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.
- d. Evaluation and Reports of Progress: VR and Supported Employment Goals
For the most recently completed program year, provide an evaluation and report of progress for the goals or priorities, including progress on the strategies under each goal or priority, applicable to that program year. Sections 101(a)(15) and 101(a)(23) of the Rehabilitation Act require VR agencies to describe—
- d. Evaluation and Reports of Progress: VR and Supported Employment Goals
d. 3. The use of funds reserved for innovation and expansion activities (Sections 101(a)(18) and 101(a)(23) of the Rehabilitation Act) (e.g., SRC, SILC).
Current Narrative:
MVR continues to support innovation and expansion activities through its commitment to supported employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Multiple ad hoc teams composed of MVR and CRP staff work together developing new ideas and designing processes to successfully support and implement those new ideas. A CRP-MVR team was created to assess service overlap between the Department of Mental Health’s Division of Developmental Disabilities (DD) and CRPs. The team identified ways to braid services to pilot customized employment (CE) as a new service category in Missouri. In addition, this team mapped out a strategic training plan to include both on-and off-site technical assistance.
MVR is also supporting innovation and expansion activities through new pilots in several areas such as apprenticeships and peer mentoring for students with disabilities involved in the justice and foster care systems and homeless and housing insecure youth. Through these pilots, MVR is collaborating with numerous partners such as the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Social Services, Rehabilitation Services for the Blind, CILs, CRPs, University of Missouri, Missouri State University, Office of Workforce Development, and employers. Braiding services through these collaborations opens opportunities to reach more Missourians with disabilities desiring to work.
MVR utilized Section 110 funds for the SRC and funds for the SILC contracted activities. These funds were primarily used to pay for council members’ travel, meeting expenses, and supplies, and to operate the SILC. MVR spent $27,616.56 from the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2021 VR grant in PY 2022 on the SILC contract and will spend at least $26,260 from the FFY 2022 VR grant on the SILC contract in PY 2023. MVR has already spent $7,939.12. The rest was encumbered for the August and September 2023 SILC invoices.