Attachment 7.3
Quality, Scope, and Extent of Supported Employment Services
Supported employment services provided under Title VI, Part B, of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, will be available to consumers served by the Virginia Department for the Visually Handicapped (DVH). DVH implemented its Supported Employment program during FY 88. Supported employment, as a vocational option, will continue to be available to eligible consumers July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2005. The time-limited services provided under supported employment include:
- Job coaching for individuals who are blind and have other disabilities and who have previously not been eligible for VR services or have been limited to sheltered employment or activity centers or whose employment has been interrupted or intermittent due to severe disabilities, and
- Support services such as adaptive equipment/assistive technology devices, transportation, interpreter service for persons with dual-sensory impairments, etc. that are needed to sustain the individual in time-limited phase of supported employment.
DVH utilizes the services of a statewide network of vendors for supported employment. These vendors must meet the Department of Rehabilitative Services' (DRS) facilities standards for vendor approval for supported employment. DVH, in an agreement with DRS, purchases the services of these approved vendors on a fee-for-service basis. DVH purchases the services of these vendors during the time-limited phase utilizing the various models of supported employment. DVH provides regular training to job coaches of the approved supported employment vendors to increase their understanding of visual impairments and, therefore, enhance their ability to provide quality services to the visually impaired population on a statewide basis. Generally, the time-limited phase of supported employment is not authorized until the extended services funding has been identified. An exception can be made when there is a reasonable expectation that the extended services funding will be identified at the point time-limited services are ready to end. Normally, the time-limited services will not exceed 18 months. However, in certain situations there may be a need to go beyond the 18 months for time-limited services.
Extended services funding is available for individuals with a visual impairment and a mental disability through the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services (DMHMRSAS). A special state appropriation provides funds for extended services for individuals with physical disabilities who are not eligible for Community Service Board (CSB) funding or through the utilization of natural supports. A Memorandum of Understanding is signed and placed in the case file to identify the source of funds for extended services when costs are involved or through the use of natural supports which could be provided without costs. The VR counselor authorizes the services for the time-limited support phase from Title VI, Part B. The VR counselor receives monthly progress reports for case documentation and to help ensure that quality services are being provided.
Termination of sponsorship for time-limited services by DVH is indicated when the consumer is stable in employment. Specific indicators of job stability are: 1) consumer satisfaction; 2) employer satisfaction; 3) completion of training, adjustment, and fading activities of the job coach; and 4) an average intervention time by the job coach of less than 20 percent of the consumer's working hours over a 30-to-60-day period. A case cannot be closed as a supported employment case unless the following two criteria are met: 1) competitive employment is performed for the established hours per week for a period of 90 days after the transition from the time-limited phase to the extended services phase, as specified on the Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE); and 2) the work is performed in an integrated work setting where the individual has regular contact with persons without disabilities. The transition from time-limited to extended services will be provided without any service interruption due to the aforementioned commitment by third-party funding for extended services. Discrete post-employment services, following the time-limited phase, are available if limited intervention is needed in order to maintain the job placement and the necessary services are not available from the extended service provider.
The job coach who provides the time-limited services, in most instances, continues to provide the extended services at least twice per month, face-to-face (on-site or off-site) with at least one employer contact per month during the extended services phase.
