A three year cost-sharing agreement with the federal government to provide the vocational rehabilitation for disabled persons program (VRDP) was signed in July, 1993. The program totals $742,000. The majority of this funding supports the operation of alcohol and drug treatment centres in the NWT and the Abe Miller Centre in Yellowknife.
Fort-five thousand dollars of this cost-shared agreement has been allocated to respond to individual requests for vocational rehabilitation. Twenty-two thousand five hundred dollars is provided by the territorial government, and the remaining fifty per cent of the total is provided by the federal government on a cost-recovery basis. People are eligible to apply for assistance through this program if, because of a physical or mental impairment, they cannot be steadily employed without receiving vocational rehabilitation services.
The responsibility for administering the $45,000 for individual applications under the VRDP program was transferred from the Department of Social Services to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment in April, 1993. In the past, the territorial portion of the funding, $22,500, was divided amongst the regional offices of Social Services. Over the last two fiscal years, this funding was not spent. The program is difficult to administer, the funds available in each region were small, and regional offices found other ways to address the needs identified by the community.
This year, because the total amount of funding available was relatively small, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment decided to bring this funding together in headquarters and to use the funding for assessments and follow-ups. Diagnostic assessments for learning disabilities were recently provided for fifteen individuals. Based on the assessments, recommendations have been made to meet the education and employment needs of these individuals. The balance of the funding available through this program this year will be used to implement these recommendations, and address additional requests for services wherever possible.
This year so far thirty people have applied for funding through this program. It is difficult to determine how many people in the NWT would be eligible for individual assistance through the vocational rehabilitation for disabled persons program, but it is reasonable to conclude that the demand is greater than can be met through current funding.
I have Return to Written Question 16-12(4), asked by Mr. Koe to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment concerning student loan agreements.