Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Combined or General)

Program Year 2019 Goals and Priorities as outlined in the State Plan:

Goal 1. DVR will align services to support consumers in achieving the WIOA Common Performance Outcome Measures.

 Program 2018 Measures:

1. 1. DVR is a strong supporter of the WIOA Common Performance Measures. We believe the new measures support consumers in their career goals and promote higher wages and more sustainable employment. However, the WIOA measures are extremely lagging, meaning most of the desired outcomes occur well after services end. For example, the measure of median earnings occurs two full quarters after case closure. As a result, the measures are not very useful in guiding the work of frontline staff on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, DVR decided to establish leading measures of activities expected to improve the longer-term WIOA outcome measures.  The section below outlines these lead measures and how they are expected to influence the lagging outcome measures.

• Leading Measure One: The
• Leading Measure Two: The involvement of other team members (employment placement staff, benefits counselors and others) strengthens consumer engagement in completing their employment goal
• Leading Measure Three: Career focused education and training leads to higher wage and higher quality employment.
• Leading Measure Four: VR counseling with an emphasis on career focused plans will lead to higher wage and higher quality employment.
• Leading Measure Five: Continued support and encouragement after job placement results in better job retention and career advancement.

In Program Year 2018 DVR deployed a dashboard visible to all staff and managers tracking the leading measures. DVR also set targets for caseloads and districts outlined in Section L.  

Goal 2. DVR will increase the percentage of consumers earning over 110% of minimum wage and over 150% of minimum wage at closure.

Program Year 2019 Measures:

1. The percentage of DVR consumers with earnings greater than 110% of minimum wage at employment closure.
2. The percentage of DVR consumers with earnings greater than 150% of minimum wage at employment closure.

Program Year 2019 Targets:

1. 55% of DVR consumers will earn 110% or greater of minimum wage at closure.
2. 25% of DVR consumers will earn 150% or greater of minimum wage at closure.

Program Year 2018 Update:

1. 58% had wage rates at or above 110% of the minimum wage at closure.
2. 23% had wage rates at or above 150% of the minimum wage (above $16 per hour) at closure.

Goal 3. DVR will increase consumer opportunities to participate in and gain industry recognized credentials in middle skills professions.

 Program Year 2019 Measure: Number of individuals achieving credential attainment.

Program Year 2019 Target: DVR will be collecting baseline data during this period.

Program Year 2018 Update: 244 VR consumers enrolled in programs potentially leading to a credential, and 48 participants completed a post-secondary degree or industry-recognized credential. We suspect staff under reported credential attainment given this was the first year they were asked to collect this data.

Goal 4. DVR will continue to expand efforts to effectively serve employers through Creative Solutions (CWS).

Program Year 2019 Measure: Employer engagement with DVR as tracked through the CWS Salesforce account management system.

Program Year 2019 Target: DVR will maintain active relationships with 2,500 employers statewide during the program year.

Program Year 2018 Update: CWS had relationships with 2,418 discrete employers. The CWS Business Account Managers had 5,672 record activities with those employers (introductory meetings, informational interviews and business tours). These activities generated 4,175 opportunities for DVR consumer. An opportunity might include:

• A job shadow or informational interview
• A training placement
• An OJT placement
• A competitive job opportunity
   
  We believe the above data indicates that CWS continues to produce robust engagement with Vermont employers resulting in increased opportunities for DVR consumers.

Goal 5. Consumer satisfaction with DVR services will be maintained or increase.

Program Year 2019 Measure: Bi-annual consumer satisfaction survey.

Program Year 2019 Target: DVR will achieve an 87% or better overall consumer satisfaction rating. Consumers reported a 87% overall satisfaction rating in the most recent survey (2016).

DVR will also develop a process to assess student and parent satisfaction with Pre-ETS services. DVR will explore approaches to conducting such an assessment and develop metrics to track.

Program Year 2018 Update: The DVR Consumer Experience Survey is conducted every three years to determine consumers’ overall satisfaction with the program. The survey is conducted by a third-party research firm, Market Decisions Research (MDR), who have an extensive background in working with other VR agencies nationwide.

Seven hundred consumers were contacted to provide information for our 2018 survey. The results were outstanding, and found that of the consumers surveyed:

• 81% reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with DVR.
• 96% said they would recommend that their friends or family members seek help from DVR.
• 92% of consumers reported they are satisfied with their experience working with DVR staff and DVR counselors; this statistic has risen two percent from our previous survey in 2016.

