Procedures

Vocational Rehabilitation Human Resources (HR) Guidebook

 

 

This collection of materials available throughout the Human Resources (HR) Guidebook provides examples of workforce practice in Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and in related organizations. The materials are provided as resources and tools for VR Human Resources (HR).

Is the HR Guidebook for me?

The audience for this Guidebook includes VR personnel on various levels of the agency, including VR counselors, field staff, administrators, and leadership, as well as others in the VR field who partner with VR agencies.

Focused Investment of Financial Resources and Management Approaches: Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services Case Study

The Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) has been operating under an Order of Selection (OOS) policy since the late 1980s. The DORS has faced multiple issues related to federal distributions of vocational rehabilitation (VR) funds, state financial support, and increasing cost of services and demands for services. To address these problems, the agency has focused on serving individuals with the most significant disabilities (MSD) and significant disabilities (SD).

Using Projections to Maximize Fiscal Resources: West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services Case Study

The West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services (WVDRS) went into Order of Selection (OOS) in 1985, establishing four categories to prioritize rehabilitation services to individuals with more significant disabilities. Up until 2006, the agency had been able to serve customers in the first three OOS categories. In 2006, due to overextended financial resources, a waitlist was implemented, and for one year, no new customers were served.

"Enhancing Employment Outcomes" Project: Aligning Targeted Customer Preparation with Enhanced Job Development: Oregon Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Case Study

The Oregon Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (OVRS) has adopted the “Enhancing Employment Outcomes” model of services. This project trains staff to recognize and target services based on level of customer preparation for employment, and to provide enhanced job-development services. Customer preparation is based on the concept of motivational intervention (MI). The MI approach assists customers with examining and resolving their ambivalence about employment.

Using a Projection Tool to Effectively Manage Fiscal and Staffing Resources to Better Serve Individuals with the Most Significant Disabilities: Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Case Study

The Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) has been in an Order of Selection since 1994. Developed by a former deputy administrator in 2006, DVR uses a projection tool to effectively manage fiscal and staffing resources to ensure priority-service delivery for individuals with the most significant disabilities (MSD), while also engaging customers with less significant disabilities who are on a waitlist. Using this tool has helped the agency to meet its performance goals and to increase its rehabilitation rate for customers with MSD.

Utilizing a Call Center to Contact Customers on the Waitlist: Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Case Study

The Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) implemented an Order of Selection (OOS) in 2008 due to insufficient resources to serve all eligible customers. The agency had a long waitlist and a backlog of customers waiting to be seen by counselors for employment planning. In response to this situation, DVR used American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to establish a call center in 2009, hiring hourly, non-benefitted staff to contact customers on the waitlist.

Comprehensive Response to Insufficient Funds, and How the Agency Went Into and Came Out of an Order of Selection: Washington Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Case Study

In Fiscal Year 2001, the Washington Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) did not have adequate funds to serve all eligible customers, and was required to implement an Order of Selection (OOS) policy.

The No Queue for You (NOQ4U) Project: A Multifaceted, Coordinated Effort to Eliminate the Waitlist - Maine Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Case Study

In February 2009, the Maine Division of Vocational Rehabilitation began to closely examine all agency practices. The purpose was to identify and address inefficiencies with the goal of eliminating the waitlist that had been in place since 2001 and moving out of an Order of Selection policy. To implement this effort, called the No Queue For You (NOQ4U) project, the agency formed a steering committee and assigned each member a focus area of the vocational rehabilitation (VR) process, including entering the program, developing and accomplishing an employment plan, and exiting the program.

Case Studies of Emerging State VR Agency Practices for Managing Outreach, Service Access, and Case Flow to Serve Individuals with the Most Significant Disabilities on a Priority Basis

VR-RRTC researchers conducted case-study research to identify: how state VR agencies effectively manage outreach, service access, and case flow to ensure that individuals with MSD are served on priority basis; what practices they use, and what evidence exists for their effectiveness; and how to make them easily transferable to other states given the variation in how states are organized.