Domestic
Volunteer Service Act of 1973, as amended, Title II, Part C, Section
213, Public Law 93-113, 42 U.S.C. 5013; National and Community Service
Trust Act of 1993, Public Law 103-82.
The
Senior Companion Program provides grants to qualified agencies and
organizations for the dual purpose of engaging persons 60 and older,
particularly those with limited incomes, in volunteer service to
meet critical community needs; and to provide a high quality experience
that will enrich the lives of the volunteers. Program funds are
used to support Senior Companions in providing supportive, individualized
services to help adults with special needs maintain their dignity
and independence.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
The
grants may be used for: Senior Companion stipends, transportation,
physical examinations, insurance, and meals; staff salaries and
fringe benefits, staff travel, equipment, space costs, etc. An amount
equal to 80 percent of the Corporation for National and Community
Service Federal share must be used for Senior Companion direct benefits.
Assignment of Senior Companions to adults may occur in residential
and non-residential facilities and in their own homes. Volunteers
do not supplant hiring or displace employed workers, or impair existing
contracts for service. No agency supervising volunteers shall request
or receive compensation for services of the volunteers. Volunteers
are not to be involved in and funds are not to be used for religious
activities, labor or anti-labor organization, lobbying, or partisan
or non-partisan political activities. In addition, eligible agencies
or organizations may, under a Notice of Grant Award from the Corporation
for National and Community Service, receive technical assistance
and materials to aid in establishing and operating non-Corporation
for National and Community Service funded SCP projects using State,
local and private funds.
ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant
Eligibility: Grants are made only to State and
local government agencies and private nonprofit organizations.
Beneficiary
Eligibility: Senior Companions must be: 60
years of age or older, with an income within limits determined
by the CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service
(based on the Department of Health and Human Services Poverty
Guidelines); interested in serving special-needs adults, especially
the frail elderly, and must be physically, mentally, emotionally
capable, and willing to serve on a person-to-person basis. However,
non-income eligible individuals may serve as non-stipended volunteers
under certain conditions.) Adults served are age 21 and over with
limitations in one or more activities of daily living which place
them at-risk of an inappropriate placement in an institutional
setting.
Credentials/Documentation:
The applicant must furnish evidence of: availability of income
eligible older persons, eligible volunteer stations, ability to
provide sufficient matching nonfederal funds. Non- profit organizations
must furnish: proof of nonprofit status, articles of incorporation,
and certification of accounting capability. Costs will be determined
in accordance with OMB Circulars No. A-21 for educational institutions,
No. A-87 for State and local governments, and No. A-122 for non-profit
organizations.
Pre-application
Coordination: Organizations interested in exploring
the possibility of developing a local SCP project should contact
the appropriate Corporation for National Service State Program Office.
The Corporation for National and Community Service issues application
forms to applicants who have established their eligibility. The
application forms (modified by the Corporation for National and
Community Service with OMB approval), as furnished by the Corporation
for National and Community Service and required by OMB Circular
No. A-102 must be used for this Program. This Program is eligible
for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated
as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information
on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for
assistance, if the State has selected the Program for review.
Application
Procedure: Applications are submitted to the
Corporation for National and Community Service State Program Office.
This Program is subject to the provisions of OMB Circular Nos.
A-110 for nonprofit organizations, and A-102 for State and local
governments.
Award
Procedure: Grants are awarded by the Corporation
for National and Community Service. States will be notified of
awards through the Federal Assistance Awards Data System (FAADS).
Deadlines:
Contact the Corporation for National and Community Service State
Office for application deadlines.
Range
of Approval/Disapproval Time: 120 days after
receipt of application by the Corporation for National and Community
Service.
Appeals:
No formal appeals for denial of initial grant application, but
regulations provide for hearings on terminations and suspensions,
and opportunity to show cause in cases of denial of refunding.
Renewals:
Grant renewal applications, usually required annually, are submitted
120 days prior to the end of the current budget period.
ASSISTANCE
CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula
and Matching Requirements: This Program has
no statutory formula. Generally, at least 10 percent of the total
approved budget must be met by the applicant. In exceptional cases,
the CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service may
make grants in excess of 90 percent of total project budget costs.
Length
and Time Phasing of Assistance: Grant budget
periods are generally 3 years, with annual budget periods. Grant
payments are made through the DHHS Payment Management System.
