KENTUCKY OFFICE FOR THE BLIND
STATE REHABILITATION COUNCIL
Quarterly Meeting
October 28, 2016
McDowell Center
Louisville, Kentucky
Members present:Susan Ament, Deborah Culpepper,Randall Deaton, Twyla Hammons (ex-officio),Scott Heads, Cathy Jackson, Vanessa Jones, David Lawson,Deb Lewis, Carla Ruschival, Rhonda SkidmoreTodd Stephens, Shirley Stivers and Theresa Thomas
Members absent: Angela Anderson, Nancy Clayton, Jennifer Hall and Peggy Sinclair-Morris
OFB Staff present: Becky Cabe, Zack Coblens, Allison Flanagan, Cora McNabb, Pam Minton, Janell Turnerand Jennifer Wright
Guests present:Adam Ruschival and Sue Wesley
Welcome
The October28, 2016 meeting of the Office for the Blind’s State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) was called to order at 11:15 a.m. by Chair Shirley Stivers. Guests were introduced along with council members and staff from the Office for the Blind (OFB).
Training Topic –Pre-Employment Transition Services – Janell Turner
Janell Turner, a VR Administrator for the Office for the Blind (OFB) told the council that there are five Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS). They are: job exploration counseling, work-based learning, counseling on opportunities for enrollment in comprehensive transition or post-secondary educational programs at institutions of higher education, workplace readiness training, and instruction in self-advocacy. The agency must provide services in all five areas. The services must be offered to the consumer but the consumer doesn’t have to participate in them all.
Things that cannot be provided using Pre-ETS money but can be provided using a counselor’s budget are: tuition, job coaching, assistive technology, job placement and job search.
Pre-ETS services are only allowed for students with a disability. The individual must be between the ages of 14-21 in Kentucky. They must have and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 plan or have a disability. They must be in an educational setting. The definition has been expanded to include any educational setting as long as they are 14-21 years old.
“Potentially Eligible” are those students who haven’t been determined to be eligible but are 14-21, in an educational setting and have a disability. Ms. Turner said that, for example, a school may ask for OFB to provide a service such as self-advocacy but may never see the student for other services. She said that according to statistics provided by theKentucky School for the Blind (KSB), there are 540 individuals who are blind or visually impaired who could be considered “Potentially Eligible”;only about 24% (130) of thoseare currently on an OFB caseload. They are trying to identify where these students are. Agency counselors are working with teachers of the visually impaired and KSB trying to get the word out.
The Office for the Blind has a joint policy with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) to give guidance to the counselors of both agencies. They developed Service Fee Memos to set rates for Pre-ETS services. One discusses all Pre-ETS services and one is specific to work services.
Ms. Turner told the members that 15% of the total agency federal allotment ($990,000) is required to be used solely on Pre-ETS. In FFY 2016, only $299,000 of that was spent. She said staff is trying to come up with beneficial things the money can be used on. She said that February 2, 2017 has been designated National Job Shadowing Day. Management has sent a challenge to the counselors to come up with ideas to get students out there to job shadow.
Ms. Turner asked for questions and there were none.
Approval of the July 22, 2016 Meeting Minutes
Copies of the July22, 2016 meeting minutes were distributed to members prior to the meeting in accordance with the bylaws. Cathy Jackson made a motion that the minutes be accepted. Theresa Thomasseconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion carried.
Office for the Blind Agency Reports
Executive Director – Allison Flanagan
Ms. Flanagan gave a personnel update. There are currently 83 employees in the Office for the Blind. She said that three McDowell Center staff had retired; Kent Jones, Paulette Venhoff and Becky Hart. She reported that the Assistant Director of the Cabinet’s Budget Office and some OVR fiscal staff had been taking on OFB’s fiscal responsibilities since the departure of the previous fiscal employee. The cabinet’s budget person saw the agency’s tremendous need and had recommended to the Secretary’s Chief of Staff that our position be approved to be filled. We now have the register for the position and are trying to schedule the interviews soon. We are not allowed to fill any other positions at this time.
Ms. Flanagan reported that OFB relinquished back to RSA $888,888 in August, which was less than the $1.1 million that was sent back last year. She said another tight year was ahead with the Pre-ETS challenges, the agency retirement contribution going up again, as well as technology costs. The agency is about $100,000 over budget on projected receipts so we are working to get that under control. Having to spend 15% of the entire budget on Pre-ETS takes away from the rest of the population we serve so we’re trying to work with that. We are trying to make cuts where we can; OVR’s situation is even more dire that OFB’s. We are trying to support them where we can.
