Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Combined or General)

 Commission on Rehabilitation Services Input on the 2022 comprehensive statewide needs assessment:  Commission members reviewed a survey instrument and provided feedback, including expanding the collection of demographic information. The survey was released in October and Commission members assisted in distributing to a wide range of audiences. BRS also distributed the survey through several list serves, on social media sites, current VR participants, VR staff, and several stakeholders. After the survey closed, findings from the survey were shared with the Commission in November 2021 along with a draft outline of priority areas. Commission members had opportunity to provide feedback regarding VR priorities. In January, 22 data highlights from the CSNA were shared with members as well as additional details on priority areas, incorporating previous feedback from members. The priorities can be viewed in section (l) and served as a foundation for identifying state plan goals and priorities.

State Plan: BRS leadership met with the Commission on Rehabilitation Services on January 7, 2022, to review the VR section of the state plan. Commission members provided comments on numerous components of the state plan. They voiced overall support of the identified state plan goals and priorities.

Additional feedback is detailed in the sections below.

Services to Students and Youth: The commission supported continued collaboration between schools, Pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) providers, and VR staff including VR Youth Counselors, including efforts to increase the number of students applying for VR services. The commission suggested expanding representation on the statewide Transition Advisory Council to include current or former students with disabilities. Members supported increased opportunities for paid work-based learning experiences, however one member expressed a need for better education to students and families about the impact of wages on benefits.

BRS Response: BRS appreciates the support and suggestions from the commission and is in agreement with strategies to expand representation on the Transition Advisory Council and to seek opportunities for increased access to counseling on benefits and work incentives.

Supported Employment Services: The commission suggested that training to employment service providers include training on self-direction in order to better serve and empower participants.  

BRS Response: BRS concurs with the importance of self-direction and has included strategies to increase incorporation of the LifeCourse framework, particularly for students and youth, to support this need.

Collaboration with Department of Workforce Development (DWD): The commission voiced support for the collaboration between VR and DWD, particularly regarding the potential for embedding staff in Work One centers to better bridge service provision across programs. A member suggested that developing sector specific partnerships would be beneficial and advised that this collaboration must start at the appropriate level in order to be embraced by employers.

BRS Response: BRS will work with commission members representing the business community as well as with DWD to explore expansion of sector specific partnerships.

Other Collaboration: The commission voiced support for the increased collaboration efforts between VR and the Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA), Indiana’s implementation of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Supported Employment Services, and VR and DMHAs joint efforts to secure training and technical assistance through the Department of Labor Visionary Opportunities for Increasing Competitive Employment (VOICE) project. A member suggested that BRS consider collaboration with other state agencies to support the long-term care crisis and Direct Support Profession (SDP) staffing capacity challenges, specifically exploration of how BRS can support training to individuals with disabilities to become DSPs. Additionally, the commission suggested that BRS collaborate with Governor’s office on diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives to improve service access and provision to underserved individuals.

BRS Response: BRS appreciates the support and suggestions from the commission. BRS will further explore strategies for VR participants to explore employment in the long-term care industry, including as DSPs. BRS agrees with the suggestion to collaboration on DE&I efforts and shared with the commission that these efforts are already underway. BRS is collaboration with leaders at the state level in both the Governor’s office and the Family and Social Services Administration on DE&I efforts, such as providing subject matter expertise on various workgroups, reviewing policies and procedures, conducting a staff survey, and exploring support on the Employment First Plan implementation.

Order of Selection: The commission commended BRS for progress achieved with building capacity, including improving VR staff turnover to less than 10% over the last two years, to serve more eligible individuals, and supports continued efforts to end the order of selection process. The commission has a good understanding of the many factors that must be considered and evaluated to assess capacity to serve more individuals, including provider staff capacity.

BRS Response: BRS appreciates the ongoing support from the commission regarding efforts to serve more VR eligible individuals.