POST
ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
Corporation for National and Community Service Semi-Annual Financial
Status Report, Project Progress Report, Federal Cash Transactions
Report, Project Profile and Volunteer Activity Survey, National
Accomplishment Survey, customer satisfaction survey.
Audits:
Corporation for National and Community Service grants are subject
to audit by Corporation for National and Community Service, the
General Accounting Office, other Federal agencies, and contract
auditors. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No.
A-133, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations,"
grantees that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more
a year in Federal awards shall have an audit made in accordance
with OMB Circular A-133. Grantees that receive between $25,000
and $300,000 a year in Federal awards shall have an audit made
in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-133, or in accordance with
Federal laws and regulations governing the programs in which they
participate.
Records:
All financial records for each budget period, including receipts,
disbursements, and vouchers for Federal and non-Federal costs;
copies of all contracts; personnel records; and job descriptions
must be available for a period of 3 years from date of submission
of final Financial Status Report.
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION:
Account
Identification: 44-0103-0-1-506.
Obligations:
FY 01 $39,115,400; FY 02 est $42,996,000; and FY 03 est $45,703,000.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance:
$0 to $689,000; Average: $237,500.
As of fiscal year 2002, funding maintained 178 federally funded
projects which supported 9,375 volunteer service years (VSYs). There
are 41 nonfederal-funded projects and approximately 3,700 VSYs.
A total of 55,000 adults were served.
REGULATIONS,
GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
45 CFR Part 2551; Senior Companion Program flyers.
INFORMATION
CONTACTS:
Regional
or Local Office: Corporation for National and
Community Service State Program Offices, as listed in Appendix IV
of the Catalog Under Corporation for National and Community Service.
Headquarters
Office: National Senior Service Corps, Senior
Companion Program, Corporation for National and Community Service,
1201 New York Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20525. Telephone: (202)
606-5000, ext. 189 and 1-800-424-8867.
Web
Site Address: http://www.nationalservice.org
EXAMPLES
OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
The following exemplifies SCP service: An SCP volunteer provides
supportive in-house services to a stroke victim who is confined
to a wheelchair, suffers from depression and needs help in daily
living. Prior to the arrival of the Senior Companion, the client
received no visitors and refused to leave his apartment. Just two
months after he arrived, the SCP volunteer convinced his client
to venture out of his apartment. Now, the client goes out for meals,
exercises and participates in social events at a nearby senior center.
Another Senior Companion has provided respite care to the husband
of an Alzheimer's patient for over 6 years. The Senior Companion
provides reality orientations, music and games for the client. Senior
Companions provide predominantly in-home services to frail adults,
often the elderly. The following statistics suggest the scope of
their activities. In fiscal year 1997, over 2,400 Senior Companions
provided respite to 5,300 Alzheimer's care givers. They served over
5,000 visually impaired, 3,100 hearing impaired, 2,000 terminally
ill and 3,000 clients with short-term disabilities. An additional
27,000 frail adults with chronic care disabilities threatening their
ability to continue to live at home were served. Senior Companions
also served at over 200 adult day care centers; they served at 380
nursing homes and convalescent hospitals.
CRITERIA
FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
The corporation-wide evaluation criteria: program design: getting
things done; well-documented compelling community needs(s); well-designed
activities with measurable goals and objectives that meet community
needs; well-defined roles for participants that lead to measurable
outcomes/impact; effective involvement of target community in planning/implementation;
ability to provide or secure effective technical assistance. Strengthening
Communities: Strong community partnerships, including well-defined
roles for community partners; Potential for sustainability, innovation,
and/or replicability of project activities; enhance capacity of
organizations and institutions; mobilization of community resources,
including volunteers; Bring together people of diverse backgrounds.
Participant Development; Effective plan for recruiting, developing,
training, supervising, and recognizing participants; Well-designed
plan to engage participants in high-quality service-learning as
defined by the Corporation; well-designed plan for participants
to learn to serve together with people of diverse backgrounds. Organizational
Capacity: Ability to provide sound programmatic and fiscal oversight;
sound track record in the issue areas(s) to be addressed by the
project; well- defined roles for staff and administrators; well-designed
plans or systems for self-assessment, evaluation and continuous
improvement. Budget/Cost-Effectiveness: Adequate budget to support
program design; commitment of applicant organization/host agency
to securing resources for program implementation and/or sustainability;
cost-effectiveness within program guidance.
