Employment Support Services (ESS) �
The purpose of the Employment Support Services (ESS) Program is to assist
individuals with severe disabilities to maintain successful employment.
This program of services is administered by the Arizona Rehabilitation
Services Administration using funds other than VR program grant funds. There are
RSA counselors statewide who have been assigned responsibility for providing
these services.
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GENERAL POLICIES
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- CLIENTELE
RSA maintains continuing responsibility for clients of
the Vocational Rehabilitation program who are successfully rehabilitated, but
who require ongoing employment supports in order to maintain their employment
because of the severity of their disability.
- ELIGIBILITY
Eligibility for the ESS program is based on the
existence of a severe disability and the need for ESS services. The impairments
that result from a severe mental or physical disability must be at a level of
severity that employment has not traditionally occurred or has been interrupted
or intermittent. Individuals must also, because of the nature and severity of
their disability, be determined to need extended employment support services in
order to maintain successful performance on a job. Access to ESS program
services is through the ARSA Vocational Rehabilitation program.
- LEVELS OF SERVICES
The level of services provided by RSA staff
will vary, as follows:
- All clients of the ESS program will be case managed. At a minimum, case
management responsibilities involve doing one Annual Review per year.
- Some clients will receive RSA purchased ESS services, case management, and
counseling;
- Some clients will receive case management and counseling only, while
purchased ESS services are funded by other funding sources (BHS, Social Security
Work Incentives, private pay, United Way/Agency, etc.) or need for purchased
services are not necessary because they are provided without cost by family, the
employer, or other groups or individuals.
- USE OF SSA WORK INCENTIVES FOR INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE FOR SUCH
INCENTIVES
Clients may elect to pay for their own employment support
services when other resources are not available. Submitting receipts to SSA for
the cost of ESS services as "impairment related work expenses (IRWEs)" will
lessen the impact of earnings on benefit levels. RSA counselors are available to
assist clients to explore this, and other, options. Other options may include,
as appropriate:
- "Blind Work Expenses" for persons who are blind and eligible for SSI
benefits.
- "Student Earned Income Exclusion" for employed individuals who are also full
time students eligible for SSI benefits.
- "PASS" for those individuals whose employment plans include increased
potential for self support by decreasing costs and reliance upon supports and/or
increased potential for higher earnings.
SCOPE OF SERVICES AND SERVICE POLICIES
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- DEFINITIONS
- Competitive Employment
Competitive, as it relates to employment, means
work that is performed on a full-time or part-time basis in an integrated
setting for which an individual is compensated at, or above, the federal minimum
wage
- Extended Supported Employment
The Arizona Dictionary and Taxonomy
defines Extended Supported Employment as a service which provides long term
on-going support for an employed individual including, but not limited to:
counseling; regular contacts with the individual and/or the employer, parents or
guardians; job monitoring; finding a new job when necessary; maintaining
established and on-going natural and peer supports; and providing other discrete
services such as repair or maintenance of assistive technology used at the work
site, on-going attendant care or interpreter services at the work site,
transportation, reader services and other activities needed to maintain
employment.
- Integrated Setting
Integrated setting means that the client is NOT
engaged in training or work which is being performed within a self-contained
work environment (including janitorial, maintenance and landscaping which
directly benefits that self-contained work environment).
- Real Work
Real work means work generated by the client which results in
tangible product(s) or service(s) rendered for which the employee is covered
under DOL regulations issues pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act.
- Self Continued Work Environment
Self-Contained work environment means a
placement setting in which the employer accepts responsibility for the safety
and well being of employees working on the employer's premises, including one or
more of the following:
- extra supervision/mentoring on the job as related to a disability issue
- availability of support services on the premises, such as medical services
(e.g. nurse), counseling, etc.
- work which is structured specifically for persons with disabilities
- 50% or more of the individuals are working under a subminimum wage
certificate.
This definition does not apply if the work environment
includes or expects a flow of the general public as part of the operation of the
work being performed.
