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Program Services Memorandums
Self
Employment Pilot Timeline
Standards (March 7, 2003) Information Request (December 9, 2002) Case Reviews (November 21, 2002) Southeast Regional Institute on Deafness (August 30, 2002) Close Out of 2002 Federal Fiscal Year (August 22, 2002) Cost of Attendance 2002-2003 (May 31, 2002) SSI and SSDI Clarification on Tuition (April 10, 2002) Job Placement Month Activities (April 2, 2002) 2002 – 2003 Financial Aid Application Forms (January 3, 2002) Expiration of WOTC Program (December 14, 2001) Approved Low Vision Specialists (December 6, 2001) New RSA-911 Codes for Sensory/Communicative Impairments (November 19, 2001) Extended Employment (October 30, 2001) Definitions
to Use for New RSA-911 Codes for Sensory/Communicative Impairments (October 29,
2001) Fiscal Year Closeout (August 3-, 2001) UK Rehab. Counseling Program (May 4, 2001)
Date:
November 25, 2003 The
Department of Vocational Rehabilitation in collaboration with the University of
Kentucky Interdisciplinary
Human Development Institute (IHDI) is
in the preliminary stages of starting a self-employment pilot project.
This project will serve five individuals with the Most Significant
Disabilities who have Mental Illness or Dual Diagnosis.
There have been some inquiries about why the Department is increasing the income limit for economic needs testing at a time of significant budget constraints. The Department’s administrative regulation 781 KAR 1:030 requires that the economic needs test be updated annually based on the current Kentucky median income. Since this income amount is posted in the Federal Register each February, you can expect to receive an update yearly in March. In addition, we want to assure you that the current spending limitations have not impacted consumer service monies. You should continue to provide needed services to eligible consumers as jointly agreed upon and planned. We hope this clarifies this issue. Please continue to ask questions and submit ideas on how to continue to provide the highest quality services during these difficult economic times. Central office staff are committed to supporting your efforts to assist eligible individuals achieve their employment objectives in a cost-effective method.
The recent RSA review noted that the Department had not fully implemented the federal requirements to establish timelines for the prompt handling of referrals and the timely development of Individualized Plans for Employment once eligibility is determined. The Department has established the following standards for this purpose. It is important to note that every effort should be made to meet these timeline standards. The intent is to provide the necessary services to eligible individuals to meet their employment goals without undue delays. However, staff will not be penalized for failing to meet the standard if the reason is beyond the Department’s control or necessary for the benefit of the consumer and justified in the case record. For example, an individual with a disability may not be able to keep the initial appointment to apply for services due to a conflict. Similarly an individual with a most significant disability may require a longer period of time to thoroughly complete an assessment of rehabilitation needs prior to plan development. In either case, justification of why the standard was not met should be documented in the case record.
Timeline Standards for Initial Contact after Referral Federal Regulation: 34 CFR 361.41 Once a counselor receives a referral, a good faith effort must be made to contact the individual in a timely manner. The purpose of this contact is to inform the individual of the application requirements for vocational rehabilitation services and to begin gathering information necessary to initiate an assessment for determining eligibility and priority of services. This contact should occur within five (5) working days of receipt of the referral. This is an opportune time for the counselor to discuss existing information and request that the individual bring available records to the first meeting. If the individual decides to pursue application for vocational rehabilitation services, arrangements should be made to meet within thirty (30) days of the date of referral. Exceptions to this expected practice should be noted in the case record.
Timeline Standards for Development of IPE after Eligibility Federal Regulation: 34 CFR 361.45
Please implement these standards immediately. These guidelines will be incorporated into the Counselors Manual, available on the Department Intranet, in the near future. Due to the current budgetary constraints, the Leadership Team has decided to postpone Job Placement Month originally scheduled for May to July 2003. We have been so pleased with your creativity and enthusiasm in planning and carrying out activities that acknowledge and celebrate job placement activities and accomplishments during this special month each year. It is a wonderful way of providing recognition for the staff, consumers, and employers who partner together daily to achieve positive employment outcomes. It is our hope that we will be able to continue that tradition this summer. The new budget will be in effect in July so we will have a much better understanding of the availability of financial resources for such activities before that time. We also want to thank you for your dedication and hard work during these difficult times. We recognize that all of you are making due with less. Many of you are covering more than one position. Some of you have changed jobs to fill critical needs. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Kentuckians with disabilities continue to get the high quality services they deserve because of your commitment. Please let us know if the Leadership Team or other Central Office staff can do anything to help.
DATE: December 9, 2002 SUBJECT: Information Request We have been requested by the Cabinet to research the number of individuals the agency has supported over the last 10 years with the vocational goal of PHYSICIAN. If you have had such an individual over this period, please send me their name and social security number. This request includes closed cases. We are only interested in those with the goal of MEDICAL DOCTOR. Other allied health goals such as dentist and chiropractor are not being requested. Please respond with any names by December 20. For confidentiality purposes, please provide the requested information as an attachment.
DATE: November 21, 2002 In an effort to ensure consistency in the transfer of cases, the following guidelines have been established:
These guidelines should enable the receiving counselor to provide services in a timely manner without unnecessary delay or interruption due to case management issues.
DATE: August 30, 2002 SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST REGIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS The 2002 Southeast Regional Institute on Deafness will be held October 17-20 at the Hyatt Regency in Lexington. We have received requests to attend this Conference and can register as a group with the Department receiving one bill for registration costs. If you wish to attend the Conference, please obtain the necessary supervisory approval; and then use the following process:
SUBJECT: Close Out of 2002 Federal Fiscal Year Listed below are the deadlines for the "close out" of the current Federal Fiscal Year and information pertaining to authorization of services after September 30, 2002. With everyone’s cooperation, the "close out" should go smoothly.
On October 01, 2002, the fiscal year located in the upper-left portion of the authorization screen will change to 2003. As mentioned above, authorizations for fiscal year 2002 can be processed for payment until October 07, 2002. Therefore, if entry of a 2002 authorization is required, the fiscal year on the Authorization Screen must be highlighted and changed to 2002. Any 2002 bills that need to be paid after the financial close out must be entered as old year authorizations in the new 2003 fiscal year. Fiscal year 2003 authorizations can be entered effective October 01, 2002; however, they should not be transmitted to Frankfort until October 08, 2002. As always, thank you for your hard work, dedication, and fantastic results! The numbers of referrals, applicants, accepted consumers, and positive employment outcomes this year look great! Your efforts are noticed and appreciated. Call if you have questions or need assistance in closing out.
DATE: August 12, 2002 SUBJECT: KENTUCKY APSE ANNUAL FALL CONFERENCE The 2002 KY Fall APSE Conference will be held at Barren River State Resort Park, Glasgow, on September 12 – 13. We have received requests to attend this Conference and can register as a group with the Department receiving one bill for registration costs. If you wish to attend the Conference, please obtain the necessary supervisory approval; and then use the following process:
Please see the attachments included with the e-mail message for information regarding this Conference. Thank you.
DATE: May 30, 2002 RE: Costs of Attendance for the 2002 – 2003 School Year The Costs of Attendance (COA) for the 2002-2003 School Year for Post Secondary Educational Institutions have been posted on the DVR Intranet. Hard copies will not be mailed to DVR offices. All Kentucky schools that participate in a Title IV Financial Aid Program (Example: Pell Grant) and a KHEAA program (Example: CAP) or a public institution (Example: Murray) are included on the Institution Listing but all School’s COA are not available. Some schools have not responded to my request for their COA. As additional COA are received, such will be posted on the INTRANET. Many thanks to Heather Cole for posting the 2002-2003 Costs of Attendance!
