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
- i. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development; Data System on Personnel and Personnel Development
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:
- 1. System on Personnel and Personnel Development
- A. Qualified Personnel Needs
Describe the development and maintenance of a system for collecting and analyzing on an annual basis data on qualified personnel needs with respect to:
- A. Qualified Personnel Needs
- 1. System on Personnel and Personnel Development
- i. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development; Data System on Personnel and Personnel Development
i. 1. A. iii. Projections of the number of personnel, broken down by personnel category, who will be needed by the State agency to provide VR services in 5 years based on projections of the number of individuals to be served, including individuals with significant disabilities, the number of personnel expected to retire or leave the field, and other relevant factors.
Current Narrative:
DVR continues to monitor overall staffing resources necessary to effectively meet the vocational rehabilitation needs of individuals with disabilities, including the most significant disabilities. As Colorado continues to implement Employment First, DVR is aware that there may be increased demand for supported employment services, including customized employment, by individuals who may not currently believe competitive integrated employment is available to them. Additionally, while DVR has made significant progress in identifying students in need of pre-employment transition services, we expect to continue to see a steady increase in the number of potentially eligible students seeking these services. DVR continues to explore ways to work more efficiently, including through training in evidence based practices for both counselors and providers, hoping to minimize the overall impact on DVR’s ability to meet staffing requirements.
While DVR has seen a significant increase in PY21 (25 staff in the first 5 months), the rate of attrition of DVR staff averages about 13–18%, or approximately 35–45 staff per year, within the following personnel categories:
- Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors: 19 annually
- Orientation & Mobility Specialists/Vision Rehabilitation Therapists: 1 annually
- Assistive Technology Specialists: less than annually
- Rehabilitation Technicians: 2 annually
- Business Outreach Specialists: 1 annually
- Administrative Assistants: 7 annually
- District Supervisors and Regional Managers: 2 annually
- Business Enterprise Program Professionals: 1 annually
- Central Office Managerial and Infrastructure Staff: 10 annually
Based on this rate of attrition and expected staffing needs, DVR projects hiring the following staff over the next five years:
- Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors: 97
- Orientation & Mobility Specialists/Vision Rehabilitation Therapists: 4
- Assistive Technology Specialists: 1
- Rehabilitation Technicians: 8
- Business Outreach Specialists: 7
- Administrative Assistants: 37
- District Supervisors and Regional Managers: 8
- Business Enterprise Program Professionals: 3
- Central Office Managerial and Infrastructure Staff: 48
It is notable that if DVR’s PY21 attrition trend holds, the staffing needs will increase significantly, perhaps requiring DVR to recruit as many as 36 rehabilitation counselors and 12 administrative assistants in a year, nearly doubling previous averages.