Metro READY Service Obligation Guidelines
IDEA Service Obligation
Materials developed by the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education for implementing the service obligation requirement for Project Metro READY
October 1, 2005
The School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) received funding for Project Metro READY scholarships from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the U.S. Department of Education. This document is intended to provide additional information on the service obligation that is now part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA). Students who receive financial assistance (e.g., tuition, stipend, fees) from projects funded under the Special Education-Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program are required to pay back that assistance, either by working for a period of time after they complete their training in the special education or early intervention fields, or by making a cash repayment to the federal government so that financial assistance can be provided for the training of other students who will work in the field.
Background/Purpose of IDEA Personnel Preparation Grants and Scholarships
Personnel training grants awarded under IDEA are intended to increase the number and quality of personnel available:
- to provide special education and related services to children with disabilities;
- to provide early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families; and
- to serve in leadership positions in special education, related services, or early intervention services.
Shortages in school districts and community agencies across the country of qualified personnel who can address the educational and developmental needs of children with disabilities are well documented. However, in the past, some individuals who received financial support through IDEA in order to obtain degrees or other types of certification subsequently entered careers in which they did not serve children with disabilities under IDEA.
Section 662 of IDEA ensures that individuals who receive scholarships from projects funded under the Special Education –Personnel Development program work in the field of special education for a period of time in return for the financial support provided by the federal government for their education. Scholarship recipients who choose not to enter the special education, related service, or early intervention fields are obligated to pay back their scholarship so that IDEA personnel training monies may be preserved for the purpose of increasing the availability of individuals qualified to provide services under IDEA.
How long is the service obligation and how is it met?
As described above, you agree to maintain employment providing special education to children with disabilities or early intervention services to infants and toddlers, and their families, on a full-time or full-time equivalent basis for a period of at least two years for every academic year for which assistance was received.
During this time you must be employed in a position in which:
(1) A majority of the persons to whom you provide services are receiving special education, related services, or early intervention services from you;
(2) You spend a majority of your time providing special education or related services to children with disabilities or early intervention services to infant and toddlers with disabilities;
(3) If the position is supervisory, including principals, you spend a majority of your time employed in a position performing work related to your preparation under section 662 of IDEA by providing one or both of the following:
(i) Special education or related services to children with disabilities or early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities; and
(ii) Supervision to others on issues directly related to special education or related services for children with disabilities or early intervention services for infants and toddlers;
(4) If the position is postsecondary faculty, you spend a majority of your time performing work related to your preparation under section 662 of IDEA by preparing special education teachers and related services personnel to provide services to improve results for children with disabilities, including early intervention, educational, and transitional services; or
(5) If the position is in research, you spend a majority of your time performing research related to your preparation under section 662 of IDEA that focuses on improving results for children with disabilities, including early intervention, educational, and transitional services.
How long do I have to complete my service obligation?
You have the sum of the number of years (for which you received full-time support) plus three (3) additional years to complete your service obligation.
When may I begin fulfilling my service obligation?
The period of time for completing the service obligation begins:
(1) When you complete (or terminate) the training for which the scholarship assistance was awarded.
(2) Obtain eligible employment subsequent to the completion of one academic year (18 credit hours) of the training for which the scholarship assistance was received.
What if I go to graduate school on a part-time basis?
The service obligation, for part-time students, is based on the accumulated academic years of training for which the scholarship is received. This is based on the university’s full time student load.
How will the U.S. Department of Education be kept informed of my student status?
When you terminate or complete your graduate studies or endorsement requirements, you will complete an “Exit Certification” that identifies: (1) the number of years you need to work to satisfy the service obligation work requirements; (2) the total amount of scholarship assistance received through Project Metro READY; (3) the time period you have to satisfy the service obligation work requirements; and (4) as applicable all other obligations. The project coordinator will forward the “Exit Certification” information to the U.S. Department of Education.
Within 60 days after exiting the program, and as necessary thereafter for any changes, you must provide the U.S. Department of Education all information the Secretary needs to monitor your service obligation including social security number, address, employment settings, and employment status, via U.S. mail at the following address:
Office of Special Education Programs
Research to Practice Division
Service Obligation Coordinator
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Potomac Center Plaza
Washington, DC 20202-2600
Under what circumstances could I lose my Project Metro READY support?
