RD182 - Annual Report on the Aggregate Data on the Operations and Funding of the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative Trust Fund


Executive Summary:
During this reporting period, the Advisory Board did not issue any Requests For Proposals (RFPs) because funds were encumbered through State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2006 by current grant awards. However, under an FY ’04 budget amendment granting the Commissioner of the Department of Rehabilitative Services authority to “…reallocate up to $500,000 from unexpended balances in the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative Trust Fund to fund new grant awards for research on traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries,” the Board approved funding of two grants during FY ’05: one year of funding to Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center for a study on substance abuse treatment issues and practices with people with brain injury and spinal cord injury ($50,000), and one year of funding to The Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University to explore the effectiveness of the use of personal assistive technology devices by supported employees ($119,422).

During this reporting period, a total of six (6) grants completed their final year of funding. Four (4) of the grants were Option-B community rehabilitation grants which ended October 31, 2005, and one grant was an Option-A research grantee (from the inaugural round of research awards in FY ’02) that completed its final grant year during SFY ’05.

During this reporting period, a total of five (5) grantees received “no cost extensions.” Two (2) of the grantees were Option-B community rehabilitation programs (slated to end October 2005 but extended through December 2005), and three grantees were Option-A research projects (from the initial round of research awards in FY ’02). Such extensions – which are typically granted for three to twelve months - allow grantees to use their unexpended funds to continue project activities (such as analyzing data, preparing reports, and distributing results) beyond the ending date of their grant award.

During this reporting period, a total of twelve (12) grantees requested carryover of grant funds from SFY 2004 to SFY 2005. Five (5) of the grantees were Option-B community rehabilitation programs that carried funds over from year two three, and seven (7) were Option-A research projects that carried funds over from year one to two. Requests to “carry forward” unexpended funds from one grant year to the next are common due to inevitable delays or changes in hiring staff, ordering and equipping an office or laboratory, and similar challenges.

For FY’05, staff administrative costs were budgeted at $80,000; $76,191 was actually expended.