Resources, information, and tips for employment specialists and providers working with Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services to implement the Employment Services Model
You’ve already explained the Discovery process to your job seeker, family, and other significant support people. You made sure you are clear about what you will be doing and about their roles, responsibilities, and expectations. You also made sure the information you received about the job seeker is current and accurate. What's next?
Take a Look Around
We previously blogged about the home visit, sharing examples of a “Meet and Greet” along with “Tips and Tricks for Making You and Your Job Seeker More Comfortable.” Need a refresher? Review “’What’s Up?’ An In-Depth Look at the Meet and Greet.” When scheduling the home visit, you could also arrange with your job seeker to do some neighborhood mapping.
What is neighborhood mapping? It's simply taking a tour of your job seeker’s immediate neighborhood and nearby community. You may want to tour the neighborhood prior to your first home visit or as an activity with the job seeker or both. Your choice. The idea is to look for businesses that might be an employment option, a work experience opportunity, or a place to try a situational assessment. Ask yourself, “What types of businesses are near the home?” Are they industrial, retail, hospitality? Are they mostly big box stores? If there are no businesses within a reasonable distance from the job seeker’s home, how far would he or she need to travel? Another important observation to make is the “culture” you can see and feel in the neighborhood. Does it feel friendly? Do people greet one another or keep to themselves? Is there an appreciation for well-kept lawns and clean streets?
Point A to Point B and Back Home
Neighborhood mapping also involves exploring transportation options by thinking about the following questions: What is available in the area? Is there a bus line? How often do buses run? How early do they pick up in the morning, and how late do they run each day? Do ridesourcing companies (e.g., Uber or Lyft) cater to the area? Is there a bike lane? Is there a train? What safety concerns might be present in their neighborhood? Is there a sidewalk? Do they have to cross a busy street to catch a bus? Is it safe to walk the neighborhood alone? Are there Crime Watch signs posted?
Keep a List
During the home visit, you may have asked for names of neighbors who may know the job seeker well. Exploring the neighborhood with the job seeker will help you identify those neighbors who could be beneficial to the job seeker’s quest for employment. When you first met with your job seeker you also probably learned about activities the job seeker regularly participates in, such as grocery shopping, classes at the YMCA, or community gardening. Touring the neighborhood with the job seeker can verify participation in activities, as well as help you identify additional places, resources, and services that can provide opportunities for Discovery activity planning. During that drive around the neighborhood, your job seeker may also talk about other people they know, like the trainer at the YMCA or the hairstylist at the local salon. That may give you an opportunity to connect with more people who know your job seeker.
Employment specialists can track neighborhood mapping information by recording the business names on their smartphone, taking pictures, or creating a list with good old paper and pencil. Our thanks to Goodwill Michiana for allowing us to share some examples of neighborhood mapping from northern Indiana.
Swimming pools are closing, the crayon section is picked over, and early bedtimes are back. As the school buses roll in, we thought it might be a good time to share what’s new with our partners at school. Making sure we know what’s happening in schools ensures we are informed and effective team members. It also helps us serve transitioning students more effectively.
'Working with Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation': Fact Sheets for Our Partners(and us!)
Did you know that CCLC also supports teachers and schools? We have been collaborating with our partners at VR and the Indiana Department of Education to develop fact sheets on topics related to vocational rehabilitation for transition-aged youth, their teachers, and families. This updated "Working with Indiana VR" series includes lots of new information on Pre-ETS, Order of Selection, and what to expect. Read through these fact sheets to gain a better understanding of how students transition from school to adult services and to learn what schools and teachers are doing regarding referral and eligibility. You can also use the Students and Families fact sheet to share with families and transition students. Use the links below to download the fact sheets:
Our friends at the Indiana Department of Education want you to know about changes to the Certificate of Completion. In 2016, 16% of students with disabilities exiting the school system received a Certificate of Completion, rather than a high school diploma. With students entering high school this year (2018-2019 school year), there are higher expectations to ensure that students receiving a Certificate of Completion gain employability skills and develop paths to employment or postsecondary education. These increased expectations include:
greater emphasis on academic goals,
readiness to enter the workforce, and
the ability to access the workforce without a high school diploma.
As an employment professional, how does this impact you?
Students will be better prepared for employment. Employability skills are an integral part of each student’s individualized education plan. Additionally, a student’s goals must align with grade-level standards and curriculum of diploma track students.
Each student will graduate with a transition portfolio, which could be a helpful tool for you to use during Discovery and job development. The Department of Education is working on some sample portfolios, and we’ll share those with you as soon as they’re available. You can take a look at those, so you’ll know what to expect, but also so that you can teach potential employers who will want to know what to look for in a student portfolio.
