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- 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.
- i. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development.
In accordance with the requirements in Section 101(a)(7) of the Rehabilitation Act, the VR agency must develop and maintain annually a description (consistent with the purposes of the Rehabilitation Act) of the VR agency’s comprehensive system of personnel development, which shall include a description of the procedures and activities the State VR agency will undertake to ensure it has an adequate supply of qualified State rehabilitation professionals and paraprofessionals that provides the following:
- i. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development.
i. 1. Analysis of current personnel and projected personnel needs including—
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A. The number of personnel currently needed by the VR agency to provide VR services, broken down by personnel category; and
B. The number and type of personnel that are employed by the VR agency in the provision of vocational rehabilitation services, including ratios of qualified vocational rehabilitation counselors to clients;
C. Projections of the number of personnel, broken down by personnel category, who will be needed by the VR agency to provide VR services in 5 years based on projections of the number of individuals to be served, including individuals with significant disabilities, the number of personnel expected to retire or leave the field, and other relevant factors.
Current Narrative:
MVR developed a system of collecting and analyzing data annually to determine qualified personnel needs. The following information describes the data system utilized in determining personnel/personnel development; recruitment, preparation and retention of qualified personnel; standards; requirements for vocational rehabilitation counselor (VRC) positions; staff development activities; personnel to address individual communication needs; performance evaluation system; and coordination with personnel development under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
To assist in determining the number of personnel employed to deliver vocational rehabilitation services in relation to the number of individuals served, MVR annually reviews data from its case management system. This information includes the average daily census of individuals served and the number of new applications, individualized plans for employment, successful employment outcomes, and cases closed without a successful employment outcome. MVR’s human resource section tracks the number of employees and their personnel categories.
The VRCs, district supervisory positions and clerical staff are directly involved in providing services for individuals with disabilities (8 district supervisors have a partial caseload). The number of individuals who had an open file with MVR as of June 30, 2023 was 13,298.
MVR’s management team reviews each vacancy to determine if the position should be filled, relocated, or reclassified to a counselor position (if the position was a different one) based upon factors such as current need and expected population growth. On a regular basis, MVR evaluates caseload sizes, office workload, and staffing to maximize efficiency.
(A) (B) The Office of Adult Learning and Rehabilitation Services (OLARS) consists of the following sections: Disability Determination Services, Independent Living, Veterans Education, and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR). There are approximately 667 full-time employees in all four sections. This report will focus on the VR section. As of June 30, 2023, the breakdown of employees in the MVR Client Services section needed for service delivery is as follows:
135 Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors
10 Assistant District Supervisors
23 District Supervisors
57 Administrative Support Assistants
Administrative Staff:
1 Assistant Commissioner
4 Coordinators
1 Legal Counsel
5 Managers
6 Regional Managers
12 Directors
1 Human Resource Manager
16 Assistant Directors
1 Supervisor
1 Senior HR Analyst
2 HR Analysts
4 Case Quality Assurance Program Specialists
2 Fiscal Quality Assurance Program Specialists
5 Program Support Specialists
1 Senior Accounting Specialist
1 Executive Assistant
1 General Services Specialist
6 Business Specialists
(C) MVR anticipates approximately 20 VRCs per year will be needed to fill the vacancies from retirements, resignations, or terminations. The total number of VRCs needed for the next five years is approximately 100. MVR estimates that 10 assistant district supervisors, 10 district supervisors, 40 clerical support staff, and 25 administrative staff may be needed over the next five years to fill vacancies due to turnover and retirements.
An HR Analyst position has been created to cover additional need in the area of staff recruitment.
| Personnel Category | No. of Personnel Employed | No. of Personnel Currently Needed | Projected No. of Personnel Needed in 5 Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors | 135 | 146 | 156 |
| Assistant District Supervisors | 9 | 11 | 21 |
| District Supervisors | 23 | 24 | 34 |
| Administrative Support Assistants | 57 | 57 | 97 |
| Administrative Staff | 70 | 70 | 95 |