Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation (Combined or General)
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan [13] must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by section 101(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by title IV of WIOA:
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[13] Sec. 102(b)(2)(D)(iii) of WIOA
- i. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development; Data System on Personnel and Personnel Development
Describe the designated State agency's procedures and activities to establish and maintain a comprehensive system of personnel development designed to ensure an adequate supply of qualified State rehabilitation professional and paraprofessional personnel for the designated State unit, including the following:
- 4. Staff Development
Describe the State agency's policies, procedures, and activities to ensure that, consistent with section101(a)(7)(C) of the Rehabilitation Act, all personnel employed by the designated State unit receive appropriate and adequate training in terms of:
- 4. Staff Development
- i. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development; Data System on Personnel and Personnel Development
i. 4. A. A system of staff development for professionals and paraprofessionals within the designated State unit, particularly with respect to assessment, vocational counseling, job placement, and rehabilitation technology, including training implemented in coordination with entities carrying out State programs under section 4 of the Assistive Technology Act of 1998; and
Current Narrative:
Overview
For staff development purposes, the organizational knowledge and skill base is made up of the three (3) major domains: Disabilities, Service Delivery Processes, and Team Services. These domains are critical knowledge and skills shared by all team members.
Nebraska VR provides and supports on-going, professional career development training which may be provided either internal or external to the agency.
Internal
• New Staff Training: Newly hired VR Rehabilitation Specialists, VR Service Specialists, and VR Associates must be provided with intensive initial post-hire training to assure they possess critical performance-related vocational rehabilitation knowledge and skills. This includes Assistive Technology Partnership training. The agency continues to explore different ways of utilizing videoconferencing, podcasts or streaming videos as a way to deliver timely training to new staff. New employee training classes include the following:
• VR Implementation Training (eligibility and planning, ATP, vocational evaluation, Section 511, SSA benefits, State Rehabilitation Council, State Independent Living Council, informed choice, CAP, fair hearings, Meet You Where You Are Model, CPAP, Pre-Employment Transition, Transition, supported employment, employment/business, confidentiality, ethics, criminal background, and documentation for fair hearings)
• QE2 Case Management System (case review discussion)
• Motivational Interviewing: A refresher course was offered regionally for all staff.
• VR University: A committee identifies training needs based on case review results or requests from team members and arranges this training for all staff. Currently this training is occurring monthly.
• Program Team Tour: This tour consists of Program Directors of counseling, community services, business, transition, evaluation & community integration, the Director of the Client Assistance Program and a staff member from the Assistive Technology Partnership. Case reviews are performed and followed up with any identified training requested from the staff or found in the case reviews.
• Policy/Procedures: Program Directors provide specialized training by video-conference to update all staff on any policy/procedure/chapter changes. Examples of specific types of team services training provided directly by our staff include: community-based assessment, career counseling, vocational evaluation, job placement, and job retention assistance. Also included are Social Security benefits, job seeking skills training, maintaining individual service records, and arranging financial assistance to procure agreed upon goods and services.
• Committees: There are internal committees for each direct service (Employment, Evaluation, Consumer Input, Counselor, Leadership, Transition, Benefits, and Orientation). These committees identify any concerns or needed training trends.
• Each Office Director assesses the current knowledge, skill, and ability of the team and its members, and identifies the personnel development activities necessary to enable the team and its members to achieve their strategic and performance goals and identifies how the personnel development activities will be arranged.
External
Staff have the opportunity to participate in webinars, workshops, seminars and concentrated training activities to improve their skills. The staff can identify their own training activities or can be identified by their Office Director.
One required goal of the annual performance review of all staff relates to training needs identified by the staff member.