Every student should be working toward grade-level standards and should be receiving appropriate supports to progress in their education. Learning what is effective in school will be helpful as we look toward employment in the community.
I've got a golden ticket. I've got a golden chance to make my way. And with a golden ticket, it's a golden day.
You can offer job seekers the golden ticket by simply providing a service you already do! You may have heard of the Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work program. However, you may also have more questions than answers or have heard some concerns. Shared Solutions has information and answers!
What is the Ticket to Work?
The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program provides choices, opportunities, and support to help people with disabilities obtain and keep a job. The program also supports the financial independence of participants—helping them reduce or even eliminate their reliance on government benefits.
People eligible to use a Ticket may not actually have a paper ticket. Social Security is letting some job seekers know they’re eligible and will mail them an actual ticket, but you can assure your job seekers that as long as they have a disability and are receiving either SSI or SSDI, they’re eligible to participate in Ticket to Work—even if they don’t have a paper ticket. (See more about eligibility later.)
Essentially, Ticket to Work allows any job seeker receiving Social Security benefits to choose certain employment providers, known as Employment Networks (more on Employment Networks later), to help them find successful employment. This is especially important now, since Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is operating under an order of selection, which means that some job seekers may not be able to receive services through VR. Ticket to Work gives eligible job seekers the chance to prepare, search for, and work at a job even if they’re on a deferred list for VR services.
Who is eligible to use the Ticket?
People eligible to participate in Ticket to Work have a disability, are between the ages of 18-64, and receive monthly cash benefit payments through Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
How does it work?
In this program, ticket holders “assign” their ticket to an approved employment service provider. They can select an Employment Network (EN) or Indiana VR (if they’re an Indiana resident). If either VR or an EN accepts the Ticket assignment, they will provide appropriate services to help the Ticket holder find and maintain employment. Social Security says services can include education and training, resume development, benefits and career counseling, job development, job coaching, and any other ongoing support services necessary to achieve the work goals that the job seeker and EN agree to in the Individual Work Plan.
Ticket holders also agree to maintain a certain level of earnings over a specific period. They will be working toward a goal of self-sufficiency; however, that could be a long-term goal (up to 5 years).
What’s in it for the Ticket holder?
While participating in the program, Ticket holders can safely explore work options and find the right job without immediately losing cash benefits. They can also use various Social Security work incentives to maximize their income until they earn enough to support themselves.
A Ticket holder can:
go to work without automatically losing benefits,
return to benefits if he or she has to stop working,
continue to receive health care benefits, and
be protected from a medical Continuing Disability Review (CDR) while making expected progress with work or educational goals. (While other job seekers receiving Social Security benefits can also use work incentives, Ticket to Work participants have an advantage because their CDRs are suspended, so they can work without fear of a medical review.)
What is an Employment Network?
An EN is any qualified private or public entity that enters into an EN agreement with SSA under the Ticket to Work program. ENs and Ticket holders work together to create a written Individual Work Plan (IWP).
Why would a person choose the Ticket to Work program? Why would your agency think about offering this program? Here are a few reasons:
The job seeker is not able to obtain VR services due to OOS.
The job seeker chooses not to use Vocational Rehabilitation.
The job seeker goes through VR but does not qualify for extended services. This could include people with mental health challenges or those with physical disabilities—job seekers you may not currently be serving.
The EN receives “milestone/outcome payments” linked to the earnings of their now-employed Ticket holder. These payments give ENs a revenue stream so they can continue working with job seekers who are not MSD and who may be deferred for VR services.
Ticket partners
Indiana also offers Partnership Plus to Ticket to Work recipients. With this program, both VR and an EN can receive compensation for the same Ticket holder. The VR agency can accept a Ticket to provide services to the Ticket holder under their employment program until the VR successfully closes the case. Then, the EN accepts the same ticket to offer long-term supports.
The EN helps the beneficiary achieve Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) level earnings, but Partnership Plus ENs do not usually provide pre-employment or job placement services. Instead, they provide job stabilization, retention, and career advancement supports. To ensure some savings to Social Security, Partnership Plus excludes Phase 1 milestone payments to the EN (see the table below) if the Ticket holder already has a job at the time of VR case closure.
Resources
Watch “Meet Ben!” an easy-to-understand introduction to the Ticket program for potential ticket holders. In addition, employment service providers can use the video to educate beneficiaries. It explains the key benefits of participation in the Ticket to Work program.
