[NFBMT] Another article from the Disability Rights Newsletter for October, 2019

Tue Nov 5 10:40:24 UTC 2019

Vocational Rehab Program Announces Multi-million Dollar Federal Penalty for
Next Year

As a penalty for overspending in the 2016 fiscal year, the federal government
will be cutting its appropriation to Montana Vocational Rehabilitation by
$3.3 Million this fiscal year.  The customary appropriation from the federal
government is roughly $10 million so this is a cut of nearly 1/3 of the total
federal appropriation. This will inevitably mean that this program that helps
people with disabilities gain employment will continue to place people on the
waiting  list instead of opening new cases.  

The VR program is currently in a total order of selection, with every
category closed to new applicants.  This has been true since March of 2017.
The waiting list in the last year has increased  by 700 and now has a total
of 3213 people waiting.  Although the program has offered services to 200
people on the waiting list, as of September only 84 of those have employment
plans as many of those offered services had moved on after 2 ½ years of
waiting.

When all categories were open and the program was allowing new applicants, a
2012 University of Montana study found that this program put $3.31 in the
economy for every dollar spent after 3 years of employment. 

http://www.bber.umt.edu/pubs/survey/VocRehabReport.pdf. 

This is for all participants with closed cases, with all types of
disabilities.

<https://DisabilityRightsMT.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9937c0f2ad7acf
59fa7c183d1&id=1d3499f6a7&e=d0632197b9> Click Here to Read UM Study

Joy Breslauer, First Vice President

National Federation of the Blind of Montana 

Web Site: http://www.nfbofmt.org <http://www.nfbofmt.org/> 

Live the life you want

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want. 