236 Public comment on the proposed Federal fiscal year 2009 combined agency State plan attachments

DEPARTMENT OF
LABOR AND INDUSTRY

Public Comment on the Proposed Federal Fiscal Year 2009 Combined Agency State Plan Attachments

[38 Pa.B. 847]
[Saturday, February 9, 2008]

   The Department of Labor and Industry, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR), under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended in the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, announces a period of public comment on its proposed Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2009 Combined Agency State Plan Attachments. The FFY 2009 begins on October 1, 2008, and ends on September 30, 2009.

   The purpose of this period of comment is to provide individuals, advocates and other interested parties and/or organizations the opportunity to present their views and recommendations regarding Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services for persons with disabilities. In this Commonwealth, these services are provided by OVR through a network of 21 local District Offices and the Hiram G. Andrews Center (HGAC).

   OVR is required, under law to develop and implement a Combined Agency State Plan (State Plan), which must be reviewed and, as necessary, revised annually when there are changes to its VR program. These revisions take the form of updates to existing Attachments. The Plan currently in effect is for FFY 2008 and is a compliance document on file with the Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration, United States Department of Education. It is the blueprint for the provision of VR services to persons with disabilities living in this Commonwealth.

   This period of public comment allows interested parties an opportunity to provide input regarding the Commonwealth's public VR program. Specifically, comment is being solicited regarding the following State Plan Attachments: input and recommendations of the Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Council; comprehensive system of personnel development; annual estimate of individuals to be served and costs of services; OVR's goals and priorities; Order of Selection; distribution of Supported Employment funds; and Innovation and Expansion activities. In addition to the Vocational Rehabilitation State Plan, the agency's Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services will accept public comment on the Business Enterprise Program, Specialized Services for Children and Adults and Independent Living Services for Older Persons Who are Blind, which are unique to their funding.

   Following is the pertinent information for the upcoming public meetings. All meeting sites are accessible and interpreters for people who are deaf or hard of hearing will be present at each public meeting. For additional information, reasonable accommodation requests or alternative format requests, call the OVR district office conducting the public meeting they wish to attend. If an individual or organization's representative is unable to attend a public meeting, but wishes to provide testimony, written comments may be mailed to the appropriate OVR district office serving the area in which the individual/organization member resides. Written comments must be received by 5 p.m., Monday, April 30, 2008.

   Persons/organizations wishing to obtain a copy of the proposed FFY 2009 Combined Agency State Plan Attachments or other information should telephone the contact person listed for the appropriate district office serving their geographic area.

   Copies of the current FFY 2008 and the proposed FFY 2009 Combined Agency State Plan Attachments, will be available on the OVR web site, www.dli.state.pa.us, by using "Disability Services" as the PA Keyword.

OVR District Office

Allentown BVRS District Office
(Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton Counties)
45 North Fourth Street, Allentown, PA 18102
[phone] (Voice)   [phone] (TTY)
Date: March 26, 2008, Time: 2 p.m.--4 p.m.
Contact Person: Richard Walters

Altoona BBVS District Office
(Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Somerset and Union Counties)
Fourth Floor Conference Room
1130 12th Avenue, Altoona, PA 16601
[phone] (Voice)   [phone] (TTY)
Date: April 1, 2008, Time: 10 a.m.--12 p.m.
Contact Person: Ann Strollo

Altoona BVRS District Office
(Bedford, Blair, Centre, Fulton, and Huntingdon
Counties)
Fourth Floor Conference Room
1130 12th Avenue, Altoona, PA 16601
[phone] (Voice)   [phone] (TTY)
Date: March 28, 2008, Time: 1 p.m.--3 p.m.
Contact Person: Pamela Montgomery

Dubois BVRS District Office
(Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson and McKean
Counties)
199 Beaver Drive, DuBois, PA 15801
[phone] (Voice/TTY)
Date: March 26, 2008, Time: 11 a.m.--12:30 p.m.
Contact Person: Catherine Farr

Erie BBVS District Office
(Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie,
Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango, Warren and Counties)
Meeting Held At:
Perkins Family Restaurant
18276 Conneaut Lake Road, Meadville, PA 16335
[phone] (Restaurant)
Erie BBVS D.O.: [phone] (Voice)
[phone]    (TTY)
Date: March 27, 2008, Time: 10 a.m.--12 p.m.
Contact Person: Dawn Sokol

Erie BVRS District Office
(Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango and
Warren Counties)
Conference Room
3200 Lovell Place, Erie, PA 16503
[phone] (Voice)   [phone] (TTY)
Date: April 17, 2008, Time: 1:30 p.m.--3:30 p.m.
Contact Person: Bruce Best

Harrisburg BBVS District Office
(Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York Counties)
Forum Place
8th Floor Conference Room
555 Walnut Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101
[phone] (Voice)   [phone] (TTY)
Date: April 2, 2008, Time: 11 a.m.--2 p.m.
Contact Person: Adrian Kent

