(a) A grant or contract may be terminated in whole or in part when:

(1) There has been a substantial violation by the recipient, and the violation occurred less than 5 years prior to the date the recipient receives a preliminary determination pursuant to §1606.6(a) of this part; or

(2) There has been a substantial failure by the recipient to provide high quality, economical, and effective legal assistance, as measured by generally accepted professional standards, the provisions of the LSC Act or LSC appropriations, or a rule, regulation, including 45 CFR 1634.9(a)(2), or guidelines or instructions issued by the Corporation.

(b) The Corporation may impose a limited reduction of funding when the Corporation determines that there has been a substantial violation by the recipient but that termination of the recipient's grant, in whole or in part, is not warranted, and the violation occurred less than 5 years prior to the date the recipient receives a preliminary determination pursuant to §1606.6(a) of this part.

(c) A determination of whether there has been a substantial violation for the purposes of this part, and the magnitude of any termination, in whole or in part, or any limited reduction in funding, shall be based on consideration of the criteria set forth in the definition of “substantial violation” in §1606.2 of this part.