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
n. 2. A. The provision of extended services for a period not to exceed 4 years; and
Current Narrative:
The Section 603(d) (supported employment grant) funds reserved for youth will be used primarily to support youth who participated in Project Search and obtained employment aligned with the participant's IPE goal following completion of the Project Search Program. The agency currently supports two Project Search sites, at the Smithsonian Institution, and Embassy Suites Hotel. Participants in the Embassy Suites Hotel site are students, as defined by WIOA. Therefore, funds reserved for the provision of pre-employment transition services and not 603(d) funds, are being used to support students with disabilities at this site. DCRSA continues to support youth with disabilities through extended service, who have completed the Project Search program year and are employed following the program completion and placed in competitive, integrated employment aligned with the youth’s IPE goal. The provision of supported employment services will be up to 24 months, or longer if necessary and documented, and youth with the most significant disabilities may receive extended services for up to (4) years or until the youth turns 25 years old.
The funds available to support youth in extended services are very helpful in the District, as the District’s developmental disability agency supports only persons with intellectual disabilities (ID). There is currently no Medicaid waiver support for extended services for people with developmental disabilities, other than ID. Therefore, DCRSA will use extended services to support youth with developmental disabilities (typically youth with autism spectrum disorder) as they achieve stabilization in employment, as defined by the agency’s supported employment policy, but continue to require ongoing supports to be successful in employment. The agency will also rely on natural supports and ticket to work support in developing long-term planning with youth with disabilities, to ensure comprehensive supports are in place to support youth who transition from supported employment with the VR program.The provision of supported employment services will be up to 24 months, or longer if necessary and documented, and youth with the most significant disabilities may receive extended services for up to (4) years or until the youth turns 25 years old.
DCRSA will continue coordinating with the DC Department of Behavioral Services Youth Services Programs. DBH continues to offer supported employment services for youth. DCRSA will continue to coordinate provision of supported employment services for youth in the same way it has been coordinating with the adult DBH programs.