- Service Setting
"Service setting" descriptions are used to differentiate
the various settings in which contracted employment related training/adjustment
services are provided, as follows:
- Group training means two or more individuals who are part of a work cluster
in the same training area, work station, or self-contained work environment.
- Individual training means that the service is provided one-on one with an
individual who is not part of a group of clients in the same training area, work
station, or self-contained work environment.
- Level I (Sheltered Employment) training/employment means a client who is
currently receiving Sheltered Employment services for a job which does not meet
RSA's definition of Employment Outcome.
- Level II (Work Adjustment, Sheltered Employment) employment/training means
the client is engaged in training/employment which is performed within a
self-contained working environment, including work such as janitorial,
landscaping, etc., which directly benefits the self-contained work environment.
- Level III (Work Adjustment, Supported Employment, or Extended Supported
Employment) training/employment means the client is engaged in training which is
integrated or pays at least minimum wage, but not both.
- Level IV (Work Adjustment or Supported Employment) training/employment means
the client is engaged in training/employment which is integrated and pays at
least minimum wage.
- Sheltered Employment
The Arizona Dictionary and Taxonomy of Services
defines Sheltered employment as a service which provides a controlled and
protected work environment, additional supervision and other supports for
individuals engaged in remunerative work either in a sheltered workshop or in
the community (e.g. in enclaves and/or mobile work crews).
- Supervised Employment
Supervised employment is a category of services
which includes Extended Supported Employment and Sheltered
Employment.
- PURCHASED ESS SERVICES
The following service options are
available for clients of the ESS program. These options define the RSA ESS
service program. Services purchased in the ESS program are those services that
are necessary on an extended basis to help maintain the individual in
employment. The purchase of services depends on the availability of resources to
fund these services. Therefore, maximum efforts must be made to utilize all
other available resources including: family supports, SSA Work Incentives,
community resources, public transportation, AHCCCS, private insurance, etc.. In
the case of "locally planned" SSBG dollars, the type of service to be provided,
the geographic area in which the funds can be expended and the amount of funds
available are restricted.
- Supervised Employment
Supervised Employment includes both Extended
Supported Employment and Sheltered Employment. The employment is gainful (i.e.
the client receives salary based on productivity), productive (i.e. the activity
is real work), and regular (i.e. the client has a fixed work schedule).
- "Extended Supported Employment"
"Extended Supported Employment" is
purchased only from DES/RSA contractors. There are two levels of services (see
definitions for levels 3 and 4).
- "Sheltered Employment"
"Sheltered Employment" is purchased only from
DES/RSA contractors. There are two levels of services (see definitions for
Levels 1 and 2).
- "Work Activities"
This service provides work training and therapeutic
activities. This service is purchased only from DES/RSA contractors.
- "Personal Assistance Services" (PAS)
Personal Assistant Services means a
range of services, provided by one or more persons, designed to assist an
individual with a disability to perform daily living activities on the job that
the individual would normally perform independently if the individual did not
have a disability. This service is purchased and paid for separately only
when the client is competitively employed in an integrated setting and not
receiving sheltered or extended supported employment services provided by a
Community Rehabilitation Program.
- Other Purchased Services
ALL SERVICES LISTED BELOW MUST HAVE
SUPERVISORY APPROVAL BEFORE BEING AUTHORIZED OR PURCHASED BY THE COUNSELOR
- "Personal and Social Adjustment"
These services are ESS program services
only when used to help maintain an individual in employment and are required
intermittently or as short term assistance. This service helps individuals to
maintain employment by providing the training/skills to be self-sufficient, to
have confidence in basic living skills, and to understand and adjust to
disability. These services are purchased separately only when it is not normally
part of sheltered or supported employment services provided by a Community
Rehabilitation Program or an employer. Examples of such services include:
orientation and mobility instruction to an employed individual with visual
impairments who moves to a new work site or has a new work procedure,
rehabilitation teaching to an individual who needs continued assistance to
manage pay check deposits, etc..
