office of national veterans sports programs and special events monthly assistance allowance program...
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Office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events
Monthly Assistance Allowance Program for Monthly Assistance Allowance Program for Disabled Veterans Disabled Veterans
Training in Paralympic SportsTraining in Paralympic Sports
December 2015December 2015
OVERVIEW
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• Public law110-389, Sec. 703, authorized VA to pay a monthly allowance to disabled Veterans training in Paralympics sports and created the VA Office of National Veterans Sports Programs & Special Events, which oversees the program.
• The allowance is only authorized for Paralympic sports certified by the International Paralympic Committee with active programs in the United States.
• Active duty military personnel are not eligible for the monthly allowance, but may qualify immediately upon discharge from the service.
• VA and the U.S. Olympic Committee initially partnered to manage the program and
increase Paralympic sport opportunities for disabled Veterans.
• Public Law 113-59 modified the allowance program such that VA partners directly with National Paralympic Committees, National Governing Bodies and High Performance Management Organizations to certify a Veterans eligibility for the allowance.
• More than 230 disabled Veterans have qualified for the allowance.
PARALYMPIC SPORTS - DEFINED
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• Paralympic sports are certified by the International Paralympic Committee for competition by athletes with physical disabilities in classified categories.
• Paralympic programs range from introductory and participatory to elite.
• Summer Paralympics include 24 sports spanning nearly 500 events.
• Winter Paralympics include 8 sports spanning nearly 70 events
• Sports that are not certified for Paralympic competition are considered adaptive sports.
What is the significance of whether a sport is a Paralympic sport?• By law, the VA can only pay a monthly allowance to disabled Veterans training
in a Paralympic sport, not adaptive sports.
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PARALYMPIC VS. ADAPTIVE SPORTS
5-a-Side Soccer Fitness Sitting Volleyball
7-a-Side Soccer Goalball Skeleton
Air Pistol Golf Sled Hockey
Air Rifle Hiking Snowboarding
Alpine Skiing Hunting Surfing
Aquatics Hockey (Ambulatory & Blind) Swimming
Archery Judo Table Tennis
Badminton Kayaking Taekwondo
Basketball Nordic/Cross Country Skiing Tennis
Biathlon Paddle Boarding Track & Field
Bobsled Para-Driving (Equestrian) Transitions
Boccia Paratriathlon Ultimate (Disc)
Camping Powerlifting Water Skiing
Canoeing/Va’a Power Soccer Weightlifting
Climbing Racquetball Wheelchair Basketball
Curling Rowing Wheelchair/Quad Rugby
Cycling/Handcycling Running Wheelchair Racing
Dressage (Equestrian) Sailing Wheelchair Softball
Fencing SCUBA Wheelchair Soccer
Fishing Shooting Wheelchair Tennis
• Only those sports in black are certified for Paralympic competition.
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PARALYMPIC SPORT BY DISABILITY
Paralympic Sport Amputee / Dwarfism / Other Blind / Visually Impaired Spinal Cord Injury / Paralyzed / Wheelchair Traumatic Brain Injury / CP / StrokeIntellectual Impairment
Archery X X X X
Badminton X X
Basketball X X
Boccia X
Canoe / Kayak X X X
Cycling X X X X
Equestrian X X X X
Fencing X X X
Goalball X
Judo X
Paratriathlon X X X X
Powerlifting X X X
Power Soccer X
Rowing X X X X
Rugby X
Sailing X X X X
Shooting X X X
Soccer* X X
Swimming X X X X X
Table Tennis X X X X
Taekwondo X
Tennis X X
Track & Field X X X X X
Volleyball X
Alpine Skiing X X X X
Biathlon X X X X
Bobsled & Skeleton X
Cross Country Skiing X X X X
Curling X X X
Sled Hockey X X X
Snowboard X
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ALLOWANCE STANDARDS ARE SPORT SPECIFIC
• Visit http://www.va.gov/adaptivesports/ and click on “Training Allowance” to review sport specific standards.
• VA coordinates with applicable governing bodies to develop Military, Elite, and National Team standards in Paralympic sports.
• Veterans must meet the standard for their sport to qualify for the allowance payments. Standards vary in metrics, some examples being:
1) Boccia focuses on a placement relative to other athletes; 2) Canoe/Kayak focuses on performance relative to a specific metric such
as time, distance, or weight;3) Wheelchair Basketball focuses on coaches’ evaluations of Veterans at
selected events and selection the applicable athlete pool or team.
