Senior Community Service Employment Program

 

The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) is a community service and work-based job training program for older Americans. Authorized by the Older Americans Act, the program provides training for low-income, unemployed seniors. Participants also have access to employment assistance through American Job Centers. SCSEP participants gain work experience in a variety of community service activities at non-profit and public facilities, including schools, hospitals, day-care centers, and senior centers. The program provides over 40 million community service hours to public and non-profit agencies, allowing them to enhance and provide needed services. Participants work an average of 20 hours a week and are paid the highest of federal, state or local minimum wage. This training serves as a bridge to unsubsidized employment opportunities for participants. Participants must be at least 55, unemployed, and have a family income of no more than 125% of the federal poverty level. Enrollment priority is given to veterans and qualified spouses, then to individuals who are over 65, have a disability, have low literacy skills or limited English proficiency, reside in a rural area, are homeless or at risk of homelessness, have low employment prospects, formerly incarcerated within the last five years, or have failed to find employment after using services through the American Job Center system.

Active 17.235 Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor A - Formula Grants; B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2020 The SCSEP program provides work-based job training, support, and paid community service opportunities for low-income seniors with particularly intensive needs. Through the program, older workers gain critical soft skills and industry-specific skills, actively search for employment, and learn technology and internet skills, ultimately preparing them for unsubsidized employment opportunities after exit from the program. In PY 2019, SCSEP served nearly 48,000 older workers. In the early stages of the pandemic, ETA provided guidance and technical assistance to ensure that SCSEP grantees swiftly implemented measures to protect the health and safety of their participants, many of whom are particularly vulnerable given their age, socioeconomic conditions, and reliance on SCSEP wages. Measures included maximizing the use of available flexibilities to ensure SCSEP participants continued to receive critical support while they were unable to participate in community service assignments.
Fiscal Year 2022 In Program Year 2022, Senior Community Employment Program (SCSEP) grantees aided over 42,400 seniors over the age of 55 gain skills and self-sufficiency toward unsubsidized employment. SCSEP participants conducted 3,176,807 hours of training, contributed 13,474,570 total hours in community service, and worked another 10,307,208 total hours in service to the general community. In Fiscal Year 2023, SCSEP implemented a new case management tool, GPMS, to better support the operation of the grantee performance system and its connectivity with internal grantee performance systems. The additional costs associated with the required technology infrastructure upgrades presented a hardship for grantees, and the Office of Workforce Investment offered additional funding in the amount of $9,471,234 to SCSEP grantees to support efforts to upgrade technology infrastructure for GPMS compatibility. Older Americans Act of 1965
Unless otherwise stipulated, entities carrying out the SCSEP project are subject to Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards found at 2 CFR Part 200, along with the OMB approved exceptions for DOL at 2 CFR Part 2900, published on December 19, 2014 in the Federal Register; the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2016, published April 22, 2016; the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2020, published March 25, 2020; the Interim Final Rule (published December 1, 2017); the Final Rule published December 26, 2010; and Training and Employment Guidance Letters., Title V, Public Law 89-73, 42 U.S.C. 3056, Statute 79,218
Pub. L. 114-144, 130 Stat. 334 The following types of organizations are eligible to receive grants: (1) States; (2) U.S. territories; (3) Public and nonprofit private agency and organizations; and (4) Public or nonprofit national Indian aging organizations and public or nonprofit Pacific Island and Asian American aging organizations. Unless otherwise stipulated, entities carrying out the project are subject to Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards found at 2 CFR Part 200 along with the OMB approved exceptions for DOL at 2 CFR Part 2900 published on December 19, 2014 in the Federal Register; Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2016 published April 22, 2016; Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2020 published March 2020; Performance Accountability Final Rule published July 10, 2018); Final Rule published December 26, 2010; and Training and Employment Guidance Letters available via https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/seniors/technical-assistance. SCSEP applicants must be unemployed adults 55 years or older with a family income that is not more than 125 percent of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) poverty level. Prospective participants must provide documentation relevant to age and income, which is required to determine whether the individual is program eligible. With certain exceptions, the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey definition of income governs the determination of SCSEP applicants' income eligibility. Section 518 (a)(3)(A) of the OAA-2016 specifies that any income that is unemployment compensation, a benefit received under title XVI of the Social Security Act; a payment made to or on behalf of veterans or former members of the Armed Forces under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or 25 percent of a benefit received under title II of the Social Security Act, is excluded from SCSEP income eligibility determinations. 