National Rehabilitation Association: Legislative Alert

[an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]

Gov't Affairs

Government Affairs


[an error occurred while processing this directive] Governmental Affairs: Advocacy in action. Read current and previous Legislative Network Alerts. View a listing of the Legislative Network Members. Frequently asked questions about the Legislative Network.		Legislative Network Alerts Alert Number 120 April 1, 2005 For Your Information 2005 NRA Issue Statements To: Members of the Legislative Network From: Patricia Leahy, Director of Governmental Affairs 2005 NRA Issue Statements Approved by the National Rehabilitation Association Board of Directors 좻 March 12, 2005 NATIONAL REHABILITATION ASSOCIATION 2005 LEGISLATIVE ISSUE STATEMENTS ---------------------------------------- MiCASSA THE MEDICAID COMMUNITY-BASED ATTENDANT SERVICES AND SUPPORTS ACT The National Rehabilitation Association (NRA) strongly urges Congress to quickly pass the Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services and Supports Act of 2005 MiCASSA (S.401/H.R. 910). This landmark legislation would not only provide cost savings, but give people real choice in long-term care options by reforming Title XIX of the Social Security Act. In addition, by providing an enhanced match and grants for the transition period prior to 2007 when the benefit becomes permanent, MiCASSA offers states financial assistance to reform their long-term care systems and provide services and supports in the most integrated setting for each person who needs these services. NRA recognizes the institutional bias that has existed within our nation's long-term care system throughout its history. In general, 75 percent of Medicaid's long-term care dollars go toward institutional services, while only 25 percent is left to cover those services that are community-based. It has been proven that individuals currently residing in institutional settings, or those who are at risk of being placed there, can receive quality services and supports in their community. MiCASSA will provide this much-needed alternative to institutional placement in a cost-effective manner by offering community-based attendant services and supports that will: * Provide assistance with activities of daily living * Be based on functional need, rather than diagnosis or age * Selected, managed, and controlled by the consumer of services * Supplemented with back-up and emergency services MiCASSA is not another 'unfunded mandate'. It merely states that people who have already been deemed eligible for services should have a choice of where they can receive them. This 'most integrated setting' mandate was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in Olmstead v. L.C. MiCASSA ensures that a state need not spend any more money in total for a fiscal year on community-based services and supports than would have been spent to provide those same services and supports in institutional settings. As the oldest and strongest advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities, the National Rehabilitation Association calls for 'Real Choice' through the passage and enactment of the Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services & Supports Act of 2005. It is time to change the institutional bias that currently exists in Title XIX of the Social Security Act and take the dollars being spent to keep people out of work, away from their families, and separated from the rest of society and reinvest that money in community-based services and supports. ---------------------------------------- PATIENT…S BILL OF RIGHTS The National Rehabilitation Association (NRA) strongly urges Congress to quickly pass a meaningful Patient…s Bill of Rights Act. NRA strongly advocates that individuals with disabilities have the right to quality health care which should include: 꼑 A health care system with greater consumer participation, responsibility; and control; 꼑 Accurate and accessible information regarding healthcare options; 꼑 Open medical communications allowing medical personnel to discuss all medical / treatment options without repercussions; 꼑 Elimination of preauthorization for actual emergency services; 꼑 A health insurance plan that includes access to specialty services, including return to work; 꼑 Non-discrimination in coverage and delivery of services; and 꼑 A fair and efficient external complaint, appeal, and review process. The primary goal is to provide quality healthcare at all levels with healthcare decisions being made by an informed patient and appropriate medical personnel rather than an insurance company administrator. ---------------------------------------- QUALIFIED REHABILITATION PROFESSIONAL The membership of the National Rehabilitation Association (NRA) believes, as does the membership of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE), that every American should have the opportunity to participate fully in society and engage in productive and competitive work The role and functions of rehabilitation counselors have changed over the last decade. There has been a significant growth and refinement of legislation influencing all individuals with disabilities since 1990. These legislative mandates have influenced community access, movement from tax-supported dependency payments to becoming a taxpayer, employment, housing, education, technology and transportation. They require qualified professionals to work in partnership with individuals with disabilities and various government and non-government organizations. As a result, there is an escalating and severe need for knowledgeable, competent and legislatively mandated qualified rehabilitation personnel. We have redefined disability as a part of the natural state of the human condition. No longer does the problem rest on the person; it is now an issue for society, a society that has limited opportunities for employment, for living life fully. The result is a change in expectations on the part of people with disabilities, one that includes the expectation that they have access to services provided by qualified rehabilitation counselors. Individuals with disabilities have demanded that their exercise of informed choice be expanded, thus providing increased individual responsibility for directing their lives. We support meeting these challenges by proposing to increase the number of qualified rehabilitation counselors from minority and disability backgrounds. The ¨Comprehensive System of Personnel Development〃 (CSPD; 1992, 1998), as defined within and provided by regulations of The Rehabilitation Act, requires state vocational rehabilitation agencies and their community partners to employ qualified personnel in as well as educationally upgrade current staff. However, no additional appropriations over the past eleven years have supported this increased demand on rehabilitation counselor education programs to ensure an adequate supply of qualified rehabilitation professionals has not occurred. Additional funding is needed to produce an adequate pool of graduates of rehabilitation education programs who can actively serve people with disabilities who want to enter the job market. More graduates are needed who are academically prepared to evaluate, counsel, and cooperatively plan rehabilitation services with people with disabilities who want to be employed and live more independently. Another major concern is the fact that the annual average turnover rate of rehabilitation professionals in state vocational rehabilitation agencies approximates 16 percent. This is further complicated by the expectation that these agencies… retirement rates for counselors over the next five years are anticipated, in most cases, to exceed 50 percent. New personnel will be needed in increasing numbers to replace the large number of retiring counselors who entered the vocational rehabilitation workforce at the time that training support was initiated in the 1950s. . Vocational rehabilitation agencies are serving increasingly diverse populations, and it is critical that rehabilitation professionals reflect that diversity. Stipend and tuition-support serve as extraordinarily effective tools to enhance recruitment of members of these under-represented groups. As an additional impediment to meeting this need, it should be noted that the average RSA training grants to universities has stayed at approximately the same level. At the same time, college tuition rates have at least doubled since 1993, and are likely to be further increased due to the effects of the current economic recession on state university budgets. University programs are facing an additional challenge in attracting and retaining these students as they experience major tuition increases. These tuition increases appear to have a differentially negative impact on the ability of non-traditional, diverse populations to enroll in and successfully complete rehabilitation education programs. During the period from FY 1993 through FY 2004 federal dollars appropriated under the Rehabilitation Act Amendments for all aspects of rehabilitation training for qualified personnel has remained at 39m. During this time period there has been zero percent increase in appropriations for rehabilitation training. Recommendation There are virtually no funds in the other legislative programs for preparation of new or training of current qualified rehabilitation personnel. Just to remain abreast of the funding for the Rehabilitation Act, the appropriations for rehabilitation training should be 53,500,000 or an increase of 13,871,000. There is a need for an additional 10,871,000 to just bring the program into parity with the entire legislative mandate. Edited version of NCRE Position Paper on Reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act ---------------------------------------- TANF - REAUTHORIZATION OF THE TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES ACT OF 1996 The National Rehabilitation Association (NRA) strongly supports the reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Act. The law should remain intact and its existing provisions strengthened and enforced at the federal, state and local levels to ensure that individuals with disabilities are supported in their efforts to gain self-sufficiency and improve their quality of life. Further, modifications to TANF law should include the following provisions: 꼑 Congress should not reduce TANF Block Grants to states. Block Grants should be sustained to help states tackle more difficult barriers faced by individuals with disabilities. 꼑 Congress should provide an inflation adjustment to the TANF Block Grant and greater funding to states to support their efforts in assisting individuals with disabilities. 꼑 Congress should broaden the definition of 'work activities' to take into account the special needs of individuals with disabilities and give more latitude to define 'work activities' under the law - allowing qualifying recipients to receive intensive but temporary 'life skills' training before going to work. 꼑 Congress should allow states to deem a single parent with a disabled child or dependent as meeting partial or full work requirement. 꼑 Congress should allow states to deem qualifying individuals with significant disabilities as meeting full work requirement if they are participating to the extent possible due to the nature of their disability. 꼑 Congress should remove restrictions on the extent to which vocational and/or educational training can be counted toward the federal participation rates. Further, Congress should allow federal funds to be used for tuition for TANF recipients. 