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Dear BVP applicant,
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is pleased to inform you that your jurisdiction will receive an award under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) program. These funds have been posted to your account in the BVP System. A complete list of FY 2023 BVP awards is now available at the following link: https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/fy23-bvp-awards.pdf.
Important: Jurisdictions must be registered and include updated banking information in the System for Award Management (SAM) (https://www.sam.gov/SAM/) to receive reimbursement. For more information about renewing and updating your existing SAM registration, or registering in SAM as a new entity, please visit: https://sam.gov/content/help. The SAM Helpdesk can be reached at 866-606-8220.
The FY 2023 award may be used for National Institute of Justice (NIJ) compliant armored vests which were ordered after April 1, 2023. The deadline to request payments from the FY 2023 award is August 31, 2025, or until all available funds have been requested. Awards will not be extended past that date, and any unused funds will be forfeited.
As a reminder, body armor vests purchased with BVP funds must have been tested through the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Compliance Testing Program and found to comply with the most current NIJ body armor standards, appear on the NIJ Compliant Products List as of the date the body armor was ordered, be uniquely fitted, and be made in the United States. In addition, applicants must have a written mandatory wear policy for uniformed patrol officers in place at the time of application.
In addition, the federal portion of the costs for body armor vests purchased under the BVP Program may not exceed 50 percent. However, jurisdictions may request a financial or natural disaster hardship waiver during the payment request process and receive up to 100 percent of the cost of each body armor vest submitted for reimbursement. Additional information regarding match waivers can be found in the BVP FAQs, and detailed instructions on the process for requesting a waiver and the documentation required can be found in the Submitting Payment Requests in BVP User Guide.
Please contact the BVP Helpdesk at 1-877-758-3787 or email vests@usdoj.gov if you have any questions regarding the above information. Please also visit the BVP website for additional information regarding the BVP Program.
In addition, please visit BJA’s Officer Robert Wilson III Preventing Violence Against Law Enforcement Officers and Ensuring Officer Resilience and Survivability (VALOR) Initiative website to obtain other information regarding officer safety: VALOR Officer Safety and Wellness Initiative | Overview | Bureau of Justice Assistance (ojp.gov). The VALOR Initiative is a comprehensive set of programs that deliver no-cost officer safety, wellness, resilience training, resources, and technical assistance to law enforcement throughout the country. VALOR brings together the latest research and practices to address current and emerging officer safety and wellness issues/threats. Please see the VALOR Initiative Overview-Booklet for a detailed synopsis of this important initiative: BJA VALOR INITIATIVE (ojp.gov).
Sincerely, BVP Program Support Team
Bureau of Justice Assistance
BJA offers many resources, training and technical assistance, and policy development services to support local, state, and tribal governments in achieving safer communities.
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