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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20042039.tiff RESOLUTION RE: APPROVE VICTIMS OF CRIME ACT VICTIM ASSISTANCE GRANT AND AUTHORIZE CHAIR TO SIGN - COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, pursuant to Colorado statute and the Weld County Home Rule Charter, is vested with the authority of administering the affairs of Weld County, Colorado, and WHEREAS,the Board has been presented with a Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance Grant between the County of Weld, State of Colorado, by and through the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County,on behalf of the District Attorney's Office, 19th Judicial District, and Colorado Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Justice,with terms and conditions being as stated in said grant, and WHEREAS, after review, the Board deems it advisable to approve said grant, a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, that the Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance Grant between the County of Weld, State of Colorado, by and through the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, on behalf of the District Attorney's Office, 19th Judicial District, and Colorado Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Justice, be, and hereby is, approved. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Board that the Chair be, and hereby is, authorized to sign said grant. The above and foregoing Resolution was,on motion duly made and seconded,adopted by the following vote on the 19th day of July, A.D., 2004. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS C(�ODU TY ^CnnO�ORADO V.1-� -�l�e� l i6�NG• Robert D. Masden, Chair iaei � ,•a•bb�� to the Board William . Jerke, Pro-Tem iar jty-.Nark to the Board 71. Geill,/ APPR AS TO F . EXCUSED David E. Long my Atto ey EXCUSED Glenn Vaad ate of signature: 1-- r7/ 2004-2039 DA0019 00 '. 0 oak-cc? -oc( cd os Division of Criminal Justice Raymond T.Slaughter,Director 700 Kipling St. Suite 1000 Denver,CO 80215-5865 COLORADO (303)239-4442 FAX(303)239-4491 DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY July 6, 2004 Dear VOCA subgrantee: The Office for Victims Programs at the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice recently had a site visit by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). This visit was to monitor our Office's compliance with the provisions of the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and the Victim Assistance Program guidelines. As part of this site visit, OVC asked that we specifically list the VOCA eligibility requirements that are referenced on page 1 of 9 of the Special Provisions and Certified Assurances (SPCA) you sign as part of your contract each year. Therefore, I have enclosed a list of the 14 eligibility requirements for VOCA funding. Next year, these will be incorporated into the Program Specific Requirements that are on page 8 of 9 of the SPCA. Please have your Authorized Official sign the enclosed five page document, make a copy for your VOCA file, and mail back the original signed document to the Division of Criminal Justice, Office for Victims Programs, 700 Kipling, Ste. 1000, Denver, CO 80215. Please return this document to us by August 6, 2004. If you, or your Authorized Official, have any questions, please feel free to call me at (303) 239-4529 or outside of the metro area call toll free at 1-888-282-1080. Bill Owens GOVERNOR Yours truly, Joe Morales EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR geati 4AUCT Dirision oaCriminal Justice Colorado Stale Patrol Robert Gallup Colorado Bureau of Investigation VOCA Administrator Division of Fire Safety DCJ .s. H:\patg\VO 2004-2039 Home Page'. www.state.co.us/gov_dir/cdps/dcj.him E-Mail:raymond.slaughter@cdps.state.co.us Colorado Division of Criminal Justice Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance Grant The Victim of Crime Act(VOCA) subrecipient agrees and understands that meeting the following eligibility requirements is a condition of their Statement of Grant Award (contract) as originally referenced on page 1 of the Special Provisions Certified Assurances. Subgrantee agrees and acknowledges that the language contained herein was included in the governing legislation for this grant program from the United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, under federal statutory authority Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA), as amended, Public Law 98-473, Chapter XIC, 42 U.S.C. 10601, et. Seq., Section 1402, Section 1404, and under applicable program rules and regulations established by the federal program office. Subrecipient Organization Eligibility Requirements VOCA establishes eligibility criteria that must be met by all organizations that receive VOCA funds. These funds are to be awarded to subrecipients only for providing services to victims of crime through their staff. Each subrecipient organization shall meet the following requirements: 1. Public or Nonprofit Organization. To be eligible to receive VOCA funds, organizations must be operated by a public or nonprofit organization, or a combination of such organizations, and provide services to crime victims. 2. Record of Effective Services. Demonstrate a record of providing effective services to crime victims. This includes having the support and approval of its services by the community, a history of providing direct services in a cost- effective manner, and financial support from other sources. 