Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan* must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by section 101(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by WIOA:
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* Sec. 102(b)(D)(iii) of WIOA
d. 2. F. Arrangements and Cooperative Agreements for the Provision of Supported Employment Services
(Formerly known as Attachment 4.8(b)(4)). Describe the designated State agency’s efforts to identify and make arrangements, including entering into cooperative agreements, with other State agencies and other appropriate entities in order to provide supported employment services and extended employment services, as applicable, to individuals with the most significant disabilities, including youth with the most significant disabilities.
Current Narrative:
Statewide Collaboration
VRS collaborates with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), Department of Human Services (DHS), and county and local service providers to offer statewide supported employment services. VRS is a partner in several state–level agreements that provide long–term supports. During development of an employment plan, VRS counselors and other service team members help consumers to select supported employment services that meet their needs. They identify which services will be provided by VRS, as well as the source of long–term supports in the community. VRS provides time–limited supports for up to 18 months (up to 24 months for youth), but an employment plan may be amended if additional time is needed to achieve job stability. The primary funding resources for long– term supports in the community following VRS case closure are county case managers, the VRS Extended Employment Program, DHS programs such as traumatic brain injury waiver funding, and the Social Security Administration’s Impairment–Related Work Expense exclusions and Ticket to Work funding for persons on SSI and/or SSDI.
State–funded VRS Extended Employment Program
Minnesota’s Extended Employment Program, administered by VRS, develops performance based contracts with CARF–accredited CRPs. The contracts set expectations for extended support, establish funding levels and specify how many employment hours will be funded. These collaborations contribute significantly to the quality, scope, and effectiveness of the state’s supported employment efforts.
The VRS Extended Employment Program augments Minnesota’s supported employment resources, including those for persons who are deaf or hard–of–hearing and for persons with serious mental illness. It provides over $12 million a year to CRPs to provide ongoing supports. VRS coordinates both vocational rehabilitation and extended employment services to maximize the impact of both time–limited and extended services.
The Extended Employment Program is in the rule making process. Currently, more than 80 percent of the dollars support people working in integrated community settings. The proposed rule would eliminate center–based employment over five years, shifting 100% of the money to community based employment.
Individuals with Serious Mental Illness and Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard–of–Hearing
Extended Employment dedicates $1.6 million to supports for persons with serious and persistent mental illness. Another appropriation provides $475,000 annually to provide ongoing supports for persons who are deaf or hard–of–hearing. In state fiscal year 2014, the VRS Extended Employment program provided ongoing work supports to about 4,700 individuals working in the community, most of whom had previously received time–limited VR services.