Refugee Resettlement Program: Proposed Allocations to States of FY 1999 Funds for Refugee Social Services

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

Refugee Resettlement Program: Proposed Allocations to States of

FY 1999 Funds for Refugee Social Services

AGENCY: Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), ACF, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of proposed allocations to States of FY 1999 funds for

refugee \1\ social services.

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\1\ In addition to persons who meet all requirements of 45 CFR

400.43, ``Requirements for documentation of refugee status,''

eligibility for refugee social services also includes: (1) Cuban and

Haitian entrants, under section 501 of the Refugee Education

Assistance Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96-422); (2) certain Amerasians from

Vietnam who are admitted to the U.S. as immigrants under section 584

of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs

Appropriations Act, 1988, as included in the FY 1988 Continuing

Resolution (Pub. L. 100-202); and (3) certain Amerasians from

Vietnam, including U.S. citizens, under title II of the Foreign

Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations

Acts, 1989 (Pub. L. 100-461), 1990 (Pub. L. 101-167), and 1991 (Pub.

L. 101-513). For convenience, the term ``refugee'' is used in this

notice to encompass all such eligible persons unless the specific

context indicates otherwise.

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SUMMARY: This notice establishes the proposed allocations to States of

FY 1999 funds for social services under the Refugee Resettlement

Program (RRP). In the final notice, allocation amounts could be

adjusted slightly based on final adjustments in the FY 1998 arrivals in

some States. This notice includes a $15.5 million set-aside to: (1)

Provide outreach and referral to ensure that eligible refugees access

the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and other programs for

low income working populations; and (2) provide specialized interpreter

training and the hiring of interpreters to enable refugees to have

equal access to medical and legal services.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Comments on the proposed allocations contained in this

notice must be received by May 27, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Address written comments, in duplicate, to: Barbara Chesnik,

Division of Self-Sufficiency, Office of Refugee Resettlement,

Administration for Children and Families, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW,

Washington, DC 20447. FAX: (202) 401-5487 or (202) 401-0981.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara R. Chesnik, Division of

Refugee Self-Sufficiency, (202) 401-4558.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Amounts for Allocation

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has available $139,990,000

in FY 1999 refugee social service funds as part of the FY 1999

appropriation for the Department of Health and Human Services (Pub. L.

105-277).

[[Page 22627]]

The FY 1999 House Appropriations Committee Report (H.R. Rept. No.

105-635) reads as follows with respect to social services funds:

The bill provides $134,990,000 for social services, an increase

of $5,000,000 over the comparable fiscal year 1998 appropriation and

the budget request. Funds are distributed by formula as well as

through the discretionary grant making process for special projects.

The Committee agrees that $19,000,000 is available for assistance to

serve communities affected by the Cuban and Haitian entrants and

refugees whose arrivals in recent years have increased. The

Committee has set-aside $16,000,000 for increased support to

communities with large concentrations of refugees whose cultural

differences make assimilation especially difficult justifying a more

intense level and longer duration of Federal assistance. Finally,

the Committee has set aside $14,000,000 to address the needs of

refugees and communities impacted by recent changes in Federal

assistance programs relating to welfare reform. The Committee urges

ORR to assist refugees at risk of losing, or who have lost, benefits

including SSI, TANF and Medicaid, in obtaining citizenship. In

addition, ORR may initiate planning grants to create alternative

cash and medical assistance programs for refugees. The Committee has

included funding for health screening of new arrivals.

The Committee encourages ORR to award grants for mental health

and other health services for victims of torture if such activities

are authorized in law.

The Committee encourages ORR to consider supporting education

and outreach activities related to female genital mutilation if such

activities are authorized in law.

The FY 1999 Senate Appropriations Committee Report (S. Rept. No.

105-300) adds the following:

The Committee provides $19,000,000 to serve communities affected

by the Cuban and Haitian entrants and refugees, the same as the

amount contained in last year's appropriation. In addition, the

Committee recommends $14,000,000 to address the needs of refugees

and communities affected by recent changes in Federal assistance

programs, and $16,000,000 to assist communities with large

concentrations of refugees whose cultural differences make

assimilation difficult. These funds are included in the social

services line item.

The FY 1999 Conference Report on Appropriations (H.R. Conf. No.

