Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Combined or General)

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:

(1) federal, state, and local agencies and programs;

While DORS is committed to working collaboratively with its WIOA partners, it recognizes the importance of maintaining other strong partnerships to provide exceptional customer service to businesses and individuals with disabilities. Cooperation with private and nonprofit service agencies, related government agencies, and other professional organizations has long been a cornerstone of public VR in Maryland. Such collaborations help to overcome the complex and multiple barriers that confront people with disabilities who want to work or stay independent in their communities.

The Division maintains cooperative agreements, MOU and membership on Interagency Councils and Local Committees, and other collaborative initiatives and projects with agencies and organizations outside the workforce development system.

(1) Cooperative Agreements

• Department of Health:   
  • Behavioral Health Administration – This cooperative agreement, most recently updated effective December 2011, addresses referrals between agencies and specifies shared responsibilities for funding of supported employment, as well as cross-training for staff. The current agreement is being updated to reflect the changes as a result of WIOA as well within the Behavioral Health Administration.
  • Developmental Disabilities Administration – MSDE, DORS, and the Maryland Department of Health, Developmental Disabilities Administration updated and approved the Cooperative Agreement, Employment Services in June 2018. It focuses on implementation of Employment First in Maryland and addresses referral between agencies and specifies shared responsibilities for funding of supported employment. It also describes cross-training activities and other collaborative efforts.
• Maryland Association of Student and Financial Aid Administrators - This cooperative agreement specifies the process for defining unmet financial need for higher education and the requirements for PELL Grant and scholarship applications. It also outlines the process for sharing information to determine the amount of assistance DORS can provide to a student for tuition and other educational costs.
• Workers’ Compensation Commission– This agreement describes the referral process and the procedure for submitting rehabilitation plans to the Commission to determine if costs will be covered by an insurer.           
• MSDE– The Intra-Agency Cooperative Agreement on Transitioning specifies areas of cooperation among the Divisions of Student, Family, and School Support Services; Early Intervention and Special Education Services; Career and College Readiness; and Rehabilitation Services specific to transitioning students and youth with disabilities.

MOU

• An MOU exists between DORS, the Department of Health’s Behavioral Health Administration, and the Developmental Disabilities Administration that authorizes the issuance of vouchers for the Maryland Disability Employment Tax Credit. This MOU remains in effect.

Interagency Councils and Local Committees

DORS maintains an active presence on numerous statewide interagency councils within and beyond the WIOA workforce system.

Within the WIOA System, DORS actively participates on the following committees and groups:

• GWDB Interagency Committee;
• Maryland Adult Learning Advisory Council;
• The state’s WIOA Work Groups; and
• The WIOA Alignment Group.

Beyond the WIOA System, DORS regional and field offices, the Workforce and Technology Center, and the Office for Blindness and Vision Services also maintain active working relationships with many local committees and initiatives.

Statewide: 

• Maryland Statewide Independent Living Council
• Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council
• Maryland Mental Health Advisory Board
• Department of Health, Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Committee
• Interagency Transition Council for Youth with Disabilities Under Executive Order 01.01.2007.13 (Interagency State Plan for Transitioning Students with Disabilities)
• The Maryland Coordinating Committee for Human Services Transportation
• Department of Health/Developmental Disabilities Administration, Maryland Department of Disabilities Employment First, The Maryland Library for the Blind, and Physically Handicapped Advisory Board
• Local Coordinating Councils
• Maryland Special Education state Advisory Committee

Other Collaborative Initiatives and Projects

DORS collaborates with the Department of Disabilities, a cabinet level agency, and is represented on the following committees/workgroups:

• SUCCESS - postsecondary education for individuals with intellectual disabilities;
• The annual Americans with Disabilities Act Celebration committee; and
• Meetings between the Maryland Department of Disabilities Secretary and DORS Director to discuss state and national disability topics, project updates, etc.

DORS supports/collaborates with Maryland Department of Disabilities during the legislative session on issues of importance to the disability community.

All committees bring together a variety of Maryland agencies that supply programs and services to individuals with disabilities.

There are also agreements with the Maryland School for the Blind and the Maryland School for the Deaf covering referral procedures, evaluation, individualized planning, and follow-up.  The Office for Blindness and Vision Services (OBVS) sponsors summer programs with the Maryland School for the Blind at the Workforce and Technology Center.

Other collaborations:

• Supported Business Enterprise — DORS works with the Developmental Disabilities Administration and the Behavioral Health Administration to assure that self-employment is a viable career option for individuals with cognitive and psychiatric disabilities. Supported Business Enterprise is a form of self-employment for individuals who, because of their disability, require supports to operate their business. While the consumer must perform a core function of the business, extended service providers support certain activities and related functions to assure successful operation. All businesses operate within an integrated employment setting.
• Blind Industries and Services of Maryland — DORS provides state-aided grants support services to individuals with vision loss, including rehabilitation teachers, aids and devices, and Braille production. 
• Community Colleges - Autism Supports — DORS has agreements with certain Maryland Community Colleges for designated Workforce and Technology Center staff to work collaboratively on their campuses with the college Disability Support Services staff to provide supports required by students with Autism spectrum disabilities. DORS has expanded the Pathways program to include Anne Arundel Community College, Montgomery College, Howard Community College, and the three campus sites of Community College of Baltimore County. With the expansion of this program, a new position will be added to the staff at WTC, which will offer the opportunity for expansion to other Maryland colleges.
• PROMISE Initiative — Maryland was one of six sites selected in September 2013 to participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s PROMISE initiative. The goal of the initiative is to improve education and career opportunities for young people receiving Supplemental Security Income through the Social Security administration. It is a partnership of state agencies, including DORS, and private sector disability organizations. Led by the Maryland Department of Disabilities, the initiative involves research to determine the most effective methods to assist young people and their families to become more self-sufficient. 
• Reaching Independence through Self-Employment (RISE) Program — the RISE Program has been a program of DORS since 1997, with program training, guidance, and support services. Its mission is to present self-employment as a realistic and viable vocational option to individuals with significant disabilities who are eligible for DORS services. RISE Program staff work with individuals and their families, rehabilitation professionals, and the business community to facilitate and encourage the successful launch and operation of consumer-owned businesses. DORS will be expanding the RISE program to have a focus on Supported Self-Employment.
• Maryland Work-Based Learning Collaborative (Way 2 Work) — DORS, in collaboration with University of Maryland, currently manages a 5-year demonstration grant awarded by RSA for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to provide work-based learning experiences for students receiving pre-employment transition services.  Funding awards for 2-year implementation periods have been contracted to LEAs in four counties to begin, and DORS had contracted with an additional four more LEAs in February 2018, bringing the total to eight programs throughout the state.