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

OVERVIEW 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 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.

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

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

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: 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.

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

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.

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.

COMPLETING FORM 10091 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.

QuESTIONS? Visit www.va.gov/adaptivesports for additional information and follow @vaadaptivesport on twitter for news and updates. VA Contacts: Mr. Michael F. Welch Michael.Welch5@va.gov Mr. Joshua McCoy Joshua.McCoy2@va.gov