Harrisburg BVRS District Office
(Cumberland, Dauphin, Juniata, Lebanon, Mifflin and Perry Counties)
Forum Place
8th Floor Conference Room
555 Walnut Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101
[phone] (Voice)   [phone] (TTY)
Date: April 3, 2008, Time: Noon--3 p.m.
Contact Person: Chuck Cavalovitch or Belinda Crobak

Johnstown BVRS District Office
(Cambria, Indiana, Somerset and Westmoreland
Counties)
HGAC Seminar Theater
727 Goucher Street, Section 10, Johnstown, PA 15905
[phone] (Voice)   [phone] (TTY)
Date: April 2, 2008, Time: 3 p.m.--5 p.m.
Contact Person: John Brown

New Castle BVRS District Office
(Armstrong, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence Counties)
Conference Room
100 Margaret Street, New Castle, PA 16101
[phone] (Voice)   [phone] (TTY)
Date: April 2, 2008, Time: 10 a.m.--12 p.m.
Contact Person: Gary Gay or Luann Digennaro

Norristown BVRS District Office
(Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties)
1875 New Hope Street, Norristown, PA 19401
[phone] (Voice)   [phone] (TTY)
Date: April 8, 2008, Time: 3 p.m.--5 p.m.
Contact Person: Michael Wakefield or Cheryl Calabrese

Philadelphia BBVS District Office
(Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties)
Meeting Held At:
Associated Services for the Blind
919 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
[phone] (ASB)
Philadelphia BBVS D.O.: [phone] (Voice)
[phone] (TTY)
Date: April 10, 2008, Time: 1 p.m.--3 p.m.
Contact Person: Merlyne Harvey

Philadelphia BVRS District Office
(Philadelphia County)
5th Floor Conference Room
444 North Third Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123
[phone] (Voice)   [phone] (TTY)
Date: April 10, 2008, Time: 2 p.m.--4 p.m.
Contact Person: Rose Higby

Pittsburgh BBVS District Office
(Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Washington and Westmoreland Counties)
1075 Kossman Building
400 Stanwix Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
[phone] (Voice)   [phone] (TTY)
Date: March 26, 2008, Time: 10 a.m.--12 p.m.
Contact Person: Deb Armbruster

Pittsburgh BVRS District Office
(Allegheny County)
Meeting Held At:
The Human Services Building
The Liberty Room
One Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Pittsburgh BVRS D.O.: [phone] (Voice)
[phone] (TTY)
Date: April 11, 2008, Time: 1:30 p.m.--3:30 p.m.
Contact Person: Gary Donatelli

Reading BVRS District Office
(Berks and Schuylkill Counties)
1090 Commons Boulevard, Reading, PA 19605
[phone] (Voice)   [phone] (TTY)
Date: March 27, 2008, Time: 1 p.m.--3 p.m.
Contact Person: Betty Brown

Washington BVRS District Office
(Fayette, Greene and Washington Counties)
201 West Wheeling Street, Washington, PA 15301
[phone] (Voice/TTY)
Date: March 24, 2008, Time: 11:30 a.m.--12:30 p.m.
Contact Person: Mary Lou Danko

Washington BVRS District Office
(Fayette, Greene and Washington Counties)
Meeting Held At:
Fayette County Community Action
Building B
137 North Beeson Boulevard, Uniontown, PA 15401
[phone] Ext. 224 (Fayette County Community Action Building)
Washington BVRS D.O.: [phone] (Voice/TTY)
Date: March 25, 2008, Time: 11:30 a.m.--12:30 p.m.
Contact Person: Mary Lou Danko

Wilkes-Barre BBVS District Office
(Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming Counties)
Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired
845 Wyoming Street, Allentown, PA 18103
Date: April 9, 2008, Time: 4:30 p.m.--5:30 p.m.
and
Wilkes-Barre District Office BBVS
300G Laird Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
Date: April 10, 2008, Time: 4:30 p.m.--5:30 p.m.
[phone] (Voice) or [phone] [phone] (TTY)
Contact Person: Carol Siskovich

Wilkes-Barre BVRS District Office
(Bradford, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike,
Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming Counties)
Wilkes-Barre OVR
300G Laird Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
[phone] (Voice)   [phone] (TTY)
Date: April 2, 2008, Time: 1 p.m.--2 p.m.
Contact Person: Jan Snyder

Williamsport BVRS District Office
(Clinton, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Tioga and Union Counties)
Conference Room, The Grit Building
Suite 102, 208 West Third Street, Williamsport, PA 17701
[phone] (Voice)   [phone] (TTY)
Date: March 27, 2008, Time: 11 p.m.--1 p.m.
Contact Person: Susan Swartz

York BVRS District Office
(Adams, Franklin, Lancaster and York Counties)
2550 Kingston Road, Suite 101, York, PA 17402
[phone] (Voice)   [phone] (TTY)
Date: April 9, 2008, Time: 2 p.m.--5 p.m.
Contact Person: R. Barry Brandt

SANDI VITO,   
Acting Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 08-236. Filed for public inspection February 8, 2008, 9:00 a.m.]