20 CFR 641.879 requires entities carrying out the project to submit: 1) quarterly financial reports (ETA Form 9130, OMB Control No. 1205-0461) for each grant award they receive. Reports are required to be prepared using the specific format and instructions for the applicable program(s). Reports are due 45 days after the end of the reporting quarter. Financial data is required to be reported cumulatively from grant inception through the end of each reporting period. Additional information can be accessed at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/grants (scroll down to the section on 'Manage Your Awarded Grant'). See TEGL 02-16 for specific instructions about the ETA 9130 (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/training-and-employment-guidance-letter-no-02-16); 2) data on participants, demographics, and performance, used to generate the Quarterly Progress Reports (QPRs). The QPRs are accessible via the SCSEP Performance and Results QPR (SPARQ) online system and at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/seniors/performance; 3) Annual Equitable Distribution Report which details SCSEP positions by all recipients in the State; 4) quarterly narrative report for each grant award received. The reports are required to be prepared in a specific format, in response to specified questions relating to programmatic activities performed during the reporting quarter. Information provided in the reports must be consistent with the Program Narrative submitted and with the Optional Special Requests approved at the beginning of the grant year. Reports are due 45 days after the end of the reporting quarter; and 5) the Four-Year Strategic State Plan (which is to be reviewed and updated no less frequently than every two years). SCSEP state grantees in collaboration with national grantees are required to submit their State Plans. Preapplication coordination is required. 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. Pre-application coordination is required. Environmental impact information is not required 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. The distribution of funds under this project is a division between national grants (public and nonprofit private agency and organization grantees) and grants to states. Funds are allotted to States at 22 percent and to National organizations and agencies at 78 percent. SCSEP grantees must follow the instructions and submit all documents to https://www.grantsolutions.gov with a copy to their respective Federal Project Office, as well as the SCSEP program office at grants.scsepdocs@dol.gov. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. National nonprofit organizations are required under Section 502(d) of the Older Americans Act to submit an application to the state agency, in addition to the Department of Labor. The Office of Workforce Investment in the Employment and Training Administration will provide information concerning proper application, format, and content and furnish standard application forms. Governors may comment on SCSEP grant proposals prior to award and may make recommendations to the Secretary of Labor to improve the distribution of SCSEP services. Awards are made directly to eligible applicants by the Employment and Training Administration in the U.S. Department of Labor. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines From 30 to 60 days. The approval range for formula grants is approximately 30 to 60 days. From 1 to 15 days. Appeals may be filed according to the regulations at 20 CFR 641.900. Grantees must meet the eligibility and responsibility test each year in order to be funded. In addition, grantees must meet negotiated performance measures described in Section 513(b) of OAA-2016, in administrative guidance, and in the Final Rule on SCSEP Performance Accountability published July 10, 2018. Each year in January, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) publishes the poverty and low-income guidelines based on the last calendar year's increase in prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index. These numbers, multiplied by 125 percent, are the basis of "low income" for eligibility determinations as defined at Section 518(a)(3)(A) of the OAA Amendments of 2006, 42 USC ?3056p(a)(3)(A). The Department annually renews grant agreements. The Department will have an open competition every four years to select national grantees. National grants were last competed in 2020 and the next competition opportunity, as specified in the authorizing legislation, will be no sooner than 2024. When such a competition occurs, a Notice will be published in the Federal Register. Entities carrying out the project use the funds to create and pay for part-time job training and work experience in community service assignments for unemployed persons age 55 and above whose income is not more than 125 percent of the poverty level. The individuals who are enrolled in the