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
- 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:
Projections of types and numbers of employees needed are based on current caseload sizes, demographic information regarding the population of Hoosiers with disabilities, trends regarding number of participants served in recent years, and current initiatives. The budget and state allocation available also drive the determination for the number of staff that can be sustained within Vocational Rehabilitation (VR).
As of January 2022, the Caseload Counselor to participant ratio is 1:98, however there is a higher than typical number of staff in trainee status at this time so this ration will be reduced once trainees are able to work caseloads independently. Over the last two years, VR has largely sustained caseloads of no more than 80 per VR Counselor, on average. VR has consistently hired 15-20 new counselors annually due to retirements, promotion of staff, and general turnover. The following are projections of the anticipated number of eligible individuals to be served under an IPE annually for each of the next five years.
FFY21 ACTUAL: 12,325
FFY22 ESTIMATE: 13,020
FFY23 ESTIMATE: 14,010
FFY24 ESTIMATE: 15,000
FFY25 ESTIMATE: 15,000
As of this submission, 11 VR Counselors, 8 VR Case Coordinators, 3 secretaries, 3 area supervisors, and 1 regional manager are eligible for retirement.