Arkansas Administrative Code

24 CAR § 20-503. For benefit payments that are too high. (a)(1) Arkansas Fire and Police Pension Review Board staff shall: (A) Notify the local plan in writing of its noncompliance; and (B) Inform the local board of the proper benefit levels to be paid. (2) Staff will ask the loc…

24 CAR § 20-504. Annual financial disclosure. (a) All local plans that have not consolidated with the Arkansas Local Police and Fire Retirement System are required to file an annual financial report with the Arkansas Fire and Police Pension Review Board. (b) The requirements for …

24 CAR § 20-601. Employee contributions. (a) Fire. (1) Under current law, employees who wish to be covered by local fire pension funds are required to contribute six percent (6%) of their gross pay to the local plan or, in the case of volunteers, twelve dollars ($12.00) annually.…

24 CAR § 20-602. Employer contributions. (a) From 1985 forward, employers are required to match all employee contributions. (b) If staff determines that an employer is not making the required contributions, staff shall notify the chief executive of the employer group by certified…

24 CAR § 20-701. Contributions. (a)(1) Arkansas law provides that police officers covered by a local plan shall contribute six percent (6%) of monthly salary to the local plan. (2) However, if the officers are also contributing to Social Security, the law sets the monthly deducti…

24 CAR § 20-702. Computation of benefits. (a)(1) Under Acts 1985, No. 899, benefits to members retiring on or after June 28, 1985, shall be based on one-half (1/2) of the actual salary of the member based upon the member’s highest salary year during his or her time of service. (2…

24 CAR § 20-801. Expenses for board members generally. (a) Arkansas Fire and Police Pension Review Board members and staff shall be reimbursed for any necessary expenses incurred for performing duly authorized board business. (b) Expense reimbursement shall be made on an agency-a…

24 CAR § 20-901. Administrative Services Committee generally. (a) An Administrative Services Committee (ASC) is hereby created to: (1) Deal with the annual establishment of staff pay; (2) Review appeals of grievances which may be submitted by staff members against their superviso…

24 CAR § 20-902. Procedure for establishing staff pay. (a)(1) The procedure for establishing annual staff pay shall follow the budget and expense allocation procedure approved annually by both the Arkansas Fire and Police Pension Review Board and the Board of Trustees of the Arka…

24 CAR § 20-903. Procedure for staff complaints. (a) The procedure to be used by staff to file complaints against their supervisors shall be as follows: (1) The grievant shall inform the immediate supervisor of the person with whom she or he has a grievance; and (2) The immediate…

24 CAR § 20-904. Complaints regarding the executive director. (a) If any person has a complaint against the Executive Director of the Arkansas Fire and Police Pension Review Board with respect to the executive director’s discharge of his or her business responsibilities, such com…

25 CAR § 1-101. Introduction. (a) The goal of the Older Individuals Who Are Blind (OIB) program is to enable individuals with blindness or significant visual impairments to live more independently in their homes and communities with a maximum degree of self-direction. (b) Accordi…

25 CAR § 1-102. Legal basis and funding. (a) The OIB program is authorized under the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind program authorized under Section 72 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq. (b) Regulations governin…

25 CAR § 1-103. Protection of legal rights. (a) Division of State Services for the Blind consumers and potential consumers are afforded certain rights with respect to the following principles: (1) Timeliness of: (A) Services; (B) Decisions; and (C) Notifications; (2) Nondiscrimin…

25 CAR § 1-104. Notification of rights. (a) Consumers will be notified of their rights, including the availability of the Client Assistance Program (CAP). (b) The consumer or representative must be notified of their rights in writing at each of the following times: (1) During the…

25 CAR § 1-105. Nondiscrimination. Referrals or applicants will not be excluded from applying for services or be found ineligible for services on the basis of: (1) Age; (2) Sex; (3) Race; (4) Color; (5) National origin; (6) Type of expected employment outcome; (7) Source of refer…