program receive work experience and skills training at host agencies, which are public agencies and/or private nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. A portion of the funds may be used to provide participants with additional trainings, such as occupational skills training, on-the-job experience training, etc. (outside of the normal job-training assignments at a host agency) and supportive services. Participants may not train in projects involving political or sectarian activities, nor may participants displace any employed worker, nor perform work which impairs existing contracts for service. Entities carrying out the project must consult with appropriate area agencies on aging, with the State workforce development board and local workforce development board, and with other appropriate agencies and entities to promote coordination of activities. Additionally, each local project is required to coordinate its activities with training and other service providers under title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, including utilizing the one-stop delivery system of the local workforce development areas involved to recruit eligible individuals to ensure that the maximum number of eligible individuals will have an opportunity to participate in the project. The amount of Federal funds expended for enrollee wages and fringe benefits shall be no less than 75 percent of the grant (20 CFR Section 641.873) except in those instances in which a grantee has requested, and DOL has approved such request, to use not less than 65 percent of the grant funds to pay for participant wage and fringe benefits so as to use up to an additional 10 percent of grant funds for participant training and supportive services (42 USC 3056(c)(6)(C)(i)). The amount of Federal funds expended for the costs of administration during the program year shall be no more than 13.5 percent of the grant (20 CFR Section 641.867(a)). A waiver of this requirement to increase administrative expenditures to 15 percent may be granted by the DOL (20 CFR Section 641.867(b)). Grantees are required to negotiate share in infrastructure cost with required local partners in accordance with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (Final Rule 20 CFR 679.370(k). The Secretary of Labor may reserve up to 1.5 percent of annual appropriation for pilots, demonstration, and evaluation activities and related technical assistance. Performance Reports: All SCSEP grantees are required to enter participant data to generate the Quarterly Progress Reports (QPRs) in the DOL-sponsored online performance management system. Federal Project Officers conduct quarterly desk reviews and on-site reviews as needed. Performance is evaluated annually. Not applicable. In accordance with the May 2013 Executive Order - Making Open and Machine Readable the New Default for Government Information, the grant recipient, whenever practicable, must collect, transmit, and store Federal award-related information in open and machine-readable formats rather than in closed formats or on paper. Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other records pertinent to a Federal award must be retained for a period of three years from the date the final expenditure report was submitted (regardless if the documents are from the grant recipient or the subrecipient). There are situations that may extend the standard three-year record retention period and some specific types of records have their own record retention period-triggering activities. Some exceptions to the regular retention period include written notification to extend, litigation, claim, audit, monitoring, real property and equipment, records transfer, indirect cost records, and WIOA title I complaints. Please review 2 CFR 200.333 in the Uniform Guidance (https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=f97e0191d123256327e24f7e86dc29e4&mc=true&node=se2.1.200_1333&rgn=div8) and 29 CFR Part 38 (https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&mc=true&r=PART&n=pt29.1.38) in detail for record retention requirements. Statutory Formula: Title PROVISIONS GOVERNING THE SENIOR COMMUNITY SERVICE EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM Chapter 20 Part 641 Subpart D Public Law P.L. 114-144 42 U.S.C. 3056 et seq.; Pub. L. 114-144, 130 Stat. 334

Matching is voluntary. The Department will pay no more than 90 percent of the total cost of activities carried out under a SCSEP grant. (OAA sec. 502(c)(l)). All SCSEP recipients, including Federal agencies if there is no statutory exemption, must provide or ensure that at least 10 percent of the total cost of activities carried out under a SCSEP grant (non-Federal share of costs) consists of allowable costs paid for with non-Federal funds. Recipients must determine the non-Federal share of costs in accordance with 29 CFR 97.24 for governmental units, or 29 CFR 95.23 for nonprofit and commercial organizations. The non-Federal share of costs may be provided in cash, or in-kind, or a combination of the two. (OAA § 502 (0) (2)). A recipient may not require a subrecipient or host agency to provide non-Federal resources for the use of the SCSEP project as a condition of entering into a sub-recipient or host agency relationship. This does not preclude a sub-recipient or host agency from voluntarily contributing non-Federal resources for the use of the SCSEP project. The Department may pay all of the costs of activities in an emergency or disaster project or a project in an economically distressed area. (OAA § 502(c)(1)(B)).

