Federal grant programs / Department of Education

Rehabilitation Services Vocational Rehabilitation Grants to States (84.126)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$17 billion
• Grant awards392
• Typical award$20.3 million
• Awarded in FY 2025$3.9 billion
• Size rank36 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceFormula grants

Key findings

• Annual funding rose from $3.2 billion in fiscal 2021 to $3.9 billion in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 36th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 70% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 56 states and territories.

What the program funds

To assist States in operating comprehensive, coordinated, effective, efficient and accountable programs of vocational rehabilitation (VR); to assess, plan, develop, and provide VR services for individuals with disabilities, consistent with their strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, and informed choice so they may prepare for and engage in an employment outcome.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Eligible applicants include the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. State agencies designated to administer the VR program will receive funds with the submission and approval of the State Unified or Combined State plan under WIOA, including a VR services portion of that Plan.

What the money can and cannot pay for

Federal and State funds are used to cover the costs of providing VR services to eligible individuals with disabilities under an individualized plan for employment. Such services include: assessment, counseling, vocational and other training, job placement, reader services for the blind, interpreter services for the deaf, medical and related services and prosthetic and orthotic devices, rehabilitation technology, transportation to secure VR services, maintenance during rehabilitation, and other goods and services necessary for an eligible individual with a disability to achieve an employment outcome. Services are provided to families of individuals with disabilities when such services contribute substantially to the rehabilitation of such individuals who are receiving VR services. Funds can also be used to provide VR services for the benefit of groups of individuals with disabilities including the construction and establishment of community rehabilitation programs. Each State is also required to reserve and use at least 15 percent of its Federal VR State Grant award to provide or arrange for the provision of pre-employment transition services for students with disabilities in accordance with section 113 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Matching requirements

Statutory Formula: Title The rehabilitation act of 1973, Title I - Vocational rehabilitation services, Part A, Subpart N/A,Public Law 93-112.Section 110 of The Rehabilitation Act.The matching requirement is 78.7 percent Federal and 21.3 percent Non-Federal funds of the total of all expenditures incurred under the VR program. This program has a maintenance of effort (MOE) requirement. The MOE level is based on the total amount of the State's non-Federal expenditures under the VR program for the Federal fiscal year two years earlier; see funding agency for further details. Matching requirements are mandatory.This program has MOE requirements, see funding agency for further details. This program has MOE requirements, see funding agency for further details.

Deadlines

Mar 03, 2026 to Apr 03, 2026 States are required to submit four-year Unified or Combined State Plans, including the VR services portion of that State Plan. At the end of the first two-year period of the State Plan, States must submit modifications to reflect changes or factors affecting the implementation of the State Plan. States must submit both the four-year State Plan, including the VR services portion of the State Plan, as well as the two-year modification to the Plan to the U.S. Department of Labor. States submitted the Program Year (PY) 2024 through 2027 State Plans in Spring 2024, with an effective date of July 1, 2024. States must submit their modification to that State Plan in Spring 2026, with an effective date of July 1, 2026. The next four-year State Plan will be due in Spring 2028.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

In FY 2024, initial annual allotments to States, including D.C. and Puerto Rico ranged from $12.1 million to $320.3 million, with a median award of $51.8 million. Grants to territories ranged from $0.9 million to $3.4 million.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

State and local governments received 95% of the money, nonprofits 2.1%.

By state

Each state below has its own page for this program, with its recipients and yearly totals.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.