105-825) reads as follows concerning social services:

The conference agreement provides $139,990,000 for social

services, an increase of $5,000,000 over the House and $10,000,000

over the Senate. The conference agreement includes $26,000,000 for

increased support to communities with large concentrations of

refugees whose cultural differences make assimilation especially

difficult justifying a more intense level and longer duration of

Federal assistance, and $14,000,000 to address the needs of refugees

and communities impacted by the recent changes in Federal assistance

programs relating to welfare reform. The agreement includes

$19,000,000 for assistance to communities impacted by Cuban and

Haitian entrants and refugees whose arrivals in recent years have

increased.

The Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) proposes

to use the $139,990,000 appropriated for FY 1999 social services as

follows:

$68,841,500 will be allocated under the 3-year population

formula, as set forth in this notice for the purpose of providing

employment services and other needed services to refugees.

$12,148,500 will be awarded as social service

discretionary grants through competitive grant announcements that will

be issued separately from this notice.

$19,000,000 will be awarded to serve communities most

heavily affected by recent Cuban and Haitian entrant and refugee

arrivals. These funds would be awarded through a discretionary grant

announcement that will be issued separately from this notice.

$26,000,000 will be awarded through discretionary grants

for communities with large concentrations of refugees whose cultural

differences make assimilation especially difficult justifying a more

intense level and longer duration of Federal assistance. A grant

announcement will be issued separately from this notice.

$14,000,000 will be awarded to address the needs of

refugees and communities impacted by recent changes in Federal

assistance programs relating to welfare reform. Awards will be made

through announcements issued separately from this notice.

In addition, we are proposing to add $15,500,000 in unexpended FY

1997 CMA funds to the FY 1999 formula social services allocation as a

set-aside, increasing the total amount available for the formula social

services program in FY 1999 to $84,341,500.

Congress provided ORR with broad carry-over authority in the FY

1999 HHS appropriations law to use FY 1997 CMA carry-over funds for

assistance and other activities in the refugee program in fiscal years

1998 and 1999. The appropriations law states:

``* * * That funds appropriated pursuant to section 414(a) of the

Immigration and Nationality Act under Pub.L. 104-208 for fiscal year

1997 shall be available for the costs of assistance provided and other

activities conducted in such year and in fiscal years 1998 and 1999.''

Refugee Social Service Funds

The population figures for the social services allocation include

refugees, Cuban/Haitian entrants, Amerasians from Vietnam, and Kurdish

asylees since these populations may be served through funds addressed

in this notice. (A State must, however, have an approved State plan for

the Cuban/Haitian Entrant Program or indicate in its refugee program

State plan that Cuban/Haitian entrants will be served in order to use

funds on behalf of entrants as well as refugees.)

The Director proposes to allocate $68,841,500 to States on the

basis of each State's proportion of the national population of refugees

who had been in the U.S. 3 years or less as of October 1, 1998

(including a floor amount for States which have small refugee

populations).

The use of the 3-year population base in the allocation formula is

required by section 412(c)(1)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act

(INA) which states that the ``funds available for a fiscal year for

grants and contracts [for social services] . . . shall be allocated

among the States based on the total number of refugees (including

children and adults) who arrived in the United States not more than 36

months before the beginning of such fiscal year and who are actually

residing in each State (taking into account secondary migration) as of

the beginning of the fiscal year.''

As established in the FY 1991 social services notice published in

the Federal Register of August 29, 1991, section I, ``Allocation

Amounts'' (56 FR 42745), a variable floor amount for States which have

small refugee populations is calculated as follows: If the application

of the regular allocation formula yields less than $100,000, then--

(1) A base amount of $75,000 is provided for a State with a

population of 50 or fewer refugees who have been in the U.S. 3 years or

less; and

(2) For a State with more than 50 refugees who have been in the

U.S. 3 years or less: (a) a floor has been calculated consisting of

$50,000 plus the regular per capita allocation for refugees above 50 up

to a total of $100,000 (in other words, the maximum under the floor

formula is $100,000); (b) if this calculation has yielded less than

$75,000, a base amount of $75,000 is provided for the State.

