888/ 8/11/11 On-The-Job Training Webinar
Questions and Answers
Q: What percentages are employers reimbursed, or how is the percentage determined?
A: There is not a set percentage amount for reimbursement. The amount is determined by the training needs of the consumer, the wages that they are getting paid, and what each party involves agrees to. It can be a flat rate set per month or you can calculate it by the consumer’s wages and multiply that by the amount of hours that they are paid. You could decide on 100% reimbursement of their wages, 50%, or 25%. It will vary. You can get up to $1500 authorized without the DOR counselor having to get approval from their supervisor.
Q: Could the reimbursement check ever go to the manager of a store?
A: The reimbursement check will be made out to the payee’s legal business name and the sole proprietor of the business. The employer fills out Form STD 204 and that is the form that is used to authorize payment so it depends on the information obtained on this form as to who the check goes to.
Q: Who sends the progress reports? If it is DR, how timely are they sent?
A: The Department of Rehabilitation is responsible for sending out the progress report. They are supposed to be sent out 30 days after the implementation of the OJT. Sometimes things get delayed a little so make sure that you explain this to the employer up front. I would say 30 days give or take a little. It is important that you follow up with the DOR counselor after the 30 days to check in and see if the form has been sent. You should also contact the employer to confirm that they have received it as well as answer any questions that they might have with how to complete the form. I believe that it is the department at DOR that is in charge of processing payment that send out the form so the DOR counselor might need to follow up with them if there is a delay.
Q: Are the forms available in the packet?
A: Yes, I have included all of the forms in the packet that was sent out electronically following the webinar. Please email me if you did not receive the forms.
Q: Has the OJT always been available?
A: OJT has been around for quite some time, I am not sure exactly how long the OJT program has been in effect, but one of the participants listening in on the webinar said that OJT’s she had a successfully OJT in 1976. When the ARRA funds were available there was a separate pot of money set aside under ARRA for OJT’s, now that ARRA funds have ended, the funds for OJTs will still be available out of case service dollars.
Q: Can forms be faxed to DOR for faster turnaround?
A: No, you cannot fax forms to DOR because you they need original signatures.
Q: Where can we get more info on the employer tax credit?
A: I have included information on the WOTC in the packet that was sent out to each of the participants electronically. You can also go to Department of Labor link that I have provided you to get more information.
Q: What if the person is not with DOR? Does that mean they cannot use OJT?
A: Since OJTs are funded through the Department of Rehabilitation; the individual must be a consumer of DOR to be eligible to use an OJT.
Q: Can we offer job coaching as a concurrent service?
A: No job coaching cannot be provided in an OJT.
Q: Are consumers able to participate in OJT more than once, if they've been terminated?
A: This depends on a case-by-case situation. Things taken into consideration are: why was the consumer terminated? How long ago was this and is the consumer now job ready? Does the consumer still have the same IPE goal?
There are too many variables for me to comment on this question. In some cases I believe the DOR counselor might be hesitant to approve multiple OJT’s. You would need to discuss the situation and rationale with the DOR counselor to get approval.
Q: Is there a way for us to receive copies of the sample letters?
A: Yes, I included the sample letters in the OJT packet that was sent out electronically to everyone.
Q: Is there a cap on dollar amount that can be offered to the employer for training costs?
A:There is not a cap per se. Up to $1500 can be authorized without the DOR counselor needing to get approval from their supervisor. If more than that is needed it is possible to get it approved as long as there is a reasonable justification as to why the amount is needed.
Q: Is there a limit in months that a consumer can benefit from dependent on the individual's needs for training?
A: There is not a limit on number of months for training. It is dependent on the individual’s training needs. I recommend setting it up for three months and the reevaluating after the three months. This all has to be approved by the DOR counselor.
Q: Do you know if WorkAbility can still claim a WOTC for EDD?
A: I am not sure exactly what you mean by this question, but WorkAbility cannot claim credit for a WOTC. We are not the employer of the students therefore we would not qualify. If you are talking about WorkAbility I then, I don’t think they can claim a WOTC because they are using government funds to pay the students. Please email me directly to get more clarification on this question.
Q: Does the client maintain an open employment services authorization while in OJT?
A: I was not familiar with that term “open employment services authorization” I contacted DOR and they are unfamiliar with that term as well. A consumer’s case must remain open during an OJT and is closed 90 days after the end of the OJT.
Q: Can I get some clarity around OJT and WOTC regarding the OJT provisions that state none of the wages paid for the OJT period qualify for the WOTC.
A: This is correct. The wages paid during the OJT period cannot be claimed for the WOTC. That would be considered double dipping because the employer is reimbursed, so they can’t claim a tax credit on something that they have been reimbursed for. The employer could use the wages for the remaining months post OJT to count towards the WOTC. You can call the WOTC office in Sacramento for further clarification. 866-593-0173 (Toll Free) or 916-227-0397
To view the full WOTC handbook click on this link:
Q: What if a person is just with EN and not DOR and has a Ticket; do they have to fill out both forms regarding WOTC?
A: Yes, both of the forms are needed for the WOTC regardless of what agency the consumer is working with.
Q: What barriers have you encountered once proposing OJT to an employer...have you ever been deferred to a company's corporate office and then denied? Besides moving forward to another employer what other suggestions might you have?
