SERVICE TO INDIVIDUALS GUIDELINES
1. The applicant should:
A. Be a person who is blind or visually impaired
or the service must be for the benefit of a person who is blind or visually
impaired.
B. Be a resident of the State of
C. Give a clear description of the goods or
services needed.
D. State the purpose of such goods and services
or indicate the outcome being sought.
E. Give an approximate cost and indicate his/her
ability to participate, if any, toward that cost.
F. Indicate if any other sources of assistance
are contributing.
2. No individual should receive financial
assistance more than twice during any given budgeted year. Exceptions to this may only be decided by a
vote of the MCB Board.
3. The committee should:
A. Divide the budgeted service dollars in to
equal amounts for four service quarters.
These service quarters should coincide with quarterly Board meetings.
B. The committee should meet, monthly, by phone,
if necessary, to discuss, review and vote on requests for assistance. If no requests are received and service money
is available, the committee should discuss and implement outreach tactics. Funding for outreach efforts will come from
the MCB or chapter outreach budgeted funds.
C. If requests should exceed available money for
that quarter, the committee should approach the Board for supplemental
funds. Any money not spent in a quarter
should carry over in to the next quarter until the end of the fiscal year.
D. The committee should submit a report to the
Board at each scheduled board meeting regarding their activities.
E. Financial records kept by the Treasurer
should clearly identify money spent, either budgeted or by special Board vote,
for service provision.
4. The committee should evaluate each request by
considering the following:
A. Significance of request or quality of life,
for example, health, independent living, employment, child rearing, social or
recreational opportunities.
B. The availability and timeliness of other
sources of assistance.
5. Where local chapters are available
individuals seeking assistance will be asked to approach local chapters, first.
6. Local chapters are encouraged to adopt
service guidelines which will be consistent with State policies.
7. The committee shall respond to all requests
for assistance by notifying the applicant of the outcome of their request.
8. Any MCB Member, Officer or Board Member who
receives a request for service assistance shall pass this information on to the
service committee in a timely manner.
9. The Services to Individuals Committee may
approve a service up to one thousand dollars ($1000.00) and any request for
monies greater than this amount must be approved by the MCB Board.
10. All bills requested to be paid by this
committee must have been incurred within the past six (6) months. Care must be taken that this Committee does
not become a bill paying service.
11. Documentation indicating the purpose of all
approved requests must be provided to the Treasurer and checks should not be
made payable to the individual benefitting from the
service without proper authentic substantial documentation.
Submitted by: Donna Smith Whitty
Adopted 1999
amended: April 23, 2006