An area where DVR has enjoyed consistently high rates of satisfaction is in consumers feeling that they were treated by DVR staff with dignity and respect. In the 2018 survey, 98% of consumers reported feeling that they were treated by DVR staff with dignity and respect. The largest improvement in customer experience was seen in the ability of consumers to communicate with their DVR counselors. In 2016, 88% of consumers were satisfied with their ability to contact their counselor; in 2018 this percentage has risen to 91%, an all-time high for the agency.

The Market Decisions Research survey also included for the first time, measures of satisfaction for youth in transition. 97% of youth reported that they found working with a transition counselor helpful. Only 11% reported having problems working with their DVR transition counselor. To get more qualitative data, DVR is contracting with Market Decisions Research to conduct focus groups with youth in early 2020. We hope data from the focus groups will help inform how we provide services for students and youth going forward.

Goal 6: DVR will implement a comprehensive quality assurance process incorporating the new AWARE case management system.

 DVR implemented a comprehensive case review process starting on October 1, 2018. The review process is built into the AWARE case management system which tracks completion. The case review system tracks both the compliance and qualitative components of a case record.. DVR supervisors are to review 5 cases per quarter for full time counselors.

For Program Year 2018, DVR completed 100% of the required case reviews. DVR staff and managers find the system easy to use and very helpful in supporting good case work. Implementation of this process also resolved a prior year audit finding.

Goal 7. DVR will continue to implement highly effective Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) for students statewide.

 Program Year 2019 Measures:

1. The percentage of high schools statewide that have at least one student actively participating

in Pre-ETS through DVR.

   2. The percentage of all potentially eligible students statewide who are participating in Pre-ETS through DVR.

            Program Year 2019 Targets:         

1. 90% of high schools statewide will have at least one student participating in Pre-ETS through DVR.
2. 20% of potentially eligible students will participate in Pre-ETS through DVR.

Program Year 2018 Update: Out posting DVR transition counselors at high schools to work exclusively with students has proven very effective in terms of access to DVR services.

• In Program Year 2018 all 54 Vermont Supervisory Unions referred students to DVR for services.
• In Program Year 2018, DVR served 2,280 high school students statewide, approximately 42% of the eligible student population.

DVR has clearly done an effective job ensuring access to Pre-ETS services for all potentially eligible high school students.

Goal 8. DVR will implement the following strategies to mitigate FFY 2016 and FFY 2017 reductions in re-allotment funding that resulted in substantial cuts in services and capacity:

• Partnerships with other programs and state systems to sustain employment services for people with disabilities;
• Increasing program income through the Ticket to Work program;
• Exploring federal and state grant opportunities to pilot new service models; and
• Continually assessing the assignment of DVR resources to ensure funds are going toward activities that are most likely to result in an employment and career outcomes.

Program Year 2019 Measures:

1. State government or other community agencies that have contributed resources to sustain programs affected by the loss of re-allotment.
2. Social Security Administration Ticket to Work and Cost Reimbursement revenue.
3. Federal or state grant applications.

Program Year 2019 Targets:

1. Baseline
2. DVR will generate $2.5 million in Ticket to Work Revenue in Program Year 2019.
3. DVR will apply for at least one grant application in Program Year 2019.
    

Program Year 2018 Update:

• The Division of Developmental Services (DDS) stepped in to provide additional funding for supported employment to back fill the loss of DVR resources. The new funding has sustained capacity for job placement and job development that would have otherwise been lost. 
• DVR generated $1,720,534 in Ticket to Work during Program Year 2018. The lower than expected revenue was primarily the function of the Social Security Administration suspending payments for two quarters for administrative reasons. Since then, Ticket to Work revenue is on track to meet the 2019 program year goal.
• DVR formed a Development Team that meets regularly to explore funding opportunities. DVR applied for two grants during Program Year 2018:
  • One from SAMSHA for a supported employment program designed to serve adults with psychiatric disabilities in outpatient programs. Unfortunately, DVR’s application was not selected for funding.
  • One from the Kessler Foundation to support a pilot program called Better Option than Social Security (BOSS). BOSS will provide innovative strategies to assist SSI/SSDI beneficiaries to work at substantial levels. DVR was awarded this grant starting January 1, 2020.