25 CAR § 1-106. Confidentiality. (a) All Division of State Services for the Blind staff are responsible for ensuring that personal information regarding applicants and consumers of OIB program services furnished to this agency are held confidential. (b) All information as to pers…

25 CAR § 1-107. Release of information. (a) Release of information to any individual, agency, or organization shall be conditioned upon satisfactory assurance by such individual, agency, or organization that: (1) The information will be used only for the purpose for which it is p…

25 CAR § 1-108. Client Assistance Program. (a)(1) The Client Assistance Program (CAP) is established and funded in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq. (2) This program is designed to uphold the rights of individuals who are applying for or receiving services f…

25 CAR § 1-109. Outreach. (a)(1) Outreach activities are to inform and educate community organizations in order to obtain referrals for individuals who may be eligible for Division of State Services for the Blind program services. (2) Activities include staying in touch with key …

25 CAR § 1-110. Referrals. (a) An individual may be referred to the OIB program: (1) By letter; (2) By telephone; (3) In person; or (4) By other means. (b)(1) When a consumer is referred to the Division of State Services for the Blind, the DSB 8065 (referral form) should be compl…

25 CAR § 1-111. Application. (a)(1) The purpose of the initial interview is to gather information about the client that will be used to determine service needs. (2) The information gathered during this meeting is used to complete the OIB Application and the AWARE Intake Page. (3)…

25 CAR § 1-112. Eligibility. (a) For an individual to be eligible for the Older Individuals Who Are Blind program, an applicant must be: (1) At least fifty-five (55) years of age; and (2) Seeking assistance with independent living goals. (b) Any applicant who wishes to seek an em…

25 CAR § 1-113. Eligibility criteria. There are three (3) criteria for eligibility in the OIB program: (1)(A) The OIB program is specially designed to serve older blind and visually impaired Arkansans. (B) Therefore, a lower age limit of fifty-five (55) years of age has been esta…

25 CAR § 1-114. Determination of eligibility. (a)(1) The primary purpose of determining eligibility is to identify those individuals with visual disabilities who may be served with OIB funds. (2) The intent is to empower the individual to maximize their independence in the home a…

25 CAR § 1-115. Notification. (a) The counselor will notify the applicant by letter when he or she has been determined either eligible or ineligible for services. (b) Once an eligibility determination has been made the VR counselor will complete the Eligibility Determination data…

25 CAR § 1-116. Eligibility timeline. (a) Eligibility determinations must be made within sixty (60) calendar days after the consumer has applied for OIB services. (b) Exceptions can only occur if the consumer: (1) Is notified in writing that exceptional and unforeseen circumstanc…

25 CAR § 1-117. Residence requirement. (a)(1) In accordance with 34 C.F.R. § 361.42(c)(1), no residence requirement will be imposed that excludes from an eligibility determination or receipt of OIB services any individual who is present in the state. (2) The other conditions of e…

25 CAR § 1-118. Needs assessment. (a)(1) All applicants are entitled to participate in the preliminary needs assessment. (2) Needs assessment includes the most applicable assessment tool (e.g., Comprehensive Functional Assessment (CFA), Orientation and Mobility Evaluation, etc.) …

25 CAR § 1-119. Functional limitations. (a)(1) Functional limitations are limitations imposed by a visual disability that impedes or limits an individual’s ability in an area of physical or mental functioning. (2)(A) Functional limitations may be substantiated by medical or psych…

25 CAR § 1-120. Individualized Plan for Elders. (a)(1) The Individualized Plan for Elders (IPE) is a personal schedule for consumers receiving services from the OIB program. (2) The IPE is jointly developed between the consumer and/or representative, as appropriate, and VR counse…

25 CAR § 1-121. Service provision. (a) Services identified in the client’s plan will be provided individually or in a group setting agreed upon by the client. (b) Planned services are to be initiated within thirty (30) days of a signed plan and are to be provided continuously unt…

