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.
a. 3. If the SRC is not meeting the composition requirements in Section 105(b) of the Rehabilitation Act and/or is not meeting quarterly as required in Section 105(f) of the Rehabilitation Act, provide the steps that the VR agency is taking to ensure it meets those requirements.
Current Narrative:
Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation (MVR) works with the governor’s Missouri Boards and Commissions Office on a regular basis. This office is responsible for appointments to the SRC. MVR has been working with the boards and commissions office to meet the federally required Council composition.
The deputy commissioner of Learning Services for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, MVR’s designated state agency, has spoken to the governor’s office on the Council’s behalf. With this assistance, seven appointments and two reappointments to the Council were secured in December 2024. These appointments along with current members brings the total to 13.
Missouri recently elected Governor Mike Kehoe in fall 2024. MVR’s assistant commissioner and SRC liaison has met with the new boards and commissions director to review Section 105(b) of the Rehabilitation Act, 34 CFR § 361.17(b) and RSA-TACs 12-01 and 23-02 to explain the SRC’s role in ensuring Missourians with disabilities receive quality services. MVR has provided composition requirements and expressed the importance of maintaining a complete, current, and functioning Council.
Recently, six additional applications have been filed with the Boards and Commissions Office and are awaiting review and appointment. During a recent meeting with the boards and commissions director, MVR learned the governor’s office is focusing on Senate confirmed appointments during the current legislative session. At the earliest, appointments may be made during a June/July timeframe in 2025. MVR will stay abreast of the upcoming appointment reviews.
MVR will build upon its relationship with the Boards and Commissions Office and continue to provide information on required Council representation as required in Section 105(b) of the Rehabilitation Act. It will request additional meetings with the Boards and Commissions Office and reiterate that Council input and recommendations are critical to the development and implementation of the state plan. MVR will stress the importance of the Council’s role in the provision of services to individuals with disabilities. It will emphasize to the governor’s office the significance of maintaining a fully constituted SRC.