The Director also proposes to allocate an additional $15.5 million

from FY 1997 carry-over funds as a set-aside to: (1) Provide referral

services, including outreach, to ensure that refugees are able to

access the Children's Health

[[Page 22628]]

Insurance Program (CHIP) and other programs for low income populations;

and (2) provide for the hiring of interpreters and special interpreter

training to enable refugees to have equal access to medical and certain

legal services. Depending upon the existing capacity and need in the

community, we encourage States to use the funds equally for both

activities. Both types of services are not subject to the 5-year

limitation and may be provided to refugees regardless of their length

of time in the U.S. See Sec. 400.152(b).

Eligible refugee families often are not aware of, or do not know

how to access, other Federal support programs available to low income

working families in the community. We believe that these programs,

including CHIP, Food Stamps, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

(LIHEAP), Medicaid, Head Start, low-income housing, the Special

Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC),

child care assistance, adult day care for aged dependents, and other

support programs for low-income families, are important for the well-

being of working refugees, particularly refugee families, and are

necessary to help these refugees maintain employment and move toward

full self-sufficiency.

The organizations funded by the set-aside amount are expected to

conduct outreach into the community to identify low-income refugees and

to help these refugees enroll in and to be familiar with the services

available and the participation requirements of these programs. We

expect States to fund community-based organizations, to the maximum

extent possible, to provide hands-on assistance, which means having the

application forms available and helping refugees to fill out the

application, accompanying the refugee to the eligibility office,

assisting in the communication between the family and the eligibility

worker, closely following the application process until the family has

been found eligible, and then helping the family effectively use the

service or support program in which they have been enrolled. For

example, there may be different levels of medical coverage available to

a family, depending on the ages of the children and the income level of

the family, each with different requirements. It is important for the

caseworkers/advocates funded through this initiative to understand the

program requirements (such as a co-payment structure) in order to help

the family make decisions and fully participate.

The organizations funded under this set-aside should develop

effective ways to provide an on-going link between these services, the

population they serve, and the targeted low income programs. Methods

might include: partnering with schools to identify refugee children who

may be eligible for CHIP by virtue of their eligibility for the school

lunch program; connecting with local Head Start programs to help

identify refugee children who are eligible for CHIP and other health

care programs; arranging to have Medicaid eligibility workers visit the

MAA or other participating organization on a scheduled basis; and

working with other groups serving low income families, such as

hospitals, WIC programs, low-income housing programs, and food

assistance programs to make these services widely known to the refugee

community being served.

It is also important that States provide as high a standard as

possible in interpretation to non-English speaking and to Limited-

English-Proficient (LEP) refugees, particularly in regard to medical

and legal issues. As mentioned earlier, we are therefore including

funding in the set-aside for States to improve the availability and

quality of interpreter services for refugees in their communities. The

set-aside funds are to be used by States: (1) to fund specialized

interpreter training for medical and legal services; and (2) to pay for

the hiring and employment of these trained interpreters by MAAs,

voluntary agencies, and other community-based organizations serving

refugees, to the maximum extent possible, in order to increase the

number of skilled interpreters in the community.

Interpretation requires a great deal of skill--interpreters need to

be fluent in English and the language spoken by the refugee. They must

have the ability to quickly understand the message and terminology, if

technical, in one language and to express it as quickly and correctly

in another language. In addition to fluency in two languages,

interpreters must have the skills to handle confidential client

information and to deal with a variety of professionals in the medical,

legal, law enforcement, social services, and other fields.

States should use qualified training programs or trainers to

provide the interpreter training. Several strategies may be employed,

e.g., the direct training of interpreters in a group setting, paying

the course tuition and associated expenses for individuals at a

community college or university, and the training of trainers in order

to establish and maintain an efficient training capacity in the

community. To the extent possible, we would expect States to use an

established curriculum rather than incurring costs to develop a new

one. Funding of interpreter services should be directed to areas of

greatest need and to the most linguistically isolated communities.

States must determine a community's capacity to ensure refugee

access to medical and other services, and then examine how best to fund

and maintain interpreter services for refugees based upon the need and

size of refugee population. For example, an interpreter bank with

dedicated interpreters may be a preferred option if the needs of the

community can justify full-time interpreters. However, because the

provision of interpreter services may not fully occupy funded staff in

some locations or in certain languages, States may choose to train

bilingual caseworkers at voluntary resettlement agencies, MAAs and

refugee service providers. States may also consider cross-training of

interpreters so that they may also assist, for example, in enrolling

clients in CHIP, Medicaid, or other services for low-income clients,

and/or serve as case managers or in other staff positions. Staff with

both bilingual interpreter skills and knowledge of the family services

network, such as child protective services and the domestic violence

system, are also highly desirable.

