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Vocational
Rehabilitation
 The Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 provides funding for vocational
rehabilitation (VR) services for persons with disabilities.
Each state administers
its own (VR) program. In many states there are multiple agencies
depending on the disability – Services for the Blind, Services
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and a Department of Vocational
Rehabilitation.
The consumer
must apply and be accepted as a VR candidate for services. The
prime decision maker in the VR
is the Vocational
Rehabilitation
Councilor. VR will
pay "reasonable" costs to eliminate barriers, which prevent the
consumer from gaining employment. Technology needs to be written into the
Individualized
Plan for Employment (IPE), for the agency to fund the needed evaluations
and device purchasing. Depending on the type of technology being requested,
VR may
ask for a denial from other sources before they will agree to pay. As an
agency, they are very open to "cost sharing". For example, if
the consumer purchases a van, VR will pay for the modifications for that
consumer
to drive
or be driven in the van.
Purchasing
in the VR system is usually done on a bid basis. As a technology
specialist, you write up the recommendations,
specific with model numbers,
etc. and the councilor
sends out the "order" to three suppliers for bid pricing.
VR
will often fund both devices and training, if the request for training
funds is submitted with the final recommendations.
Workers’ Compensation
Insurance
If the consumer
acquired his/her disability as a result of an accident while
on the job, there may be funding available through
a Workman’s Compensation
Program. The consumer is usually very aware of the “workman’s
comp”,
if it is available to that consumer. Each state has an Insurance Commission
and/or a Department of Labor which will have further information regarding
the state
regulations for funding AT under workman’s comp.
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