U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

2 Year Modification

Plan: Colorado PYs 2022-2023 (Mod)
Combined Plan C

Section: Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Combined or General)

Narrative: o. 8. A.

Published
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:

    __________

    [13] Sec. 102(b)(2)(D)(iii) of WIOA

    • o. State's Strategies

      Describe the required strategies and how the agency will use these strategies to achieve its goals and priorities, support innovation and expansion activities, and overcome any barriers to accessing the VR and the Supported Employment programs (See sections 101(a)(15)(D) and (18)(B) of the Rehabilitation Act and section 427 of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA)):

o. 8. A. Achieve goals and priorities by the State, consistent with the comprehensive needs assessment;

View corresponding narrative from PYs 2020-2023

Current Narrative:

DVR has identified the following priorities, focused on the people DVR services, DVR staff, and DVR partners:

  • People We Serve: DVR innovates with intention to improve individualized and person-centered services and supports that lead to increased prosperity through a dual customer approach.
  • Staff: DVR’s leaders support and equip DVR staff to be agile and able to integrate positive change, proactively providing staff strategies to foster flexible, efficient service delivery.
  • Partners: DVR adapts processes, technologies, and disciplines that helps staff create and enhance relationships with our communities, vendors, employer partners, stakeholders, and the people we serve.

Aligned with these priorities, DVR has identified the following goals: 

  • DVR will work with partners and stakeholders to reduce the prosperity gap for people with disabilities by increasing quality employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. 
  • DVR will increase the percentage of applicants that reach IPE to 54.8% by July 31, 2023, reducing the attrition of applicants who exit the VR program before ever receiving services under a plan for employment.
  • DVR will retain 90% of staff for 24 months or longer by June 30, 2023.
  • DVR will increase the number of successful closures and the average wages of individuals closed successfully, annually.
  • DVR will meet or exceed negotiated targets for WIOA Common Performance Measures.

Each of the identified strategies are aligned with DVR’s priorities and will support the attainment of selected goals. First and foremost, shoring up staffing through a strategic staffing model is a necessary first step. DVR is unlikely to make significant progress in other areas without first exploring how staff resources can best be utilized to maximize efficiencies in business processes. This supports all priorities and all goals. Similarly, burdensome paperwork has been identified as a barrier by staff, the people receiving services, and vendors. Evaluating how paperwork can be streamlined to the forms that are truly necessary and/or offer true value will support person-centered services, ultimately removing barriers to people participating in vocational rehabilitation and leading to better outcomes. Identifying opportunities for increased efficiency and rapid engagement of people seeking services, will allow DVR to ensure that more people reach a plan for employment and receive the services they need to achieve high quality employment outcomes. In order to achieve high quality employment outcomes that will lead to higher earnings, longevity in the workforce, and increased prosperity, Counselors will need to provide effective counseling and guidance that makes good use of labor market information, exposes individuals to key industries and opportunities such as work-based learning and registered apprenticeships.

Reviewing onboarding and training processes across all staff classifications to promote retention, professional development, and continuous improvement will allow DVR to equip staff to be agile and integrate positive change, proactively fostering flexible, efficient service delivery, which is critical to achieving each of DVR’s goals.

Expanding partner relationships leading to co-enrollment and cross-program enrollments to ensure partners connect people with disabilities to DVR when appropriate will support DVR’s priority to enhance relationships with communities, partners and stakeholders. Developing and improving vendor relationships has a significant role to play as well. Consistent processes to make it easier for vendors to work with DVR, coupled with training and evaluating vendor quality, will allow DVR to ensure people receiving services have access to the information they need to make informed decisions and the support they need to achieve their employment goals.

In order to achieve any of DVR’s goals, it will be necessary to reach people who are not currently accessing services. Outreach and awareness to improve access will ensure that DVR becomes better known to unserved or underserved populations who may greatly benefit from the support DVR is able to offer, but who are currently unaware of the options available to them.