414 SCSEP Introduction | HCBS-5300-MANUAL

The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), authorized by Title V of the Older Americans Act (OAA), is the only federally-sponsored employment and training program targeted specifically to low-income older individuals who want to enter or re-enter the workforce. The most recent SCSEP Final Rule (20 C.F.R. Part 641.100 et seq.) can be viewed at www.doleta.gov/seniors/pdf/FinalRule2010.pdf.

SCSEP Coordinator Livable Communities
Georgia Division of Aging Services
47 Trinity Avenue SW, 1st Floor
Atlanta, GA 30334

The dual goals of the SCSEP program are 1) to promote useful opportunities in community service activities and 2) to move SCSEP participants into unsubsidized employment, where appropriate, so they can achieve economic self-sufficiency.

In the 2006 OAA, Congress expressed its sense of the benefits of the SCSEP stating, “placing older individuals in community service positions strengthens the ability of the individuals to become self-sufficient, provides much-needed support to organizations that benefit from increased civic engagement, and strengthens the communities that are served by such organizations”. OAA § 516(2) at 42 U.S.C. § 3056n(2).

The Georgia Division of Aging Services (DAS) receives a grant from the U. S. Department of Labor (DOL) to administer the SCSEP program for Georgia as a state grantee. DAS sub-contracts with Area Agencies on Aging (AAA’s) (referred to as sub-grantees) or other qualified providers to implement the program, some of which contract with providers (referred to as sub-projects) to administer SCSEP services. Each sub-grantee administers the SCSEP program for a group of counties in its Public Service Area (PSA), following the Department of Labor’s Equitable Distribution (ED) of authorized positions. The ED chart for Georgia can be viewed at www.scseped.org.

In addition to the state grantee (DAS), the DOL awards separate SCSEP grants to two national grantees in Georgia: 1) AARP Foundation and 2) National Council on Aging (NCOA). National grantees work cooperatively with state grantees, but they operate independently. DAS does not supervise or monitor national SCSEP grantees. The ED for national grantees also can be viewed at www.scseped.org.

DAS follows all DOL SCSEP regulations, policies, and procedures as outlined in the Final Rule (20 C.F.R. Part 641, Subparts A through I. www.doleta.gov/seniors/pdf/FinalRule2010.pdf).

This policies and procedures manual is DAS-specific and supplements the Final Rule and all DOL reference documents listed below: www.doleta.gov/Seniors/html_docs/TechAsstGuides.cfm

A list of Training and Employment Guidance Letters (TEGL) that provide guidance for managing the SCSEP program can be viewed at: www.doleta.gov/Seniors/html_docs/TEGL.cfm

The policies set forth in the Older Americans Act can be viewed at:

Older Americans Act 42 U.S.C. § 3001 et seq.
SCSEP Program at 42 U.S.C. § 3056 et seq.

SPARQ (SCSEP Performance and Results Quarter Progress Report System) is the vehicle by which all grantees must report information on participants, host agencies, and employers, including demographic and performance information. Only DOL-authorized users may access the SPARQ system (see www.sparq.doleta.gov/).