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
m. 1. B. The justification for the order
Current Narrative:
DVR implemented an Order of Selection on March 1, 1993, in anticipation of projected economic and funding difficulties, to ensure DVR’s ability to manage limited funds, and to guarantee continuity and fairness in the provision of rehabilitation services to persons eligible for vocational rehabilitation services. This action resulted from increased costs for vocational rehabilitation services, increased demand for services and increased numbers of applicants with disabilities.
Since March 1, 1993, DVR has restricted services through activation of the order of selection, four times. Most recently, on March 1, 2013. During the next two years, DVR carefully monitored and managed staff resources, fiscal resources and the waitlist.
Through a series of eleven discrete releases of eligible individuals from the waitlist, DVR was able to eliminate the waitlist on April 30, 2015. Since that date, no wait list has been in place. Additionally, based on the number of individuals anticipated to be served in Program Years 2022-23 and the fiscal resources projected to be available to serve these individuals, DVR does not anticipate the need to establish a wait list under Order of Selection. While there has been unprecedented turnover and difficulty hiring qualified staff in the last six months, DVR is actively exploring innovative staffing strategies, including business processes, recruitment, and retention, as well as the use of temporary staff, with the goal of ensuring adequate staff are available to fully meet the rehabilitation needs of Coloradans with disabilities. DVR does not anticipate a need to implement a waitlist due to inadequate staff resources at this time.
Continuing to operate under an Order of Selection, even with all categories open allows for improved consistency in program management. Placement into an Order of Selection priority category is a standard operating procedure, so DVR Counselors understand the requirements and complete determinations consistently across the state. This also enables clear communication with recipients of services and stakeholders on an ongoing basis about DVR's ability to serve all eligible individuals, rather than initiating this conversation for the first time when resources are limited. DVR has found that maintaining consistent practices with regard to Order of Selection has allowed for effective program management and minimized the administrative burden for staff created by such drastic policy change as implementing Order of Selection only when there is an immediate need for a wait list.