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.
- 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. 2. B. The VR agency’s plan for recruitment, preparation and retention of qualified personnel, which addresses the current and projected needs for qualified personnel; and the coordination and facilitation of efforts between the VR agency and institutions of higher education and professional associations to recruit, prepare, and retain personnel who are qualified, including personnel from minority backgrounds and personnel who are individuals with disabilities.
Current Narrative:
LRS shares job posting announcements for Counselor positions with Southern University. A mutually beneficial relationship with this University is maintained so that well-qualified students are made aware of vacancies anticipated in the future. Recruiting is also conducted from other colleges/universities that could be considered for employment (i.e. Social Work, Education, Counseling, etc.). As more Universities are offering graduate programs that are CACREP accredited, outreach efforts have increased to include the Disability offices and Career Centers located on those campuses.
In an effort to retain staff, LRS is updating its staff onboarding and training with the procurement and utilization of YesLMS. With the YesLMS virtual platform, employees will have the opportunity to review various training courses on demand that are directly relevant to Vocational Rehabilitation professionals. It will also educate new employees to benefits of more efficient and consistent approaches across all service areas.
Continued training will focus on needs identified through Quality Assurance case reviews. To ensure that messages about training are communicated in a timely and consistent manner, statewide meetings are conducted virtually through Zoom.
In accordance with the State of Louisiana and LRS's non-discrimination policy, all personnel are selected for employment regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability.