Maryland

Maryland’s workforce system will play a key role in embracing nationally recognized best practices including Employment First, a national effort to assure that all individuals with significant disabilities can work in meaningful positions in integrated settings when provided with adequate, appropriate support. (Page 40)

The Council recommends that Department of rehabilitation services continue collaboration with local providers, the Maryland Department of Disabilities, and the Developmental Disabilities Administration at the State and local levels, as related to the Employment First initiative. This should include an exploration of programmatic barriers to success and cross-agency training needs. (Page 221)

DORS looks forward to continuing to collaborate with other agencies, including the WIOA Partners, regarding Employment First.  Employment First is an initiative that assures that employment is considered on, developmental/intellectual disabilities. DORS expects that there will be more progress toward Employment First in Maryland this coming year with new leadership in place at the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration. (Pages 222, 226, 227)

 These formal interagency cooperative agreements will: identify policies, practices, and procedures that can be coordinated among the agencies (particularly definitions, standards for eligibility, the joint sharing and use of evaluations and assessments, and procedures for making referrals), identify available resources and define the financial responsibility of each agency for paying for necessary services (consistent with State law) and procedures for resolving disputes between agencies, and include all additional components necessary to ensure meaningful cooperation and coordination. For Evidenced Based Supported Employment DORS has implemented a milestone payment system for psychiatric rehabilitation programs offering Evidence-Based Supported Employment services. The milestone payment system significantly streamlines provision of services for DORS and provider staff by substantially reducing preparation of authorizations and invoices, tracking of hours of services, and simplifying reporting. Employment First DORS is a partner with other State agencies (including WIOA Partner, DLLR) and Community Rehabilitation Programs in implementing Employment First, a national effort to assure that all individuals, including those with significant disabilities, consider employment on a preferred basis in planning for their lives. (Page 236)

DORS and DDA updated and approved the Cooperative Agreement, Employment Services, in October 2013. The agreement focuses on the implementation of Employment First in Maryland. It addresses referral between agencies, specifies shared responsibilities for funding of supported employment, and describes cross-training activities. (Pages 241, 246, 266, 256, 266, 269, 276, 299, 314, 323, 326, 339)

Additional trainings regarding job carving, customized employment, and job development in general; 

• Increased assistance to help the consumers with their transportation needs including: comprehensive travel training and reduced delays in transportation funding for consumers
• Opportunities to interface with DORS staff and expand collaborative efforts in job development to include employment specialists and local businesses, opportunities for brainstorming client cases, and for employment specialists across agencies to share strategies and job leads
• The hourly rates for services have not been increased in over five years. The low rates make it difficult for Community Rehabilitation Programs to hire effective job developers. (Page 267)

9.   Update the MOU with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Developmental Disabilities Administration that defines the roles of each agency in establishing a collaborative process toward the provision of customized employment and supported employment services in support of individuals moving from sheltered work to competitive integrated employment,

10. Align services, rates, and reporting requirements in support of pre-employment transition services and supported employment job placement/support services,

11. Identify, develop, and implement a more seamless services delivery system among workforce partners in Maryland

12. Continue collaboration between Maryland DORS and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Behavioral Health Administration in the implementation of a braided funding model that enhances and expands the ability of both DORS and BHA to fund services and increase capacity in the number of individuals eligible for mental health supported employment. (Page 276)

Performance Measures by September 30, 2016: 

• DORS Rehabilitation Services Manuals will be updated consistent with changes in the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by WIOA, and in consultation with WIOA Partners;
• Training will be provided to DORS staff on changes resulting from the reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act (e.g. pre-employment transition services, customized employment, limitations on use of subminimum wage, “competitive integrated employment” criteria, and services to employers) in coordination with WIOA Partners; a. DORS will continue to collaborate with WIOA Partners in the development and implementation of the Maryland WIOA State Plan. (Page 278)

Expanding & Improving Services to Individuals with Disabilities 

• DORS will continually analyze office locations, staff deployment, staff positions and responsibilities, in accordance with DORS mission to more effectively serve students and adults with disabilities, and in collaboration with the WIOA Partners;
• The 2016 Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment will include an assessment and recommendations for expanding and improving services to students and adults with disabilities;
• In collaboration with the WIOA Partners, DORS will establish linkages with businesses and employers to include training, customized employment, education and disability awareness, on-site worksite assistive technology services, and mentoring/internship activities;
• DORS will continue to enhance relationships with Community Rehabilitation Programs to ensure availability of Community Rehabilitation Program services statewide;
• DORS will continue to expand services and outreach to individuals who are deaf-blind and provide technical assistance to staff and WIOA Partners serving this population;
• In collaboration with WIOA Partners, DORS will develop relationships with employers and analyze labor trends, to increase opportunities for employment of populations that are unserved or underserved. (Page 285)

