The Public Vocational Rehabilitation Program:
The Economic Impact of the
Workforce Investment Act of 1999
Program consolidation and service integration have become vital public policy strategies for workforce development programs. The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) mandated major workforce program consolidation and required service integration. It created a national workforce preparation and employment system to meet the needs of all workers and employers. Title I covered traditional job training and placement services and established a new one-stop career center system. Title IV incorporated the 1998 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act into WIA, making the Public Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program a key component of this new workforce system.
The key philosophies and service principles advanced in Title I of WIA included: universal access; streamlining services; empowering individuals; increased accountability; strong local and private sector boards; and state and local flexibility. Significant provisions in WIA require cooperation, collaboration, and coordination between the existing vocational rehabilitation service delivery system authorized under Title I of the Rehab Act and the newly created State Workforce Investment Systems. State VR agencies are required to enter into cooperative agreements with other parts of these workforce investment systems. Areas of cooperation include: 1) Provision of staff training and technical assistance to other service providers with regard to eligibility for, and availability of, benefits under the Public VR Program; 2) Promotion of equal, effective, and meaningful participation by individuals with disabilities in workforce investment activities through the promotion of program accessibility; 3) Adoption of management and program information systems linking workforce development programs; 4) Identification of staff roles and responsibilities, including the specification of financial responsibilities of each component of the statewide workforce investment system; 5) Participation in, and use of, common intake and referral procedures, consumer databases, and resource information systems; and 6) Establishment of cooperative efforts with employers.
As WIA’s one-stop
approach to employment and training services is being
implemented, some states are asking their State VR agencies to
pay for things that are not authorized expenditures under Title
I of the Rehabilitation Act.
Under the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA), One-Stop Centers are responsible
for serving individuals with disabilities under the same terms
and conditions as they serve non-disabled individuals, and for
providing the necessary accommodations to ensure the meaningful
and full participation of such individuals in educational and
training programs and in employment. While this is
generally acknowledged, the actual practice in many places
appears to go beyond the intent of the law and VR is asked to
assume the costs associated with making the facilities and
programs at One-Stop Centers accessible to individuals with
disabilities. At many centers, individuals with
disabilities who are seeking services are immediately referred
to the Public VR Program for services, rather than trying to
serve such individuals through the generic service system.
While VR’s involvement
in state workforce investment systems is critically important,
and acknowledged by State VR Agencies, WIA has placed
significant responsibilities on the Public VR Program with no
additional funding to meet these needs. VR’s role and
responsibilities under WIA create an additional workload that
reduces the percentage of VR funds available to provide services
and supports to eligible individuals with disabilities.
