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:
The CDOR, in partnership with the SRC, develops and maintains a Comprehensive System of Personnel Development to ensure a sufficient workforce of qualified state rehabilitation personnel, including professionals and paraprofessionals, is in place for the timely and successful delivery of VR services to Californians with disabilities.
The CDOR has a comprehensive system for collecting, maintaining, and analyzing, on an annual basis, data on qualified personnel needs. Personnel position reports are created by CDOR Human Resources’ (HR) position control utilizing data collected from the State Controller’s Office. The data reflecting current position allocations and position location is shared on a monthly basis with CDOR’s field division. The CDOR’s field division determines any changes in position allocation for their division and informs HR of any potential changes.
Vocational Rehabilitation Services Delivery
The VR Counselors are exclusively responsible for the following five functions: eligibility determination; priority of service; Individualized Plan for Employment approval and signature; Individualized Plan for Employment revisions or amendments; and determination that a successful employment outcome has been achieved and the record of services can be closed.
Collectively, the VR Counselor, Service Coordinator, Business Specialist, Work Incentives Planner, and Case Support Staff focus on providing VR services necessary for consumers to prepare for, find, and retain employment. VR service delivery is focused on person-centered/whole person care via cross-agency collaboration and systems alignment.
The table below shows the positions, vacancies, projected vacancies, and ratio of consumers served per staff member for CDOR field division staff who provide VR services.
| CDOR Position Title | Total Positions | Current Vacancies | Projected Vacancies Over the Next 5 Years | Ratio of Consumers per Staff Member* |
| Team Manager | 122 | 16 | 38 | 894 |
| Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor | 567 | 17 | 166 | 192 |
| Regional Business Specialist | 47 | 11 | 15 | 2,320 |
| Business Specialist / Work Incentive Planner / Services Coordinator | 271 | 0 | 91 | 402 |
| Case Support Staff | 183 | 6 | 60 | 596 |
| Regional Director | 14 | 0 | 4 | 7,789 |
| District Administrator | 14 | 0 | 4 | 7,789 |
| Medical Consultant | 5 | 3 | 2 | 21,810 |
| Consulting Psychologists | 3 | 0 | 1 | 36,349 |
| Mobility Evaluation Specialist | 1 | 0 | 0 | 109,048 |
| Teacher, Orientation and Mobility for the Blind | 7 | 2 | 2 | 15,600 |
| Teacher, Typing and Braille | 2 | 0 | 0 | 54,500 |
| Teacher, Home Economics | 1 | 0 | 0 | 109,048 |
| Counselor, Orientation Center for the Blind | 2 | 0 | 0 | 54,500 |
| Vocational Instructor | 3 | 0 | 1 | 36,350 |
| Physician and Surgeon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 109,048 |
| Optometric Consultant | 1 | 1 | 0 | 109,048 |
*Ratio based on total number of positions at the end of FFY 2019.
In April 2018, CDOR redirected 105 VR counselors and 105 Service Coordinators to work directly with eligible and potentially eligible students with disabilities. The VR Counselors and Service Coordinators provided CDOR Students Services (pre-employment transitions services) to 29,562 students with disabilities in FFY 2019, including potentially eligible students with disabilities. In FFY 2020, the CDOR Student Services VR staff anticipate providing services to 29,598 students with disabilities.
During FFY 2019, CDOR actively provided VR services to 29,623 VR applicants and provided CDOR Student Services to 15,734 potentially eligible students with disabilities.
In FFY 2019, VR field staff provided services to an estimated 70,854 individuals with disabilities in open status.
Orientation Center for the Blind
The Orientation Center for the Blind is a CDOR owned and operated training facility that assists consumers who are visually impaired and blind to adjust to their vision loss and acquire the skills and tools necessary to pursue competitive integrated employment. A specialized staff of qualified teachers, trainers and rehabilitation professionals provides comprehensive training and experiences tailored to assist each participant to reach their full potential for independence. At no cost to CDOR consumers, training is provided in daily living skills including cooking, independent travel, Braille and communication, assistive technology use, and the work readiness skills necessary for vocational success. Options for training include residential, individualized day programs, two-week skills assessments, or a combination of any of the above. The residential facility can support 36 participants at any given time.
Caseload Projections
The CDOR is currently operating under an Order of Selection, as identified in the response for Description (m) – Order of Selection. The CDOR has reviewed projected resources and projected costs for state fiscal year 2019-20, which started July 1, 2019, and ends June 30, 2020, as provided by California Code of Regulations, title 9, section 7052(a) and determined that projected resources are inadequate to serve all individuals but sufficient to serve individuals in Priority Category One and Priority Category Two, who apply on or before June 30, 2020, and individuals in Priority Category Three, who applied on or before August 31, 2019 and have not withdrawn their application or been removed from the Waiting List due to failure to confirm continued interest in receiving vocational rehabilitation services.
For FFYs 2020 through 2024, VRSD teams will provide services to an estimated 70,795 individuals in open status. On average, each VRSD team will provide services to approximately 674 individuals in a year.