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
- q. Quality, Scope, and Extent of Supported Employment Services
Include the following:
- q. Quality, Scope, and Extent of Supported Employment Services
q. 1. The quality, scope, and extent of supported employment services to be provided to individuals with the most significant disabilities, including youth with the most significant disabilities
Current Narrative:
Quality
ARS refers individuals for Supported Employment services to one of 63 certified CRPs. Supported Employment services are provided to individuals with a most significant disability, including youth with a most significant disability. The services are individualized and customized, consistent with the unique preferences, interests, needs, supports (PINS), and informed choice by the individual. Supported Employment processes assist job seekers with job development, job placement, stabilization on the job, 90 days to successful employment and extended services funded by other entities or by ARS for a youth under 25. Supported Employment is a “place then train” model.
Scope of Services
ARS determines eligibility for SE services and CRPs bill based on meeting the Milestone requirements. Where indicated, funding for these milestones will be modified according to RSA’s comments in the Federal Fiscal Year 2021 Report on the Review of the VR and Supported Employment Programs administered by ARS.
Milestone 1 – Referral/Job Development: CRPs accept the referral and provide assistance with career readiness activities (seeking employment, filling out applications, and interviewing skills, etc.) and assistance in the development, creation, or identification of paid integrated work in a community business or self-employment setting.
ARS will pursue policy changes to ensure that Title I VR funds, rather than Title VI SE funds, are used for this milestone.
Milestone 2 – Job Placement: CRPs assist an individual in obtaining a job in a competitive integrated setting based on his/her interests, abilities, needs, and informed choice. The individual is placed in a competitive integrated employment setting with supports for a period of time, and is compensated commensurate with others in the same position at minimum wage or above.
ARS will pursue policy changes to ensure that Title I VR funds, rather than Title VI SE funds, are used for this milestone.
Milestone 3 – Stabilization: This service time frame assures an individual has learned his/her job with supports to meet the demands of the integrated work environment in assurance of long-term job success. The individual works successfully for the minimum number of hours per week that the individual has agreed upon in the IPE.
The individual must remain on the job 90 days or more to be considered stable, at which time the Job Coach reduces support to less than 20 percent of the individual’s working hours. Extended services begin in stabilization with the identification of the funding source. ARS may be the extended services provider to a youth with a most significant disability until the youth reach age 25 or has received four years of extended services. Once ARS can no longer provide extended services directly to a youth with a most significant disability, another service provider will continue the services. ARS can not act as the extended services provider to anyone who is not a youth with a most significant disability.
ARS only uses support employment (Title VI) funds to provide supported employment services after job placement. Prior to job placement, ARS uses Title I funds to provide services on the participant's IPE.