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Plan: Montana PYs 2024-2027
Combined Plan C

Section: Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Combined or General)

Narrative: l. 1.

Published
Located in:
  • Program-Specific Requirements for State Vocational Rehabilitation (Combined or General)

    The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by sections 101(a) and 606 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by title IV of WIOA.

    • l. Interagency Cooperation with Other Agencies

      In accordance with the requirements in Section 101(a)(11)(C) and (K), describe interagency cooperation with and utilization of the services and facilities of agencies and programs that are not carrying out activities through the statewide workforce development system to develop opportunities for community-based employment in integrated settings, to the greatest extent practicable for the following:

l. 1. State programs (designate lead agency(ies) and implementing entity(ies)) carried out under Section 4 of the Assistive Technology Act of 1998;

View corresponding narrative from PYs 2022-2023 (Mod)

Current Narrative:

Disability Employment and Transitions Division (DETD), which houses Montana’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Blind Services (VRBS) program, acted as the Lead Agency contracting with MonTECH (the Implementing Agency) housed at the University of Montana (UM)to provide the required services of the Assistive Technology (AT) Act of 1998 through September 30, 2022. Following multiple conversations between MonTECH and DETD leadership regarding the benefits and implications of shifting the Lead Agency from the State of Montana to MonTECH, DETD sought approval from the Governor to pursue transfer of Lead Agency role to MonTECH. It was determined that redesignating UM as the Lead Agency for the AT Grant would improve efficiency in managing MonTECH’s budget and other administrative tasks. The existing contractual, financial management, and administrative processes were reviewed and it was agreed the change was in the best interest of the stakeholders of the AT program, would be the most effective way to simplify processes, and would have minimal impact to the well-established working relationship between DETD and MonTECH. On June 13, 2022, Montana’s Governor sent a letter to the Administration for Community Living formally requesting the transfer. On July 29, 2022, a response letter from ACL was received granting the transfer of Lead Agency to MonTECH. 

 

Since the transfer has taken place, no formal memorandum of understanding or cooperative agreement has been developed between the two agencies. In the coming years, VRBS will pursue an MOU with MonTECH. Despite no formal agreements being in place, VRBS views MonTECH as an integral partner and stakeholder and the programs have continued to cooperate through:

  • Having a VRBS representative on the MonTECH advisory board,
  • Having a MonTECH representative on the VRBS Assistive Technology Team.
  • Training VRBS counselors in available assistive technology and how to access consumer evaluations related to assistive technology.