Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan* must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by section 101(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by WIOA:
__________
* Sec. 102(b)(D)(iii) of WIOA
- c. Cooperative Agreements with Agencies Not Carrying Out Activities Under the Statewide Workforce Development System.
Describe interagency cooperation with and utilization of the services and facilities of agencies and programs that are not carrying out activities through the statewide workforce development system with respect to:
- c. Cooperative Agreements with Agencies Not Carrying Out Activities Under the Statewide Workforce Development System.
c. 1. Federal, State, and Local Agencies and Programs;
Current Narrative:
DRS continues relationships with many agencies and organizations that are not in the statewide workforce development system and whose functions, in some capacity, involve the provision of services to individuals with disabilities. The association with other organizations occurs with varying degrees of involvement depending upon joint initiatives that may be planned and/or that may occur within any given year. Generally, DRS representatives may be included in advisory functions for other agencies, as are other agencies with the strategic planning that occurs within DRS. Some examples include:
–A DRS representative is actively involved with the West Virginia Behavioral Health Planning Council in the monitoring and oversight of behavioral health services in the state. The DRS representative participates in quarterly Council meetings and serves on various sub–committees.
–DRS representatives participate with the West Virginia Developmental Disabilities Council. DRS maintains a close working relationship with the staff and members of this Council and has provided support and received effective feedback for its work.
–DRS is represented on the State’s Interagency Collaborative Team (ICT), a group (including agencies not under the state workforce development system) centered around WorkForce WV to provide on–going attention to addressing issues that will build and continually improve the statewide Workforce Development System (WDS). The team is the single State–level interagency group for addressing issues or concerns regarding building and maintaining the most effective and efficient implementation of the overall WDS in WV. DRS participates in regular, monthly meetings of the ICT, and is one of the signatories of the ICT Memorandum of Understanding, which is drafted annually. The ICT membership includes:
––WorkForce WV – WV Employment Service
––Bureau of Senior Services – State Unit on Aging
––Council for Community and Technical College
––Department of Education – Adult Education and Literacy Activities, Postsecondary Vocational Education, and Office of Institutional Programs
––Department of Education and the Arts – Division of Rehabilitation Services
––Department of Health and Human Resources – Bureau of Children and Families, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Food Stamp Employment and Training
––Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety – Division of Corrections
––Development Office – Community Development Division and Business Industry Development
–DRS has a good working relationship with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at the district level, which allows direct referrals of appropriate veterans from VA facilities to its rehabilitation technology unit for assistive technology and rehabilitation engineering services. Furthermore, DRS maintains liaisons for all VA offices in WV.