DATE: April 10, 2002 SUBJECT: SSI and SSDI Clarification on Tuition
There has continued to be questions and some continuing misunderstanding regarding if and when it is appropriate to pay 100% of tuition for individuals receiving SSI or SSDI who are attending institutions of higher education under an individualized plan for employment. As with every applicant, the first consideration is eligibility. In the 1998 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act, individuals who receive social security benefits under Title II (Social Security Disability Insurance) or Title XVI (Supplemental Security Income)
In general, an SSDI or SSI beneficiary or recipient who applies for vocational rehabilitation services for the purpose of achieving an employment outcome is eligible unless the very strong "clear and convincing evidence" standard is met. Secondly, through guidance and counseling, assessment of rehabilitation service needs, and the exercise of informed choice, the eligible individual and the counselor must come to an agreement of an appropriate career objective and the services necessary to achieve that objective. If the consumer and the counselor agree that tuition to a higher education institution will be a part of the individualized plan for employment, then, and only then, would consideration be given as to payment of tuition and, only following due and deliberate consideration of all comparable benefits. Following comparable benefits consideration, if tuition is still an unmet need, the counselor is obliged to inform the consumer that the Department will pay 100% of the remaining tuition need. The counselor would, of course, be open to an offer from the consumer to pay a portion of his or her tuition. We want to be perfectly clear that there is no financial need determination for those individuals who are eligible social security beneficiaries or recipients. The sliding scale cannot apply. Comparable benefits, however, must apply.
DATE: April 2, 2002 SUBJECT: Job Placement Month Activities We are pleased to announce that we have asked Governor Patton to proclaim the month of May as the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation Job Placement Month. This year we would like for each district/team to plan local activities for the month of May to acknowledge and celebrate our placement activities and accomplishments. If you have an Employment Specialist, you may team with them or develop a team of staff to plan such activities. Once your plans are finalized, please report these to Robin Fowler, as Central Office staff may want to participate in your activities or share them with other districts. Robin is located at the Charles McDowell Center, 8412 Westport Road, Louisville, KY 40242; Phone Number is 502-327-6010. The month will begin with our statewide training conference scheduled for April 29- May 1, 2002. This conference will focus on job placement and Ticket-to-Work. Funds will be available this year to cover the costs of such activities as open houses for employers, receptions for successfully employed consumers, job fair participation, etc. You may include a request for these funds in your report to Robin. Plans are underway now for a Department dinner on June 9, 2002, honoring Council members and selected employers. This is our opportunity to thank those employers who are really special and take the extra time and effort with our staff and our consumers to make employment a success. You will be hearing more about this in the future. As always, we appreciate your efforts and look forward to a successful Job Placement Month! Thank you.
DATE: January 3, 2002 RE: 2002 – 2003 Financial Aid Application Forms A supply of the 2002 - 2003 Free Applications for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA’s) has been mailed to each vocational rehabilitation office within the past week. A State Grant Information Sheet was also included to be collated with each FAFSA form. Please see the attached list for the distribution of forms to each office. If your office needs additional FAFSA forms and/or the State Grant Information Sheets, please contact Vicki at 502-564-4440 or by e-mail. DVR OFFICE AMOUNT DVR OFFICE AMOUNT Paducah 50 Danville 100 Mayfield 25 Danville (KSD) 25 Murray 25 Frankfort (West Main) 50 Somerset 50 Madisonville 100 Florence (One Stop Center) 100 Hopkinsville (Hammond Plaza) 50 Florence (School Program) 50 Hopkinsville (Pennyrile) 15 Covington 50 Newport 25 Owensboro 100 Lexington (Harrodsburg Road) 100 Owensboro (High School) 35 Lexington (Cardinal Hill) 25 Henderson (South Green) 35 Lexington (701 East Main) 25 Henderson (High School) 35 Lexington (One Stop) 