Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Combined or General)

Request for Waiver of Statewideness. TheCDOR requests a continuation of its waiver of statewideness for third–party cooperative arrangements (referred to in California as Cooperative Agreements) with local educational agencies, public higher education agencies, and county human services agencies. These arrangements between CDOR and local public agencies are designed to increase the availability and quality of VR services which assist consumers to achieve competitive integrated employment. Although cooperative arrangements exist in each CDOR district, CDOR does not have sufficient staff or budget authority to contract with every potential cooperative partner in the state. In geographic areas where a cooperative arrangement is not available, individuals in any area of the State can apply for VR services at any local CDOR field office at any time.

Cooperative arrangements include the following required federal assurances:

• Local funds used as match are verified as non–federal monies. The non–federal share of funds are made available by the local public agencies to CDOR and are either paid through a cash match contribution or reported as certified expenditures of redirected agency staff time to provide a unique pattern of VR services exclusively to CDOR applicants and consumers, or potentially eligible students with disabilities. Each cooperative arrangement identifies the type and amount of match to be provided by the local public agency.
• The types of VR or CDOR Student services provided to CDOR applicants and consumers, or potentially eligible consumers by the local public agency or associated vendor are identified by the VR Counselor.
• An authorizing case note is issued by CDOR to the local public agency or associated community rehabilitation provider, which designates the specific type of VR or CDOR Student services to be provided to CDOR applicants and consumers or potentially eligible consumer.
• The services provided are for CDOR applicants and consumers, or potentially eligible students with disabilities, and are new services that have a VR focus or existing services that have been modified, adapted, expanded, or reconfigured to have a VR focus; and, that are not customary services the local public agency is legally mandated to provide. The services included in each cooperative arrangement are based on the local needs of CDOR applicants and consumers and the local public agency.
• Program expenses for cooperative arrangement services are under the administrative supervision of CDOR through the cooperative arrangement.
• Each cooperative program and CDOR District establish a mutual referral system for individuals to apply for VR services.
• The requirements of the VR Services Portion of the Unified State Plan will apply to all services provided to CDOR applicants and consumers under the cooperative arrangement, including the Order of Selection identified in the response for Description (m) – Order of Selection.

The CDOR administers VR services through the following cooperative programs for which the waiver of statewideness is requested. Through these arrangements, the participating cooperative program provides one or more new or expanded VR services to CDOR applicants and consumer, or potentially eligible students with disabilities.

Transition Partnership Programs

The CDOR administers 107 cooperative programs, known as Transition Partnership Programs (TPPs) cooperative programs with Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), County Offices of Education, or Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPAs) providing CDOR Student Services and VR services to potentially eligible and eligible students with disabilities in hundreds of individual schools. The CDOR also administers six case service contracts through associated Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRPs) in conjunction with TPPs. The goal of the TPPs is to serve high school students with disabilities including physical, blind, deaf, intellectual, developmental, and behavioral health disabilities by facilitating the effective transition from school to meaningful competitive integrated employment.

As of July 1, 2019, 70 of the 107 TPP contracts have transitioned to a new CDOR Student Services design that further identifies the provision of CDOR Student Services (pre-employment transition services) to accurately report to RSA both fiscal 15% spending and CDOR Student Services delivery. The remaining TPP contracts will transition to the new CDOR Student Services design on July 1, 2020. Currently, all TPP contracts are providing CDOR student services to students with disabilities in the potentially eligible and VR case type.

The LEA or SELPA will refer potentially eligible and eligible students with disabilities ages 16 through 21 who can benefit from CDOR Student Services and VR services to CDOR. The assigned VR Counselor will then open a case and work in partnership with the student to complete a CDOR Student Services Request (DR 203) and Student Services Plan (DR 205) for potentially eligible students or an IPE for students accepted as VR consumers as early as possible, but at the latest before the student leaves school. Through the cooperative arrangement or case service contract, the participating LEAs, SELPAs, or CRPs provide one or more new or expanded VR services to students.

These services conform to the definition of Pre–Employment Transition Services required by WIOA and contain the following key features: job exploration counseling; work-based learning experiences; counseling on post–secondary opportunities; workplace readiness training; and, instruction in self-advocacy. These services, in addition to others provided on an individual basis are intended to ultimately result in competitive integrated employment.

Through meetings, presentations and school events (i.e. back-to-school nights, etc.), CDOR Student Services staff continue to collaborate with local schools, districts and LEAs to promote, coordinate and provide CDOR Student Services.

The CDOR Executive Staff met with SELPA Directors in March 2019 to discuss benefits and facilitation of coordinating/collaborating on provision of DOR Services. The topics discussed included:

• Exchange of contact information of District Administrators and SELPA Directors.
• Utilization of the Education Training Catalog as a tool to support local partnerships.
• Clarification of the differences between CDOR and California Department of Education (CDE) Interagency Agreement Appendix A and the Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) Blueprint Local Partnership Agreement (LPA).
• Leveraging resources between SELPA and CDOR. (This involves ongoing conversations on WIOA / Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Crosswalks.)

The CDOR districts are leveraging the CDOR and CDE Interagency Agreement (IA) Appendix-A template to develop local Memorandums of Understanding or Interagency Agreements, where appropriate, to facilitate the provision of Student Services in secondary schools. The template is an appendix of the state-level IA and defines the policies and procedures that LEAs and CDOR districts will use to facilitate a smooth transition from secondary education to post-secondary employment-related activities and competitive integrated employment for students with disabilities. The agreement will define the responsibilities of LEAs and CDOR districts, provide for efficient and effective utilization of resources, minimize duplication, and provide a foundation for continuous, effective working relationships between LEAs and CDOR districts.

WorkAbility II Cooperative Programs

The CDOR administers two WorkAbility II cooperative programs with LEAs, Adult Schools, or Regional Occupational Programs. The goal of the WorkAbility II is to assist adult and out–of–school youth and adults with disabilities to obtain competitive integrated employment. The VR services provided include vocational assessment, employment preparation and vocational instruction, job development, placement, and job retention, and non–Supported Employment job coaching.

WorkAbility III Cooperative Programs

The CDOR administers 19 WorkAbility III cooperative programs with community colleges. The goal of the WorkAbility III is to assist community college students with disabilities to obtain competitive integrated employment. The VR services provided include vocational assessment, employment preparation, job development, placement, and job retention services.

WorkAbility IV Cooperative Programs

The CDOR administers eight WorkAbility IV cooperative programs with the California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC). The goal of the WorkAbility IV is to assist college students with disabilities to obtain competitive integrated employment. The VR services provided include internships, employment preparation, job development, placement, and job retention services.

Mental Health Cooperative Programs

The CDOR administers 23 mental health cooperative programs with county mental health agencies and 30 case service contracts with associated CRPs. The goal of the mental health cooperative programs is to assist individuals with behavioral health disabilities live independently in the community through obtaining successful competitive integrated employment. The VR services provided may include vocational assessment, personal vocational and social adjustment, work adjustment, employment preparation, job development, placement, and job retention services, as well as non–Supported Employment job coaching.

Welfare Cooperative Programs

The CDOR administers one Welfare cooperative program with county human services agencies and one case service contract with an associated CRP. The goal of the Welfare cooperative program is to assist individuals with disabilities who receive Temporary Assistance to Needy Families to achieve competitive integrated employment. County Welfare programs provide work related programs for recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families but have exempted people with disabilities. The services they have available for non–disabled Temporary Assistance to Needy Families recipients do not meet the needs of people with disabilities. The VR services provided include employment preparation, job development, placement, and job retention services.