SECTION 17: CONTENT OF THE INDIVIDUALIZED PLAN FOR EMPLOYMENT
A. The Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) will be based on a determination that a participant requires and can benefit in terms of an employment outcome from vocational rehabilitation services. It shall be designed to achieve the participant's employment objective consistent with the participant’s unique strengths, career interests, resources, priorities, concerns, informed choice, abilities and capabilities and shall include the following:
1. The specific, long-term vocational goal, selected by job category and further identified by specific employment goal such as “Janitors and Cleaners”, “Other Food Service Workers”;
2. The specific, planned service related to the attainment of the long-term vocational goal;
3. The projected dates for the initiation and duration of each service and the projected time-frame for the achievement of the participant’s vocational goal;
4. A procedure and schedule for periodic review and evaluation of progress towards achieving planned services based upon evaluation criteria. The Rehabilitation Counselorrecords this information by going to the “Documentation” tab within the plan form then to section (box) “A. Criteria for evaluating progress towards my employment goal”. Specific measurable evaluation criteria will be noted in this area for each planned service. If future reviews are specified, and follow up activity is required, an “Activity Due” case must not be entered by the Rehabilitation Counselor.
5. Reason for selection of employment goal, by checking appropriate boxes.
6. The terms and conditions for the provision of services, including the participant’s responsibilities for participating in the IPE; the extent of the participant’s participation in the cost of services; the extent to which goods and services will be provided in the most integrated settings possible, consistent with the informed choices of the participant; the availability of comparable services and benefits; the service providers and the process used to provide or procure the services;
7. Information regarding a participant’s right to express and seek remedy for dissatisfaction with Rehabilitation Counselor determinations including the opportunity for an informal administrative review, mediation and a hearing before an impartial hearings officer;
8. The availability of the Client Assistance Program;
9. Information about the right to review the IPE and jointly modify it. Any modifications to the IPE resulting from such review shall be incorporated into the plan.
B. With regard to students receiving special education services, the IPE:
- Is developed in consideration of the student’s IEP.
- Will contain a description of the IEP services relevant to the VR IPE.
- Will contain a description of the coordination activities between the school and thevocational rehabilitation program noted in the VR plan under the “Planned Services” tab,to the “Service Description” tab, to the “Description box.”
- Will also contain specificity regarding any share of cost in the provision of services to the student noted in the VR plan, tab “Planned Services”, to tab “Estimated Service Costs,” to “Source of Comparable Benefits” check boxes.
PARTICIPANT SERVICES POLICY AND PROCEDURES MANUAL
Bureaus of Vocational Rehabilitation & Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired
Revised: 2006
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C. With regard to supported employment, the IPE will also contain:
1. A description of the supported employment services to be provided; and,
2. A description of the extended services needed and identification of the source of extended services. In the event that identification of the source is not possible at the time the IPE is developed, there will be a statement explaining the basis for concluding that there is a reasonable expectation that services will become available.
D. With regard to post-employment services, IPE or modifications will contain a statement including:
1. The expected need for post-employment services.
2. A reassessment of the need for post-employment services prior to a determination that the participant has achieved an employment outcome.
3. A description of the terms and conditions for the provision of post-employment services including their anticipated duration, after the participant achieves an employment outcome; and,
4. If appropriate, a statement of how post-employment services will be provided or arranged through agreements with other providers.
E. IPE Estimated Service Costs
The IPE estimated service costs are entered at the time of plan development. The IPE form which identifies services, service providers and estimated cost of each service will be completed by the Rehabilitation Counselor prior to obtaining signatures on the IPE. Supervisory review, approval or disapproval will be documented on a Formal Case Review Form or a Record of Case Supervision.
IPE modification costs must be pre-approved, according to signature authority levels based on cumulative IPE expenditures. That means that each subsequent individual authorization requires supervisory review once a spending authority level has been exceeded. Supervisory review, approval or disapproval will be documented on a Formal Case Review Form or a Record of Case Supervision.
PARTICIPANT SERVICES POLICY AND PROCEDURES MANUAL
Bureaus of Vocational Rehabilitation & Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired
Revised: 2006
Page 36