Considering becoming an Employment Network? Review the “payment-at-a-glance” table and additional resources below. The table outlines the potential revenue an EN can realize based upon certain outcomes OR milestones. (Click on Payments at a Glance to see a larger copy of the table)
Keep in mind that Social Security selects ENs based on the services they can offer to potential Ticket holders, so you’ll want to answer the EN application questions carefully.
To learn more about Ticket to Work or about how to become an Employment Network, visit these websites:
You can also call the Ticket to Work information line at 866-968-7842.
The Center on Community Living and Careers can provide customized consulting to community employment providers wondering about how becoming an EN might help them reach more job seekers. For more information, call CCLC at 812-855-0169 or refer to our employment training and consultation webpage and flyer.
[Cheesy narrator voice:] Welcome to this installment of “What’s the Difference?” where we clear up your confusion and bring order to the VR world. Ready contestants? Hands on your buzzers, and let’s play! Today’s topic centers on the confusion and haze surrounding work experiences and trial work experiences? Okay, audience, join in: “What’s. The. Difference?” ….[crickets] Contestants? Anyone? Anyone?... ………………………………………………………… The lack of response from our contestants isn’t too surprising. We’re still hearing questions and confusion from some of you in the field. “Aren’t work experiences and trial work experiences the same thing?” (Answer: No!) With this Shared Solutions, we’ll delve deeper into both work experiences and trial work experiences so you know exactly what’s what when you finish playing our game. And let’s acknowledge from the get-go that the terminology is downright confusing.
Trial Work Experiences Help Evaluate
Let’s start there, with the term trial work experiences (TWEs). You can think of TWEs as a form of pre-eligibility assessment.
That’s where the “trial” comes in; they take place before VR has determined whether a person is eligible for VR services (e.g., before Discovery) and are only used when there’s a question about eligibility. According to the Indiana Administrative Code, TWEs are:
"…the exploration of an individual's abilities, capabilities, and capacity to perform in realistic work situations in order to determine whether or not there is clear and convincing evidence to support a determination that an individual with a disability is incapable of benefiting from vocational rehabilitation services in terms of an employment outcome."
If a VR counselor is unsure whether an applicant will benefit from receiving VR services, VR must conduct trial work experiences to explore the applicant’s ability to perform in realistic work situations. In other words, TWEs are set up to help a VR counselor answer the question: “With the right supports, could this person benefit from services that would help them attain competitive, integrated employment?” As the employment specialist supporting an individual during a TWE, VR may ask you to provide or obtain assistive technology, transportation services, personal assistance services, or other supports. You, the VR counselor, and the applicant will work as a team. To answer the question of whether the applicant can benefit from VR services and would, therefore, be eligible, the VR counselor should set up clear and specific expectations as to what you need to evaluate during the TWE. If you’re not sure what information you need to provide to VR, don’t hesitate to ask the VR counselor. Remember that your job is to provide your observations on the set criteria VR identifies. It’s NOT your job to determine whether or not someone will benefit from VR services, or if they can work in the community. Also, keep in mind that VR does not provide TWEs to “weed out” or discourage applicants. TWEs are not a one-and-done service. They must be “of sufficient variety and over a period of time” (within 30-60 days) so that the VR counselor has enough evidence and is able to determine either that the individual is eligible for services or, due to the severity of their disability, will be unable to benefit from services and is therefore ineligible.
TWE Resources
Some of you may have had the opportunity to join VR for the Trial Work Experiences webinar in summer 2017. If not, take a look! The Trial Work Experiences presentation slides include examples of a trial work plan, trial work experiences, and appropriate documentation for reporting your findings.
Work Experiences Allow for Exploration
Now, let’s head into Discovery territory with your VR participant.
Work experiences are mini job activities that a VR-eligible job seeker participates in to further explore her/his interest in a type of employment, a specific environment, or a career. Work experiences are first-hand learning and real-work exposure in an integrated, competitive, community-based employment setting. Shared Solutions readers know that work experiences are a Discovery tool. We talked about them in November 2017 in the post “Work It!” Fully described in the VR Manual of Employment Services, pages 8-9, work experiences offer a unique spin to the Discovery experience. VR authorizes them as a separate and distinct Discovery activity. Note: You can bill for development of a work experience. The hours for development should be included in the authorization. Work experiences benefit 1) you, in your role as employment specialist; 2) the job seeker; and 3) the employer. They offer your job seeker a “real world/real work” opportunity to gain additional experience and insights into skills, tasks, workplace preferences, workplace cultures, social skills, and job-related issues. They offer you insights and clues into ideal supports and teaching strategies for that same job seeker. And they offer employers a connection to an under-tapped employee resource. It’s a win, win, win! Things to remember:
VR will support up to 12 total calendar weeks of work experience (combined total of A,B and C. See chart below.).
