Supported Employment and Long Term Follow-Along for the Counselor and Job Coach

1. Supported Employment and Long Term Follow-Along for the Counselor and Job Coach

2. Introductions: • Who are we? • Judy Hill - EES/LTESS Coordinator • Scott Fraley, SE Program Coordinator • Jack Hayek, Program Director ESSP

3. OFFICE OF EMPLOYMENT SERVICES AND SPECIAL PROGRAMS • JACK HAYEK 804-662-7124 • - email JACK.HAYEK@DRS.VIRGINIA.GOV • SCOTT FRALEY 804-662-7016 • - email ESCOTT.FRALEY@DRS.VIRGINIA.GOV • JUDY HILL 804-662-7108 • - email JUDY.HILL@DRS.VIRGINIA.GOV • TIM OLIVE 804-662-7127 • - email TIM.OLIVE@DRS.VIRGINIA.GOV • FAX NUMBER FOR ESSP: 1-804-662-9140 DRS TOLL FREE VOICE 1-800-552-5019 WEBSITE: http://www.vadrs.org then click on Employment and Vocational Services The Supported Employment Guide can be found at: http://vadrs.org/essp/downloads/seguide/pdf

4. DRS Impact on ESO Programs • DRS Field Spends over $7.7 Million • DRS ESSP LTESS and EES Spend over $7.8 Million

5. Topics to Cover: • Insights into SE/Long Term Practices • Brief Historical Background – LTESS • Key Service Requirements for Long Term Follow-Along

6. Why are we here? • Importance of communication and collaboration between all parties • Supported employment specifics • Long Term Follow-along – LTESS

7. SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT • Collaboration and Communication • Roles of each of us from referral to follow along • Clarification of services

8. DRS Counselor Roles and Responsibilities • Once eligibility is established SE planning begins • Are long term supports needed? If yes, then SE case. If no, consider JCTS. • Identify long term support • SE cases must be coded as MSD

9. DRS COUNSELOR ROLE • Establish benchmarks regarding progress • Stop the process if needed and discuss issues • Clarify expectations • Maintain a separate role with consumer from vendor • Continue to communicate with consumer after referral to job coach • Case statuses must be properly updated.

10. Assist consumer with locating suitable job matches Assist in job search efforts Provide timely written reports and phone contacts with updates as needed Provide job skills training as needed Ensure consumer stability and job satisfaction on both consumer and employer side Provide extended support services, where appropriate Job Coach Role:

11. Communicate and collaborate with DRS Counselor and consumers Providing information as to fading plans, need for follow-along, funding options Work as a team with DRS, case managers, consumers, families, etc. to improve likelihood of success Job Coach Responsibilities

12. Communication Issues • Initial Planning • Authorizing Services • Service Provision • Report Writing • Invoicing

13. Opportunities for Communication and Collaboration • Initial Planning Expectations • Situational Assessment • SE vs. JCTS • Job Development • Placement and training • Stability/Fading • Long Term Follow Along

14. JCTS • Consumer receives initial situational assessment, job development, job skills training, transportation training, or other support services provided by an ESO; however long term follow-along is not necessary after DRS case closure. • This is a separate service and requires applicable service category on vendor’s rate sheet. • Service Item Codes are not the same as those for SE. • Cases can be coded as either MSD or SD.

15. Opportunities for Communication and Collaboration • Authorizing Services • Authorizations before Services • Timely Responses for Hours • Justification for Hours • Communicate Justification • Emergencies- including Post Employment

16. Opportunities for Communication and Collaboration • Service Provision • Agreement of goals, sufficient service hours • Issues to address in Placement and Training • Functional limitations/behavior • Transportation • Job development • Report Writing • Complete, timely, individualized and accurate

17. Opportunities for Communication and Collaboration • Invoicing • Complete, timely, individualized and accurate

18. Movement of Case to LTFA • Ideally, the status of an SE case will go from 18 (training) to 22 (working and stable) at the time intervention levels off and performance is satisfactory. • LTFA can begin to fund support at the time the case moves into status 22 - communication between DRS and ESO is imperative for this planning to take place

19. WHAT IS STABILITY? • Traditional guideline: job coaching support is 20% or less. This may not always be the case. • Support needs have “flattened out.” • Consumer should demonstrate stability for at least 30 days before case is moved to status 22.

20. STABILITY • After a minimum of 30 days of stability the case should be placed in status 22 • LTESS funds should be used in status 22 and LTESS applications should be submitted as soon as the job coach/counselor thinks the consumer will maintain employment – not when the case is closed • Exception: SEPD cases

21. LTFA VS POST EMPLOYMENT SERVICES • LTFA is the maintenance of a person in employment. • LTFA does not mean case management • If retraining, job placement or other services are needed, the DRS counselor should be contacted immediately. The consumer probably will need services other than LTFA.

22. LTESS HISTORY • Grassroots effort by ESOs with General Assembly in FY 94 • Success for FY 95 - $375,000 in State funds with primary target of Supported Employment Follow Along for persons with severe disabilities • Incremental increases most years

23. EES/LTESS BUDGETSFISCAL YEARS 05 & 06 • Additional LTESS dollars in FY 05 $150K • FY 2005 LTESS was $4,499,922 • Additional LTESS dollars in FY 06 $100K • FY 2006 LTESS is $4,595,104 • No new vendors in either year–3 on wait list • FY 2007 – New Money????

24. Long Term Employment Support Services Funding 95-06

25. LTESS ISSUES • Counselor approval must be obtained and documented before applications submitted • Applications must be thoroughly completed • Applications must be submitted by the 20th • Applications cannot be submitted for consumers receiving JCTS.

26. General Information • Services billed through LTESS must be employment related follow-along services • Job development, retraining, general case management services are NOT considered follow-along • Provide the services needed to maintain employment – not “nice to do” or “always have done it that way” or “the employer likes me to come every week” • Spikes are expected-over 20% of hours worked-send in documentation • Written notification is sent to counselors upon enrollment

27. LTESS GUIDELINES • LTESS funds CANNOT be used to supplant planned or current funding for long term supports. • If a consumer is being sponsored by a public source, it should continue - No split funding for employment • Vendors cannot charge DRS more than any other purchasers of the same services as specified on the vendor rate sheet. • Example: Accepting the Medicaid waiver rate for SE individual placement but charging DRS a higher rate.

28. LTESS GUIDELINES (continued) • As LTESS is the funding of last resort for long term supports, vendors must document attempts to secure sponsorship and the absence of alternative funding sources. • Each consumer is required to have an individualized service plan that is clear, complete, and current following CARF guidelines. • DRS requires monthly progress reports for all consumers sponsored with LTESS dollars

29. LTESS GUIDELINES (continued) • Monthly reports (including intervention sheets) should be maintained in the individual consumer file except: • if an individual is billed 20% or more of the total hours worked, the vendor must submit justification in the form of a monthly progress report

30. Questions?