15 Lexington (Industry Road) 200 Lexington (Easter State) 100 Georgetown 25 Richmond 75 Winchester 25 Bowling Green 100 West Liberty 50 Bowling Green (High School) 50 Paintsville 100 Campbellsville 50 Pikeville 50 Prestonsburg 100 Louisville (West Chestnut) 200 Harlan 75 Louisville (Center for Accessible Living) 15 Corbin 75 Hazard 50 Louisville (NIA Center) 25 Middlesboro (North 19th Street) 50 Louisville (Custom Quality) 25 Middlesboro (Southeast Tech) 50 Louisville (Dixie Highway)) 50 Louisville (Career Resources) 200 Louisville (Caritas Peace Center) 50 Glasgow 50 Shelbyville 25 Elizabethtown 100 Elizabethtown (Lincoln Trail) 15 Shepherdsville 50 Bardstown 25 Taylorsville 50 Carl Perkins Rehab Center 15 Morehead 100 Ashland 100 Maysville 25
DATE:
DECEMBER 14, 2001 "Reminder: The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program, which provides a federal tax credit to employers who hire DVR customers and members of other qualifying groups, expires December 31, 2001. Language to reauthorize the WOTC is included in budget bills pending before both houses of Congress. However, it is not likely that either of these bills will be passed before next year. As in the past, it is expected that the program will eventually be reauthorized and made retroactive to the date of expiration. However, DVR counselors who use the WOTC as a marketing tool to help clients obtain employment should make certain that employers who hire clients after December 31, 2001 understand that the program may not be reauthorized. Nonetheless, employers should continue to submit the required forms to the Department for Employment Services according to current rules (i.e., within 21 days of the start-to-work date). For additional information about the WOTC, please contact Barbara Gilley, State WOTC Coordinator, or other WOTC program staff with the Department for Employment Services via E-mail or at 502/564-7456."
DATE: DECEMBER 6, 2001
DATE: November, 19 2001 RE: New RSA-911 Codes for Sensory/Communicative Impairments The following information is to provide clarification regarding new codes for impairments to be used for identifying individuals with sensory/communicative impairments. In particular, questions have been raised about the following codes: 03 - Deafness, Primary Communication Visual 04 - Deafness, Primary Communication Auditory (Oral) 05 - Hearing Loss, Primary Communication Visual 06 - Hearing Loss, Primary Communication Auditory 07 - Other Hearing Impairment (Tinnitus, Meniere’s Disease, hyperacusis, etc.) 08 - DeafBlindness 09 - Communicative Impairments (expressive/receptive) SERVED BY RCD___________________________________________________________________ 03 – Deafness (primary communication – sign language) Receptive Communication – primarily uses some form of sign language Expressive Communication – primarily uses some form of sign language Most rely on sign language interpreters as their first choice for communication access with hearing people. Generally use TTY and TTY Relay Services.
SERVED BY COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST___________________________________________ 04 – Deafness (primary communication – visual) Receptive Communication – primarily depends on speechreading and/or visual communication such as speech to text translation (captioning, etc.). Expressive Communication – primarily uses spoken language. Have been identified in the past as being oral deaf or late deafened adults and may also include individuals who use cochlear implants. Generally use TTY and TTY Relay services, including Voice Carry-over (VCO) option.
SERVED BY COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST____________________________________________ 05 – Hearing Loss – (primary communication – auditory and visual) Receptive Communication – primarily depends on auditory input aided by hearing aids and assistive listening technology and often relies on visual cues such as speech reading, body language, text translation or an English based sign language to supplement auditory input. Expressive Communication – primarily uses spoken language. Generally use amplified telephone with hearing aid T switch and may use TTY/VCO.
SERVED BY COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST____________________________________________ 06 – Hearing Loss – (primary communication – auditory) Receptive Communication – primarily uses remaining residual hearing, generally with the use of hearing aids and can benefit from assistive listening technology use in some situations. Expressive Communication – primarily uses spoken language. Generally use telephone with appropriate amplification and/or T switch.
