability of the review); and

(viii) to the extent that information is available, a description of the adequacy of health care and other services, supports, and assistance that individuals with developmental disabilities who are served through home and community-based waivers (authorized under section 1396n (c) of this title) receive;

(D) a description of how entities funded under parts C and D of this subchapter, through interagency agreements or other mechanisms, collaborated with the entity funded under this part in the State, each other, and other entities to contribute to the achievement of the purpose of this part; and

(E) the rationale for the goals related to advocacy, capacity building, and systemic change to be undertaken by the Council to contribute to the achievement of the purpose of this part.

(4) Plan goals

The plan shall focus on Council efforts to bring about the purpose of this part, by—

(A) specifying 5-year goals, as developed through data driven strategic planning, for advocacy, capacity building, and systemic change related to the areas of emphasis, to be undertaken by the Council, that—

(i) are derived from the unmet needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families identified under paragraph (3); and

(ii) include a goal, for each year of the grant, to—

(I) establish or strengthen a program for the direct funding of a State self-advocacy organization led by individuals with developmental disabilities;

(II) support opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities who are considered leaders to provide leadership training to individuals with developmental disabilities who may become leaders; and

(III) support and expand participation of individuals with developmental disabilities in cross-disability and culturally diverse leadership coalitions; and

(B) for each year of the grant, describing—

(i) the goals to be achieved through the grant, which, beginning in fiscal year 2002, shall be consistent with applicable indicators of progress described in section 15004 (a)(3) of this title;

(ii) the strategies to be used in achieving each goal; and

(iii) the method to be used to determine if each goal has been achieved.

(5) Assurances

(A) In general

The plan shall contain or be supported by assurances and information described in subparagraphs (B) through (N) that are satisfactory to the Secretary.

(B) Use of funds

With respect to the funds paid to the State under section 15022 of this title, the plan shall provide assurances that—

(i) not less than 70 percent of such funds will be expended for activities related to the goals described in paragraph (4);

(ii) such funds will contribute to the achievement of the purpose of this part in various political subdivisions of the State;

(iii) such funds will be used to supplement, and not supplant, the non-Federal funds that would otherwise be made available for the purposes for which the funds paid under section 15022 of this title are provided;

(iv) such funds will be used to complement and augment rather than duplicate or replace services for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families who are eligible for Federal assistance under other State programs;

(v) part of such funds will be made available by the State to public or private entities;

(vi) at the request of any State, a portion of such funds provided to such State under this part for any fiscal year shall be available to pay up to 1/2 (or the entire amount if the Council is the designated State agency) of the expenditures found to be necessary by the Secretary for the proper and efficient exercise of the functions of the designated State agency, except that not more than 5 percent of such funds provided to such State for any fiscal year, or $50,000, whichever is less, shall be made available for total expenditures for such purpose by the designated State agency; and

(vii) not more than 20 percent of such funds will be allocated to the designated State agency for service demonstrations by such agency that—

(I) contribute to the achievement of the purpose of this part; and

(II) are explicitly authorized by the Council.

The plan shall provide assurances that there will be reasonable State financial participation in the cost of carrying out the plan.

(D) Conflict of interest

The plan shall provide an assurance that no member of such Council will cast a vote on any matter that would provide direct financial benefit to the member or otherwise give the appearance of a conflict of interest.

(E) Urban and rural poverty areas

The plan shall provide assurances that special financial and technical assistance will be given to organizations that provide community services, individualized supports, and other forms of assistance to individuals with developmental disabilities who live in areas designated as urban or rural poverty areas.

(F) Program accessibility standards

The plan shall provide assurances that programs, projects, and activities funded under the plan, and the buildings in which such programs, projects, and activities are operated, will meet standards prescribed by the Secretary in regulations and all applicable Federal and State accessibility standards, including accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), section 794d of title 29, and the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.).

(G) Individualized services

The plan shall provide assurances that any direct services provided to individuals with developmental disabilities and funded under the plan will be provided in an individualized manner, consistent with the unique strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, and capabilities of such individual.

(H) Human rights

The plan shall provide assurances that the human rights of the individuals with developmental disabilities (especially individuals without familial protection) who are receiving services under programs assisted under this part will be protected consistent with section 15009 of this title (relating to rights of individuals with developmental disabilities).

(I) Minority participation

The plan shall provide assurances that the State has taken affirmative steps to assure that participation in programs funded under this part is geographically representative of the State, and reflects the diversity of the State with respect to race and ethnicity.

(J) Employee protections

The plan shall provide assurances that fair and equitable arrangements (as determined by the Secretary after consultation with the Secretary of Labor) will be provided to protect the interests of employees affected by actions taken under the plan to provide community living activities, including arrangements designed to preserve employee rights and benefits and provide training and retraining of such employees where necessary, and arrangements under which maximum efforts will be made to guarantee the employment of such employees.

(K) Staff assignments

The plan shall provide assurances that the staff and other personnel of the Council, while working for the Council, will be responsible solely for assisting the Council in carrying out the duties of the Council under this part and will not be assigned duties by the designated State agency, or any other agency, office, or entity of the State.

(L) Noninterference

The plan shall provide assurances that the designated State agency, and any other agency, office, or entity of the State, will not interfere with the advocacy, capacity building, and systemic change activities, budget, personnel, State plan development, or plan implementation of the Council, except that the designated State agency shall have the authority necessary to carry out the responsibilities described in section 15025 (d)(3) of this title.

(M) State quality assurance

The plan shall provide assurances that the Council will participate in the planning, design or redesign, and monitoring of State quality assurance systems that affect individuals with developmental disabilities.

(N) Other assurances

The plan shall contain such additional information and assurances as the Secretary may find necessary to carry out the provisions (including the purpose) of this part.

(d) Public input and review, submission, and approval

(1) Public input and review

The plan shall be based on public input. The Council shall make the plan available for public review and comment, after providing appropriate and sufficient notice in accessible formats of the opportunity for such review and comment. The Council shall revise the plan to take into account and respond to significant comments.

(2) Consultation with the designated State agency

Before the plan is submitted to the Secretary, the Council shall consult with the designated State agency to ensure that the State plan is consistent with State law and to obtain appropriate State plan assurances.

(3) Plan approval

The Secretary shall approve any State plan and, as appropriate, amendments of such plan that comply with the provisions of subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this section and this subsection. The Secretary may take final action to disapprove a State plan after providing reasonable notice and an opportunity for a hearing to the State.

U.S. Code

§ 15024. State plan