Ms. Flanagan told the members that the purpose of the Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC) is to provide training and Technical Assistance to state VR agencies on the new statutory requirements imposed by WIOA. The WINTAC will develop and provide training and technical assistance to state VR agency staff to help them develop the skills and processes needed to meet the requirements of WIOA. WINTAC selected Kentucky to highlight the customer service in the Career Centers. The Covington Career Center has been selected. They will video and do mock consumer walk-throughs for two days next week. It will be shared nationally to spotlight Core Partnerships.
Through WINTAC, Kentucky was selected for a pilot program to work with core partners in the Tenco district. SARA, an artificial intelligence software program, will be used to work in the background of the Case Management System of OFB, OVR, OET and Adult Education. Ms. Flanagan said that the demonstrator put her in as a mock client. It texted her and asked how things were going. The software gathers data that is needed to allow more encouragement and contact to the job seekers. She said she was not sure whether itwill be used after the pilot.
There will also be Career Index Plus training while the WINTAC folks are in Kentucky. It deals with labor information, job leads, and information gathering.
Ms. Flanagan reported that OFB ended the FFY with 249 Positive Employment Outcomes (PEO). There are 60 individuals on the waiting list for Order of Selection Categories 2-4.
She told the members that WIOA requires Memorandums of Agreement for Medicaid, foster care, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, juvenile justice, Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, Kentucky Department of Education and Adult Ed. She said that federal reports are due in November and December and that without a fiscal person she is not sure the deadline would be met but we’re working with OVR’s fiscal staff to try and get ahead of it. She said that staff from the Kentucky Center for Education and Workforce Statistics is helping core partners with collecting data for the reports.
There will be statewide agency training and recognition event will be held in Louisville on December 7th and all SRC members are invited to attend.
Ms. Flanagan asked for questions, and there were none.
Consumer Services – Becky Cabe
Ms. Cabe reported that thru September 30th there had been 831 Independent Living/Older Individuals who are Blind (IL/OIB) program consumers served, In the IL program, there are seven counselors plus an administrator who also carries a caseload. There are 116 counties who had consumers served by IL services in FFY16. Donations received were over $1500, which more than doubled last year’s donations. Each counselor is working huge areas of the state while trying to monitor their travel budgets closely.
In the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program thru the end of the fiscal year there were 249 PEO’s, down from 282 last year. There are 60 individuals on a waiting list. The average wage was $14.75, up from $13.82 last year. There were 490 applications, down from 543 last year. We accepted 400 cases, down from 486 in 2015. Cases served were 1520 which was only 40 less than last year. There were 977 cases which are up from last year’s 960. She said that they had recently had training on Pre-ETS regarding Service Fee Memos and policies. They worked on “potentially eligible”.
Ms. Cabe told the council that Pre-ETS was a big focus, establishing policy and figuring out what services could and couldn’t be provided and revisions made. Counselors have been trying to connect with partners for Pre-ETS services such as school fairs, organizational skills training, O&M camp with all the training being done in the community, assessment and job shadowing for deaf/blind student, KSB Work Experience program and Big Sandy Community and Technical College which exposed students to graphic arts and health care careers. A contract was also completed for University of Kentucky Human Development Institute to work on a statewide program, TOP.
Ms. Cabe reported that Project CASE, the Pathways grant, is working to develop job pathways for students, and is making good connections. They have hired all of their employment counselors through the grant. Pathways are opening up between OET, community colleges and schools.
Ms. Cabe asked for questions, and there were none.
The council adjourned for lunch at 12:10 and reconvened at 12:45.
McDowell Center– Steve Deeley
Mr. Deeley said there had been 83 students served at the McDowell CenterFFY16. Three staff members retired. It will be a little bit of a balancing act to redistribute job duties to cover the positions but it will be done. They are contracting with a local certified O&M Specialist to take on the overflow of the McDowell’s O&M students.
He said that the PATH program was held in July and ten studentshad participated. Two left early for medical reasons. The program lasted for three weeks. They worked on Pre-employment skills, Braille, keyboarding, AT and O&M skills. They provided each participant with a backpack designed by Dr. Karen Wolffe, and they went on several field trips. Four UK students worked in the program. They were very good and a big help. This year the program was shortened to three weeks from four. Next year they will try to provide some job shadowing opportunities.
Staff is already recruiting for the next Boot Camp. They would like to have eight to ten students.
