Vocational Rehabilitation Amendments

Vocational Rehabilitation Amendments - Authorizes to be appropriated for carrying out the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, $697,482,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1973, and $700,096,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1974.

Provides for the making of grants to public or nonprofit private agencies for paying part of the cost of planning, preparing for, and initiating programs to provide vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with spinal cord injuries or to low-achieving deaf individuals.

Provides for grants to any State agency designated pursuant to a plan approved under this Act, or to any local agency participating in the administration of such a plan, for paying part of the cost of pilot or demonstration projects for the provision of vocational rehabilitation services to handicapped individuals who, as determined in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor, are migratory agricultural workers, and to members of their families (whether or not handicapped) who are with them, including maintenance and transportation of any such individual and members of his family where necessary to the rehabilitation of that individual.

States that whenever the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare determines that any amount of an allotment to a State for any fiscal year will not be utilized by such State in carrying out the purposes of this Act, he may make such amount available for carrying out the purposes of this Act to one or more other States to the extent he determines such other State will be able to use such additional amount during such year for carrying out such purposes.

Provides for the inclusion of American Samoa and Trust Teritory of the Pacific Islands in State Programs.

States that the State agency plan submitted for approval must provide satisfactory assurance to the Secretary that the State agency designated (or each State agency if two are so designated) and any sole local agency administering the plan in a political subdivision of the State will take into account, in connection with matters of general policy arising in the administration of the plan, the views of, among others, individuals who are recipients of vocational rehabilitation services, individuals who represent citizen groups, individuals who represent professional groups, and individuals who are providers of vocational rehabilitation services.

Increases the training allowances under the Act from $25 or $30.

Allows State agencies for the blind to act as State evaluation and work adjustment agencies under this Act.

Provides that an individual who, as a part of his rehabilitation under a State plan approved under this Act, participates in a program of work experience in a Federal agency, shall not, by reason thereof, be considered to be a Federal employee or to be subject to the provisions of law relating to Federal employment, including those relating to hours of work, rates of compensation, leave, unemployment compensation, and Federal employee benefits.