- "Rehabilitation Technology Services"
This service category includes
assistive technology assessments, the purchase of technological aids and/or
devices, installation and repair of assistive technology, and training in the
use of of assistive technology aids and/or devices. Assistive Technology devices
which are a client asset may be purchased and provided when necessary to
facilitate employment. However, technological aids and devices which are an
employer asset are the responsibility of the employer to provide.
- "Interpreter and Note Taking Services"
Interpreter Service is the
provision of a person to facilitate communication. Note-taking services are the
use of another individual to transcribe oral material, whenever such material
pertains to the employment support program of services. These services may be
purchased on an intermittent basis as necessary to assist an individual to
maintain his/her employment. This service is not normally purchased separately
when a client is receiving sheltered or supported employment services provided
by a Community Rehabilitation Program.
- "Reader Services"
Reader Service is the provision of a person to read
written materials aloud. This service may be purchased on an intermittent basis
as necessary to assist an individual to maintain his/her employment. This
service is not normally purchased separately when a client is receiving
sheltered or supported employment services provided by a Community
Rehabilitation Program.
- "Transportation"
Transportation services are purchased only when they
are directly required for the individual in relation to his/her work, are not
already included as part of another purchased service, and no comparable benefit
is available. Payment of transportation is made only under unique circumstances.
The client's family must experience economic need as a condition for receipt of
this service.
- CASE MANAGEMENT/COUNSELING SERVICES
The counselor responsible for
ESS will provide counseling and case management services in accordance with
policies, regardless of whether the individual is receiving RSA paid extended
employment support services or not. In general, the level of counselor
involvement after VR closure should be individualized and determined at the time
that the case is transferred from VR to ESS. The level of involvement must, at a
minimum, be re-evaluated at least annually as part of the Annual Review.
- Annual Reviews
- Annual reviews are done for all clients in the ESS program. The Annual
Review is used to determine:
- Whether the individual is satisfied with current situation or whether
changes need to be made in the client's current program, including the provision
of Post Employment Services;
- Whether the individual desires, and could benefit from, VR services in terms
of making a progressive move to a more integrated, more competitive and/or
non-supported employment; or
- Whether the individual continues to need monitoring because he/she has
dropped out of the labor market or is competitively employed and no longer needs
supports and the case should be closed.
- The annual review involves a comprehensive review of the client's situation,
on-going needs, and potential for a progressive move. This review involves the
client and all significant individuals involved with the client.
- Case Management/Counseling for RSA funded Clients Counseling and case
management services should be provided based on decisions made about the
expected need for these services when the case was transferred from VR to ESS
and during Annual Reviews thereafter. Case management involves regular reviews
of the individual's support systems, contact with CRPs and/or significant others
to ensure that there are early interventions when/if problems arise which
threaten employment; receipt, review and payment of provider (CRP) billings;
review of monthly progress reports; and periodic contacts with clients, client
representatives and significant others.
- Case Management/Counseling for Non-RSA funded Clients Case management
services and counseling for non-RSA funded clients include the Annual Review of
the client's progress and counseling as needed when specific employment problems
arise. When another agency is funding the client's ESS, that agency's case
manager is the primary case manager.
- Management of SSA Work Incentives Although the client (and/or the client's
representative) is responsible for management of his own SSA work incentive
program (such as the IRWE), the assigned RSA counselor will ensure that the
client's use and management of SSA work incentive resources is monitored for as
long as the individual is a client of RSA. The counselor must work closely with
the Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP) providing services. The CRP is in a
good position to monitor the use of the IRWE, to provide support and training,
and to be an advocate for the client.
- VR POST EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
- Purpose
The purpose of Post Employment Services (PES) is to provide
services to a client who is successfully employed (as a result of VR services)
to help maintain or regain such employment.
- Policies
VR post employment services are available to meet
rehabilitation needs that do not require a complex and comprehensive provision
of services and, thus, should be limited in scope and duration. If more
comprehensive services are required, a new rehabilitation effort should be
considered. Post-employment services are provided as an amendment to the last
individualized written rehabilitation program (IWRP). A re-determination of
eligibility is not required. The provision of post-employment services is
subject to the same service policies as under an original IWRP.
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