3. New Programs. Those programs that have not yet demonstrated a record of providing services may be eligible to receive VOCA funding, if they can demonstrate that 25-50 percent of their financial support comes from non-federal sources. It is important that organizations have a variety of funding sources besides federal funding in order to ensure their financial stability. States are responsible for establishing the base level of non-federal support required within the 25-50 percent range. 4. Program Match Requirements. The purpose of matching contributions is to increase the amount of resources available to the projects supported by grant funds. Matching contributions of 20% (cash or in-kind) of the total cost of each VOCA project (VOCA grant plus match) are required for each VOCA-funded project and must be derived from non-federal sources, except as provided in the OJP Financial Guide, effective edition (Part III. Post Award Requirements, Chapter 3. Matching or Cost Sharing). All funds designated as match are restricted to the same uses as the VOCA victim assistance funds and must be expended within the grant period. Match must be provided on a project-by-project basis. Any deviation from this policy must be approved by OVC. H:\patg\VOCA\additional provisions.doc 1 of 5 Colorado Division of Criminal Justice Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance Grant For the purposes of this program, in-kind match may include donations of expendable equipment, office supplies, workshop or classroom materials, work space, or the monetary value of time contributed by professionals and technical personnel and other skilled and unskilled labor, if the services they provide are an integral and necessary part of a funded project. The value placed on donated services must be consistent with the rate of compensation paid for similar work in the subrecipient's organization. If the required skills are not found in the subrecipient's organization, the rate of compensation must be consistent with the labor market. In either case, fringe benefits may be included in the valuation. The value placed on loaned or donated equipment may not exceed its fair market value. The value of donated space may not exceed the fair rental value of comparable space as established by an independent appraisal of comparable space and facilities in privately owned buildings in the same locality. a. Record Keeping. VOCA recipients and their subrecipients must maintain records that clearly show the source, the amount, and the period during which the match was allocated. The basis for determining the value of personal services, materials, equipment, and space must be documented. Volunteer services must be documented, and to the extent feasible, supported by the same methods used by the subrecipient for its own paid employees. The state has primary responsibility for subrecipient compliance with the requirements. State grantees are encouraged not to require excessive amounts of match. b. Exceptions to the 20%Match. OVC sets lower match requirements for: 1) Native American Tribes/Organizations Located on Reservations. The match for new or existing VOCA subrecipients that are Native American tribes/organizations located on reservations is 5% (cash or in-kind) of the total VOCA project. For the purpose of this grant, a Native American tribe/organization is defined as any tribe, band,nation, or other organized group or community, which is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the U.S. to Native Americans because of their status as Native Americans. A reservation is defined as a tract of land set aside for use of, and occupancy by,Native Americans. 2) The U.S. Virgin Islands, and all other territories and possessions of the U.S., except Puerto Rico, are not required to match VOCA funds. See 48 U.S.C. 1469a(d). 3) OVC may waive the match requirement if extraordinary need is documented by State VOCA administrators. 5. Volunteers. Subrecipient organizations must use volunteers unless the state grantee determines there is a compelling reason to waive this requirement. A H:\patg\VOCA\additional provisions.doc 2 of 5 Colorado Division of Criminal Justice Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance Grant "compelling reason" may be a statutory or contractual provision concerning liability or confidentiality of counselor/victim information, which bars using volunteers for certain positions, or the inability to recruit and maintain volunteers after a sustained and aggressive effort. 6. Promote Community Efforts to Aid Crime Victims. Promote, within the community, coordinated public and private efforts to aid crime victims. Coordination may include, but is not limited to, serving on state, federal, local, or Native American task forces, commissions, working groups, coalitions, and/or multi-disciplinary teams. Coordination efforts also include developing written agreements that contribute to better and more comprehensive services to crime victims. Coordination efforts qualify an organization to receive VOCA victim assistance funds, but are not activities that can be supported with VOCA funds. 7. Help Victims Apply for Compensation Benefits. Such assistance may include identifying and notifying crime victims of the availability of compensation, assisting them with application forms and procedures, obtaining necessary documentation, and/or checking on claim status. 8. Comply with Federal Rules Regulating Grants. Subrecipients must comply with the applicable provisions of VOCA, the Program Guidelines, and the requirements of the OW Financial Guide, effective edition,which includes maintaining appropriate programmatic and financial records that fully disclose the amount and disposition of VOCA funds received. This includes: financial documentation for disbursements; daily time and attendance records specifying time devoted to allowable VOCA victim services; client files; the portion of the project supplied by other sources of revenue;job descriptions; contracts for services; and other records which facilitate an effective audit. 