We also encourage States to set up creative ways to maintain and

expand the availability of interpreter services in the community, such

as seeking reimbursement for services from the courts, hospitals, and

agencies which may be able to pay for interpreter services but have

been otherwise hindered in providing these services by the lack of

available and appropriately trained individuals. Fees from low-income

refugee clients, however, may not be sought.

In light of the unique position that refugee mutual assistance

associations (MAAs) have in the communities where refugees reside, we

are asking that States give special consideration to MAAs in using the

set-aside amount, where possible, to provide these services to refugee

families. However, qualified community based organizations with refugee

experience, voluntary resettlement agencies, or refugee service

providers may be funded as well.

In order to receive the optional funding under the set-aside, the

appropriate State agency official, State designee, or Wilson/Fish

project director where the State is not participating in the program

must provide written assurance to the Office of Refugee Resettlement

that the

[[Page 22629]]

following conditions will be observed by the State agency in using

funds made available to the State under this special allocation:

That such funds will be used to fund (1) services to

provide the support necessary to enroll refugees in low income support

programs, such as CHIP, Headstart, WIC, Food Stamps, LIHEAP, child care

services, and low-income housing assistance and, (2) training and

salaries for refugee interpreters; and

That special consideration will be given to interested and

qualified refugee MAAs, where possible.

Written assurance should be sent to Barbara R. Chesnik, Division of

Refugee Self-Sufficiency, Office of Refugee Resettlement,

Administration for Children and Families, 370 L'Enfant Promenade SW.,

6th Floor, Washington, DC 20447. States must respond by 30 days from

the date of the final notice in order to avail themselves of this

special allocation. ORR's ability to award the proposed $15.5 million

set-aside is contingent upon the availability of funds when the final

notice of social services allocations is published.

Population To Be Served

Although the allocation formula is based on the 3-year refugee

population, in accordance with the current requirements of 45 CFR Part

400 Subpart I--Refugee Social Services, States are not required to

limit social service programs to refugees who have been in the U.S.

only 3 years. However, under 45 CFR 400.152, States may not provide

services funded by this notice, except for referral and interpreter

services, to refugees who have been in the United States for more than

60 months (5 years).

In accordance with 45 CFR 400.147, States are required to provide

services to refugees in the following order of priority, except in

certain individual extreme circumstances: (a) all newly arriving

refugees during their first year in the U.S., who apply for services;

(b) refugees who are receiving cash assistance; (c) unemployed refugees

who are not receiving cash assistance; and (d) employed refugees in

need of services to retain employment or to attain economic

independence.

ORR funds may not be used to provide services to United States

citizens, since they are not covered under the authorizing legislation,

with the following exceptions: (1) Under current regulations at 45 CFR

400.208, services may be provided to a U.S.-born minor child in a

family in which both parents are refugees or, if only one parent is

present, in which that parent is a refugee; and (2) under the FY 1989

Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs

Appropriations Act (Pub. L. No. 100-461), services may be provided to

an Amerasian from Vietnam who is a U.S. citizen and who enters the U.S.

after October 1, 1988.

Service Priorities

In the past, a number of States have focused primarily on serving

refugee cash assistance (RCA) recipients because of the need to help

these refugees become employed and self-sufficient within the 8-month

RCA eligibility period. Now, with the passage of welfare reform,

refugee recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

also face a time limit for cash assistance and need appropriate

services as quickly as possible to become employed and self-sufficient.

In order for refugees to move quickly off TANF, we believe it is

crucial for these refugees to receive refugee-specific services that

are designed to address the employment barriers that refugees typically

face. We are pleased with the efforts that State Refugee Coordinators

have made to date to develop agreements with their State TANF program

to utilize the existing refugee service system in a State for refugee

TANF participants. We encourage States to continue their efforts in

this regard.