Goal 9. With the implementation of Pre-ETS, the DVR caseload has trended towards serving a younger cohort. DVR needs to ensure the needs of middle-aged and mature workers are still adequately addressed, and in particular, the following cohorts:

• Adults ages 35 to 55
• Adults aged 55 and above

Program Year 2019 Measures:

1. The number of individuals receiving services in these cohorts.
2. The employment outcomes by age cohort.
3. Consumer satisfaction as measured in the DVR satisfaction survey.
4. Services provided by age cohort.
5. Other measures as identified by DVR and the SRC.

Program Year 2019 Target: DVR will be collecting baseline data for this reporting period.

Program Year 2018 Update: Of the 5496 participants with Individualized Plans for Employment (IPE) receiving services, 58% were under the age of 35 when they began IPE services; 27% (1506 were between the ages of 35 and 55, and 15% (807) were 55 and older.

The wage rate and hours worked per week at closure were greater for older participants. Median number of hours worked per week was 32, compared to 25 for those under age 35. Median hourly wage at rehabilitation was $15 for those over age 55 and $12.50 for those age 35 to 55, compared to a median of $11.50 for the younger population.

A higher proportion of older participants also exited successfully: 48% of those over 55 and 42% of those between the age 35 to 55, compared to 32% for those under age 35. However, it is more difficult to maintain contact with younger participants after job placement through the 90 days of stable employment required to claim a successful outcome. Exit data from PY 2017 shows a similar rate of successful VR case closure for these age groups (51% for age 55 and up, 40% for those age 35 to 55, and 31% for under age 35). However, the employment rate in the second quarter post-exit was 46% for both of the older age groups, compared to 52% for those under age 35. In other words, the higher employment rate in 2018 for older versus younger adults, may have more to do with stability and maturity than with employment outcomes. In the 2018 DVR consumer satisfaction survey, we found no significant differences in consumer satisfaction rates by age group. 

Goal 10. DVR will continue to seek options for supported employment for the following underserved populations in the state:

1. ;
2. Individuals with TBI who need onsite support;
3. Individuals with psychiatric disabilities who do not meet the Community Rehabilitation and Treatment eligibility criteria; and
4. Individuals with other severe disabilities who need supported employment.

Program Year 2019 Measure: DVR will track and report the results of specific initiatives related to these populations.

Program Year 2019 Target: Thirty individuals in the above categories will receive supported employment services.

DVR has had little success to date in expanding supported employment for these populations. The primary issue is that there is no infrastructure for the ongoing support services necessary for populations that do not meet eligibility for mental health and developmental services.

The SAMSHA grant application referenced under Goal and Priority #8 was intended specifically to provide supported employment for individuals with psychiatric disabilities who do not meet Department of Mental Health eligibility for supported employment. Unfortunately, that application was not selected for funding.

DVR is exploring using unobligated Title VI-B funds to expand supported employment services for individuals with developmental disabilities who do not meeting the developmental services system eligibility criteria or system or care priorities. We are looking at three communities in the State where the need is most pressing. 

 Goal 11. DVR will improve the outcomes for students and youth with emotional/behavioral disabilities served through the JOBS Supported Employment Program.

 Program Year 2019 Measure: Total number of consumers achieving a successful employment outcome

Program Year 2019 Target: A total of 250 successful employment outcomes.

Program Year 2018 Update: In September 2017, DVR went live with the AWARE case management system. In the transition between systems we lost the ability to accurately track closures for the JOBS programs. At the same time we decided that the performance measures for JOBS had to be updated to align with the WIOA Common Performance Measures.

To align the JOBS Programs to the wider DVR Careers Initiative and the Common Performance Measures, we have spent the last year working with the agencies to establish new performance measures. We felt it was very important that JOBS youth should be included in the Careers Initiative and that our contracted performance measures should reflect that intent. The JOBS program staff and managers were closely involved in the development of the new measures. There is strong buy in and support. The new measures are as follows:  

• Total number of youth served with DVR IPE
• Total number of youth who received at least one career assessment during the fiscal year (50% of total served)
• Total number of youth enrolled in career focused training or supported education during the fiscal year (30% of total served)
• Total number of youth placed in competitive employment for ten working days (70% of total served)
• Total number of youth with a higher wage IPE goal during the federal fiscal year (30% of total served)
• Total number of consumers employed at or above 125% of Vermont minimum wage at any time during the federal fiscal year (30% of total served)

DVR will no longer track successful employment closures as a measure for JOBS supported employment programs.