Narrative: e. 3.

Quality

ARS refers individuals for Supported Employment services to one of 69 certified CRPs. Supported Employment services are provided to individuals with a most significant disability, including youth with a most significant disability. The services are individualized and customized, consistent with the unique preferences, interests, needs, supports (PINS), and informed choice by the individual. Supported Employment processes assist job seekers with job development, job placement, stabilization on the job, transition to Extended Services for 90 days or more to successful employment. Extended services are funded by other entities or by ARS for a youth under 25 up to four years.

Scope of Services

ARS determines eligibility for SE services then develops a SE IPE with the milestones. ARS refers the client to the CRP services set out in the plan. CRPs provide the SE services toward competitive integrated employment. The CRPs are funded based on Milestone outcomes listed below. 

Milestone 1 – Referral/Job Development (VR funded): A CRP meets with the client and the jointly agree to work together. The CRP accepts the referral by sending a Referral Acceptance Memo to ARS. During this service, the CRP provides career readiness activities (seeking employment, filling out applications, and interviewing skills, etc.) and assistance in the development, creation, or identification of paid competitive integrated work in a community business or self-employment setting.

Milestone 2– Job Placement (VR funded): CRPs assist an individual in obtaining a job in a competitive integrated setting based on his/her interests, abilities, needs, and informed choice. The individual is placed in a competitive integrated employment setting with supports for a period of time needed and is compensated commensurate with others in the same position at minimum wage or above.

Milestone 3 – Stabilization (SE/VR funded): This service time frame assures an individual has learned their essential job functions with supports to meet the demands of the competitive integrated work setting in assurance of long-term job success. The individual works successfully for the minimum number of hours per week that the individual has agreed upon in the IPE or amendments. ARS assures the transition to Extended Services for 90 days or more.

Extended services begin after supported employment services are completed and when the individual is stable on the job. ARS works with the client and others to identify the funding source. ARS may be the extended services provider to a youth with a most significant disability until the youth reaches age 25 or has received four years of extended services. Once ARS can no longer provide extended services directly to a youth with a most significant disability, ARS will seek funding from another service provider to continue the services.

The counselor and the client jointly determine the need for Extended Services and the appropriate funding stream at the original IPE development. The individual will complete the vocational rehabilitation funded supported employment services when place in employment.  The transition to the extended services occurs after the individual has become stable in the work setting meeting the essential job functions for the hours stated in the original IPE and/or amendments. After the transition to extended services, the individual must maintain employment for 90 days or more before the individual’s case is a successful closure.

ARS Youth Extended Services policy allows ARS to fund support services for up to four years or until the youth reaches age 25 if funding is not available through another source. ARS will fund Youth Extended Services through Individualized Job Coaching Services on an as needed basis after job placement. The Extended Services supports youth to ensure on-going stability, job longevity and includes onsite visits twice a month with the individual and the employer. Once the individual reaches the age of 25, ARS must assure extended service funding resources or natural supports are available through another source.

Youth receiving extended services funded by ARS will remain in stabilization status until the service is no longer needed and the youth is considered successfully employed or until four years of this service expires or the youth reaches the age of 25.

Once the case is closed successful (status 26), and support services are still needed, this service is transitioned to the entity responsible for funding, which may include payment through the individual’s Home and Community Based services waiver plan for employment funded by the Provider-led Arkansas Shared Savings Entity (PASSE), the provider in kind donation, SSA Work Incentive Programs, Employment Networks, or other identified supports.