Refugee social service funding should be used to assist refugee

families to achieve economic independence. To this end, States are

required to ensure that a coherent family self-sufficiency plan is

developed for each eligible family that addresses the family's needs

from time of arrival until attainment of economic independence. (See 45

CFR 400.79 and 400.156(g).) Each family self-sufficiency plan should

address a family's needs for both employment-related services and other

needed social services. The family self-sufficiency plan must include:

(1) a determination of the income level a family would have to earn to

exceed its cash grant and move into self-support without suffering a

monetary penalty; (2) a strategy and timetable for obtaining that level

of family income through the placement in employment of sufficient

numbers of employable family members at sufficient wage levels; and (3)

employability plans for every employable member of the family.

Some States are doing remarkably well in achieving refugee self-

sufficiencies. For this reason, this may be a good time for these

States to re-examine the range of services they currently offer to

refugees and expand the range of services beyond employment services to

address the broader needs that refugees have in order to successfully

integrate into the community.

Reflecting section 412(a)(1)(A)(iv) of the INA, and in keeping with

45 CFR 400.145(c), States must ensure that women have the same

opportunities as men to participate in all services funded under this

notice, including job placement services. In addition, services must be

provided to the maximum extent feasible in a manner that includes the

use of bilingual/bicultural women on service agency staffs to ensure

adequate service access by refugee women. The Director also strongly

encourages the inclusion of refugee women in management and board

positions in agencies that serve refugees. In order to facilitate

refugee self-support, the Director also expects States to implement

strategies which address simultaneously the employment potential of

both male and female wage earners in a family unit, particularly in the

case of large families. States are expected to make every effort to

assure the availability of day care services for children in order to

allow women with children the opportunity to participate in employment

services or to accept or retain employment. To accomplish this, day

care may be treated as a priority employment-related service under the

refugee social services program. Refugees who are participating in

employment services or have accepted employment are eligible for day

care services for children. For an employed refugee, day care funded by

refugee social service dollars should be limited to one year after the

refugee becomes employed. States are expected to use day care funding

from other publicly funded mainstream programs to the maximum extent

possible and are expected to work with service providers to assure

maximum access to other publicly funded resources for day care.

In accordance with 45 CFR 400.146, social service funds must be

used primarily for employability services designed to enable refugees

to obtain jobs within one year of becoming enrolled in services in

order to achieve economic self-sufficiency as soon as possible. Social

services may continue to be provided after a refugee has entered a job

to help the refugee retain employment or move to a better job. Social

service funds may not be used for long-term training programs such as

vocational training that last for more than a year or educational

programs that are not intended to lead to employment within a year.

In accordance with 45 CFR 400.156(e), refugee social services must

be provided, to the maximum extent feasible, in a manner that is

culturally

[[Page 22630]]

and linguistically compatible with a refugee's language and cultural

background. In light of the increasingly diverse population of refugees

who are resettling in this country, refugee service agencies will need

to develop practical ways of providing culturally and linguistically

appropriate services to a changing ethnic population.

Services funded under this notice must be refugee-specific services

which are designed specifically to meet refugee needs and are in

keeping with the rules and objectives of the refugee program.

Vocational or job skills training, on-the-job training, or English

language training, however, need not be refugee-specific (45 CFR

400.156(d)).

English language training must be provided in a concurrent, rather

than sequential, time period with employment or with other employment-

related activities (45 CFR 400.156(c)).

When planning State refugee services, States must take into account

the reception and placement (R&P) services provided by local

resettlement agencies in order to utilize these resources in the

overall program design and to ensure the provision of seamless,

coordinated services to refugees that are not duplicative (45 CFR

400.156(b)).

In order to provide culturally and linguistically compatible

services in as cost-efficient a manner as possible, ORR encourages

States and counties to promote and give special consideration to the

provision of refugee social services through coalitions of refugee

service organizations, such as coalitions of mutual assistance

associations (MAAs), voluntary resettlement agencies, or a variety of

service providers. ORR believes it is essential for refugee-serving

organizations to form close partnerships in the provision of services

to refugees in order to be able to respond adequately to a changing

refugee picture. Coalition-building and consolidation of providers is

particularly important in communities with multiple service providers

in order to ensure better coordination of services and maximum use of

funding for services by minimizing the funds used for multiple

administrative overhead costs.

