JEFFERSON — It pays to be distressed.

Unfortunately, in the eyes of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Ashtabula County is not distressed.

Nevertheless, the county’s high unemployment and poverty rates, and residents’ low educational attainment levels make it part of Appalachia in the eyes of the federal government. Ashtabula, Trumbull and Mahoning counties joined the list last fall when President George W. Bush reauthorized the ARC.

Rep. Steven LaTourette, R-Bainbridge, who led the effort to include the county in the ARC, and Fred Deel, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, came to town Monday afternoon to explain what this designation will mean for the county. The congressman said it’s not a stigma or stereotype but simply an acknowledgment that the county should be eligible for a little extra assistance because of its unique economic challenges.

“I like to think of it as a veterans preference when applying for a job: You get extra points,” LaTourette said.

Deel said there are 13 states in the ARC, which was formed in the 1960s. Ohio came into the program with 28 counties; there are now 32.

Ohio is the only state that funds a governor’s office on Appalachia. In the current fiscal year, the state appropriated $4 million for that office. He said its mission is to help communities improve their economic competitiveness, primarily through infrastructure enhancements. In the process, the quality of life is improved for residents.

“Our principal goal is to help the economic well-being of the region,” he said. “We are still experiencing a lot of these issues we were seeing way back when (ARC was created).”

ARC designation also brings a county additional clout to the state house and Congress, and helps projects from the designated regions get extra points on grant applications.

The worst of the counties in each ARC state are labeled “distressed,” but despite an unemployment rate of nearly 14 percent, Ashtabula County doesn’t qualify for that label. Deel says Ohio’s six distressed counties get a larger cut of the federal money but also have the worst economic statistics — in the bottom 10 percent of the nation.

Ohio receives about $6 million in federal ARC dollars. That money is allocated through four local development districts. Eastgate provides that gateway for Ashtabula County. Ashtabula County commissioners recently voted to join Eastgate, a regional council of governments, so they can tap into ARC money.

In general, ARC funding is available only to non-profits and government entities. For the current fiscal year, $500,000 has been set aside for the counties that just were added.

The governor’s office requires development districts to prioritize projects, which are submitted to the state in early June.

ARC has a number of categories for projects, as does the state’s side of the program. In terms of dollars, the largest of the federal programs is area development, typically used for infrastructure.

There are smaller funds for training, access roads and regional initiatives. That state has a mirror area development fund, as well as a fund for projects requiring rapid response and a community investment program, which offers grants of $1,000 to $10,000 for a broad range of purposes, including tourism. Another aspect of that fund provides money to communities for making repairs/ improvements to public buildings, such as community centers and fire halls.

Regardless of which grant program an applicant wants to get into, commissioners will be the gateway for Ashtabula County projects, Deel said.

“If you feel you got a good project, submit it,” he said.