Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation (Blind)
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
- k. Annual Estimates
Describe:
- k. Annual Estimates
k. 1. The number of individuals in the State who are eligible for services
Current Narrative:
DSB used the disability compendium report, population growth, the incidence of blindness, and historical data as the basis to project the number of individuals to be served through Title I and the number of supported employment cases to be served through Title VI.
Estimates for Title I:
In the Department of Human Services Annual Report for State Fiscal Year 2019, DSB reported 856 participants had been served by the vocational rehabilitation program. Of the 856 participants 390 participants were minorities. Therefore, DSB estimates it will serve a projected total of 1,000 participants at a total cost of $4,516,818 ($4,516 per participant) beginning in FFY 2021. Of this number, it is projected that 400 will be minorities.
In addition to a growing Hispanic population, Arkansas has one of the highest Marshallese populations in the United States. In the 2010 Census count for Arkansas, 4,324 people identified themselves as Marshallese, placing the state as having the highest Marshallese population in the continental United States and the second highest overall (with Hawaii having 7,412). The Compact of Free Association (COFA), which allows the Marshallese to live and travel freely and at—will between the Marshall Islands and the United States, will end in 2023.
Update PY2022-2023: DSB served 731 participants in the VR program. Of the 731 participants, 362 were minorities. Therefore DSB estimates it will serve a projected total of 800 participants at a total cost of $4,516,818 ($5,313.90 per participant) in FFY2023. Of this number it is projected 350 will be minorities.
Estimates for Title VI:
As an agency DSB is working to emphasize and prioritize supported employment with participants. Therefore, DSB estimates it will serve 5 participants in supported employment. While working with the VRTAC-QM and VRTAC-QE, DSB is developing updated rates and fee schedules as well as support plans for these consumers.
Estimates of Eligible Participants:
Based on statistical reporting derived from the American Community Survey, an overall rate of 2.9% for visual disability for the Arkansas population aged 16 to 64 showed approximately 18,000 persons in Arkansas might be eligible for and could receive vocational rehabilitation services from DSB.