States should also expect to use funds available under this notice

to pay for social services which are provided to refugees who

participate in Wilson/Fish projects. Section 412(e)(7)(A) of the INA

provides that:

The Secretary [of HHS] shall develop and implement alternative

projects for refugees who have been in the United States less than

thirty-six months, under which refugees are provided interim

support, medical services, support [social] services, and case

management, as needed, in a manner that encourages self-sufficiency,

reduces welfare dependency, and fosters greater coordination among

the resettlement agencies and service providers.

This provision is generally known as the Wilson/Fish Amendment. The

Department has already issued a separate notice in the Federal Register

with respect to applications for such projects (60 FR 15766, March 27,

1995) and expects to issue a revised notice in the near future.

The Use of MAAs

ORR believes that the use of qualified refugee mutual assistance

associations in the delivery of social services helps to ensure the

provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services as well

as increasing the effectiveness of the overall service system.

Therefore, we expect States to use MAAs as service providers to the

maximum extent possible. We strongly encourage States when contracting

for services, including employment services, to give consideration to

the special strengths of MAAs, whenever contract bidders are otherwise

equally qualified, provided that the MAA has the capability to deliver

services in a manner that is culturally and linguistically compatible

with the background of the target population to be served. ORR also

strongly encourages MAAs to ensure that their management and board

composition reflect the major target populations to be served. ORR

expects States to continue to assist MAAs in seeking other public and/

or private funds for the provision of services to refugee clients.

States may use a portion of their social service grant, either

through contracts or through the use of State/county staff, to provide

technical assistance and organizational training to strengthen the

capability of MAAs to provide employment services and other social

services, particularly in States where MAA capability is weak or

undeveloped.

ORR defines MAAs as organizations with the following

qualifications:

a. The organization is legally incorporated as a nonprofit

organization; and

b. Not less than 51% of the composition of the Board of Directors

or governing board of the mutual assistance association is comprised of

refugees or former refugees, including both refugee men and women.

II. (Reserved for Discussion of Comments in Final Notice)

III. Allocation Formulas

Of the funds available for FY 1999 for social services, $68,841,815

is proposed to be allocated to States in accordance with the formula

specified below. In addition, $15.5 million in set-aside funds are

proposed to be allocated in accordance with the formula specified

below. A State's allowable allocation is calculated as follows:

1. The total amount of funds determined by the Director to be

available for this purpose; divided by--

2. The total number of refugees, Cuban/Haitian entrants, Amerasians

from Vietnam, and Kurdish asylees who arrived in the United States not

more than 3 years prior to the beginning of the fiscal year for which

the funds are appropriated, as shown by the ORR Refugee Data System.

The resulting per capita amount is multiplied by--

3. The number of persons in item 2, above, in the State as of

October 1, 1998, adjusted for estimated secondary migration.

The calculation above yields the formula allocation for each State.

Minimum allocations for small States are taken into account.

IV. Basis of Population Estimates

The population estimates for the proposed allocation of funds in FY

1999 are based on data on refugee arrivals from the ORR Refugee Data

System, adjusted as of October 1, 1998, for estimated secondary

migration. The data base includes refugees of all nationalities,

Amerasians from Vietnam, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and Kurdish

asylees.

For fiscal year 1999, ORR's proposed formula allocations for the

States for social services are based on the numbers of refugees,

Amerasians, Kurdish asylees, and entrants who arrived during the

preceding three fiscal years: 1996, 1997, and 1998, based on arrival

data by State. Therefore, estimates have been developed of the numbers

of refugees and entrants with arrival or resettlement dates between

October 1, 1995, and September 30, 1998, who are thought to be living

in each State as of October 1, 1998.

The estimates of secondary migration were based on data submitted

by all participating States on Form ORR-11 on secondary migrants who

have resided in the U.S. for 36 months or less, as of September 30,

1998. The total migration reported by each State was summed, yielding

in-and out-migration figures and a net migration figure for each State.

The net migration figure was applied to

[[Page 22631]]

the State's total arrival figure, resulting in a revised population

estimate.

Estimates were developed separately for refugees and entrants and

then combined into a total estimated 3-year refugee/entrant population

for each State. Eligible Amerasians and Kurdish asylees are included in

the refugee figures.

