VRC Minutes Page 7 of 7
May 16, 2003
VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES
DETR Administration Auditorium, 500 E. Third Street, Carson City
JobConnect Conference Room, 3405 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas
May 16, 2003
VRC Minutes Page 7 of 7
May 16, 2003
MEMBERS PRESENT
Dr. Ralph Baker
Ed Guthrie, Vice Chair
Libby Jones
Denyse Lizer
Linda Lueck
Karla McComb, Chair
Jean Peyton
Charlott Serline
Dr. Tom Venardos
Gillian Wells
Pat Williams
MEMBERS ABSENT
Dr. Ralph Baker
Senator Barbara Cegavske
John Giefer
Myrn Wiebe
STAFF PRESENT
Jim Hadwick, Chief, Operations
Bill Hamilton, Staff to Council
Barbara Legier, Chief, Programs
GUESTS PRESENT
Tim Gibney
Anita Puentes, Nevada Disability and
Advocacy Law Center
Ron Swirczek, DETR Deputy Director
Dr. Richard Thomas, DETR Training
Margaret and Samuel Webb
Cozetta Williams, Nevada PEP
VRC Minutes Page 7 of 7
May 16, 2003
EXHIBITS
Draft minutes of March 21, 2003 meeting
Needs Assessment/Satisfaction Survey Subcommittee report
Transition Forum Subcommittee reports: Transition services recommendations; draft budget; concerns about reauthorization of IDEA
Medicaid Infrastructure Grant Advisory Committee report and Ticket to Work report
Mental Health Planning Advisory Council: Update for May 16, 2003
Nevada Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities report
Statewide Independent Living Council report
Nevada Department of Education Transition Plan report
Vocational Rehabilitation Council budget report
Performance Indicator reports for state fiscal year 2003
Vocational Rehabilitation Ticket To Work Summary as of April 28, 2003
State Plan Attachments (draft)
CALL TO ORDER, PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND ROLL CALL
Karla McComb, Chair, called the meeting to order at 9:35 am. A quorum was present.
INTRODUCTIONS: Members of the public were introduced.
MINUTES
Ed Guthrie moved, and Tom Vendardos seconded, approval of the minutes of March 21, 2003. Unanimously approved.
Gillian Wells arrived at the meeting.
CHAIR REPORT
Karla McComb held a request for information until agenda items for the next meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Margaret Webb is the parent of a disabled adult and strongly urged that JobConnect and vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselor staff be more available in Pahrump than at present. With Howard Castle, Libby Jones offered to talk to Mrs. Webb about her concern and hoped that the frequency of visits by a VR counselor to Pahrump might increase. Karla McComb provided Mrs. Webb with a business card to invite communication between the two of them.
Tim Gibney spoke about delays from the time a VR candidate makes a request for orientation to the actual orientation time, then a long additional wait to see a counselor. Ms. Jones agreed that such delays are common, in part because approximately 25 percent of counselor positions are vacant. Ms. Jones and Barbara Legier also discussed the difficulty in finding new counselors and the need to receive approvals as high as the Governor’s Office. Discussion focused on whether changes could be made in VR program staffing to speed up the process of orientation and intake. Ms. Legier said that “service coordinators” may be used but counselors are still required to determine eligibility for service and to develop with consumers of VR services their Individualized Plans for Employment. Educational requirements for counselors also were discussed, and the State Plan Attachments include discussion about proposed changes to ease the counselor shortage.
Anita Puentes had a followup question for Barbara Legier regarding a question Ms. Puentes raised at the last VRC meeting, which she and Ms. Legier subsequently discussed.
STATE PLAN ATTACHMENTS
Barbara Legier acknowledged the assistance of council members Tom Venardos, Charlott Serline and Gillian Wells during the review of the State Plan Attachments. Council members also may contact Bill Hamilton by June 10 if they have other items than those raised at today’s meeting.
Attachment 4.11 ( b ). Ed Guthrie inquired about an imbalance in the ratio of VR staff in southern Nevada to its proportion of Nevada’s population. Ms. Legier said that, as VR counselor or rehabilitation technician retirements or departures occur in northern Nevada, some positions are being moved to southern Nevada. In this Attachment Karla McComb also recommended that reference to the Transition Forum include that it is a subcommittee of the council.