This program has MOE requirements, see funding agency for further details. Additional Information: A community service assignment for a participant under Title V of the OAA is permissible only when specific maintenance of effort requirements is met. Each project funded under Title V: (1) Must not reduce the number of employment opportunities or vacancies that would otherwise be available to individuals not participating in the program; (2) Must not displace currently employed workers (including partial displacement, such as a reduction in the hours of non-overtime work, wages, or employment benefits); (3) Must not impair existing contracts or result in the substitution of Federal funds for other funds in connection with work that would otherwise be performed; and (4) Must not employ or continue to employ any eligible individual to perform the same work or substantially the same work as that performed by any other individual who is on layoff. (OAA ?502(b)(1)(G)). See funding agency for further details. SCSEP funds are allocated to and administered through grants to all state governors, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories, as well as competitively awarded to national non-profit agencies for services across the country. The national non-profit organizations compete for the awards every four years (subject to annual appropriations). ETA renews SCSEP state and territorial grant awards on an annual basis and SCSEP national grants on an annual basis during non-competitive years. Each year, ETA requires grantees to submit a grant application that includes an SF-424, an SF-424A, the geographic areas to be served, a detailed budget narrative, a program narrative, signed programmatic assurances, and any optional special requests. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: Letter. Region 1: Edward Uechi, Telephone: (617) 565-1392; Region 2: Chantal Watler, Telephone: (215) 861-5224; Region 3: Channah YisraEL, Telephone: (404) 302-5368; Region 4: Rebecca Sarmiento, Telephone: (972) 850-4621; Region 5: Jenna Holzberg, Telephone: (312) 596-5524; Region 6: Latha Seshadri, Telephone: (415) 625-7937. Steven Rietzke
200 Constitution Ave. NW, Room C-4510
Washington, DC 20210 US
Rietzke.Steven@dol.gov
Phone: 202-693-3912
Fax: 202-693-2705

Toni Wilson
200 Constitution Ave. NW, Room C-4510
Washington, DC 20210 USA
Wilson.Toni@dol.gov
Phone: 202-693-2922 https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/seniors 16-0175-0-1-504 (Formula Grants) FY 22$87,000,000.00; FY 23 est $88,000,000.00; FY 24 est $88,000,000.00; FY 21$88,000,000.00; FY 20$89,000,000.00; FY 19$84,000,000.00; FY 18$87,000,000.00; FY 17$87,000,000.00; FY 16$95,000,000.00; - State Grants(Formula Grants) FY 22$311,000,000.00; FY 23 est $314,000,000.00; FY 24 est $314,000,000.00; FY 21$365,000,000.00; FY 20$260,000,000.00; FY 19$310,000,000.00; FY 18$312,000,000.00; FY 17$478,000,000.00; FY 16$222,000,000.00; - National Programs For Program Year (PY) 2023, the SCSEP appropriation totaled $405,000,000. After reducing the PY 2023 appropriation for set-asides and a transfer to the Office of the Solicitor, $402,000,000 is available for SCSEP program activities. Grants range from $424,495 to $46,850,000. SCSEP funds are allocated by a formula provided in Section 506 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (OAA), as amended, 42 USC ? 3056d, and operate on a PY basis from July 1 through the following June 30. See current list online at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/seniors/laws. Fiscal Year 2023 The extent to which the budget includes match funds expenditures, delineated by the same expenditure categories. It should also include a description of leveraged resources provided (as applicable) to support grant activities. The budget should include how 75% of the funding will be spent on participant wages and fringe benefits, if not given an approved waiver from the Department.