[NFBWATlk] Feds Tell Voc Rehab Agencies Not To Limit Services To In-State Options - Disability Scoop - August 27, 2024

Tue Aug 27 19:00:21 UTC 2024

	Just to clarify, there has been no change to the policy; this is a
reiteration and a reclarification of an existing policy. This policy is the
same and has been so for a while. The hope is that different state VR
agencies, such as DSB start following the policy that has already been set
in place. For someone who is interested in going to a Structured Discovery
training center such as the Colorado Center for the Blind or the Louisiana
Center for the Blind, a client/consumer will have to make the justification
that a Structured Discovery training center is different than what is
offered at  OTC or any other services that is able to be provided in state.
If anyone needs to learn more or support with understanding the differences,
please reach out to me. I am the VP of the National Blindness Professional
Certification Board and we certify what centers meet the designation of
being a Structured Discovery training center. 
	This is the same for any post-secondary institution. VR/DSB will
support students going to out of state schools and pay for the equivalent
tuition offered by a school in-state unless it can be proven that the
program or program is not offered in-state. For example, if the University
of Washington charges $20,000 for tuition a semester but an equivalent
program is offered in New York that charges $40,000; VR or DSB may only
provide up to $20,000 unless the university in New York is not actually
offered in Washington. 
	All in all, if you are interested in going to any type of training
or education outside of Washington, it is doable and this may not be shared
by your counselor. However, this email shared by Noel will be an excellent
part of your justification letter. This is a long and stablished policy but
it is not widely advertised by any VR agency/DSB and you may need to
advocate for the program you are interested in attending to get support. I
am skeptical that this will eliminate pushback, but this will help with the
advocacy portion when anyone has issues with DSB or VR. Thanks for sharing
Noel!

Colin Wong 
480-886-4445 
s.colin.wong at gmail.com
-----Original Message-----
From: NFBWATlk <nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Humberto Avila via
NFBWATlk
Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2024 11:20 AM
To: Nightingale, Noel via NFBWATlk <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Humberto Avila <humberto_avila.it104 at outlook.com>
Subject: Re: [NFBWATlk] Feds Tell Voc Rehab Agencies Not To Limit Services
To In-State Options - Disability Scoop - August 27, 2024

OK, so it says: and I quote:

"Vocational rehabilitation should pay for out-of-state services including
postsecondary programs for those with autism or intellectual disabilities if
similar options cannot be found within their borders, federal officials
say."

If I am reading this correctly, this may mean that we as Blind
Washingtonians will have soooooo much greater access to training programs
and training centers offered by the NFB and this also may mean that DSB will
have absolutely NO choice but to oblige by their blind client's keen
interest in furthering their philosophy of blindness, mindset and skills
sets with going to an NFB sponsored training center?

Wow! I if only the Feds would have made this decision about 10 years ago
when I was going through college and needing my own skill development! 
This impending ruling will have significant positive consequences for many
of our newer members of the NFBW as well as soooo many students who want to
learn about the NFB and get the alternative blindness skills they so need
and DSB can finally send more people to either the Colorado or Louisiana
Centers for the Blind and / or the Blind Inc. or BISM in Maryland. I think
this is huge news. Kudos for those federal people in finally making the
right decisions for our disability communities!

On 8/27/2024 10:49 AM, Nightingale, Noel via NFBWATlk wrote:
> https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2024/08/27/feds-tell-voc-rehab-agencie
> s-not-to-limit-services-to-in-state-options/31027/
> Feds Tell Voc Rehab Agencies Not To Limit Services To In-State Options 
> By Michelle Diament Disability Scoop August 27, 2024
>
> Vocational rehabilitation should pay for out-of-state services including
postsecondary programs for those with autism or intellectual disabilities if
similar options cannot be found within their borders, federal officials say.
> New guidance from the U.S. Department of Education's Rehabilitation
Services Administration details how vocational rehabilitation agencies
should respond to requests for out-of-state services.
> Ultimately, the five-page technical assistance document says that if a
vocational rehabilitation recipient is seeking services that fall within the
needs identified in their individualized plan for employment, or IPE, the
agency should accommodate an out-of-state option so long as no comparable
in-state option exists.
> "State VR agencies should provide VR services that best meet the unique
disability and vocational needs of individuals with disabilities and
maximize employment opportunities for such individuals, even if those
services are located out-of-state," reads the guidance sent to state
officials across the country this month.
> The information comes in response to questions that the Rehabilitation
Services Administration has received about whether vocational rehabilitation
agencies may support individuals who would like to attend out-of-state
postsecondary training.
> Offerings that individuals with disabilities might seek to access farther
from home include postsecondary programs designed to address the specific
needs of students with autism or intellectual disabilities, for example, or
residential training centers for individuals who are blind, officials said.
> Out-of-state programs may also be warranted if the course of study or
degree needed to fulfill the employment goal in an individual's IPE is not
available with a particular state. Similarly, if an individual has been
accepted to a prestigious out-of-state college or university that would
better position them to access employment, the vocational rehabilitation
agency should support that option, federal officials said.
> "State VR agencies may establish a preference for in-state services, so
long as the preference does not effectively deny an individual a necessary
service that may be available out-of-state," the guidance states. "State VR
agencies may not establish policies that effectively prohibit the provision
of out-of-state services."
>
>
>
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