AVA/OVW Conference Call – May 2013
Hello STOP Administrators:
The May 2013 call with OVW was delayed to mid-month so we’re a little late in posting the summary but below is the discussion points.
STOP Appropriation to support Outreach & Services to Underserved:
On page 6 of the OVW VAWA Summary, it referenced that 2% will be taken from the STOP and Arrest Policies programs to support the Outreach and Services to Underserved Populations Program. AVA asked for more information on this topic. OVW explained that the Outreach and Services to Underserved Populations is a new area to help provide resources for underserved populations since the definition of culturally specific has changed (new definition only allows race and ethnicity categories). The 2% will be taken off the top of the total award prior to states receiving their annual STOP allocations.
Drug and Alcohol Counseling:
AVA inquired into whether drug and alcohol counseling for adult DV and SA victims is an eligible expense under the STOP program if provided in conjunction with DV Services. A newsletter from ALSO dated back in 2008 indicated this type of service was not allowed. During the discussion, Michelle Brickley reference Special Condition #37 from the 2012 STOP grant; however, this seems to only apply to offenders and not victims. That special condition discusses equipment for law enforcement that is not allowed, as well as “chemical dependency or substance abuse programs that are not an integral part of a court-mandated batterer intervention program.” Since that Special Condition seems to be related to perpetrator treatment, Michelle will have Marnie Sheils take a look and provide us with an opinion as to what can be provided to victims with substance abuse needs.
2013 STOP Awards:
At the time of this call, OVW did not have the allocation amounts. OVW has since provided the award amounts to states and territories. If anyone did not receive theirs, please contact Dorene Whitworth.
Prevention Services and and Health Care Providers:
This topic relates to new language in VAWA 2013. AVA asked for clarification of both the 5% prevention services and the reference to working with Health Care Providers – specifically just what does “prevention” mean and how broadly will they extend the definition of “health care providers”? Michelle stated that this is on Marni’s “to do list” for providing guidance as to how specific the prevention category will be defined, i.e, is this a primary or tertiary type of service. Likewise, Marnie will look into the definition for “Health Care Providers” referenced in the forensic exams.
Implementation Plan Toolkit:
AVA asked if there will be a new toolkit provided for the 2014 STOP Implementation Plan since significant changes are expected. Michelle said she and Marnie are working on providing a new 2014 toolkit for STOP Administrators. Michelle discussed that she and the OVW staff are meeting every 2 weeks to make sure that all VAWA reauthorization details are covered, and that STOP Administrators will be provided with the information they need for STOP 2014 implementation.
2014 STOP Conference:
Michelle explained that 2014 was expected to be a “joint” STOP Administrators and Coalition meeting. Unfortunately, the DOJ will no longer allow meetings that cost in excess of $100k, and the joint meetings normally do exceed that threshold. OVW and the TA providers will be having a conference call soon to discuss ways that OVW can still meet with Administrators and Coalitions. One idea is to host regional meetings. However, one of the issues noted is that the OVW program managers are not regionalized, so OVW asked if it would be a problem to have a regional meeting and possibly not have all the states represented by their program manager. In other words, Omar might be at one of the regional meetings, whereas Kim or Kevin might be at another. If any STOP administrators would like to provide a comment on the importance of having your specific program manager present at a regional meeting, please contact Dorene Whitworth.
The next call between OVW and AVA is scheduled for June 3rd at 11:00 EST. At that time, the Alaska STOP Administrator will provide a short presentation on the challenges/ successes of administering STOP in that state.