Staff Development/Planning – Cora McNabb
Ms. McNabb reported that the Governor had received notification that thefour-year, combined State Planhad been approved by the feds.
She said that joint WIOA training with OVR was held the first week of October for all VR counselors, assistants, McDowell Center and job placement staff. They trained on Title I-IV with an emphasis on Pre-ETS. She said that case management was also discussed.
There is a training budget of $75,000 to go toward crucial staff training.
Ms. McNabb said that she would be going to the Covington Career Center next week for the filming that Allison had discussed earlier.
She said she is also working with Career Pathways on the coordination of making presentations to schools. She said that every local workforce district is requiredto make a plan. She is also on a committee with staff from OET, OVR, youth and adult programs and Adult Education who will be working on those plans.
Ms. McNabb told the members that Vanessa Jones would be giving an update on the Annual Report during her Planning Committee report.
Kentucky Business Enterprise – Zack Coblens
Mr. Coblens introduced himself and told the council about his background. He said that since arriving at OFB he has been working with the Blind Vendor Committee in active participation, a partnership to make the program more lucrative for them. He reported that there are 45 active vendors in the program and two million dollars in net profit for the vendors.
He said the Vendor’s General Assembly meeting had been held the previous week and Larry Hall and Mark Dolzadelli had been elected co-chairs of the committee. He read a list of all the new committee members. He also told the members that interviews had been held to select three candidates to go into the training program. He has been working on new KBE regulations
Mr. Coblens reported that on December 1 a new law would go into effect that requires caloric information to available on vending machine products.
Two new vending locations have been opened, a VA home in Radcliff and post office location, both are being added to existing routes. The 300 Sower Building is still in the planning stages to get money and the plans on the same page.
Mr. Coblens asked for questions. There were none.
Public Comments
Chair Stiversinvited the guests to speak if they had comments. There were none.
Committee Reports
Executive Committee - Shirley Stivers, Chair
Ms. Stivers reported that the committee had discussed and decided on training topics for upcoming meetings; January will be the presentation of the Consumer Satisfaction Survey results, April will be on KBE and July will be TOPS with the UK Human Development Institute.
Business and Employment Opportunities Committee – Carla Ruschival, Chair
Ms. Ruschival reported that Jenny Tyree had given the committee an update that three more consumers had been hired at the Census Bureau. The total is now up to 12.
She told the council that David Lawson and Zack Coblens had also givenreports.
Planning Committee –Vanessa Jones, Vice Chair
Ms.Jones told the council that the committee had discussed the Annual Report. It will be available on the OFB website as soon as it has been completed. She said there had been two themes submitted by staff and the committee chose “envisioning success”. The report will have eight consumer stories. It will also include articles on PATH, Insight and the KSB Summer Program. There will be statistics and information on the Consumer Satisfaction Survey.
She said that the committee had discussed possibly adding some questions to future Satisfaction Surveys.
Government and Public Relations – Scott Heads, Chair
Mr. Heads said things in the Legislature were slow right now. He said the committee had talked about TARC3 complaints.
He asked council members to let him know if they had any suggestions for issues or concerns that the committee could look into.
Bylaws and Nominating Committee – Theresa Thomas, Chair
Ms. Thomasreported that the agency was still awaiting word from the Governor’s Office on the appointments sent over the first of May. She said there had been two recent resignations; Dennis Franklin from the Business, Industry and Labor position and Grant Logsdon from the Parent Information and Training Center. She asked if anyone had recommendations of someone who would be an active member to please let someone on the committee know. The council doesn’t have any appointed members from southern Kentucky so it would be good to find someone from there. If you know of anyone from the Chamber of Commerce or someone who may be connected with the community, please ask them to share about the vacancy.
She said there would be three members whose second terms would be expiring in June of 2017 and would need to be filled. They are: Bluegrass Council of the Blind, National Federation of the Blind-Kentucky and the National Industries of the Blind Affiliate. Candidates for all three of the positions would be nominated by their organizations.
There will be two members whose first term expires June 30th. They are eligible for reappointment. These members are Deb Lewis, representing the Kentucky Council of the Blind, and Rhonda Skidmore representing Current or Former Recipient of or Applicant for Services. These two members, if willing to serve a second term, will submit a new application and resume.
Ms. Thomas said that the committee had nominated Todd Stephens for Vice Chair. Ms. Stiversasked for nominations from the floor. Hearing none a motion was made to close nominations and elect Mr. Stephens by acclimation. Theresa Thomas made the motion and Scott Heads seconded.