[nabs-l] Means Testing for College Students‏

[Justin Young]

Hi Elizabeth,
I live in Rochester, New York and my Vocational Rehab Counselor is out
of our Buffalo office because for the most part the Rochester Office
was closed down years ago.  In this office there currently is only one
main Vocational Counselor who I started with when I was about 15 and
had for a few months.  Finally when his response to every request
given was "no" my mom called and asked to be switched and its been
great ever since.  Now as far as your question, I've been receiving
services from our Comission for 2 years now and we don't have this
policy you speak of.  Everything is paid through the state up to a
certain amount.  For example, they only do $500 for books and supplies
and up to SState University of New York(SUNY) rates in terms of
tuition which is little under $2500 per semester(approximately $5,000
per year).  As their funding source the State gives them a certain
amount of money per year for Vocational Rehabilatational Services.
I hope this helps you,
Justin

On 6/2/10, Elizabeth <lizmohnke at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hello List,
>
> The Michigan Commission for the Blind is currently reviewing the policy they
> use to provide services to college students. After reviewing the proposed
> changes, it appears as though the biggest change they want to make to the
> policy is implementing a means test as a provision of services. Since I live
> in Michigan, I am not familiar with the various policies that are carried
> out in different states. Does anyone know if there are any state vocational
> rehabilitation programs that use means testing for college students, and if
> so, how means testing impacts the quality of services college students
> receive from their vocational rehabilitation agency? Additionally, does
> anyone know where I might be able to find more information about the use of
> means testing as a provision of services?
>
> One of the main arguments the agency is using to justify a means test is the
> fact that in most cases the income of the student’s parents is used to
> determine federal financial aid. They seem to believe that if the parents
> income is used to determine federal financial aid then the parents income
> should also be used to determine how much money the student can contribute
> to his or her vocational rehabilitation program. However, this does not seem
> right to me, as I believe the main purpose of the vocational rehabilitation
> program is to serve the individual, in this case the college student, and
> not necessarily the family as a whole.
>
> I also understand that the vocational rehabilitation agency cannot require
> individuals to use Social Security benefits to pay for services. Does anyone
> know if this applies to providing services to college students as well? The
> Michigan Commission for the Blind claims that by implementing a means test
> for college students that they are not violating this policy because the
> student can choose to pay for their portion of services any way they see
> fit. However, if the only means of income available to the student is
> through their Social Security benefits, then how else is the student
> expected to pay for their portion of services?
>
> Their answer to this argument is that if a student chooses to use their
> Social Security benefits to pay for their portion of services, then that is
> the students choice. But what they do not seem to understand is that in most
> cases the student does not have a choice when that is their only source of
> income. They also seem to believe that this burden should fall on the
> parents if the student cannot pay their portion of services. But this
> statement only leads me to believe that they are out of touch with the real
> world where many people in Michigan are struggling to keep their job, put
> food on the table, and make the mortgage payments on time if at all.
>
> Any information you might be able to provide on this subject would be
> greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Elizabeth
>
>  		 	   		
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