Work experiences must take place in competitive, integrated work settings in the community.
Work experiences should be reflective of the type(s) of work the job seeker has indicated an interest in
Job seekers may participate in work experience as little as one hour per week and as many as 11 or more hours per week.
Characteristics:
Work Experience A
CC-DC code 53-06
Work Experience B
CC-DC code 53-07
Work Experience C
CC-DC code 53-08
1-to-1 staff/job seeker ratio
Required
Required
Required
At one or more worksite locations
1 or more
1 or more
1 or more
Hours per week
1-5
6-10
11 or more
May be paid or unpaid by employer
Either
Either
Either
ES must be on-worksite at least 75% of the time
Required
Required
Required
Authorization includes work experience development time (CC-DC code 53-05)
Usually 5-10 hours each
Usually 5-10 hours each
Usually 5-10 hours each
Payment to provider
$200 per week
$325 per week
$450 per week
Documented in Discovery Profile
Required
Required
Required
Need more work experience guidance?
Gleaning information
Ask yourself: Is this experience likely to teach the job seeker something new? Or will it give me new information about supporting the job seeker?
Planning for a work experience
Discovery leads to work site selection.
Be intentional with your planning—connect the work site with the job seeker’s developing interests and skills.
Be individualized with your planning—seriously, avoid using the same, same, and same worksites for every job seeker. Keep this about your job seeker―not about your convenience.
Avoid jumping to a work experience prematurely―first, give Discovery time to evolve.
Working with employers
Use the job seeker's connections to identify a potential work experience business.
Use the identified skills of your job seeker to find businesses that can use those skills.
Use your own connections to identify a work experience business.
Use your agency's leadership for connections to a potential business.
Ask yourself: Is this an employer whose work culture might match my job seeker's preferences?
Ask yourself: Is this an employer whose teaching styles might match my job seeker's learning styles?
[Cheesy narrator voice:] …aaaaand we’re back! Contestants, get those hands on your buzzers again. First question! Tell us one thing that trial work experiences and work experiences have in common (besides the term “work experiences”).
Ding, ding, ding, ding! Oh my goodness, everyone is buzzing in! And yes, you’re right! Both TWEs and work experiences take place in integrated employment environments.
Second question! When do you complete a work experience? Yes!! During Discovery! And a follow-up, related question: When might VR ask you to provide a trial work experience? Very nice, contestants!! The answer is, of course, only in certain cases, before VR determines eligibility.
Nice job! Johnny, tell them what they’ve won!
[Even cheesier narrator voice:] Enlightenment, contentment, and the knowledge that they’re right. What more can a contestant want? Oh, and resources, we always have resources! For playing this installment of “What’s the Difference?” you’ve earned access to all of the links included in this Shared Solutions post.
You may be working with high school students, teachers, or families who are already receiving Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), or you may be getting questions from students and families who are curious. Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation funds Pre-ETS and works with the agencies and community employment programs that provide services to schools. Your agency may be included among the existing Pre-ETS providers. Currently, not all schools and communities are offering Pre-ETS, but the list is growing. Students receiving these services may learn more about potential career paths or even get some work experience before they leave school!
Altogether Now!
With the implementation of VR’s order of selection last summer, the applications and eligibility process can be confusing to students, teachers, families, (and us too!). We’ve all had questions about how order of selection affects participation in Pre-ETS services, and when to refer a student to VR.
As a result, VR created a fact sheet for educators, which the Center on Community Living and Careers shared with teachers along with a decision flow chart to clarify how order of selection affects Pre-ETS. (Side note: Half of our center works with you and all-things-employment; the other works with secondary teachers and all-thing-transition. We’re a versatile group!) Since Pre-ETS is really a blending of both worlds—education and employment—we thought you might want to see that same information. Review the fact sheet and flow chart, below. They certainly helped us understand all of the moving parts!
While we’re on the subject, does your agency provide Pre-ETS services? If yes, share the following information with the person running the show!
The Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC) works with state VR programs and their partners to effectively implement the requirements of WIOA, including Pre-ETS programming. They house a number of resources you can use to implement required activities, as well as clarification and information on relevant topics like internship programs.
Internship
Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act: This
fact sheet provides general information to help determine whether interns and
students working for “for-profit” employers are entitled to minimum wages and
overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Until recently, people with disabilities had very few options for saving money. To protect their supports or health care from Medicaid or Social Security, individuals would choose not to work or would opt to work minimal hours. Sadly, we were keeping people poor.