꼑 Congress should extend the current 12-month provision of Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA) through FY 2008. 꼑 In calculating time limits, Congress should require states to disregard months of assistance received by an individual identified as having significant barriers to employment during any period in which the state did not provide necessary supportive services and supports to the individual. Further, Congress should disregard the months of assistance received when the individual with a disability is unable to meet the work requirements established by the state because of the nature and/or severity of their disability. 꼑 Congress should require states to collect reliable and public data on their performance to ensure that services are provided equitably and that civil rights laws are aggressively enforced. Congress should use this data as a research tool to determine the extent to which services and supports are meeting the needs of individuals with disabilities. The reauthorization of TANF must be designed to include provisions for individuals with disabilities the right of choice and the development of strong supportive systems that reflect the multiplicity of barriers facing persons with disabilities. NRA supports the President and the Congress in its intent to ensure all individuals with disabilities end their dependence on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work and self-sufficiency. ---------------------------------------- FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION Accessible public transportation is the key to mobility and independence for many people with disabilities. The National Rehabilitation Association (NRA) encourages policymakers to take the following steps to increase the availability and effectiveness of public transportation systems across the country. Equitably fund public transportation services in the reauthorization of TEA-21. This year, Congress will reauthorize TEA-21, the Federal law that determines Federal transportation spending for the next six years, including highways and public transportation. It is essential that Congress provide substantial funding for public transportation as part of the reauthorization. The current House proposal, TEA-LU, provides substantial support for public transportation. Coordinate transportation funding sources at all levels of Government. According to the Federal Department of Transportation, there are 62 different Federal programs that fund public transportation, ranging from Department of Transportation funding to TANF transportation funding. The number of transportation programs grows substantially bigger when all the state and local programs around the country are considered. All levels of government must take active and immediate steps to ensure that different transportation programs are coordinated and work together to ensure maximum efficiency in use of resources we have. Support New Freedom Initiative funding for innovative and accessible transportation services. Transportation funding through the New Freedom Initiative is included in the TEA-21 reauthorization. Proposed funding for the Initiative is 690 million over six years. These funds are for, '...new public transportation services and public transportation alternatives beyond those required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990...that assist individuals with disabilities with transportation〃 with a special emphasis upon rural transportation. While this is not a comprehensive solution, it provides another transportation resource for people with disabilities and may spark innovative transportation solutions that otherwise would not be funded. ---------------------------------------- MENTAL HEALTH PARITY The National Rehabilitation Association (NRA) supports the reintroduction and passage of the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003 (S486/HR953) assuring mental health parity and insurance coverage. We support parity in insurance coverage for physical and mental health. There should be no difference in co-pays, deductibles, or lifetime limits. Coverage should include all disorders listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR) or future editions. In circumstances where full parity has been achieved, the cost to the insurance company has been minimal (1-2 percent). In most cases, physical health care costs go down. Disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia should not be covered to a lesser degree than Alzheimer…s and Parkinson…s disease as all are physical disorders of the brain. Untreated mental illness costs American business, government, and families at least 79 billion annually in lost productivity and unemployment, broken lives and broken families, emergency room visits, homelessness, and unnecessary use of jails and prisons. Mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and severe anxiety disorder are real illnesses. Treatment of mental illness is effective when provided. Treatment efficacy rates for most severe mental illnesses exceed those for heart disease and diabetes. Discriminatory insurance coverage of mental illness can often lead to loss of income and eventual bankruptcy which consequently places a burden on tax payers because of the potential of suicide, homelessness, and criminalization of mental illness. Parity is affordable for employers and health plans. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that this legislation will result in premium increases of only 0.9 percent. The results of early mental health treatment are decreased absenteeism and increased productivity. [Thirty-four states have enacted parity laws similar to S 486/HR 953, but even these laws offer no protection for workers and their families that receive coverage through self-insured ERISA plans.] ---------------------------------------- UNITED NATIONS TREATY ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES The National Rehabilitation Association supports Congressional efforts regarding the human rights and dignity of all persons with disabilities by pledging support for the drafting and working toward the adoption of a thematic convention on the human rights and dignity of persons with disabilities by the United Nations General Assembly to augment the existing United Nations human rights system, and for other purposes. Specifically NRA urges (1) the United States to play a leading role in the drafting of a thematic United Nations (UN) convention that affirms the human rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, and that, among other things, is consistent with the spirit of the American with Disabilities Act of 1990, the United States Constitution, and other rights enjoyed by U.S. citizens with disabilities; and (2) the President to instruct the Secretary of State to send to the UN Ad Hoc Committee meetings a U.S. delegation that includes individuals with disabilities who are recognized leaders in the U.S. disability rights movement. We support the resubmission and passage of the language contained in the last Congress…s Resolutions, S.CON.RES. 52 and H.CON.RES.169 which enjoyed bipartisan support. ---------------------------------------- NRA'S PRINCIPLES TO REAUTHORIZATION OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973, AS AMENDED INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING The National Rehabilitation Association continues to support the programs administered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, (hereinafter referred to as Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)) as part of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) on a cost-allocation, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) basis, paying for what we believe to be more than its fair share of expenses at the one-stop career centers. The public/private State/Federal VR Partnership is administered under the Rehabilitation Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Education. The National Rehabilitation Association recognizes and commends the public/private State/federal VR partnership as one of the most successful job training and placement programs in the history of the workforce world and recognizes that it has the supporting documentation to back up this claim. No other job training program has the impressive data that the VR Program has had and continues to have over its 85-year history in providing careers and independence to individuals with disabilities. The National Rehabilitation Association supports restoration of the 750 million which has been taken gradually over the past several years from the appropriation for WIA and asks that the restoration of these monies be used to assist in paying for the infrastructure costs of the one-stops. NRA supports a separate, fully-funded line item funding in the appropriations bill to pay for the additional infrastructure costs. The National Rehabilitation Association has many concerns regarding H.R. 27, the recently-passed, Job Training Improvement Act. Among those concerns is that this bill empowers Governors to take funds from the various job training programs' partners to pay for infrastructure costs on a 'proportionate' basis. These funds would come from administrative funds. Relatedly and very importantly, the VR Program does not have a cap on administrative funds which would allow Governors to divert money that Congress intended to be used to provide education, job development, counseling, training and placement to eligible individuals with disabilities -- to fund an infrastructure that is not accessible to all individuals with disabilities. The National Rehabilitation Association continues to be very concerned about the chronic inaccessibility -- both in a programmatic and in some cases, physical regard -- of the one-stop centers to all individuals with disabilities. The National Rehabilitation Association believes that VR should not be required to contribute funds to any one-stop center that is NOT physically and programmatically accessible to VR consumers. The U.S. Department of Labor has had over 5 years since the enactment of the WIA to comply with civil rights law like the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. The progress has not been enough to give all individuals with disabilities access to the one-stops. Indeed, the General Accountability Office (GAO) recently reported on the continued inaccessibility of the one-stop career centers as a continuing barrier to individuals with disabilities who seek the dignity of a career. The National Rehabilitation Association supports a one-stop career system that recognizes the multiple barriers that individuals with disabilities face -- especially those individuals with significant disabilities -- in entering or re-entering the world of work and implores the U.S. Department of Labor to do more in making the one-stops accessible to all -- and all means all -- individuals with disabilities. ---------------------------------------- THE DOWNGRADING OF THE OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF RSA H.R. 27, the Job Training Improvement Act of 2005, would downgrade the Office of the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services in the U.S. Department of Education from an individual appointed by the U.S. President which requires confirmation by the full U.S. Senate to a Director appointed by the Secretary of Education.. The National Rehabilitation Association is strongly opposed to this downgrading for a number of reasons which includes the fact that no one -- no one in the Congress -- no one in the U.S. Department of Education -- no one anywhere -- has given the disability advocacy community a reason for the downgrading of an