The Public Vocational Rehabilitation Program:
The Economic Impact of Attracting and Retaining Qualified Rehabilitation Professionals
The role of the vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselor is
the cornerstone of the Public Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
Program. As the key professional in the system, the VR
counselor is responsible for interacting with individuals with
disabilities who are seeking or receiving VR services to assist
them in entering the workforce and becoming economically
independent. VR counselors are uniquely qualified to
assist individuals with disabilities in assessing their needs
for individualized services and supports to achieve high quality
employment outcomes.
During the 1992 and 1998 reauthorizations of the
Rehabilitation Act, increased emphasis was placed on the
qualifications of individuals working directly with VR
customers. These new requirements have necessitated that
State VR agencies provide additional education for incumbent
counselors that do not meet the highest state standard for
professional counselors. In most cases, this is a master’s
degree in rehabilitation counseling.
In many states, from one third to one half of the incumbent counselors do not meet the state standard and, therefore, must be provided with additional education and training to be considered qualified to provide services through the Public VR Program. While special training grant funds have been made available for this purpose, they are not adequate to cover the cost of necessary education and training, which often comes to almost $30,000 per staff person. State VR agencies have had to make up the shortfall in these training funds with case service funds, thereby reducing the total funds available to serve individuals with disabilities who are seeking assistance from VR.
State VR agencies are facing a dwindling pool of
potential qualified applicants for counselor positions.
The situation is likely to become critical over the next 5 to 10
years because a significant percentage of individuals currently
working for State VR agencies will be retiring.
As State VR agencies commit more funds to hiring and
retaining qualified VR counselors, fewer dollars will be
available to assist individuals with disabilities in becoming
gainfully employed. Unless there is a significant increase
in VR funding, the erosion of VR’s purchasing power will
continue and the detrimental impact on persons with disabilities
seeking services from the Public VR Program will be significant.
