Narrative: d. 2. Q. i.

The Workforce Opportunity and Innovation Act of 2014 reinforces and expands the roles of both vocational rehabilitation counselors and clients with regard to supported employment services. Effective delivery of supported employment services for individuals with the most significant disabilities requires professionals to become even more creative in looking beyond the traditional array of practices and services. Therefore, the skill and experience of vocational rehabilitation counselors is key to the development of successful supported employment programs. The Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation’s training efforts continue to focus on helping counselors and other involved professionals understand the importance of supported employment. Training assists staff to develop skills necessary to the provision of excellent supported employment services. Training addresses client evaluation, realistic goal setting, the development of precise plans of services, objective progress reporting, and meaningful recordkeeping. DVR’s Supported Employment Coordinator leads this training and has provided training on supported employment to individual DVR offices as well as to provider agencies, Community Centered Board (CCB) staff and parent groups.

Direct utilization of Title I (Vocational Rehabilitation Services) and Title VI-B (Supported Employment Services) case service funds facilitate the counselor’s ability to provide supported employment services for individuals with the most significant disabilities. The resources available through the Title VI-B program were used only to provide supplemental evaluations and supported employment services, as identified in the Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE), to assist eligible individuals with the most significant disabilities to obtain and secure competitve integrated employment.

Supported employment services are provided to enable individuals with the most significant disabilities to obtain employment, to learn job skills, and to maximize their hour and wage employment opportunities in the competitive labor force. The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation will continue to provide a wide range of supported employment services to individuals with the most significant disabilities for whom competitive employment has not traditionally occurred or has been interrupted or intermittent and who need supported employment services and extended ongoing support services to attain and maintain integrated competitive employment.

Any other vocational rehabilitation service may be provided when necessary to prepare and support the individual in supported employment. Such services include, but are not limited to, physical and mental restoration services; vocational adjustment and other vocational and academic training; occupational licenses, tools and equipment; specialized services for the blind and/or deaf; and, support services, such as maintenance, transportation, services to family members, and personal assistance services.

DVR’s required documentation for supported employment for an eligible individual with the most significant disability will include the individual’s weekly work goal, job stabilization criteria, the supported employment services to be provided, the type and frequency of monitoring contacts which will be provided during the provision of supported employment services, and a description of extended services needed. With the passage of WIOA, extended services can now be provided by DVR for up to four years for youth with disabilities, and DVR’s policy and documentation requirements has been revised accordingly.

The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation believes that the need for supported employment cannot be met by vocational rehabilitation agencies alone, but requires the collaborative efforts of all providers of services to individuals with the most significant disabilities. In accordance with this belief, DVR continues to analyze and address the systems barriers in Colorado which have historically hindered local delivery of supported employment services. For example, when DVR has an active wait list, there is a process in place to allow applicants with developmental disabilities to access waiver services more swiftly. DVR has developed an “Affidavit of Application” letter to be used for individuals with a developmental disability who are currently working with a Community Centered Board (CCB) and have Medicaid Waiver Supported Employment Services available to them. The intent of this letter is to notify the CCB case manager that an application for the client has been taken, and that the client will be placed on DVR’s Order of Selection wait list once his/her priority classification is determined. Completion of this form will allow the CCB to access Medicaid Waiver Supported Employment Services for the individual after the DVR intake is complete. In addition, DVR has trained staff about SSA work incentives and other options for extended support provision such as self-pay and Impairment Related Work Expense (IRWE) plans, so that clients who unable to receive funding under the Medicaid Waiver, may move forward toward pursuing their employment goals.

DVR, the Office of Communty Living (OCL), and the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) have created an environment, through collaborative policy development and innovative funding initiatives, which encourages local provider agencies to enhance existing supported employment services. These efforts continue through an intra-agency agreement between DVR and OBH to expand and develop methods to provide effective supported employment services to mutual clients. DVR is also working on developing a new interagency agreement with the OCL to address each agency’s responsibilities and assure the collaborative and streamlined provision of supported employment to mutual clients.

The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation’s strong commitment to facilitate coordination and development of community-based supported employment services for individuals with the most significant disabilities is reflected in the prioritization of supported employment initiatives. As a result, increasing numbers of community rehabilitation programs throughout Colorado have developed supported employment services to supplement those provided by the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. One such initiative involved the collection and study of data by a team of DVR staff, state agency partners, and community rehabilitation providers. As a result, changes were made to the DVR Fee Schedule. Payments made by DVR for supported employment services increased. The increased fee schedule rate supports an increase in the number of supported employment providers throughout the state.

DVR has a strong commitment to serve Colorado’s youth population. DVR’s supported employment Coordinator serves on the ASPIRE Oversight Committee, to support and educate ASPIRE staff and partners in the coordination of supported employment services to youth. ASPIRE is working with DVR counselors in the Denver DVR office to pilot services to supported employment youth and students. Public school personnel often refer students with most significant disabilities to DVR prior to their completion of the school transition program. DVR’s has counselors with supported employment expertise throughout Colorado. These counselors begin plan development and services so the youth can move to employment as they are completing their education. DVR is also coordinating services with the Mental Health Center of Denver in their newly formed Emerson St. Program for Teens and Young Adults. With the focus on youth within WIOA’s proposed regulation, this strong foundation will serve DVR well as it begins a new program year, and focuses 50% of its Title VI B funds on youth with disabilities annually on an ongoing basis