The Vocational Rehabilitation Process

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According to the Rehabilitation Act, the purpose of vocational rehabilitation (VR) is to maximize empowerment, independence, and productivity of persons with disabilities. More specifically, vocational rehabilitation is supposed to help persons with disabilities "Pursue meaningful careers by securing gainful employment commensurate with their abilities and capabilities." Each state officially designates one agency to accomplish this for all its citizens with disabilities, and carefully outlines the process through which it will be accomplished (as required by the Rehab Act).

This process must include the client as an active partner in decision making, must be done by qualified vocational rehabilitation counselors, must include an accountability system, and must start from the assumption that everyone can hold a job. (See Rehab Act, T1, sec 100, 3)

According to the Policy and Procedure Manual (PPM) for Missouri's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, a person's rehabilitation process is recorded using a set of 17 case status codes based on their progress towards getting a job. Codes range from 00 to 32, and the person's VR counselor fills out forms documenting every move from one "code" to another.

00 & 02 - Referral. When a person contacts the VR agency, or is referred there by someone, their status is 00. Once they sign a formal application, they move to status 02 while eligibility is examined. During 02, the counselor will look at the person's financial, medical, and psychological records, among other things, to decide about their eligibility.

04 - Pre-service. If it turns out a person is eligible but the VR agency can't offer service because of limited funds, they are placed on a waiting list and in 04 status.

06 - Extended Evaluation. If the counselor is not sure that VR services can help the person with a disability get a job, they are placed in 06 status while the counselor looks into the situation. This can not last longer than 18 months and must be reviewed every 90 days.

10 & 12 - Planning Status. In the normal flow, a person moves to status 10 once they are found eligible for VR services, and the counselor and person begin creating the IWRP. Once the IWRP is finished (and a supervisor approves it) the person moves to status 12.

14, 16, 18, 20, 22, & 24 - Service Status. The first three codes are for certain types of VR services: 14 = employment counseling or guidance on job hunting skills; 16 = physical or mental therapy, surgery, or any similar kind of treatment; and 18 = training, either vocational or "personal adjustment". The last three codes are for someone farther along: 20 = ready for employment, 22 = employed, 24 = services interrupted for some reason.

08, 30, 28, 26 - Closed. All cases must reach one of these codes. The first three are for cases that are closed before the person is employed: 08 is for cases in which the counselor does not find the person eligible for VR services, 30 is for cases closed after eligibility but before the IWRP, and 28 is for cases closed after the IWRP and after an interruption (status 24). Status 26 is the goal of VR: closed after employment (rehabilitation) for more than 60 days.

32 - Post-Employment. This is for services needed after employment to help the person keep the job they have found. It is only used for cases in status 26, and allows help without reopening the case.

The MMP manual explains each of these status codes in great detail, including what actions the counselor has to take, what forms to fill out, what decisions must be made, and what options are available. Every decision is documented in the case file that the counselor keeps on each client.

If a person is employed for more than 60 days but looses that job after their counselor closes their case, the case can sometimes be reopened. However, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation "discourages" reopening cases within a year of closing in status 26 (employed, rehabilitated). The counselor must justify reopening it based on special circumstances, which can include: experiencing a new disability, experiencing an increase in a disability, discrimination based on the disability, or other serious problems that interfere with keeping a job.