A: I have encountered barriers when proposing the OJT to an employer. The biggest barrier is that employers/human resource departments are often swamped and sometimes do not have time to listen to what you have to say and actually take the time to understand it. I have had employers say that they can’t do OJT’s when in reality they probably can but they are just unfamiliar with them or don’t understand how they work.
In these situations, I often follow my conversation up with an email that goes something like this:
Thank you so much for the time that you took to meet with me to discuss this unique employment opportunity. I understand that business is booming and you are probably swamped so I wanted to follow up with you and provide a little clarification on what we discussed yesterday…
This is one way to go about it. I really like the call-write- call method that I talked about in my presentation, so that the individual has a little background on what you are trying to discuss with them and they don’t shut you down because they think that you are trying to sell them something. I have been deferred to corporate offices and turned down, but I have also been deferred to corporate offices and spoken with directors who are interested. For some really large companies, you have to go through the corporate office, because they handle all of the administrative paperwork. I recommend approaching the decision maker first and not starting at the bottom and working your way up. Hit up the executive director or the CEO because they can make things happen easier than others.
Q: What is your experience working with large corporations when approaching OJT, and being referred to corporate? Success rate? In our small rural area, this is a common barrier.
A: As I mentioned above, I have been referred to corporate offices when approaching employers about OJTs I have been denied a lot of times but as I mentioned I have also had success. Here in WorkAbility III at SDCCD, we don’t use OJTs for all of our students so the ones that I have implemented, I have a 40 % success rate in terms of the number of student that I have attempted OJTs with and the number of students that have become employed from an OJT. I do not have data or a success rate on the number of employers that I approached and the number of times I have been turned down. I have been turned down a lot. You need to have thick skin and not give up! I know it can be frustrating but the more times you pitch the OJT the more comfortable you are with it and they better you get at explaining it effectively to an employer. In small towns, your small businesses might be the best target for an OJT as opposed to the large corporations in which you get directed to the corporate office in some other city, because they can often really benefit from the reimbursement as well as the tax credit. They are also a good target because it is much easier to get in touch with the decision maker in a small company.
Q: If the OJT offered reduces the hourly wage to below the state minimum wage on the agreement, do you have to go through the subminimum wage approval process?
A: The employer has to follow all minimum wage laws. They are hiring our consumer therefore must pay them and treat them like any of their other employees. The DOR is reimbursing the employer, not paying the consumer their wages. An OJT cannot be implemented if the individual is making subminimum wage. If the OJT reimbursement agreement is less than the wages that the employer pays the consumer, they still pay the consumer their wages. For example if the wages are $9/hr 40 hours per week and the OJT agreement is $500/month. The employer still pays the consumer $1440/month but then is reimbursed for $500. The point of this program is to help our consumers gain and maintain competitive employment.
Q: Is this OJT the same that is funded by Workforce Investment Act?
A:The OJT program that I am speaking of is funded through DOR. Separate from theDOR’s OJT program, many Local Workforce Investment Areas also received funding through theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) forOn-the-Job Training (OJT) National Emergency Grants (NEG) to fund OJT through the One-Stop Career Centers.
In 2010, 20 local areas in California were awarded an ARRA funded On-the-Job Training (OJT) National Emergency Grant (NEG).The NEG Grants are discretionary grants awarded under WIA Section 173 to provide employment-related services for dislocated workers and are intended to temporarily expand service capacity at state and local levels by providing time-limited funding assistance in response to significant dislocation events (e.g. plant closures & mass layoffs).
There is a possibility that more funding for OJTs will be provided to Local Workforce Investment Areas once the ARRA funding ends.Contact your localOne-Stop Career Center for more information about ARRA/WIA funded OJTs:
Q: What does it mean when a consumer has a Ticket?
A: The Ticket refers to the Social Security Ticket to Work program. The Ticket to Work Program is a voluntary employment program that offers Social Security disability beneficiaries more choices for obtaining the services and supports they need to find and maintain employment. All Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplementary Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries between ages 18-64 who are in cash payment status have a Ticket or are Ticket eligible. A beneficiary can assign their Ticket to either their State Vocational Rehabilitation agency or to an Employment Network of their choosing. Benefits of assigning a Ticket may include assistance to prepare for work and enter employment, ongoing support services to maintain work efforts and protection from medical Continuing Disability Reviews. For more information:
Q: I've seen someone who has a job coach at his place of work with him. Does a job coach go with the consumer to work every day through OJT?
A: The DOR will not fund Job coaching concurrently with an OJT. So if you saw someone with a job coach then they might be in supported employment or the DOR might have funded job coaching temporarily. Remember in an OJT the employer is getting reimbursed for the training that they provide the individual, so they should be getting trained well and not need a job coach. I have worked with my students when they are not at work to help them with if they are having difficulty with something at work as part of my job retention services.
Q: When cold calling on an employer, do you typically try to contact the HR person forthat company first?
A: Depending on the company. I would either contact the HR person or the executive director/owner/CEO, also known as, the person who is in charge of the decision making first.
Thanks again for your attendance and I hope that the webinar was beneficial to each of you. Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions or comments. Also, I would love to hear about your successes in implementing OJT’s using some of the methods discussed in the training or get feedback on any other strategies that you have found success with!
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