Attachment 4.12 ( c ). On goals and priorities, Ms. Legier said there would be a change in regard to the wording about “order of selection” when the document returns to the Council for final comment at the June meeting, namely that the Rehabilitation Division is in the process of developing a policy and procedure in regard to order of selection.
Attachment 4.12 ( e ). Karla McComb raised a question about increasing minority participation, including documents translated into Spanish. Attention is given to this question under goal #2 in this Attachment. Ms. McComb recommended that specific reference be made to items available in Spanish, such as an application for service on the BVR Web site, brochures, and the availability of Spanish interpreters when necessary.
Attachment 4.12 ( e ). Under Federal Evaluation Standard #1 (Employment Outcomes), Ed Guthrie recommended that the third, fourth and fifth paragraphs be re-written. He does not see how performance that was exceeded in indicators 1.3 and 1.4 correlates to underachievement in indicator 1.2.
In Attachment 7.3, the first paragraph (about numbers of individuals receiving supported employment services declining) seemed to Ed Guthrie to contradict information in Attachment 4.12 ( e ) about VR serving an increasing number of people with significant disabilities. Barbara Legier suggested that the wording be improved to reflect that VR’s utilization of supported employment funds has decreased. Further discussion about this point led to the idea that the VR Council, in its annual report, recommend that VR programs staff re-examine coding of clients to determine if there could be more clients eligible for supported employment funding than appear to receive such service.
Also for the VRC annual report, Ed Guthrie said that order of selection is something appropriate for the council to address, as staffing shortages have an impact that might influence the VR programs to move toward order of selection.
One more item resulting from the discussion is that the council and Division should give attention to the shortage of individuals providing follow-along services and the rates paid for these services. Mr. Guthrie agreed to help VR programs staff look into this shortage and if reimbursement rates need to increase to encourage more service providers.
Libby Jones asked Barbara Legier to check if, on page 3 of Attachment 4.9 ( c ), the blind center should be identified under cooperative agreements with private, non-profit VR providers.
REPORTS FROM OTHER ENTITIES AND COUNCILS
- Mental Health Planning Advisory Council. Andrew Zeiser and Alyce Thrash-Thomas highlighted elements in their written report sent to the VR Council including legislation, increased bloc grant funding that will go primarily to community-based mental health services, upcoming MHPAC meetings, expanded consumer services in rural Nevada (including Yerington and Fernley), and other program services throughout the state.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
- Satisfaction Survey/Needs Assessment. Gillian Wells believed that work on this year’s project is moving well with the Cannon Center for Survey Research but she is concerned about having contact names for focus groups involving transition. Libby Jones reminded her that the VR programs’ mainframe data system cannot readily produce names for the focus groups, especially a large sample. They need to be manually produced at great time expense and difficulty, but specific counselors assigned to transition could provide a small number of names for the focus groups in the areas they are to be conducted: Reno, Fallon, Las Vegas. Gillian said that the Las Vegas focus group meeting will be May 23, and Reno and Fallon meetings on May 28. Ed Guthrie moved, and Jean Peyton seconded, that VR Council funds support Gillian’s travel to them. The motion passed unanimously. Libby Jones thanked Gillian and Ed Guthrie for their work and the improvements to be realized over prior surveys.
- Transition Forum.
- Transition services recommendations. Gillian Wells reviewed what had been done with the Forum’s recommendations that she distributed at the March council meeting. Ed Guthrie moved, and Jean Peyton seconded, that the council adopt the recommendations, with technical corrections such as correct identification of “department,” “division,” and other terms. As intended by Mr. Guthrie, technical changes would be arranged by Bill Hamilton who, in turn, would work with Gillian Wells and Libby Jones. Discussion focused on what would become of the recommendations. As summarized by Ed Guthrie, the Rehabilitation Division would be encouraged to incorporate appropriate items for action in its VR programs State Plan and as work items for VR staff. Regular reports should be made to the council on whether and how the recommendations are being accomplished in the VR programs. Recommendations focusing on the State Department of Education should result in that department making reports to the council. In addition, some recommendations involving the VR programs should be incorporated in memorandums of understanding. The motion then passed unanimously.
