Program Office: Rehabilitation Services Administration

CFDA Number: 84.169A
Program Type: Formula Grants
Also Known As: State Independent Living Services, IL State Grants

This program offers formula grants to states for one or more of the following purposes:

• To provide resources to statewide independent living councils (SILCs);
• To provide independent living (IL) services to individuals with significant disabilities;
• To demonstrate ways to expand and improve IL services;
• To support the operation of centers for IL that comply with the standards and assurances of Sec. 725 of the Rehabilitation Act;
• To support activities to increase the capabilities of public or nonprofit agencies and organizations and other entities in developing comprehensive approaches or systems for providing IL services;
• To conduct studies and analyses and gather information, approaches, strategies, findings, conclusions, and recommendations for federal, state, and local policymakers to enhance IL services for individuals with significant disabilities;
• To provide training on the IL philosophy; and
• To provide outreach to populations that are unserved or underserved by programs under Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act, including minority groups and urban and rural populations.

This program supports projects that provide independent living services, directly or through grant or contract, and demonstrate ways to expand and improve them.

The purpose of the independent living programs is to maximize the leadership, empowerment, independence and productivity of individuals with disabilities and to integrate these individuals into the mainstream of American society. Independent living programs provide financial assistance to provide, expand and improve independent living services; develop and support statewide networks of centers for independent living and improve working relationships among state independent living rehabilitation programs, centers for independent living, Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILC), Rehabilitation Act programs outside of Title VII and other relevant federal and non-federal programs.

The independent living programs are current-funded. However, the Act contains a provision allowing all Title VII grantees to carry over unobligated funds for an additional fiscal year. States participating in the State Grants and Older Blind programs must match every $9 of federal funds with $1 in nonfederal cash or in-kind resources in the year for which the federal funds are appropriated. To be eligible for financial assistance under the Independent Living State grants or Centers for Independent Living programs, states are required to establish an SILC. Each state must also submit a state plan for independent living that is jointly developed and signed by the director of the designated state vocational rehabilitation unit(s) (DSU) and the chairperson of the SILC.