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The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) provides training and employment opportunities to seniors who are age 55 and over and meet low-income guidelines. This program is administered and funded by the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (www.napca.org) and the U.S. Department of Labor. The purpose of this program is to provide meaningful part-time paid work experience in community services and opportunities to obtain meaningful unsubsidized jobs in private industry or the public sector to individuals age 55 or older who have an income at or below 125% of the established poverty level and are a U.S. citizen or legal resident. If the applicant meets these requirements, a physical examination is provided at little or no cost to the senior as a free service in order to assist us in placing the enrollee at a suitable site and in determining if he is physically able to work. Transition services include development of new skills and talents toward alternate career opportunities, enhanced work experience through exposure to various jobs during enrollment, and efforts to transfer enrollees into private sector jobs after training. Enrollees are placed at Host Agencies that provide the older worker with an opportunity to gain employment training while at the same time assisting in meaningful community work. These agencies include schools, hospitals, senior citizen centers, literacy instruction, nutrition programs, beautification projects, conservation projects, restoration projects, day-care centers, and many other opportunities. Other host agencies involved are public organizations such as federal, state, and city offices/ government agencies. Each enrollee is generally assigned 20 hours per week at the Host Agency and cannot exceed 1300 hours each fiscal year. The compensation paid is either the state or federal minimum wage, whichever is higher. NAPCA pays the enrollees' wages, the employer's share of FICA, unemployment and workmen's compensation from funds allocated by the Department of Labor. Sick leave is also allocated at 4 hours for every 80 hours worked. NAPCA is required by the Department of Labor to place 20% of SCSEP enrollees each program year into unsubsidized permanent employment. The host agency is urged to hire the enrollees or at least assist them in attaining other permanent, unsubsidized employment, allowing other low-income seniors to enter the program and develop their skills. There are several enrollee benefits, including annual physical examination, personal counseling, job-related counseling, job-training in experimental programs in the private sector or in coordination with other federal employment and training programs, earned wages, unsubsidized jobs, meaningful employment, and many others. Participating sponsors include Stage Units On Aging in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the territories, American Association of Retired Persons, Green Thumb, Inc., National Association for Hispanic Elderly, National Center on Black Aged, National Council on Aging, National Indian Council on Aging, Inc., National Asian Pacific Center on Aging, Inc., National Urban League, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, and the National Council of Senior Citizens.
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