10A ncac 63F .0102       TRAINING AND TRAINING MATERIALS

(a)  The Division shall furnish training to all eligible individuals to the extent necessary to achieve their vocational rehabilitation outcome and to the extent that entry level qualifications of the job, profession, or employment are achieved.

(b)  Training provided by the Division shall include vocational, prevocational, personal adjustment training, and other rehabilitation training that contributes to the determination of the rehabilitation potential or to the individual's personal and vocational adjustment and it shall cover training provided directly by the Division or procured from other public or private training facilities, including community rehabilitation programs.

(c)  The Division shall provide necessary books and other training materials to applicants accepted for evaluation of the rehabilitation potential and to financially eligible consumers.

(d)  The Division shall provide financial support for post-secondary education of consumers under the following terms and conditions:

(1)           Financial support for consumers attending institutions of higher learning shall not exceed the maximum rate for tuition and fees established at State-supported colleges and universities in North Carolina.

(2)           Requests for support shall be considered only when the consumer has applied for grants and scholarships at the accepting institution. The Division shall deduct the grant amount from the consumer's training allotment.

(3)           Consumers who are sponsored for an undergraduate degree shall not receive more than 10 semesters or 15 quarters of sponsorship to complete their undergraduate degree or five semesters/eight quarters to complete a community college program. The Division may grant an exception to the semester or quarter requirements when necessary to accommodate the special training needs of consumers with severe disabilities.

(4)           Consumers who are sponsored for undergraduate programs shall maintain a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0. Agency sponsorship shall be withdrawn from any consumer in an undergraduate program whose GPA falls below 2.0 for two consecutive semesters or quarters. If the consumer continues in the educational institution under his or her own sponsorship and brings his or her cumulative GPA to 2.0, the consumer may again be considered for sponsorship through the VR Program of the agency. Consumers under agency sponsorship for graduate or professional programs shall maintain a grade point average commensurate with the standards established by the educational institution they are attending for degree requirements. Agency sponsorship shall be withdrawn from any consumer in graduate or professional programs whose GPA falls below the standards established by the educational institution for degree requirements for two consecutive semesters or quarters. If the consumer continues in the educational institution under his own sponsorship and brings his cumulative GPA to the standard established by the educational institution, the consumer may again be considered for sponsorship through the VR Program of the agency. Consumers may receive agency sponsorship for vocational training or on-the-job training outside of programs offered in undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools. A consumer who is participating in such a program shall maintain grades or standards of performance commensurate with the standards established by the institution or trainer for satisfactory completion of the training program within an established time frame. The agency shall not sponsor a consumer in a vocational training or on-the-job training program for more than one additional unit of time as defined by the particular institution or trainer in order to complete the program. The Division may grant an exception to the length of training sponsorship when necessary to accommodate the special training needs of consumers with severe disabilities.

(5)           The Division may provide graduate training for consumers when the training is required to enter a position. The consumer's case file shall contain a letter from an official of the appropriate graduate school of higher learning designating the number of semesters or quarters required to achieve the graduate degree. The Division shall not sponsor consumers in excess of one quarter or one semester above that specified in the letter as a time required to receive the graduate degree. The Division may grant an exception to the length of training when necessary to accommodate the special training needs of consumers with severe disabilities.

History Note:        Authority G.S. 111-28; 34 C.F.R. 361.42; 34 C.F.R. 361.47; C.F.R. 361.48(f);

Eff. February 1, 1976;

Readopted Eff. November 16, 1977;

Amended Eff. February 1, 1982;

Temporary Amendment Eff. August 1, 2001;

Amended Eff. August 1, 2002;

Readopted Eff. October 1, 2018.