NOTES (as there was not a quorum present)
Michigan Council for Rehabilitation Services (MCRS)
Executive Team (ET)
Tuesday February 24, 2015
12:00 p.m.
Teleconference
Members Present: Trina Edmondson, Anne Riddering, Michael Poyma.
Members Excused: Carol Bergquist, Brian Sabourin.
Staff Present: Marlene Malloy, Shori Teeple.
1. Call to Order – A. Riddering
The meeting was called to order at 12:03 p.m.
2. Consensus of Agenda (02.24.15)
The agenda was reviewed.
3. Consensus of Minutes (02.10.15)
The minutes were not reviewed for approval at this time.
4 – Daily Business Operations
-Financial Operations - The FY 2014 Financial Review has been completed with no exceptions noted. It will be presented to the membership for acceptance at the March business meeting. All other spending is in line with the budget.
-Preparation for March Business Meeting - The draft agenda for the meeting was reviewed, with an afternoon focus on updates from the designated state units(DSUs) about changes related to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and how their systems and services to customers will be impacted.
-Annual Report Update - Final reviews of content for the report are in progress.
5 – MRS Customer Focus Groups Work Team Update
The work team met via teleconference earlier this morning and an overview was provided of the progress made so far. Four areas have been identified for customers to
be involved in focus groups: shared/dual customers of the Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS); MRS Customers with either currently open cases or those with closed cases, both successfully and unsuccessfully, within 60 days of closure; transition age youth; and vendors. An environmental
scanning process will take place, with a pilot for the 4 focus groups planned for Lansing within the next 6-8 weeks. At the next meeting, the team will discuss survey questions drafted for each of the four groups.
6 – Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP)
-Meeting with Administrators – Ameeting has been scheduled for Thursday March 5th. B. Sabourin and staff will represent the Council.
-Meeting with Management Staff – A meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday March 10th. B. Sabourin and staff will host the meeting at the MCRS Office.
-FY 2016 and 2017 State Plans – Overviews were provided of the current status, which includes a reprieve from Rehabilitation Services Administration for FY 2016 State Plans, which will not need to be submitted by DSUs. The FY 2015 BSBP State Plan will be carried forward.
7 – MRS
-Service System Data - FY 2014 MRS data has been received for purposes of review and completion of the Council’s Annual Report. However, first quarter data for the current FY 2015 has not yet been received from MRS. This information will be requested from MRS Director Suzanne Howell during a meeting within the next week.
-FY 2016 State Plan -MRS plans to update specific attachments for their FY 2016 State Plan related to local agreements. Under requirements of WIOA’s new Unified State Plan requirements, the DSUs will begin meetings soon to start working on updating the State Plan for FY 2017, which will be due on March 1st of 2016. The Council plans to be represented at these meetings.
-Online Orientation Design Work Group – M. Malloy has attended the first meeting and will continue to provide updates on the work group’s progress.
8 – National Coalition of State Rehabilitation Councils (NCSRC)
-NCSRC April Training Conference and Hill Visits – C. Bergquist and B. Sabourin will be representing the Council at the 2-day NCSRC events in Bethesda. In addition to Hill visits, they will also be attending the conferences for the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation as well as the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind.
9 – Other Business
There was no other business for discussion.
10 – Adjournment
With no further business to be managed, the meeting was adjourned at 12:31 p.m.
Next Meeting Date/Time: Rescheduled to Wednesday March 11, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. via teleconference.