25 CAR § 1-122. IPE amendment. (a)(1) An amendment to the original IPE is made when a change takes place in the rehabilitation program after its original development. (2) Should it become necessary to make changes in the IPE, the VR counselor and consumer must both agree and sign…

25 CAR § 1-123. Service delivery. (a)(1) Services are activities that motivate individuals toward the kind of functioning they desire within the framework of their individual capacities and potential. (2) All goods and services necessary for the consumer to achieve a successful o…

25 CAR § 1-124. Out-of-state services. (a) It is the policy of the Division of State Services for the Blind to provide all services to consumers from within the state whenever possible. (b) If the division purchases a service outside of the state that is available within the stat…

25 CAR § 1-125. Services interrupted. (a)(1) Services may be interrupted from time to time for many reasons. (2) When services are interrupted for any reason, a case note must be entered into AWARE providing an explanation for the interruption. (b) If the duration of the interrup…

25 CAR § 1-126. Services. (a) The Division of State Services for the Blind may provide the services below to eligible consumers based on their specific needs and goals. (b) No services other than assessment for eligibility (25 CAR § 1-128(a)) may be made without being on a signed…

25 CAR § 1-127. Comparable benefits. (a) Any outside funding or services available to the consumer will be used before spending Division of State Services for the Blind agency resources. (b) Repayable loans and merit-based awards and scholarships are not comparable services and b…

25 CAR § 1-128. Clinical/functional vision assessments. (a) Vision assessments for eligibility. (1) For consumers who do not have a recent eye report, the Division of State Services for the Blind may pay for the consumer to receive an assessment to determine eligibility for servi…

25 CAR § 1-129. Assistive technology devices and services. (a) Assistive technology devices. (1) Assistive technology means any item, piece of equipment, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. (2)…

25 CAR § 1-130. Independent living and adjustment training services. (a) Orientation and mobility. (1) Orientation consists of instructing blind and visually impaired persons in the use of their remaining senses to understand their relationship to their environments and how to mo…

25 CAR § 1-131. Services offered. (a) Supportive services. (1) Supportive services are services provided to consumers so that they can access other program services. (2) They are designed to assist the consumer to actively participate in the program and attain their independent l…

25 CAR § 1-132. Community awareness activities. (a)(1) This service is the support of community awareness activities and events. (2) At these events, staff may provide information and referral to individuals for whom this was the only service provided. (b) Examples of this type o…

25 CAR § 1-133. Authorizing services. (a)(1) All services or goods for which the Division of State Services for the Blind is to pay must be authorized in writing at least fifteen (15) business days prior to the service occurring. (2) Per federal regulations, all services must be …

25 CAR § 1-134. Authorization justification narrative. (a) Every authorization created by the Division of State Services for the Blind must be accompanied by an authorization justification. (b) This justification should be written by the VR counselor and provided to the Rehab Ass…

25 CAR § 1-135. Case closure. (a)(1) Cases may either be closed as Goals Met or Goals Not Met. (2) Before case closure the VR counselor must review the case and ensure all required documentation has been entered into the case file. (3) All consumers must receive a thirty-day clos…

25 CAR § 1-136. Case transfers. (a) A transfer will be made: (1) When a consumer on a caseload permanently moves into another VR counselor’s area; or (2) If deemed appropriate by the Field Administrator. (b)(1) Transfers cannot be made if there is an outstanding balance for the c…

25 CAR § 2-101. Introduction. (a) The principles and guidelines presented in this subpart extend over all Division of State Services for the Blind policies. (b) The following principles generally apply to the division’s consumers and potential consumers: (1) Timeliness of service…

25 CAR § 2-102. Confidentiality. (a)(1) All Division of State Services for the Blind staff are responsible for ensuring that personal information regarding applicants and recipients of services furnished to this agency are held confidential. (2) This includes information such as:…

25 CAR § 2-103. Competitive integrated employment. (a) All individuals working with the vocational rehabilitation program must intend to achieve a competitive integrated employment outcome. (b) The requirements for competitive integrated employment are as follows: (1)(A) The job …