Dear Colleague Letter 20-02
October 22, 2019
Dear Colleague:
ORR will issue Services to Older Refugees (SOR) funding to states as a “set-aside” within the fiscal year (FY) 20201 Refugee Support Services (RSS) formula allocation. This letter details SOR FY 2020 allocation determinations and final amounts. For a description of program goals and recommended services, as well as program reporting and monitoring activities, please reference PL 19-03.
FY 2020 Allocations
The FY 2020 allocations to states and replacement designees are based on the number of ORR-eligible individuals aged 60 or older who arrived and were served in FY 2018, as reported in the ORR Refugee Arrivals Data System (RADS).
The chart below documents the number of eligible individuals served in each state in FY 2018 and the corresponding funding allocations for the SOR program for FY 2020. The proposed allocations are based on the availability of federal funding and will be included in the quarterly FY 2020 RSS allocation as a “set- aside.” As required under ORR regulation 45 C.F.R. §400.210, these funds must be obligated by September 30, 2021, and must be liquidated by September 30, 2022.
ORR plans to continue funding states for three years before needing to requalify. FY 2020 is considered year two of the three year period, as the qualifying year was FY 2019. States and replacement designees that served over 10 ORR-eligible individuals aged 60 and over in year one, continue to qualify for funding. As a result and as noted in the chart below, seven states that were funded in FY 2019 will continue to be funded in FY 2020 even though their client population fell below the total served floor of 10.
State, Replacement Designee |
Total Served FY18 Arrivals Aged 60 or Older |
FY20 Allocation |
---|---|---|
California | 243 | 350,000.00 |
Florida | 116 | 285,000.00 |
Texas | 116 | 285,000.00 |
Washington | 99 | 240,000.00 |
New York | 92 | 240,000.00 |
Michigan | 75 | 195,000.00 |
Ohio | 72 | 195,000.00 |
Illinois | 68 | 195.000.00 |
Virginia | 53 | 155,000.00 |
Minnesota | 49 | 155.000.00 |
Pennsylvania | 48 | 155,000.00 |
North Carolina | 41 | 125,000.00 |
Arizona | 40 | 125,000.00 |
Georgia | 38 | 125,000.00 |
Oregon | 37 | 125,000.00 |
Tennessee | 32 | 100,000.00 |
Missouri | 31 | 100,000.00 |
Kentucky | 30 | 100,000.00 |
Maryland | 26 | 100,000.00 |
Massachusetts | 25 | 100,000.00 |
Indiana | 24 | 100,000.00 |
Colorado | 18 | 85,000.00 |
South Dakota | 18 | 85,000.00 |
Nevada | 16 | 85,000.00 |
Iowa | 16 | 85,000.00 |
New Jersey | 14 | 85,000.00 |
North Dakota | 13 | 85,000.00 |
Wisconsin | 13 | 85,000.00 |
Kansas | 12 | 85,000.00 |
Nebraska | 11 | 85,000.00 |
Idaho | 11 | 85,000.00 |
Louisiana | 10 | 75,000.00 |
Utah | 8 | 75,000.00 |
Oklahoma | 8 | 75,000.00 |
South Carolina | 7 | 75,000.00 |
Connecticut | 6 | 75,000.00 |
Vermont | 5 | 75,000.00 |
Maine | 4 | 75,000.00 |
New Hampshire | 4 | 75,000.00 |
Total | 1,549 | 5,000,000.00 |
Explanation of Allocations
FY 2020 allocations were based solely on a tiered system rather than per capita. The goal of the tiered system is to ensure those states with similar arrival numbers receive comparable funding, while also ensuring that those states with lower arrivals have sufficient and sustainable funding. The tiered breakdown is as follows: for states that served over 200 eligible individuals, ($350,000); 100-199 eligible individuals, ($285,000); 90-99 eligible individuals, ($240,000); 65-89 eligible individuals, ($195,000); 45-
64 eligible individuals, ($155,000); 35-44 eligible individuals, ($125,000); 20-34 eligible individuals, ($100,000); 11-19 eligible individuals, ($85,000); and 10 and under eligible individuals, ($75,000).
Resources
Please direct any questions about this Dear Colleague Letter or the SOR program to your ORR Regional Representative. We also encourage you to utilize ORR’s Technical Assistance provider(s) for additional resources on serving refugees.
Sincerely,
Jonathan H. Hayes
Director
Office of Refugee Resettlement
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