Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation (Blind)
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:
- 1. System on Personnel and Personnel Development
- A. Qualified Personnel Needs
Describe the development and maintenance of a system for collecting and analyzing on an annual basis data on qualified personnel needs with respect to:
- A. Qualified Personnel Needs
- 1. System on Personnel and Personnel Development
- i. Comprehensive System of Personnel Development; Data System on Personnel and Personnel Development
i. 1. A. i. The number of personnel who are employed by the State agency in the provision of VR services in relation to the number of individuals served, broken down by personnel category;
Current Narrative:
The Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP) currently has 48 full-time positions authorized and funded by the department to provide field-based Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services. BSBP’s budget supports 16 Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) positions, which includes one position eligible for retirement. BSBP’s budget supports 14 Vision Rehabilitation Therapists (VRTs) , one being eligible for retirement and three being professionals who are dually educated as VRC’s and VRT’s providing teaching services and counseling services to VR consumers including students eligible for Pre-ETS services who are potentially eligible, or VR eligible students. Currently, there are eight Support Staff positions of which two are eligible to retire at any time. BSBP has three regional managers, one who is currently eligible to retire and one who will be eligible to retire in two years. Three assistant regional managers, one of those positions is currently eligible to retire, and one Pre-ETS manager, one statewide Pre-ETS consultant and one Departmental Analyst dedicated to the Pre-ETS Unit. There is one Field Services Division Director position eligible to retire within five years. Approximately 1,000 VR consumers are served directly by 19 direct services field-based professionals. Case load sizes are approximately 50-60 consumers to one professional staff person and will vary according to population density, such as Metropolitan Area vs. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
BSBP’s comprehensive field service delivery models consider the holistic needs of the BSBP consumer. Complimentary to and enhancing VR field-based services are VR group services provided by the Business Enterprise Program (BEP), the Braille and Talking Book Library (BTBL) as well as VR center-based services provided by the BSBP Training Center (BSBPTC). Professional field staff team with the BEP, BTBL and BSBPTC professionals in order to further enhance the consumer experience and meet the BSBP shared common goal for the consumer of Competitive Integrated Employment and as an active participant of their community.