9. Maintain Civil Rights Information. Maintain statutorily required civil rights statistics on victims served by race,national origin, sex, age, and disability, within the timetable established by the state grantee; and permit reasonable access to its books, documents,papers, and records to determine whether the subrecipient is complying with applicable civil rights laws. This requirement is waived when providing a service, such as telephone counseling, where soliciting the information may be inappropriate or offensive to the crime victim. 10. Comply with State Criteria. Subrecipients must abide by any additional eligibility or service criteria as established by the state grantee including submitting statistical and programmatic information on the use and impact of VOCA funds, as requested by the grantee. 11. Services to Victims of Federal Crimes. Subrecipients must provide services to victims of federal crimes on the same basis as victims of state/local crimes. H:\patg\VOCA\additional provisions.doc 3 of 5 Colorado Division of Criminal Justice Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance Grant 12. No Charge to Victims for VOCA-Funded Services. Subrecipients must provide services to crime victims, at no charge, through the VOCA-funded project. Any deviation from this provision requires prior approval by the state grantee. Prior to authorizing subrecipients to generate income, OVC strongly encourages administrators to carefully weigh the following considerations regarding federal funds generating income for subrecipient organizations. a. The purpose of the VOCA victim assistance grant program is to provide services to all crime victims regardless of their ability to pay for services rendered or availability of insurance or other third-party payment resources. Crime victims suffer tremendous emotional, physical, and financial losses. It was never the intent of VOCA to exacerbate the impact of the crime by asking the victim to pay for services. b. State grantees must ensure that they and their subrecipients have the capability to track program income in accordance with federal financial accounting requirements. All VOCA-funded program and match income, no matter how large or small, the VOCA grant. Program income can be problematic because of the required tracking systems needed to monitor VOCA-funded income and ensure that it is used only to make additional services available to crime victims. For example: VOCA often funds only a portion of a counselor's time. Accounting for VOCA program income generated by this counselor is complicated, involving careful record keeping by the counselor, the subrecipient program, and the state. 13. Client-Counselor and Research Information Confidentiality. Maintain confidentiality of client-counselor information, as required by state and federal law. 14. Confidentiality of Research Information. Except as otherwise provided by federal law, no recipient of monies under VOCA shall use or reveal any research or statistical information furnished under this program by any person and identifiable to any specific private person for any purpose other than the purpose for which such information was obtained in accordance with VOCA. Such information, and any copy of such information, shall be immune from legal process and shall not, without the consent of the person furnishing such information, be admitted as evidence or used for any purpose in any action, suit, or other judicial, legislative, or administrative proceeding. See Section 1407(d) of VOCA codified at 42 U.S.C. 10604. These provisions are intended, among other things, to ensure the confidentiality of information provided by crime victims to counselors working for victim services programs receiving VOCA funds. Whatever the scope of application given this provision, it is clear that there is nothing in VOCA or its legislative history to H:\patg\VOCA\additional provisions.doc 4 of 5 Colorado Division of Criminal Justice Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance Grant indicate that Congress intended to override or repeal, in effect, a state's existing law governing the disclosure of information which is supportive of VOCA's fundamental goal of helping crime victims. For example,this provision would not act to override or repeal, in effect, a state's existing law pertaining to the mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse. (See Pennhurst School and Hospital v. Halderman, et al., 451 U.S. 1 (1981).) Furthermore, this . confidentiality provision should not be interpreted to thwart the legitimate informational needs of public agencies. For example,this provision does not prohibit a domestic violence shelter from acknowledging, in response to an inquiry by a law enforcement agency conducting a missing person investigation, that the person is safe in the shelter. Similarly,this provision does not prohibit access to a victim service project by a federal or state agency seeking to determine whether federal and state funds are being utilized in accordance with funding agreements. District Attorney' s Office, 19th J. D. 22--VA-19-63 (CY2004) Agency name Grant number AS)\Abt. \\\Z"-- nil 1 9 2004 Signature of Authorized �Offii ial Date Robert D. sd / !/✓ RobertAT . �� ��j �- 4 WELD COUNTY CLERK TO HE BO: ' �l 4. amino EPUTYCLERKT0THEB0ARDr.ttr1it QP I H:\patg\VOCA\additional provisions.doc 5 of 5 Hello