1. Office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events
Monthly Assistance Allowance Program for Disabled Veterans Training in Paralympic Sports
December 2015
AS DUCKWORTH

2. OVERVIEW
Public law , 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 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.

3. PARALYMPIC SPORTS - DEFINED
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.

4. PARALYMPIC VS. ADAPTIVE SPORTS
Only those sports in black are certified for Paralympic competition.
¨ 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

5. PARALYMPIC SPORT BY DISABILITY
Amputee / Dwarfism / Other
Blind / Visually Impaired
Spinal Cord Injury / Paralyzed / Wheelchair
Traumatic Brain Injury / CP / Stroke
Intellectual Impairment
Archery X  X
Badminton
Basketball
Boccia
Canoe / Kayak
Cycling
Equestrian
Fencing
Goalball
Judo
Paratriathlon
Powerlifting
Power Soccer
Rowing
Rugby
Sailing
Shooting
Soccer*
Swimming
Table Tennis
Taekwondo
Tennis
Track & Field
Volleyball
Alpine Skiing
Biathlon
Bobsled & Skeleton
Cross Country Skiing
Curling
Sled Hockey
Snowboard

6. ALLOWANCE STANDARDS ARE SPORT SPECIFIC
Visit 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:
Boccia focuses on a placement relative to other athletes;
Canoe/Kayak focuses on performance relative to a specific metric such as time, distance, or weight;
Wheelchair Basketball focuses on coaches’ evaluations of Veterans at selected events and selection the applicable athlete pool or team.

7. PARALYMPIC SPORT GOVERNING BODIES
Organization
Paralympic Headquarters Office Location
Alpine Skiing
USOC U.S. Paralympics Division
Colorado Spring CO
Archery
USA Archery
Colorado Springs CO
Badminton
USA Badminton
Biathlon
USOC U.S. Paralympics Division / U.S. Biathlon Association
Colorado Spring CO / New Gloucester ME
Bobsled and Skeleton
USA Bobsled / Skeleton
Boccia
USA Boccia
New York NY
Canoe (Va’a) / Kayak
USA Canoe / Kayak
Oklahoma City OK
Curling
USA Curling
Stevens Point WI
Cycling
Dressage & Para-Driving (Equestrian Sport)
U.S. Equestrian Federation
Gladstone NJ
Fencing
USA Fencing
Goalball
U.S. Association for Blind Athletes
Judo
USA Judo
Nordic Skiing
Para-Snowboard
 Colorado Spring CO
Paratriathlon
USA Triathlon
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
Sled Hockey
USA Hockey
7-a-Side Soccer (5-a-Side Development in Work)
U.S. Soccer Federation
Chicago IL
Sitting Volleyball
USA Volleyball
Swimming
Table Tennis
USA Table Tennis
Taekwondo
USA Taekwondo
Track & Field (Athletics)
Wheelchair Basketball
National Wheelchair Basketball Association
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

8. ALLOWANCE PAYMENT RATES
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:
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.

9. ALLOWANCE RECIPIENTS BY SPORT

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. COMPLETING FORM 10091
Veterans must submit a VA Form 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.

14. QuESTIONS?
Visit for additional information and on twitter for news and updates.
VA Contacts:
Mr. Michael F. Welch
Mr. Joshua McCoy