As long as VCU is receiving funds from the federal government to support Project Metro READY and you are a VCU student in good standing pursuing graduate studies or early childhood special education endorsement in keeping with the Project Metro READY mission, you may receive support. If you do not meet the VCU standards for continued graduate studies, you will no longer be eligible for Project Metro READY support.
Is it possible to obtain a deferral or exception to the service obligation or repayment requirements?
An exception to the repayment may be granted, in whole or in part, if you: (1) are unable to continue the course of study or perform the service obligation because of a permanent disability; or (2) have died.
Based upon sufficient evidence to substantiate the grounds, the Secretary may grant you a deferral of the repayment requirement during the time you are:
(1) Engaging in a full-time course of study at an institution of higher education;
(2) Serving on active duty as a member of the armed services of the United States;
(3) Serving as a volunteer under the Peace Corps Act or;
(4) Serving as a full-time volunteer under Title I of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973;
What happens if I am not able to meet the service obligation requirements?
If you fail to meet the terms and conditions of your Project Metro READY scholarship agreement or to obtain a deferral or an exception, you must repay all or part of the scholarship assistance, plus interest, to the U.S. Department of Education. This includes (1) the amount of your scholarship to be repaid proportional to the service obligation not completed and (2) interest on the unpaid balance owed (in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3717).
Interest on the unpaid balance accrues from the date you are determined to have entered repayment status. Any accrued interest is capitalized at the time the scholar’s repayment schedule is established. No interest is charged for the period of time during which repayment has been deferred. Under the authority of 31 U.S.C. 3717, the Secretary may impose reasonable collection costs.
You will make payments to the Secretary that cover principal, interest, and collection costs according to a schedule established by the Secretary.
Any amount of the scholarship that has not been repaid will constitute a debt owed to the United States that may be collected by the Secretary in accordance with 34 CFR part 30.
When does my repayment status begin?
You will enter repayment status on the first day of the first calendar month after the earliest of the following dates, as applicable: (1) the date you inform VCU or the Secretary that you do not plan to fulfill the service obligation; (2) any date when your failure to begin or maintain employment makes it impossible for you to complete the service obligation within the required number of years; or (3) any date on which you discontinue enrollment in the Project Metro READY course of study.
Frequently asked questions about work circumstances
I want to work full-time after I complete my program. But, what if I can only get a part-time job?
We recognize that some students may not be able to arrange for full-time employment, or may choose for their own reasons to work part-time after completing their program. Therefore, you will be able to accumulate part-time jobs to a full-time equivalent as a means of fulfilling some or the entire service obligation. Thus, a person who has a 2 year service obligation may, for example, work for one year in a half-time job followed by one year and one-half years in full-time positions in order to fulfill the responsibility for paying back the financial assistance received during the training program. However, it is important to note that the time period within which the obligation must be fulfilled is fixed.
Must I work in the public schools in order to have my job count towards the service obligation?
The key employment points are: (a) that you must be providing special education, related services or early intervention services to children with disabilities as defined under IDEA; and (2) a majority of the children you serve must be children with disabilities, or the majority of time you spend in your job must be in the provision of services to children with disabilities. Many infants and toddlers with disabilities, as defined by IDEA, are served by community agencies rather than by the public schools. Further, some school age children are educated in private schools on behalf of the public schools or receive related services provided by private entities. As long as the work you perform is largely with children with disabilities as defined by IDEA, your job should count toward satisfying your service obligation.
I am receiving IDEA scholarship support for my Master’s training program. I plan to enter a doctoral training program immediately after completing requirements for the master’s degree. Will I be able to postpone my service obligation until after I finish my doctoral training program?
Yes. The Secretary may grant a deferral of the repayment requirement during the time you are engaged in full-time study at an institution of higher education. It is your responsibility to contact the Secretary to request the deferral.
I want to be a school nurse ( or psychologist, social worker, occupational therapist, special educator, early interventionist, or physical therapist), but wonder what happens if I change my mind while I’m still in school. If I accept a scholarship for a year, then change my mind and switch to another program or drop out, do I still have an obligation?
We recommend you be as certain as possible that you want to complete the training program you are entering before you accept an IDEA training grant scholarship. If you do not complete the program you will still have an obligation to the federal government for the amount of the scholarship assistance you received prior to leaving the training program.
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