Getting a Job

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Name of Client: Marion McKee
Contact made: [_] Home [_] Office [X] Phone [_] Other
Date:5/2/98
Contact with: Marion

PURPOSE:

I reached Marion today at home to find out if she had ever resumed work.

ACTION TAKEN:

Marion was very happy to tell me that she had just started last Wednesday working for Dr. Charles DiMario (her psychiatrist). She is working as a social worker with clients in the office. She states she has finally gotten on the proper mix of medications and has been very stable now for about 3 to 4 months. She states she feels very good about returning to work and especially good about the employment situation.

NEXT ACTION:

I will place her in employed status as of 05/25/98.

Signed: Darren Howard

Darren: Hi, Darren Howard here.

Marion: Hi, Darren, it's Marion. You had left a message for me the other day.

Darren: Hi Marion. I had just called to follow up on your employment status. We're actually a couple of months over the 90 days, so I just wanted to make sure your job with Dr. DiMario was still working out.

Marion: Oh, I'm sorry - I never called you about that. I'm not working for him, anymore. That only lasted a week before a position came open at the Independent Living Center, so I moved over there and I've been working there ever since.

Darren: Oh. Well... Was Dr. DiMario Ok with that?

Marion: Oh, sure. We were just trying that position out for a while, anyway, to see how it worked, and since this one was better, in terms of the salary and being more established, he said "Go get it!"

Darren: Well, then, how has the ILC job been? What do they have you doing?

Marion: I'm an independent living specialist and a head injury case manager. In some ways it's the same kind of advocacy things I was doing volunteer before. That's really what happened - Sheryl told me that they were thinking about hiring someone and that she had suggested me, since she knew I had been looking. So it's worked out real well, because I already knew everyone and stuff.

Darren: Great. From all that you've been through, I'm sure you could do a great job at that.

Marion: Yes, that kind of helps. But also, I know all the resources we have available to us here. Plus I know what else is in the area. And I'm learning who to talk to when someone needs something unconventional, or just something I've never tried before. I've joined the Missouri Disability Rights Coalition, which is a kind of grassroots group for people with disabilities of all kinds. And I'm learning a lot from them. So I'm still learning, but the job is going well.

Darren: Good. Well, it sounds to me like you're doing very well. I think we can go ahead and move your case to the closed status, if that's OK with you. Do feel like you will need anything more from VR?

Marion: No. You've been such a help on all this, though - you just don't know how much it meant to me to be able to get back in school and finish up that degree. And, if it hadn't been for your help years ago, I wouldn't even have had the idea to try for a college degree. So you and VR have made just a world of difference.

Darren: Well thanks, Marion. It always helps when I've got a strong client like you, someone who can pick up and advocate for herself on what she needs. So thanks for making my job easier.

Marion: Thank you.

Darren: So I'm going to go ahead and get your closure statement ready. I'll just send it to you to sign and you can get it back to me. OK?

Marion: That sounds good.

Darren: Let's see if there's anything else... I'll need to know how much you are making, for the paper work.

Marion: It's about $17,000 a year. I can get the exact figure for you tomorrow if you need it.

Darren: No, that will be fine. Well, congratulations on the job Marion. And let me know if anything else comes up that you need help with.

Marion: OK.

Darren: Goodbye

Marion: Goodbye

Name of Client: Marion McKee
Contact made: [_] Home [_] Office [X] Phone [_] Other
Date: 11/2/98
Contact with: Marion

PURPOSE:

I talked with Marion today who called me since I had left a message the other day to talk to her.

ACTION TAKEN:

I wanted to find out if Marion was still working for Dr. DiMario's office in Columbia, but she told me she only worked for him for about a week and has been over at the Independent Living Center ever since. She is working as a social worker there, making $17,000 per year. I told her I would be sending a closure plan to her and she agreed to sign and return it to me. She was appreciative of services.

NEXT ACTION:

Send closure plan

Signed: Darren Howard