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:
__________
[13] Sec. 102(b)(2)(D)(iii) of WIOA
j. 1. D. Who have been served through other components of the statewide workforce development system; and
Current Narrative:
The Department of Labor (DOL) January 2019 disability employment statistics reports the following for individuals ages 16 and over:
Labor Force Participation
| Unemployment Rate
|
The survey addressed a few questions about partnerships with the statewide workforce development system (i.e. WorkOne Centers).
- What would help improve the partnership between VR and workforce programs (example: WorkOne) to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities?
- Reponses to this question were very evenly distributed among all the respondents. Rated highest was the need for cross training of staff on services provided by the two programs (21%). Coordination of funding and staffing (16%), disability awareness training (14%), making the referral process easier (14%), increased VR presence in WorkOne Centers (14%) and better access to workforce programs (12%) were closely rated.
- What are positive things that are happening between WorkOne and VR?
- There were 275 responses to this question with 120 responding that they were either not aware of the relationship or that they could not identify a positive happening. Improved communication, collaboration, and improved working relationships were noted by many respondents. They also referred to job fairs, Pre-ETS, and JAG as positive experiences.
BRS and Department of Workforce Development engaged in collaborative efforts which are further detailed below:
- negotiating infrastructure funding agreements statewide;
- developing updated memorandums of understanding to outline partner responsibilities and also facilitate sharing of data;
- jointly conducting a Roundtable Summit with core WIOA partners and other stakeholders in preparation for implementation of a VR order of selection to educate about and discuss potential impact on WIOA partners;
- Teaming on a Department of Labor (DOL) customer service cohort to improve access to WorkOne services for Hoosiers with disabilities;
- VR representation on the State Workforce Innovation Council and representation of DWD on the Commission on Rehabilitation Services;
- Training to WorkOne center staff on disability etiquette and VR services;
- Cross participation in federal monitoring visits conducted by U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration, and U.S. DOL; and
- Ongoing and growing collaboration with DWDs Business Services team that has resulted in multiple cross referrals of businesses for resource sharing, and also joint utilization of a tracking system for business engagement efforts.