VR-RRTC on Demand-Side Strategies

Policy Note Issue NO. 1, 2015

This paper provides a focused, preliminary analysis of the July 2014 amendments to Title I of the Rehabilitation Act regarding the Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) Program. 

This paper is considered a “preliminary” analysis because the US Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration has not yet promulgated regulations, policy directives, or guidance relative to implementation of the amendments, even though the new law took effect for the VR program as soon as the President signed it. 

Our discussion here is focused because it is limited to an analysis of a new service authorized in the legislation—Pre-Employment Transition Services—and its compatibility with an emerging practice in public VR services—Vermont Progressive Employment. 

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The amount of money the U.S. spends on VR services varies from year-to-year. The number of consumers VR serves also varies each year. There are 80 VR agencies across the country. In 2009, each VR agency spent $22,751,427 and served 17,071 consumers on average, spending about $1,333 per consumer. In 2013, although VR agencies served only 373 more clients on average, each VR agency spent an average of $25,731,115, or $1,475 per consumer.

Presentation Date: 11/04/2014 

This presentation was made by Libin Zhang and Kartik Trivedi at the National Council for Rehabilitation Education (NCRE) Fall Conference in Arlington (VA). This presentation was made possible because of the project funded by National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) grant (grant #: H133B120002). 

Presentation Date: 12/01/2012

Bob Burns and Ryan Stamm presented on Nebraska VR's model on Middle-Skill Jobs at the 2012 RSA National Employment.

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