Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation (Combined or General)
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan [13] must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by section 101(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by title IV of WIOA:
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[13] Sec. 102(b)(2)(D)(iii) of WIOA
- a. Input of State Rehabilitation Council
All agencies, except for those that are independent consumer-controlled commissions, must describe the following:
- a. Input of State Rehabilitation Council
a. 1. Input provided by the State Rehabilitation Council, including input and recommendations on the VR services portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan, recommendations from the Council's report, the review and analysis of consumer satisfaction, and other Council reports that may have been developed as part of the Council’s functions;
Current Narrative:
The Arkansas State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) is a citizen advisory council appointed by the Governor that partners with the Arkansas Department of Commerce, Division of Workforce Services, Arkansas Rehabilitation Services (ARS) to develop and to carry out the VR State Plan and ARS’ goals and priorities. The SRC assists in shaping and reviewing policy, engages in strategic planning, evaluates the effectiveness of the VR Program, analyzes consumer satisfaction data, and provides guidance when developing and reviewing cooperative agreements.
Because of COVID-19, the SRC utilized virtual meeting applications to conduct quarterly and called meetings. The SRC provided input on the following initiatives:
- ARS Field Policy Manual updates regarding rates of payment for medically directed services, the ARS Small Business Program, and WIOA common performance measures
- The preliminary planning for the 2021-2022 Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment (CSNA)
The SRC also participated in the Rehabilitation Services Administration’s (RSA) monitoring of ARS providing input regarding the services ARS provides and its relationship with ARS.
At the request of the SRC, ARS provides a consumer satisfactory survey at case closure. Survey results are tabulated and are included in the SRC’s annual report, which is reviewed at the December SRC meeting each year.