With regard to Havana parolees, in the absence of reliable data on

the State-by-State resettlement of this population, we are crediting

each State that received entrant arrivals during the 3-year period from

FY 1996-FY 1998 with a prorated share of the 13,442 parolees reported

by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to have come to the

U.S. directly from Havana in FY 1998. In addition, we have credited

each State with the same share of FY 1996 and FY 1997 Havana parolees

that they were credited with in the final FY 1997 and FY 1998 social

service notices. The allocations in this notice reflect these

additional parolee numbers.

If a State does not agree with ORR's population estimate and wishes

ORR to reconsider its population estimate, it should submit written

evidence to ORR, including a list of refugees identified by name, alien

number, date of birth, and date of arrival. Listings of refugees who

are not identified by their alien number will not be considered. Such

evidence should be submitted separately from comments on the proposed

allocation formula no later than 30 days from the date of publication

of this notice and should be addressed to: Loren Bussert, Division of

Refugee Self-Sufficiency, Office of Refugee Resettlement, 370 L'Enfant

Promenade, SW, Washington, DC 20447, Telephone: (202) 401-4732.

Table 1, below, shows the estimated 3-year populations, as of

October 1, 1998, of refugees (col. 1), entrants (col. 2), Havana

parolees (col. 3); total refugee/entrant population, (col. 4); the

proposed formula amounts which the population estimates yield (col. 5);

the proposed allocation amounts after allowing for the minimum amounts

(col. 6); the set-aside amount (col.7); and the total proposed

allocation (col. 8).

V. Proposed Allocation Amounts

Funding will be contingent upon the submittal and approval of a

State annual services plan that is developed on the basis of a local

consultative process, as required by 45 CFR 400.11(b)(2) in the ORR

regulations. The following amounts are proposed for allocation for

refugee social services in FY 1999:

FY 1999 Proposed Social Services Formula Notice

Table 1.--Estimated 3-Year Refugee/Entrant Populations of States Participating in the Refugee Program and Proposed Social Service Formula Amount and

Proposed Allocation for FY 1999

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Proposed Total

State Refugees\1\ Entrants Havana Total formula Proposed Set-aside proposed

parolees\2\ population amount allocation allocation

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

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Alabama....................................... 495 55 97 647 $162,184 $162,184 $36,704 $198,888

Alaska \3\.................................... 0 0 0 0

Arizona....................................... 6,269 387 581 7,237 1,814,106 1,814,106 410,552 2,224,658

Arkansas...................................... 144 9 13 166 41,611 79,078 9,417 88,495

California.................................... 32,975 342 717 34,034 8,531,339 8,531,339 1,930,735 10,462,074

Colorado...................................... 3,336 2 6 3,344 838,244 838,244 189,704 1,027,948

Connecticut................................... 2,380 150 263 2,793 700,124 700,124 158,446 858,570

Delaware...................................... 59 2 4 65 16,294 75,000 3,687 78,687

Dist. of Columbia............................. 1,538 4 10 1,552 389,041 389,041 88,044 477,085

Florida....................................... 12,708 8,225 18,679 39,612 9,929,582 9,929,582 2,247,172 12,176,754

Georgia....................................... 8,281 97 195 8,573 2,149,003 2,149,003 486,343 2,635,346

Hawaii........................................ 126 1 1 128 32,086 75,000 7,261 82,261

Idaho \4\..................................... 1,639 0 0 1,639 410,850 410,850 92,980 503,830

Illinois...................................... 11,334 231 400 11,965 2,999,279 2,999,279 678,770 3,678,049

Indiana....................................... 1,456 5 9 1,470 368,486 368,486 83,392 451,878

Iowa.......................................... 5,489 2 4 5,495 1,377,437 1,377,437 311,729 1,689,166

Kansas........................................ 1,075 9 15 1,099 275,487 275,487 62,346 337,833

Kentucky \5\.................................. 3,431 799 968 5,198 1,302,988 1,302,988 294,880 1,597,868

Louisiana..................................... 1,339 77 172 1,588 398,066 398,066 90,087 488,153

Maine......................................... 620 0 0 620 155,416 155,416 35,172 190,588

Maryland...................................... 3,077 46 114 3,237 811,422 811,422 183,634 995,056