Workers with disabilities—just like everyone else—not only have the right to work, they also have the right to self-sufficiency. For many people that involves asset building, or the use of strategies that can increase wealth and savings and that can improve the possibility of owning things of value, such as a home or a business. Asset-building programs focus on long-term development for individuals and families. For more information on assets and asset building, see Prosperity Now’s frequently asked asset questions.
Improving on the Piggy Bank
Fortunately, there are now several savings programs and work incentives designed just for workers with disabilities to help them develop their wealth, save for emergencies, move up the economic ladder with an education, own a house or a business, and become more stable and independent. Here are a few ways a job seeker can save money for future investments or self-sufficiency goals:
A Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS)is a work incentive designed to help Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients work. It allows people with disabilities who receive SSI to set aside resources and/or various kinds of income for a specified period to use toward a work goal or to start a business. To qualify for a PASS, an individual must:
have a realistic work goal,
have a specific savings/spending plan for work-related items or services and specify how those items or services are related to employment,
have a clearly identifiable accounting of the funds set aside in the PASS,and
An Individual Development Account (IDA) is a special savings account matched by federal and state dollars ($4 to $1). IDAs can help low-income individuals and families save money for training or education, purchasing or rehabbing a home, buying a vehicle, or starting a small business. An individual who has a job, earns income, and who is a member of a household with an annual household income of less than 200% of federal income poverty guidelines is eligible for an IDA account. For more details and resources, see the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority’s webpage on IDAs.
An ABLE account is a special savings account that allows individuals with disabilities to save up to $15,000 per year while still keeping their Medicaid and other benefits. Eligible individuals who are working may be able to keep more of the money they earn by saving to and spending from an ABLE account. See the ABLE fact sheet for more information and resources. Indiana’s ABLE program is known as INvestABLE ( there are now ABLE programs available in many states). Find details about INvestABLE fees, investment options, and benefits at https://savewithable.com/in/home.html
A Special Needs Trust is a trust that allows people with disabilities to save assets. There are different types of Special Needs Trusts. Some are funded through an inheritance, back payment from Social Security, or money from a personal injury settlement. Other trusts can be funded by workers with disabilities themselves, with their own earnings. Special Needs Trusts are often set up by an attorney, but for Hoosiers, the Arc of Indiana also has a Master Trust I and II. Just as with ABLE accounts, Special Needs Trusts can allow people with disabilities to maintain their eligibility for government benefits. For more information about minimum deposits, how funds can be used, and the difference between trusts, see the Arc Master Trust guide or consult an attorney.
We Knew You Would Ask
There has been some question as to whether a person should choose an ABLE account or a Special Needs Trust. People with disabilities who are eligible may be able to have both! Some advisors recommend that ABLE accounts, many of which have a debit card option, be used for smaller savings amounts and for routine spending, and that Special Needs Trusts be used for longer-term savings. If you are working with families or individuals, help them ask questions when they’re comparing and contrasting savings and investment options.
And While We're on the Subject
April is Financial Capability Month (who knew?). The National Disability Institute, the LEAD Center, and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) are joining forces to present a webinar, "Advancing Financial Literacy for Individuals with Disabilities." Per NDI's website, participants will learn about:
Consumer protections provided by MSRB rules for ABLE tax-advantaged savings accounts
New materials from the FDIC to build financial capability for adults with disabilities
Favorable tax benefits for people with disabilities from the IRS
Financial literacy requirements in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) from the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
Challenges and opportunities to improve financial capability and inclusion for individuals across the spectrum of disabilities from disability leaders
The details: Advancing Financial Literacy for Individuals with Disabilities
We previously blogged about the home visit, sharing examples of a “Meet and Greet” along with “Tips and Tricks for Making You and Your Job Seeker More Comfortable.” Need a refresher? Review “’What’s Up?’ An In-Depth Look at the Meet and Greet.” When scheduling the home visit, you could also arrange with your job seeker to do some neighborhood mapping. 
Neighborhood mapping also involves exploring transportation options by thinking about the following questions: What is available in the area? Is there a bus line? How often do buses run? How early do they pick up in the morning, and how late do they run each day? Do ridesourcing companies (e.g., Uber or Lyft) cater to the area? Is there a bike lane? Is there a train? What safety concerns might be present in their neighborhood? Is there a sidewalk? Do they have to cross a busy street to catch a bus? Is it safe to walk the neighborhood alone? Are there Crime Watch signs posted? 
During the home visit, you may have asked for names of neighbors who may know the job seeker well. Exploring the neighborhood with the job seeker will help you identify those neighbors who could be beneficial to the job seeker’s quest for employment. 