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PARALYMPIC SPORT GOVERNING BODIESParalympic Sport Organization Paralympic Headquarters Office Location
Alpine Skiing USOC U.S. Paralympics Division Colorado Spring CO
Archery USA Archery Colorado Springs CO
Badminton USA Badminton Colorado Spring CO
Biathlon USOC U.S. Paralympics Division / U.S. Biathlon Association Colorado Spring CO / New Gloucester ME
Bobsled and Skeleton USA Bobsled / Skeleton Colorado Springs CO
Boccia USA Boccia New York NY
Canoe (Va’a) / Kayak USA Canoe / Kayak Oklahoma City OK
Curling USA Curling Stevens Point WI
Cycling USOC U.S. Paralympics Division Colorado Spring CO
Dressage & Para-Driving (Equestrian Sport) U.S. Equestrian Federation Gladstone NJ
Fencing USA Fencing Colorado Spring CO
Goalball U.S. Association for Blind Athletes Colorado Spring CO
Judo USA Judo Colorado Spring CO
Nordic Skiing USOC U.S. Paralympics Division Colorado Spring CO
Para-Snowboard USOC U.S. Paralympics Division Colorado Spring CO
Paratriathlon USA Triathlon Colorado Spring CO
Powerlifting University of Central Oklahoma Edmond OK
Rowing U.S. Rowing Association Princeton NJ
Rugby (Wheelchair) Lakeshore Foundation Birmingham AL
Sailing U.S. Sailing Portsmouth RI
Shooting USA Shooting Colorado Spring CO
Sled Hockey USA Hockey Colorado Spring CO
7-a-Side Soccer (5-a-Side Development in Work) U.S. Soccer Federation Chicago IL
Sitting Volleyball USA Volleyball Colorado Springs CO
Swimming USOC U.S. Paralympics Division Colorado Spring CO
Table Tennis USA Table Tennis Colorado Spring CO
Taekwondo USA Taekwondo Colorado Spring CO
Track & Field (Athletics) USOC U.S. Paralympics Division Colorado Spring CO
Wheelchair Basketball National Wheelchair Basketball Association Colorado Spring CO
Wheelchair Tennis U.S. Tennis Association White Plains NY
Paralympic Sports in American Samoa American Samoa National Olympic Committee Pago Pago AS
Paralympic Sports in Guam TBD, Coordinate with VA Office of National Veterans Sports Programs & Special Events
Washington DC
Paralympic Sports in the Northern Mariana Islands Northern Mariana Amateur Sports Association Saipan MP
Paralympic Sports in Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Paralympic Committee San Juan PR
Paralympic Sports in the U.S. Virgin Islands National Paralympic Committee, U.S. Virgin Islands Christiansted VI
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• Allowance payments are the same amount as VA’s vocational rehabilitation and employment rates – and defined in 38 USC Chapter 31.
• The payment amount is adjusted on October 1 of each year and depends upon the number of dependents, as illustrated in the following chart:
ALLOWANCE PAYMENT RATES
Number of Dependents Full Time No Dependents $605.44
One Dependent $751.00
Two Dependents $885.00
Each Additional Dependent
$64.50
• As a VA benefit, payments are subject to federal and VA administrative, financial, and other applicable regulations.
• VA and sport governing bodies are responsible for ensuring only authorized payments are made. VA conducts audits of payments as applicable.
ALLOWANCE RECIPIENTS BY SPORT
APPLICATION / VERIFICATION PROCESS
• A sport governing body identifies a disabled Veteran who meets the eligibility criteria for that particular sport and collects necessary data to include:
- VA Form 0918a: Certifies active participation, - VA Form 0918b: Certifies eligibility and payment rate,
- VA Form 10091: Enables direct deposit to the Veteran’s bank account
• The governing body signs and submits documentation to VA (also maintains copies plus other relevant data such as Personal Monthly Performance Plan).
• VA verifies eligibility and submits payment for processing.
• Each month, VA and sport governing bodies contact allowance recipients and gather training data for national team members and emerging athletes.
COMPLETING FORM 0918A
• VA Form 0918a must be signed by the Veteran and sport certifying official indicating all requirements have been met.
• Form 0918a is required monthly for emerging athletes and quarterly for National Team members.
• Section A documents personal data on the Veteran.
• Section B documents basic information on Paralympic sport and site of training.
• Section C documents the period(s) of training and the type of training. Daily training is the most common and should be documented carefully to ensure accurate payment.
• Sections D and E are signed verifying accuracy of the data.
COMPLETING FORM 0918B
• VA Form 0918b is the application certifying the Veteran has met training requirements and calculating payment rate.
• Form 0918b is required to begin the program and anytime key data changes, such as a change in dependent status.
• Section A includes the Veteran’s personal data.
• Section B includes details on the Paralympic sport, the Governing Body, the site of training, and the official certifying the data.
• Section C includes data on dependent status both for spouse(s) and children. Ex-spouses have no direct effect on payment rate. The current spouse counts as one dependent and there is no consideration of spouse’s employment status. Dependent children are listed on the reverse side of Form 0918b.
• Veterans must submit a VA Form 10091 to establish direct deposit of all payments
• All information must be complete and legible. The most common error is illegible account and other data in the Financial Institution Information section.
• Once a Veterans account is active, there is no requirement to submit additional Vendorizing Forms. However, if a VMAA recipient changes banking accounts, a new Vendorizing Form must be submitted.
• A Veterans does not need to supply a DUNS number.
COMPLETING FORM 10091
QUESTIONS?
Visit www.va.gov/adaptivesports for additional information and follow @vaadaptivesport on twitter for news and updates.
VA Contacts: Mr. Michael F. Welch [email protected]
Mr. Joshua [email protected]