Attachment 5.3
Opportunity to Make Informed Choices Regarding the Selection of Services and Providers
Individuals with visual disabilities served by the Virginia Department for the Visually Handicapped (DVH) are allowed to choose when selecting their vocational rehabilitation goals, intermediate rehabilitation objectives, vocational rehabilitation (VR) services and service providers. Information will be provided to enable customers to make those choices. This is accomplished by requiring VR counselors to sit down with customers or their parents, guardians, or other representatives, and offer available options. The information that will be provided includes information relating to cost, accessibility, and duration of potential services. The qualification of service providers, and whether services are provided in an integrated setting, will be discussed.
Once the vocational goal has been established, DVH allows an individual choice in selecting the services to be provided to enable the individual with a visual disability to achieve his/her vocational goal, as long as the choice does not violate any state or federal requirements. Services selected by the individual must be relevant to the achievement of the vocational goal.
Individuals served by DVH will be allowed to choose between vendors when there is more than one approved vendor to provide the needed service and when the cost of the service provided by more than one vendor is comparable. In those situations where a fee for service has been established by the agency, the vendor must be willing to accept the fee as payment in full and not charge the individual with a visual disability a fee, unless the individual and the state agency agree to the payment of the fee prior to the provision of the service.
The individual with a visual disability must fully participate in developing the Individualized Written Rehabilitation Program (IWRP) and its amendments. The IWRP is not completed until it has been signed by the customer.
Other activities that demonstrate customer choice and participation include, but are not limited to:
- Participation in staffings at the Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind following assessments and during training
- Meetings with the VR counselor during the time of assessment to determine eligibility
- The annual review of the IWRP, including a written comment regarding the IWRP
DVH consults with its Vocational Rehabilitation Advisory Council (VRAC) in developing policies and procedures regarding the manner in which informed choice is allowed to be exercised.