Office/Commissioner that has the principal responsibility for -- and unmatched expertise in -- the programs administered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (hereinafter referred to as the Public/Private Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) partnership. No other Office within the U.S. Department of Education has the expertise in the VR program that the Office of the Commissioner of RSA has had and continues to have. This includes the Office of the Assistant Secretary (OAS) in the Office of the Special Education and Rehabilitative Services within the U.S. Department of Education, whose Assistant Secretaries' experience has almost always been directed in the special education area. The Office of the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration employs more individuals with disabilities than any other Government Department or Agency in the Federal government. Indeed, the Commissioner of RSA, very often a consumer of the VR Program, is the highest ranking official in the Administration with the expertise in the VR Program in the Administration. Why would anybody want to downgrade an individual/office who administers one of the most successful career producing programs for eligible individuals with disabilities? It simply doesn't make sense and is misguided public policy. The National Rehabilitation Association believes that downgrading the Office of the Commissioner of RSA, will diminish the importance of the VR Program, has the domino-effect of downgrading all programs that support the education, employment and independence of individuals with disabilities and flies in the face of the President's New Freedom Initiative. The National Rehabilitation Association strongly opposes the downgrading of the Office of the Commissioner of RSA which will further diminish the visibility of the successful VR program. ---------------------------------------- THE WIA BLOCK GRANT CONSOLIDATION AMENDMENT On March 2, 2005, H.R. 27, as amended, the Job Training Improvement Act of 2005, was adopted by the full U.S. House of Representatives on a roll call vote of 224-200. There had been speculation -- and anticipation -- during the deliberation of H.R. 27 at all levels of the legislative process -- that this amendment, which would empower Governors to block grant VR and other employment programs -- would be included in the House WIA bill, H.R. 27. That did not occur principally because all in the disABLITY advocacy community voiced strong opposition to their Representatives about the harm to individuals with disabilities that would most assuredly occur from block granting the VR program, a public/private/State/federal employment partnership that works and works well for eligible individuals with disabilities. The National Rehabilitation Association is strongly opposed to the WIA PLUS BLOCK GRANT AMENDMENT which will, we assure you, DIVERT funds that Congress authorized/appropriated specifically for eligible individuals with disabilities to receive job development, job counseling, job training supports and services and job placement -- to other purposes, including, but not limited to, paying for an infrastructure at the one-stops that is not accessible to individuals with disabilities either a programmatic or in some cases a physical regard. We strongly oppose the WIA PLUS BLOCK GRANT AMENDMENT being made a part of the Senate WIA bill, or in any other bill, including, but not limited to, the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) reauthorization, the Higher Ed reauthorization bill, or being included in the conferencing of the House and Senate WIA reauthorization bills. ---------------------------------------- THE PROPOSED CLOSURE BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OF RSA'S REGIONAL OFFICES The National Rehabilitation Association is strongly opposed to the proposed closure by the U.S. Department of Education of the Rehabilitation Services Administration's Regional Offices. The staff in the Regional Offices of RSA have principal responsibility for the monitoring of the programs administered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, commonly referred to as the public/private vocational rehabilitation (VR) program. RSA's Regional Offices also have principal responsibility for providing technical assistance to the States regarding the provisions of the Rehabilitation Act. This proposed closure will eliminate 66 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, many of whom are individuals with disabilities. This closure and elimination of 66 critically important jobs, is especially misguided at a time when the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) recently-released Report has chronicled the abysmal record of the Federal Government in the hiring of individuals with disabilities in the Federal workforce. Members of Congress need to know that the U.S. Department of Education, and principally the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), did not conduct a feasibility study, to the best of our knowledge, to analyze the impact of the closing of these offices on individuals with disabilities and the Public VR program. We are advised that this is on a fast track within the Office of the Assistant Secretary who are saying that there is nothing that Congress can do about the situation. This is being done by administrative fiat. Members of the Congress who authorize and appropriate the funding of the Department of Education need to know what is being said by certain individuals in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. The funds that Congress authorized/appropriated for the conduct of monitoring and technical assistance to the States on the VR Program, are being consolidated/eliminated and diverted for other purposes and that there is NO PLAN IN PLACE that can assume responsibilities