For the purposes of this part and any Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) issued pursuant to this part:

Adaptive sports means a sport that has either been adapted specifically for persons with a disability or created specifically for persons with a disability.

Adaptive sports activities means:

(1) Instruction, participation, and competition in adaptive sports;

(2) Training and technical assistance to program administrators, coaches, recreational therapists, instructors, Department employees, and other appropriate individuals; and

(3) Coordination, Paralympic classification of athletes, athlete assessment, sport-specific training techniques, program development (including programs at the local level), sports equipment, supplies, program evaluation, and other activities related to the implementation and operation of the program.

Adaptive sports grant means a grant awarded or to be awarded under this part.

Adaptive sports grant agreement means the agreement executed between VA and a grantee as specified under §77.17.

Applicant means an eligible entity that submits an application for an adaptive sports grant announced in a NOFA.

DoD means the Department of Defense.

Eligible entity means a Non-Federal Government entity with significant experience in managing a large-scale adaptive sports program for persons with disabilities if those disabilities are those that many disabled veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces have. To demonstrate significant experience, all the key personnel identified in the adaptive sports grant application of the entity must have experience implementing the adaptive sports activities to be provided and have experience working with persons with disabilities that many disabled veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces to be served through the adaptive sports grant have. The experience must be for two continuous years immediately prior to the date of submission to VA of the grant application. When more than one entity would be engaged in the provision of the adaptive sport activities, the entity applying for the adaptive sports grant must provide documentation that verifies that through the partnership, it has the experience necessary to implement all of the adaptive sports activities proposed in the adaptive sports grant application.

Grantee means an entity that is awarded an adaptive sports grant under this part.

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) means the global governing body of the Paralympic movement.

Large-scale adaptive sports program means

(1) An adaptive sports program of a National Paralympic Committee (NPC) or of a National Governing Body (NGB) that is authorized to provide Paralympic sports programs in one or more States;

(2) An adaptive sports program of a NGB that has been recognized by an external validating authority if the programs validated by that authority would meet the requirements of paragraph (3) of this definition if considered one program; and

(3) An adaptive sports program in which at least 50 persons with disabilities participate or in which the persons with disabilities who participate in the program reside in at least five different congressional districts.

National Governing Body (NGB) means an organization that looks after all aspects of a sport and is responsible for training, competition and development for their sports.

National Paralympic Committee (NPC) means the national organization recognized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as the sole representative of athletes with disabilities from their respective jurisdiction.

Notice of funding availability (NOFA) means a Notice of Funding Availability published in the OMB-designated government-wide Web site in accordance with §77.13 and 2 CFR Part 200.

Paralympics means a series of international contests for athletes with a range of physical and intellectual disabilities, including mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and traumatic brain injury, that are associated with and held following the summer and winter Olympic Games.

Participant means a disabled veteran or disabled member of the Armed Forces who is receiving adaptive sport activities from a grantee.

Partnership means any type of arrangement in which the parties agree to cooperate and is not limited to a legal partnership.

Peer review means the technical and programmatic evaluation by a group of experts qualified by training and experience to give expert advice, based on selection criteria established under §77.13 or in a program announcement, on the technical and programmatic merit of adaptive sports grant applications.

Persons with a disability includes persons with physical and intellectual disabilities.

Sport means a usually competitive individual or group physical activity governed by a set of rules or customs, which, through casual or organized participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical ability and skills while normally providing entertainment to participants.

VA means the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Veteran means a person described in §3.1 of this title.

Veterans Service Organization (VSO) means an organization recognized by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the representation of veterans under section 5902 of title 38, United States Code, a subgroup of such an organization, or a nonprofit entity registered with the U.S. Government that has a primary mission to provide services to veterans and members of the Armed Services.

(Authority: Pub. L. 111-163, 38 U.S.C. 501)