SERVED BY COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST____________________________________________ 07 – Other Hearing Impairments (Tinnitus, Meniere’s Disease, Hyperacusis, etc.) While hearing loss is a major form of hearing impairment, there are other conditions of the hearing mechanism that bring with them functional limitations leading to disability such as the constant head noise of Tinnitus, the dizziness of Meniere’s Disease or the extreme sensitivity to sound of hyperacusis. Such conditions require thorough evaluation by trained physicians and a variety of interventions are available requiring consultation with trained hearing health specialists. The problems associated with the hearing loss and other functional limitations will need to be addressed with these conditions.
SERVED BY RCD OR COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST – depending on communication mode___ 08 – DeafBlindness The term "individual" who is deafblind means any individual – (A)(1) who has a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective lenses, or a field defect such that the peripheral diameter of visual field subtends an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees, or a progressive visual loss having a prognosis leading to one or both or these conditions:
(2) who has a chronic hearing impairment so severe that most speech cannot be understood with optimum amplification, or a progressive hearing loss having a prognosis leading to this condition; and (3) for whom the combination of impairments described in clauses (1) and (2) cause extreme difficulty in attaining independence in daily life activities, achieving psychological adjustment, or obtaining a vocation; (B) who despite the inability to be measured accurately for hearing and vision loss due to cognitive or behavioral constraints, or both, can be determined through functional performance assessment to have severe hearing and visual disabilities that cause extreme difficulty in attaining independence in daily life activities, achieving psychosocial adjustment, or obtaining vocational objectives.
SERVED BY GENERAL COUNSELOR UNLESS HEARING LOSS IS ALSO PRESENT____________ 09 – Communicative Impairments (expressive/receptive) Speech and Language impairments for the most part come in combination with other impairments such as cerebral palsy, TBI, stroke, mental retardation, multiple sclerosis, etc., requiring significant intervention in addition to those provided relative to identified major disabling conditions. It is essential that communicative disabilities be recognized and attended to as either the major or secondary disability and appropriate interventions such as the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems be implemented.
DATE: OCTOBER 30, 2001 SUBJECT: EXTENDED EMPLOYMENT On January 22, 2001, Federal Regulations 34 CFR, Part 61, were amended to change the definition of employment outcomes under the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program. The new definition defines employment outcomes as "outcomes in which an individual with a disability works in an integrated setting ". To quote from page 7250 of the Regulation, "extended employment, for purposes of participating in the VR program, represents an interim step in the rehabilitation process rather than an end point of that process". Below are the key points contained in the regulation:
In order for the Department to comply with these regulation requirements, the following is effective beginning October 1, 2001
Authorizations to local providers for individuals placed into jobs that are part of JWOD contracts, shall be considered employment in an integrated setting and the current fee of $3350 will be utilized, again upon successful employment of at least 90 days. Once again, if an individual with a disability makes an informed choice to pursue extended employment as the individual’s employment goal, DVR MUST REFER that individual to a local extended employment provider, and MUST EXPLAIN to the individual that the purpose of the VR program is to assist individuals to achieve competitive employment in an integrated setting, and MUST PROVIDE the individual with information concerning the availability of employment options, and of vocational rehabilitation services, in integrated settings, and MUST INFORM the individual that services under the VR program can be provided to eligible individuals in an extended employment setting if necessary for purposes of training or otherwise preparing for employment in integrated an setting, and MUST INFORM the individual that, if he or she initially chooses not to pursue employment in an integrated setting, he or she can seek services from the VR agency at a later date if, at that time, he or she chooses to pursue employment in an integrated, and MUST REFER the individual, as appropriate, to the Social Security Administration in order to obtain information concerning the ability of individuals with disabilities to work while receiving benefits from the Social Security Administration.
DATE: October 29, 2001 RE: Definitions to Use for New RSA-911 Codes for Sensory/Communicative Impairments At the national level, there has been some confusion related to the conversion and implementation of the new RSA-911 codes for Sensory/Communicative Impairments. We have received guidance from the RSA Communicative Disorders Branch to develop some definitions for these codes to provide further clarification. The following attachment includes some definitions of the codes and identifies the VR Specialist responsible for serving these consumers. If you have any questions, please contact the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Services Branch.
