Chapter VII - C

Financial Measures

Order of Selection

An order of selection will be implemented when services cannot be provided to all eligible individuals with disabilities who have applied for services. Individuals with the most significant disabilities will be given priority for services.

Federal law and regulations stipulate that if a state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program does not have the resources to serve all eligible VR customers, it must serve first those who have "the most significant disabilities."  The VR agency is required to identify in order, by category, those individuals that will be served if resources are not available to serve all eligible individuals.  In accordance with federal law and regulations, DBVI through the Vocational Rehabilitation Director, consults with the State Rehabilitation Council regarding: (i) the need to establish an order of selection; (ii) establishment of categories in the order of selection; (iii) establishment of criteria for each category; and (iv) administration of the order of selection.  DBVI also conducts a public hearing prior to implementation of the order of selection.

Order of selection priority for services shall also apply to recipients and beneficiaries receiving Social Security benefits due to blindness or visual impairment who are presumed eligible for DBVI VR services.

Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired's (DBVI) Order of Selection Categories:
Category 1 - Eligible Individual with the Most Significant Disability:
The individual has no functional vision or is significantly visually impaired and has a secondary disability which "profoundly limits" two or more life activities (such as mobility, communication, self-care, interpersonal skills, self-direction, work tolerance or work skills) in terms of achieving an employment outcome.

The individual's vocational rehabilitation must also be expected to require three or more VR services over an extended period of time (one year or more).

Category 2 - Eligible Individual with a Significant Disability:
The significant visual impairment does not enable the individual to obtain a driver's license in Virginia (with normal correction) and also "seriously limits" one or more life activities (such as mobility, communication, self-care, interpersonal skills, self-direction, work tolerance or work skills) in terms of achieving an employment outcome.

The individual's vocational rehabilitation must also require two or more substantial VR services over an extended period of time (minimum of three months).

Category 3 - All Eligible Individuals:
DEFINITIONS
"Profoundly limits" - The individual is unable to use vision (with or without visual aids) to assist him/her in performing such functions as mobility, communication, self-care, interpersonal skills, self-direction, work tolerance or work skills and the individual has not acquired the adaptive skills to compensate for the lack of functional vision.

"Seriously limits" - There is some functional vision (with or without visual aids) which is used by the individual in performing such functions as mobility, communication, self-care, interpersonal skills, self-direction, work tolerance or work skills and the individual has not acquired the adaptive skills to compensate for the limited functional vision.

GENERAL PROCEDURES

1. The order of selection will be implemented if DBVI cannot provide services, due to limited resources, to all individuals who are eligible for VR services.
2. The VR program director will provide written notification to all regional offices regarding the category and date to implement or discontinue the order of selection.
3. The order of selection does not apply to customers who have already had their individualized plan for employment (IPE) developed (in Plan Start Status and above) on the date the order of selection is to be implemented. The VR program for those individuals must be completed with all necessary amendments.
4. Applications for VR services will be accepted without restrictions. All applicants will receive the necessary assessment services to determine eligibility and will receive assistance in locating services available from other sources.
5. No funds however except those needed to provide assessment services to determine eligibility can be spent on a case not meeting the order of selection.
6. In the event that VR services cannot be provided to all eligible individuals in a given category, a waiting list based upon the date of application for VR services will be used within a category.
7. If an individual who is eligible for VR services does not meet the criteria for the category(ies) being served under the order of selection and does not request case closure from Application, he must be accepted for services and held in a waiting status.  An individual placed into this status has been determined eligible for VR services (certificate of eligibility completed) but cannot receive services because he or she does not meet the State agency's order of selection priorities.
8. Individuals will be held in the waiting status until they meet the order of selection or until the order of selection is lifted.  Individuals who are closed from VR from the waiting status before receiving services due to an order of selection are closed in a special status (Closed Other).
9. If an individual does not meet the criteria for the category(ies) being served under order of selection  a "no cost" IPE cannot be written.
10. Customers will be placed in the highest category of the order of selection for which they are determined eligible.
11. An eligible customer may appeal his initial classification or reclassification in accordance with the agency's standard appeal procedures.