Development & Adult Learning 

• Goodwill
• Mid-Maryland Workforce Investment Area
• Montgomery County Division of Workforce Investment Services
• Tri County Council for Southern Maryland. Use of funds (braiding and leveraging)
• Maryland Association for Adult Community and Continuing Education Maryland DHR-Family Investment Administration
• Maryland DLLR-Division of Workforce Development & Adult Learning
• Maryland State Dept. of Education-Division of Rehabilitation Services
• Susquehanna Workforce Network, Inc. (Page 80)  

The Division enters into cooperative agreements with the Developmental Disabilities Administration and the Behavioral Health Administration in order to provide for increased interagency cooperation, to ensure the maximum utilization of appropriate programs and resources in the provision of services to individuals with disabilities, to expand and improve services to individuals with significant disabilities, and to maximize the use of comparable benefits. (Page 236)

No disability specific information found regarding this element.

Maryland will focus resources toward improving the rate at which students’ transition from adult education programs to postsecondary education or training and employment. All academic instruction funded through AEFLA will be delivered concurrently with Workforce Preparation activities. State initiatives including implementation of the Integrating Career Awareness curriculum and integrated education and training (IET) pilots demonstrated that students need to master preliminary skills in order to succeed in academic and career training. Contextualized instruction incorporating the concurrently delivery of basic academic skills, critical thinking, and digital literacy and self-management skills in all levels of instruction will assist students to prepare for the rigor of a college curriculum, (Page 202)

Collaboration with various federal, state, local, business, and community partners ensures that soon to be released inmates have the necessary career training, work habits, teamwork, conflict resolution skills, and interview techniques that will enable them to land and keep good jobs with a self–sustaining salary. Workforce development professionals and career development facilitators work with individuals on financial literacy and communication strategies. They support efforts to re–unify family members and encourage custodial and non–custodial parents to be “responsible” parents. Staff works with recommended offenders until job placement occurs and continues with post–employment follow–up. The goal is to encourage the ex–offenders’ adjustment to living and working in a non–restrictive environment and to be competitively employed in an economically viable career pathway. The initiative reduces inmate recidivism and supports the formulation and maintenance of two–parent families (Page 362)  

• Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) Program was developed by the USDOL in an effort to reduce the number of weeks that UI claimants receive benefits, by assisting them in quickly returning to the workforce. The RESEA Program is designed to help claimants to identify potential barriers to employment and assesses work search progress. It also includes an eligibility review, which in turn helps the DLLR Division of Unemployment Insurance to identify claimants that may be out of compliance with basic UI laws and policies regarding ability and availability to work, school attendance, and active work search. (Page 84)  

Maryland’s American Job Centers are required to provide reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities to ensure equal access and opportunity. The term “reasonable accommodation” is defined as “modifications or adjustments to an application/registration process that enables a qualified applicant/registrant with a disability to be considered for the aid, benefits, services, training or employment that the qualified applicant/registrant desires;” or “modifications or adjustments that enable a qualified individual with a disability to perform the essential functions of a job, or receive aid, benefits, services, or training equal to that provided to qualified individuals without disabilities,” or “modifications or adjustments that enable a qualified individual with a disability to enjoy the same benefits and privileges of the aid. (Page 124)

DORS will determine what information may be gleaned from the case management system related to waiting list and benefits status, and advise the Council. Through its active participation in the WIOA Alignment Group, the WIOA Jobseeker Advisory Focus Groups (to be planned), and the WIOA Workgroups, DORS will explore ways to better assist individuals with disabilities through the entire workforce system. (Page 222)

DORS belief that individuals with disabilities, even the most significant disabilities, can work in meaningful positions in integrated settings when provided with adequate, appropriate supports. Supported employment is appropriate for individuals in Employment First and is the means to assure the best chance for success in employment. Benefits planning is an important part of services for individuals served through Employment First. Governor’s Employment Program for Persons with Acquired Brain Injury, The Governor’s Employment Program for Persons with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI Project) provides intensive vocational rehabilitation and long-term supports to individuals with acquired brain injuries. This often includes needed neuropsychological and other assessments, training and supported employment services, and long-term job coaching. (Page 236)

Training and technical assistance to employers and WIOA Partners to promote the awareness of the skills and benefits that people with disabilities can bring to their workforce. Types of training included: information on DORS services and training programs, disability awareness, requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and federal contractor compliance with Section 503. (Pages 239, 241, 267, 292, 307,326, 341, 342, 343, 35)