DATE: August 30, 2001
SUBJECT: Close Out of 2001 Federal Fiscal Year
The following information pertains to the "close out" of the current Federal Fiscal Year. Because of mandated changes by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the current version of the Case Management System (CMS) must be replaced with a revised version. In order to do this, the current fiscal year 2001 must be completely closed out. Until the close out is completed and the new version of CMS is in place, no new year authorizations or client data can be entered into the CMS. To accomplish the transition as quickly as possible, we are setting the following deadlines:
1. All authorizations in hold, receive, or error status must be canceled or sent to Frankfort for payment no later than October 04, 2001. Of utmost importance is the timely cancellation of authorizations for services that will not be rendered this fiscal year. Please run authorization "Hold," "Received," and "Error" reports on each caseload to identify outstanding authorizations. Everyone’s cooperation is needed to make this close out go as smoothly and quickly as possible. Also, all refunds in your possession must be processed and mailed to Frankfort by October 04, 2001. On October 01, 2001, the fiscal year, located in the upper-left portion of the authorization screen, will change to 2002. If fiscal year 2001 authorizations are entered October 01-04, 2001, you must change the fiscal year back to 2001. FY 2001 bills that need to be paid after the close out, must be done as old year authorizations in the new 2002 fiscal year. As previously stated, no new year authorizations can be done until after the close out is finalized and the new CMS version is in place. Casework actions which create a change in consumer status in the 2000-2001 Fiscal Year must be entered by September 27, 2001. Some examples of such casework actions are new referrals/applicants, eligibility determination, plan development, and closures. (EXCEPTION: Cases closed as positive employment outcomes may be entered through September 28, 2001.) When the close out is completed, our Governor’s Office of Technology programmers will complete the data conversion and will make the new CMS version available. As soon as the programmers give us the green light, you will be sent instructions via e-mail. As always, thank you for your hard work, dedication, and fantastic results! The numbers of referrals, applicants, accepted consumers, and positive employment outcomes this year look great! Your efforts are noticed and appreciated. Call if you have questions or need assistance in closing out.
Dear Colleagues: The Rehabilitation Counseling Program at the University of Kentucky will be starting a third cycle of their distance education master’s degree program in August. If you do not have your master’s degree, or even if you do have a master’s degree in a related field, we encourage you to participate. Persons with related master’s can take just those courses needed for the CRC examination. Please pass this letter on to someone who might be interested in this program if this does not apply to you. Classes will be conveniently offered via compressed video, Web instruction, and desktop conferencing. Incentives for participation include tuition reimbursement and salary advancement upon completion of the degree. In the past, the university has also made available scholarships for students. If you start this August, you will complete your master’s degree in May, 2004. Dr. Ralph M. Crystal, Coordinator of the Rehabilitation Counseling Program, will be scheduling visits at the Carl D. Perkins Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center, as well as other DVR offices throughout the Commonwealth during May and June. The dates and times of these visits will be announced shortly. At these meetings, he will be available to speak with potential students to discuss application and admission procedures. He will also have a listing and sequence of course offerings available for students interested in the full master’s program, as well as those of you who only need certain courses in order to sit for CRC certification. Also, keep in mind that the certification process has been incorporated into the program requirements. If you have any questions at this time about the program, please contact Dr. Ralph Crystal. The best way to do that is to e-mail him at rec002@pop.uky.edu. For program and application materials and general information, please contact the program staff support person, Ms. Yvonne Howitz, at 859-257-3834 or yvonneh@pop.uky.edu. We look forward to welcoming you as a new student. Sincerely,
Dr. Ralph M. Crystal, Director Sherri Greer Rice, Director Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Counseling Division of Program Services University of Kentucky Department of Vocational Rehabilitation
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