Project SEARCH for VR Customers

Discussion Paper

Background

One of the most significant changes for the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program as a result of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is the heightened emphasis on the provision of services to students and youth with disabilities to ensure that they have meaningful opportunities to receive the training and other services they need to achieve employment outcomes in competitive integrated employment. WIOA provided additional guidance regarding the kinds of services that the VR agencies may provide to youth and students with disabilities that are transitioning from school to postsecondary education and employment, including an emphasis on work-based learning activities. In addition to increased and improved services to students with disabilities, 34 CFR 361.42(e), requires that prior to any determination that an individual with a disability is unable to benefit from VR services in terms of an employment outcome, the state must conduct an exploration of the individual’s abilities, capabilities, and capacity to perform in realistic work situations. Project SEARCH is a key service that meets the new WIOA requirements.

Project SEARCH

Project SEARCH is an international initiative that supports partnerships between businesses, local school districts, vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies, and other disability organizations. Project SEARCH promotes successful long-term employment of VR customers in stable, meaningful, and competitively integrated jobs by using a school-to-work internship approach for customers with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The program takes place in business settings where immersion in the workplace facilitates the teaching and learning process as well as the acquisition of employability and marketable work skills. Project SEARCH customers participate in three internship rotations to explore a variety of career paths.

Issues

Staff identified the following issues that require revision to policy and procedure to ensure uniform and consistent delivery of Project SEARCH services and accurate reflection of the services being provided.

  1. Project SEARCH fee payments are based on a benchmarking system, aligned with the national Project SEARCH model, in which the provider is paid for the service upon completion of the benchmark. Current payment amounts for other, similar VR services do not fully correlate with the services that are provided at each Project SEARCH benchmark. In particular, both fee and service adjustments are needed to Benchmark C and Worksite Training to align with the needed training and monitoring for customers during these benchmarks. The current benchmarks and fees are noted in Attachment 1.
  1. The term “Job Coach” has a specific meaning under the WIOA final regulations that is not consistent with the training services provided in the Project SEARCH program. A job coach as defined by WIOA is used more appropriately in supported employment and job placement modules where the job coach assists the customer to learn and perform skills after they have been hired for a specific job. Project SEARCH differs in that the Worksite Trainer teaches the customer general work skills and exploration of career options through the internships, which will ultimately lead to opportunities for competitive integrated employment.

Policy Recommendations

Staff recommends approval of the following policy revisions to the existing Project SEARCH fees (and as noted on Attachment 1):

  • Increase fee for Skills Training to a maximum of $1375 per customer, based on the increased amount of support needed during 8-12 week rotation of this phase. Increase number of required reporting training hours from 2 to 3 per week.
  • Adjust fee for Job Placement and Arrangement of Extended Services (Benchmark C) benchmark fee to $1,000 to allow for the increase in Skills Training hours and less support needed during this phase.

Procedure and Terminology Revisions

For your information, the following procedural changes will support policy in the new combined Standards Manual:

  1. Changes in terminology to conform to WIOA, including:
  • Project SEARCH will replace “Worksite Training” with “Skills Training”.
  • Project SEARCH will replace “Job Coach” with “Skills Trainer”

Input from the Rehabilitation Council of Texas

VRSM and Discussion paper was sent to RCT March 31, 2017. At this time there is no input.

Attachment 1

Benchmark / Fee Current / Fee Proposed / Service
Asset Discovery / $500 / $500 / The process used to collect information about a customer before Project SEARCH begins.
Skills Training previously referred to as “Worksite Training” / $1,000 / $1375 / Worksite Training services are provided by the provider to help the customer gain work skills that will lead to employment after the internships, Fee must not exceed $1,000 per customer for an 8- to 12-week internship rotation and no more than three rotations per customer for each school year.
No more than three rotations per customer for each school year
Job Placement and Arrangement of Retention Services (Benchmark A) / $750 / $750 / This service is placing a customer in a permanent job, fee $750 paid after customer has been employed five cumulative calendar days counted from the customer’s first day on the job and meets the agreed upon criteria.
Job Placement and Arrangement of Retention Services (Benchmark B) / $750 / $750 / This service is paid when the customer completes the 45th cumulative calendar day of employment in a job that meets the agreed upon criteria.
Job Placement and Arrangement of Extended Services (Benchmark C) / $1,875 / $1,000 / This service is paid when the customer completes the 90th cumulative calendar day of employment in a job that meets the agreed upon criteria and verification that any needed Extended Services have been arranged for the customer to stay employed after VR successfully closes the case.

DP Project SEARCH 5-5-17.Docx

Agenda Item: 05/23/17 Commission Meeting