Maryland State Dept. of Education works to develop policies to increase work study (School to Work)

• Maryland Dept. of Disabilities
• Maryland DLLR-Division of Workforce Development & Adult Learning. (Page 81) 

Under the order of selection, DORS will continue to emphasize and enhance services to students with disabilities transitioning from school to work. Description of Priority Categories An individual with a most significant disability (Category I) is an eligible individual (sic). (Page 280)

• Employment development, such as school–to–work opportunities in partnership with private business and public agencies; and,
• Health initiatives, such as improved access to birth control counseling and services for sexually active adolescents and parenting classes for every pregnant teenager and her partner. (Page 373)

The career pathways approach will require a workforce system transformation and can benefit a wide variety of participants, including low-skilled adults, high school students, disconnected youth, veterans, incumbent workers, individuals with disabilities, and other target populations. The system requires aligned and transparent educational progression with multiple entry points and clearly defined “on and off ramps.” The system warrants a source of funding to scale up and sustain initiatives, maintain the partnerships that are critical to the process, and must include tools to measure and evaluate outcomes.  (Page 66)

C.   THE DESIGNATED STATE UNIT WILL COORDINATE ACTIVITIES WITH ANY OTHER STATE AGENCY THAT IS FUNCTIONING AS AN EMPLOYMENT NETWORK UNDER THE TICKET TO WORK AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY PROGRAM UNDER SECTION 1148 OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT.

• FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION OF THE SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM:
  • THE DESIGNATED STATE AGENCY ASSURES THAT IT WILL EXPEND NO MORE THAN 2.5 PERCENT OF THE STATE’S ALLOTMENT UNDER TITLE VI FOR ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS OF CARRYING OUT THIS PROGRAM; AND, THE DESIGNATED STATE AGENCY OR AGENCIES WILL PROVIDE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY THROUGH PUBLIC OR PRIVATE ENTITIES, NON-FEDERAL CONTRIBUTIONS IN AN AMOUNT THAT IS NOT LESS THAN 10 PERCENT OF THECOSTS OF CARRYING OUT SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PROVIDED TO YOUTH WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DISABILITIES WITH THE FUNDS RESERVED FOR SUCH PURPOSE UNDER SECTION 603(D) OF THE REHABILITATION ACT, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 606(B)(7)(G) AND (H) OF THE REHABILITATION ACT.
  • THE DESIGNATED STATE AGENCY ASSURES THAT IT WILL USE FUNDS MADE AVAILABLE UNDER TITLE VI OF THE REHABILITATION ACT ONLY TO PROVIDE SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DISABILITIES, INCLUDING EXTENDED SERVICES TO YOUTH WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DISABILITIES, WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE SUCH SERVICES; AND, THAT SUCH FUNDS ARE USED ONLY TO SUPPLEMENT AND NOT SUPPLANT THE FUNDS PROVIDED UNDER TITLE I OF THE REHABILITATION ACT, WHEN PROVIDING SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT SERVICES SPECIFIED IN THE INDIVIDUALIZED PLAN FOR EMPLOYMENT, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 606(B)(7)(A) AND (D), OF THE REHABILITATION ACT. (Page 336)

The MWE is utilized to manage and validate operational activities, via an internet-accessible participant reporting and data collection system that all DLLR and local workforce area case managers use to report, collect, verify, and manage participant data from each of the local and regional teams. The system’s case management capabilities allow staff to determine program eligibility, track services, and report results to federal funding sources. (Page 74)

Professional development and ongoing technical assistance will be provided to local program administrators, teachers and partners on best practices incorporating the experience of the MI–BEST and ACE programs including recruitment, training selection, team teaching, support services, employer participation, outcomes, and data collection. (Page 203)

Utilize DORS and Developmental Disabilities Administration data collection systems to track anticipated increases in transitioning youth served through the Governor’s Transitioning Youth Initiative and their outcomes. (Pages 266, 287)

Describe how the one-stop delivery system (including one-stop center operators and the one-stop delivery system partners), will comply with section 188 of WIOA (if applicable) and applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) with regard to the physical and programmatic accessibility of facilities, programs, services, technology, and materials for individuals with disabilities. This also must include a description of compliance through providing staff training and support for addressing the needs of individuals with disabilities. Describe the State’s one-stop center certification policy, particularly the accessibility criteria. (Page 124 -127) 

• Section 188 implements the nondiscrimination and equal opportunity provisions of WIOA, which are contained in Section 188 of the statute.
• Section 188 prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation or belief, among other bases.
• Section 188 also requires that reasonable accommodations be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities in certain circumstances. (Page 125)