Residential Vocational and Life Skills Programs

The Division regulates Residential Vocational and Life Skills Programs pursuant to Utah Code Ann. §13-53.
A residential vocational and life skills program means a program that:
  1. is operated by a nonprofit corporation, as defined in Section 16-6a-102,
  2. does not accept local, state, or federal government funding, government grant money, or any other form of government assistance to operate or provide services or training;
  3. operates on a mutually voluntary basis with each participant,
  4. houses at a program facility in this state participants who are unrelated to an owner or a manager of the program facility without charging money for lodging, food, clothing, or training,
  5. may house transitional graduates for a fee,
  6. provides vocational training to participants,
  7. provides life skills training to participants,
  8. maintains a director or senior staff member at a program facility at all times when the facility is in use,
  9. does not provide mental health services,
  10. does not provide substance use disorder treatment,
  11. does not accept payment from an insurance provider for a participant;
  12. does not award a degree, diploma, or other educational credential commensurate with a degree or diploma,
  13. does not hold itself out as a human services program, and
  14. does not hold itself out as a proprietary school.
If a program does not meet the requirements included in the list, it is not eligible for registration with the Division as a residential vocational and life skills program.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click on the "Apply for Registration" link in the left menu.  Download the form, complete the required information, and upload the required documentation.
Yes.  The application fee is $500.
The program needs to register annually with the Division.

Yes. When applying for registration, an applicant shall demonstrate fiscal responsibility by providing evidence to the Division that the residential vocational and life skills program is financially sound and reasonably has the fiscal ability to fulfill commitments and obligations to the participants of the residential vocational and life skills program.

For a program that has been in operation less than one fiscal year the requirements is pro forma financial statements until further information is available and a commercial credit report for the program.

For a program that has completed a fiscal year, a current financial statement, with all applicable footnotes, for the most recent fiscal year, including a balance sheet, a statement of income, a statement of retained earnings, a statement of cash flow, and a certified fiscal audit of the program’s financial statement; performed by a certified or licensed public accountant.

The Division may require evidence of financial status at other times when it is in the best interest of the program participants to require the information.  The Division may also perform a fiscal audit of the program.

A program that is closing shall adopt a plan for the provision of food, shelter, and clothing for at least 30 days from the date of closure to participants displaced by the closure.  Additionally, at least 30 days prior to closure, the program shall provide written notice to the Division of the intended date of closure and the plan for participants displaced by the closure.
Yes.  The Division may investigate and enforce §13-53 under the authority described in Chapter 2, Division of Consumer Protection.
Yes.  To monitor the welfare of participants and transitional graduates, if any, and to monitor the safe operation of a program, the Division shall
  1. annually perform an on-site inspection of a registered program,
  2. refer each concern that the Division identifies during the on-site inspection to the state or municipal entity responsible for the area of concern, and
  3. coordinate with each relevant state and municipal entity to monitor the program’s compliance with the entity’s relevant health and safety regulations.
Yes.  In addition to penalties established in §13-53 and in addition to the enforcement authority described in Chapter 2, Division of Consumer Protection, the Division may
  1. issue a cease and desist order,
  2. impose an administrative fine of up to $2,500 for each violation of this chapter; and
  3. seek injunctive relief in a court of competent jurisdiction.
No.  The Division’s issuance of a registration for a program does not constitute the state’s or the Division’s endorsement or approval of the program.
Yes.

Registration

Laws and Rules

Related Information