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. Coordination with Education Officials
- 2. Information on the Formal Interagency Agreement with the State Educational Agency with Respect To:
- I. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development; Data System on Personnel and Personnel Development(Formerly known as Attachment 4.10)). Describe the designated State agency's procedures and activities to establish and maintain a comprehensive system of personnel development designed to ensure an adequate supply of qualified State rehabilitation professional and paraprofessional personnel for the designated State unit, including the following:
- iii. Personnel StandardsDescribe the State agency's policies and procedures for the establishment and maintenance of personnel standards consistent with section 101(a)(7)(B) and 34 CFR 361.18(c) to ensure that designated State unit professional and paraprofessional personnel are adequately trained and prepared, including:
- iii. Personnel Standards
- I. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development; Data System on Personnel and Personnel Development
- 2. Information on the Formal Interagency Agreement with the State Educational Agency with Respect To:
- d. Coordination with Education Officials
d. 2. I. iii. I. Standards That Are Consistent with Any National or State- Approved or -recognized Certification, Licensing, Registration, or Other Comparable Requirements That Apply to the Profession or Discipline in Which Such Personnel Are Providing Vr Services; and
Current Narrative:
Applicants for counselor and vocational evaluator positions at MDRS who do not meet the requirements of a Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) must meet the Mississippi State Personnel Board’s minimum qualification for a DRS Counselor II or DRS Evaluator II. This minimum qualification is a Master’s Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Rehabilitation Counseling or a related field; or, a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Rehabilitation Counseling or a related field and one year of related experience. Before applicants who do not meet the CSPD requirements are hired, they are required to sign a contract stating that they will enroll in a Master’s Degree Program within one year, unless approved otherwise. MDRS counselors who need a Master’s Degree to meet the requirements of the law and regulations are required to sign a contract specifying that they will complete this program in a three-year period from the inception of coursework. Exceptions in terms of the three-year time frame are only granted due to disability-related issues and are only provided with the approval of the Office Director, either for VR or VRB.
Long-term strategies for the retraining of any vocational rehabilitation counselor or vocational evaluator who is not a qualified rehabilitation professional and not currently in a program are to utilize accessible Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) CSPD funded stipend programs to the extent possible. Those not funded under a stipend program as funded by RSA CSPD will be sponsored by MDRS at available distance education or web-based Masters Programs in Rehabilitation Counseling such as those available through Auburn University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Wisconsin, Southern University, and the Georgia State University Consortium. Employees who live within commuting distance of Jackson State University and Mississippi State University can access these universities’ campus-based programs.
Employees sponsored by the agency in graduate training are eligible for reimbursement of tuition, book costs, and approved educational leave. State statute requires that the employee enter a contractual agreement with MDRS for service repayment. MDRS requires three years of continued employment in return for expense reimbursement and educational leave. Additionally, MDRS has created a job classification for rehabilitation counselors which require certification as a professional rehabilitation counselor plus two years of rehabilitation counseling experience. Promotion to this highest of four counselor salary levels provides an additional incentive for personnel to obtain a Master’s Degree and to attain certification. Upon attainment of the Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling or certification in rehabilitation counseling, the employee may also be eligible for an educational salary benchmark of five percent.
The current salary for vocational rehabilitation counselors in Mississippi remains below that of other southeastern states, but is now more competitive with other public and private agencies recruiting individuals with the required Master’s Degree. In State Fiscal Year 1999 MDRS was successful in its efforts to gain approval by the Mississippi State Legislature and the Mississippi State Personnel Board to raise the entry-level salary for counselors and evaluators in order to successfully attract qualified personnel. In January 2003, July 2006, and again in July 2007 the salaries of vocational rehabilitation counselors and vocational evaluators were also realigned. Following a survey of the southeastern average, the salaries remain lower than that of neighboring states.
MDRS has established educational requirements of a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling with a continuing education component to address these issues.