Massachusetts................................. 6,763 85 140 6,988 1,751,689 1,751,689 396,426 2,148,115

Michigan...................................... 7,099 347 484 7,930 1,987,821 1,987,821 449,866 2,437,687

Minnesota..................................... 8,353 7 18 8,378 2,100,122 2,100,122 475,280 2,575,402

Mississippi................................... 75 10 23 108 27,072 75,000 6,127 81,127

Missouri...................................... 6,562 8 16 6,586 1,650,920 1,650,920 373,621 2,024,541

Montana....................................... 130 0 0 130 32,587 75,000 7,375 82,375

Nebraska...................................... 1,516 36 51 1,603 401,826 401,826 90,938 492,764

Nevada \5\.................................... 1,255 609 893 2,757 691,100 691,100 156,403 847,503

New Hampshire................................. 1,102 0 0 1,102 276,240 276,240 62,516 338,756

New Jersey.................................... 3,409 365 806 4,580 1,148,073 1,148,073 259,822 1,407,895

New Mexico.................................... 357 467 758 1,582 396,562 396,562 89,746 486,308

New York...................................... 29,771 757 1,191 31,719 7,951,035 7,951,035 1,799,406 9,750,441

North Carolina................................ 3,684 29 44 3,757 941,771 941,771 213,133 1,154,904

North Dakota.................................. 1,320 0 2 1,322 331,387 331,387 74,997 406,384

Ohio.......................................... 4,160 44 62 4,266 1,069,363 1,069,363 242,008 1,311,371

Oklahoma...................................... 484 7 13 504 126,338 126,338 28,592 154,930

Oregon........................................ 4,658 344 531 5,533 1,386,963 1,386,963 313,885 1,700,848

Pennsylvania.................................. 7,021 240 358 7,619 1,909,863 1,909,863 432,223 2,342,086

Rhode Island.................................. 339 5 7 351 87,986 100,000 19,912 119,912

[[Page 22632]]

South Carolina................................ 231 6 10 247 61,916 99,382 14,012 113,394

South Dakota \4\.............................. 821 0 0 821 205,801 205,801 46,575 252,376

Tennessee..................................... 3,740 171 250 4,161 1,043,042 1,043,042 236,052 1,279,094

Texas......................................... 11,506 778 1,159 13,443 3,369,771 3,369,771 762,616 4,132,387

Utah.......................................... 3,232 1 1 3,234 810,670 810,670 183,463 994,133

Vermont....................................... 889 0 0 889 222,847 222,847 50,433 273,280

Virginia...................................... 4,555 114 210 4,879 1,223,024 1,223,024 276,784 1,499,808

Washington.................................... 16,511 45 68 16,624 4,167,156 4,167,156 943,073 5,110,229

West Virginia................................. 9 0 0 9 2,256 75,000 511 75,511

Wisconsin..................................... 1,618 9 15 1,642 411,602 411,602 93,150 504,752

Wyoming \3\................................... 0 0 0 0 ............ ............ ............ ............

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Total..................................... 228,941 14,927 29,358 273,226 68,489,848 68,841,500 15,500,000 84,341,500

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\1\ Includes: refugees, Kurdish asylees, and Amerasian immigrants from Vietnam adjusted for secondary migration.

\2\ For FY 1998, 13,442 Havana Parolees (HP's) were prorated to all States based on their proportions of the three-year (FY 1996-1998) entrant

population. For FY 1997, Florida's HP's (3,957) were based on actual data, while HP's in other States (2,035) were prorated according to their

proportions of the three-year entrant population. For FY 1996, Florida's HP's (7,315) were based on actual data, while HP's in other States (2,611)

were prorated according to their proportions of the three-year entrant population.

\3\ Alaska and Wyoming no longer participate in the Refugee Program.

\4\ The allocations for Idaho and South Dakota are expected to be awarded to the State designee.

\5\ The allocations for Kentucky and Nevada are expected to be awarded to Wilson/Fish projects.

VI. Paperwork Reduction Act

This notice does not create any reporting or recordkeeping

requirements requiring OMB clearance.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.566 Refugee

Assistance--State Administered Programs)

Dated: April 20, 1999.

Lavinia Limon,

Director, Office of Refugee Resettlement.

[FR Doc. 99-10486 Filed 4-26-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4184-01-P