with the accountability and expertise of the RSA's Regional Offices. This administrative action by the U.S. Department of Education needs to be investigated by the Congress before it's too late. The ability of Congress to provide oversight will be seriously affected by eliminating on-site monitoring. There HAS BEEN NO IMPACT STUDY DONE AND THERE IS NO PLAN IN PLACE to continue the excellent monitoring and technical assistance that has been conducted by RSA's Regional Offices for decades. ---------------------------------------- THE EFFICIENCY MEASURE IN WIA'S COMMON PERFORMANCE MEASURES Individuals with disABILITIES -- especially those with significant disabilities -- who want the dignity of a career and living independently as they wish in their communities, encounter numerous barriers to employment. The 'Efficiency' measure in the WIA Common Performance Measure simply does not take into account the multiple barriers that individuals with disabilities -- especially those individuals with significant disabilities --encounter in securing or re-securing employment. The 'Efficiency' measure by its very name and nature suggests a one-size-fits-all approach to employment. This is contrary to the paradigm of the Public/Private Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Partnership which has a dual customer: The individual and the business community. The VR program is a comprehensive approach to individuals with disabilities seeking the American Dream. One of the major benefits of VR is the assistance it provides to individuals with disabilities to enable them to move from being a user of Federal dollars to being a taxpayer. The VR Program does not -- and should not -- ever allow itself to be coerced into a 'any-job-will-do' mindset in order to meet rigid efficiency measures. All workers in America deserve the best training for the best jobs that this country has to offer. That training should be fully funded and should take into consideration those individuals who need the services and supports to assist them in succeeding in the world of work. The quick, cheap employment placement will neither serve American workers nor this country in its quest to compete in an increasingly globalized economy. The National Rehabilitation Association supports the removal of the efficiency measure -- or the restructuring of the efficiency measure -- in WIA's Common Performance Measures to reflect an increasingly diversified workforce, which includes all individuals with disabilities. ---------------------------------------- PLACING THE STATE VR DIRECTORS ON THE STATE AND LOCAL WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARDS The National Rehabilitation Association was pleased to learn that H.R. 27, the House WIA reauthorization bill, places the State VR Director for the General Agency on the State Workforce Investment Board (SWIB). The National Rehabilitation Association supports the State Director of the VR Blind Agencies, where applicable, also be placed on the SWIB. H.R. 27, regrettably, removes the State VR Directors from the local Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs). The National Rehabilitation Association supports having both the State VR Director for the General Agency and the State Director of the VR Blind Agency on the WIBs. We believe that as a mandatory partner, VR is contributing millions of dollars to the one-stop career centers and must have a strong presence on both the SWIBs and the WIBS in ensuring that individuals with disabilities receive the recognition and attention that they deserve in all decisions made by the SWIBs and WIBs. The State VR Directors of both the General and Blind Agencies have the expertise in the VR Program and that expertise must be represented on both the State Workforce Investment Boards and the local Workforce Investment Boards. ---------------------------------------- THE GOVERNOR'S WAIVER AUTHORITY The National Rehabilitation Association does not support the Governor having the authority to waive any provision of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, that has been carefully crafted and amended by Congress. The original architects of the Workforce Investment Act made it clear that the programs administered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, would always maintain their own, dedicated funding stream. The monies authorized/appropriated to the VR program should not be diverted to populations other than those for whom the Congress had intended -- eligible individuals with disabilities. Congress intended this funding stream to address the 70 percent UNEMPLOYMENT RATE among people with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities -- especially those with significant disabilities -- need and deserve individualized services and supports in order to assist them in entering the world of work.. The Public/Private VR Partnership provides the individualized services and supports by qualified rehabilitation counselors and associated qualified personnel. Statistics show that individuals with disabilities who enter the world of work make an impressive return on investment of federal dollars and equally important have and will continue to thrive in the world of work with the proper supports and services that the Public/Private VR Partnership can provide. The National Rehabilitation Association supports VR's continued linkage to the one-stop career centers, but feels strongly that no provision of the Rehabilitation Act should be waived to divert VR dollars to individuals other than those for whom Congress intended. The National Rehabilitation Association strongly opposes any waiver authority by the Governor -- including any 'superwaiver' authority over the VR program that would subvert the original intent of Congress.

Gov't Affairs

[an error occurred while processing this directive]