ACL Seeks Comments on Independent Living Proposed Rule

Today, ACL published a proposed rule for Independent Living (IL) programs in the Federal Register. The Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) is now open for public comment through the Federal Register and Regulations.gov. The rule will not take effect until after all comments are reviewed and a final rule is released.

This proposed rule consolidates and streamlines prior regulations and provides details regarding new requirements included in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Signed into law in July 2014, WIOA moved IL programs from the Department of Education to the Department of Health and Human Services, creating the Independent Living Administration within ACL. WIOA also made changes to IL programs in areas including core services and development of state plans for independent living.

In developing this NPRM, ACL paid close attention to the text of the bill passed by Congress and to feedback on the WIOA transition provided by stakeholders over the past year.

This NPRM is a starting point, now we want to hear from you. Submit a comment by January 15, 2016 to let us know what you think of the proposed rule and how it can be improved in ways that are consistent with statute.

In order for us to give thorough consideration to all public input, comments must be submitted through Regulations.gov, a fully-accessible central hub for information on the development of federal regulations. We've developed a brief step-by-step guide to submitting comments online.

If you wish to request further accommodations, please contact Marlina Moses-Gaither at Marlina.Mosesgaither@acl.hhs.gov.

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