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:
Over the past years, the SRC has experienced challenges in scheduling and membership. The Council started the past year (calendar year 2023) with vacancies in the chair and vice chair roles. These positions remained vacant until they could be filled in late spring/early summer; the SRC has experienced and continues to have, several vacant positions on the Council.
The SRC membership subcommittee is not currently fully staffed. Once this is resolved, increased recruitment efforts can resume to address current and upcoming vacancies. Having the VR Director seat filled will also help in all category recruitments.
The Bureau anticipates that the Membership Committee will be fully staffed by September 2024. Once the Membership Committee is fully staffed, the committee will undertake several key steps to meet the composition requirements in Section 105(b). Firstly, the Membership Committee will engage in targeted outreach efforts to solicit applications from individuals representing business, industry, and labor sectors. Secondly, the committee will review applications thoroughly, considering qualifications, experience, and alignment with our mission and objectives. Lastly, we will actively reach out to current or former applicants for, or recipients of, vocational rehabilitation services to encourage their participation, utilizing collaboration with vocational rehabilitation counselors and targeted communication campaigns. We are committed to assembling a diverse and dedicated committee that effectively represents the interests of all stakeholders involved.
The Council regularly meets the annual quarterly meeting requirement.