- Budget proposal. Gillian prepared a budget that was sent to the Council but still needed review. The budget will be for July 1, 2003 – June 30, 2004. Out-of-state travel means within Nevada. Some line item dollar figures are open to revision. The dollar total was incorrect and Libby Jones asked if some items in the budget could be purchased this fiscal year rather than after July 1. Ed Guthrie moved, and Jean Peyton seconded, that the Transition Forum receive up to $4,450 from VR Council funds for the upcoming fiscal year July 1, 2003 – June 30, 2004. The motion passed unanimously with the understanding that the budget needs refining, that a narrative for a grant to the Transition Forum needs to be prepared (to include the purpose of the grant and description of proposed expenditures), and with the expectation that Gillian and Rehabilitation Division staff will work out the details of the grant and budget prior to the next VRC meeting.
- Ed Guthrie commented on activity that he and Council member Senator Cegavske have been pursuing to develop more information on transition and resources that may be generated, such as from the Rehabilitation Services Administration.
MEDICAID INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT ADVISORY GROUP, & TICKET TO WORK
Linda Lueck submitted a written report, and Gillian Wells said she was no longer formally involved on the advisory group.
REPORTS FROM OTHER ENTITIES AND COUNCILS (Continued)
B. State Workforce Investment Board and Disability Subcommittee. Karla McComb reported
that the subcommittee has not met recently. There should be a meeting before the June VRC
meeting, with a focus on assistive technology.
- Nevada Governor’s Committee on Developmental Disabilities. Ken Vogel submitted a
written report.
D. Statewide Independent Living Council. Todd Butterworth submitted a written report.
E. State of Nevada Department of Education. Tom Venardos submitted a draft of a plan for the
development of memorandums of understanding (MOUs). The expected outcome is to
develop an agreed upon plan between the State Department of Education, Nevada school
districts and VR to improve the existing relationship between state school districts and VR in
referring and coordinating 16- to 20-year-old high school students for transition purposes.
Current MOUs and recommendations from the Transition Forum would be included in
planning. He identified potential members and proposed to start this fall with Clark County,
Lincoln County and Nye County. Ed Guthrie moved, and Gillian Wells seconded, council
acceptance of the plan presented by Tom Venardos. Libby Jones urged that in implementing
the plan it be workable and viable. The motion passed unanimously.
VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION COUNCIL BUDGET STATUS
Jim Hadwick said that about $7,000 - $8,000 currently appears to be unobligated and available for expenditure prior to June 30, 2003. Libby Jones said the Division would like some newspaper advertisements for vacant positions in the VR programs and that California appears to be a good location for ads because of layoffs occurring there. If council members have other ideas they should inform Bill Hamilton promptly about how the remaining funds may be wisely used. Whether ideas come from the Division or from council members, a plan for expenditure should be prepared for action at the next VRC meeting.
Ed Guthrie moved, and Tom Venardos seconded, that council funds be used to advertise in California for recruitment and that the Division submit an advertising expenditure plan to the council for review and vote via e-mail response to Bill Hamilton. Moreover, that a plan for expenditure of remaining monies be prepared by the Division for the next VRC meeting. Karla recommended, Mr. Guthrie concurring, that no response means a positive response to the Division’s advertising proposal. Council discussion recommended that the advertisements include reference to the need for counselors familiar with the blind and visually impaired and to the desire for counselors familiar with assistive technology. The motion carried.
REPORT FROM VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMS
Barbara Legier had nothing new to report about future trainings, and the most recent set of performance indicators was mailed to council members. Jim Hadwick referred to the Ticket to Work matrix page, or activity status with respect to the VR programs and the Ticket program through April 2003. He and Brenda Berry of the Division just completed followup trainings of VR programs staff in Reno and Las Vegas, and a third training is about to occur with rural VR staff. The trainings covered policies and procedures in handling Ticket recipients and paperwork associated with processing Ticket cases.
On behalf of counselors, Pat Williams said that two vacant positions in the Northern District were filled. Staff members are grateful.
ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
Ms. Jones said that the One-Stop facility on Las Verdes in Las Vegas is being closed, and the new comprehensive One-Stop will be at 3405 S. Maryland Parkway. A gift from the council for Maynard Yasmer has been identified and council Chair, Karla McComb, will prepare a letter to send him with the gift. The national search to fill his position is continuing. The Division has been preparing for a visit by the Rehabilitation Services Administration in regard to the Business Enterprise Program. Finally, she thanked council members for their work to help improve the quality of the VR programs.