Ohio

Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, Employment First, Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities, Assistive Technology of Ohio, and the Ohio Departments of Aging, Developmental Disabilities, Job and Family Services, Medicaid, and Mental Health and Addiction Services collaborated on the creation of the site. (Page 46)

Transition services are funded by the various state agencies that serve the individual youth in accordance with requirements under WIOA, IDEA and other pertinent laws. In addition to the Interagency Agreement between the Ohio Department of Education and Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, Ohio’s Employment First Task Force works across multiple systems to align policies and practices and issues guidance to the field as needed to ensure that students receive the services needed to ensure achievement of employment and other post-secondary outcomes. (Page 150)

In FFY 2013, OOD in partnership with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) established a dual certification program as part of the Employment First Partnership Agreement. This dual certification program is designed to ensure continuity of services and allow for more successful transition from time–limited to long–term supports. In addition, it is designed to better respond to the needs of individuals served by the program as well as our business partners.151-allowing them to provide VR services to individuals being served by OOD in the Employment First Partnership. Performance–based job development is utilized to ensure a more outcome–focused method of service provision. Staff providing services under this waiver must pass an online course and attend mandatory trainings on VR services, fee schedules, billing, and reporting expectations before they can begin providing services. They must also attend in–person trainings on employer engagement and on–the–job supports within one year of passing the online supported employment web course to continue providing services. (Page 151-152)

As mentioned previously, OOD partners with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) to expand vocational rehabilitation (VR) services to individuals with developmental disabilities as part of the state’s overall Employment First Initiative. It also should be noted that DODD is the lead agency for Ohio’s Employment First initiative, which was signed by Governor Kasich in March 2012. OOD is an active member of the Employment First Task Force, which is examining existing practices in the state system to identify and address barriers to employment for people with developmental and other disabilities. (Page 157)

In 2015 and continuing into 2016, Ohio has been selected as a core state in the Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program. Through this grant, which is funded through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the Employment First Taskforce has identified action steps that each agency will complete to promote the core principles for transition in Ohio:

• Competitive, integrated employment is expectation for all youth with disabilities;
• Transition planning for youth requires multi–agency collaboration;
• Early dialogue with individuals and families is critical to ensuring employment outcomes;
• There are multiple pathways to employment; and
• Person–centered planning is key to the development of effective services and supports for transition–age youth. (Page 158)

OOD will provide targeted training to enhance personnel development. This will include targeted training on Employment First, supported employment, eligibility, transition procedures and clarification of roles and responsibilities of OOD and school personnel. (Page 160)

Mental health: OOD’s service provision is higher for individuals with psychosocial and cognitive impairments. This is most likely explained by the fact that OOD in the past four years has concentrated efforts through focused contracts with local Mental Health and Drug Addiction boards, local Developmental Disabilities boards, and most recently through the Ohio Department Developmental Disabilities funding for Employment First. Each of these populations also has an organized representative presence through established county public agencies across the state. (Page 169)

OOD has several Interagency Agreements that are designed to implement service delivery models that will increase outcomes for specific populations served by the VR program. The Employment First Partnership Agreement with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities and the Ohio Transition Support Program with the Ohio Department of Education are both examples of this. (Page 179)

Employment First Partnership Agreement: OOD has continued its Employment First (EF) Partnership Agreement with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. OOD has expanded the number of VR counselors providing services under the agreement from 15 to 25 counselors during this time period. In FFY 2015, the EF program exceeded all performance goals. This includes exceeding its rehabilitation goal by 150 percent and its plan development goal by 200 percent. (Page184) and (Page 186)

Employment (second and fourth Quarter after exit): Adult and Dislocated Worker: Historical WIA data exists for these cohorts for us to use in calculations and projections. Applying the employed second quarter after exit to the historical WIA population yields only a modest difference between WIA’s entered employment first quarter after exit and WIOA’s employment second quarter after exit for these two cohorts. Therefore, we propose using the PY 2015 WIA common measure level as a starting point for establishing a performance history for the second quarter after exit measure. For the fourth quarter after exit, (Page 310)

Other VR or support services needed to ensure success in community employment;

• Follow–up and monitoring of job performance during the stabilization process;
• Discrete post–employment services not commonly available from those who provide extended services;
• Identification and development/facilitation of natural supports; and
• Customized employment. (Page 188)

Disability resource coordinator staff in OhioMeansJobs centers implemented Ohio’s strategic components, which included deploying integrated resource teams, leveraging partner funds and resources, customized employment, and asset development. Through this initiative OhioMeansAccessibility.com was added to OhioMeansJob.com. (Page 284)

One In 2011, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) received a three–year Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) demonstration grant project to improve the education, training, and employment opportunities and outcomes for adults who are unemployed, underemployed, and/or receiving Social Security disability benefits. Three OhioMeansJobs centers in Cleveland, Portsmouth and Toledo operated the DEI grant project. Disability resource coordinator staff in OhioMeansJobs centers implemented Ohio’s strategic components, which included deploying integrated resource teams, leveraging partner funds and resources, customized employment, and asset development. Through this initiative OhioMeansAccessibility.com was added to OhioMeansJobs.com. (Page 248)

OOD projects a continued need to hire VR staff in the above referenced classifications over the course of this Combined State Plan. OOD prioritizes the use of available resources to hire direct service personnel and therefore, the greatest area of need will likely continue to be VR counselors and caseload assistants as well as supervisory staff. OOD has been aggressively pursuing strategies to improve the cost effectiveness of the VR program. Identified cost savings are reinvested strategically to further improve performance for the VR program. A projected area of increased need over the course of this plan will likely be for staff hired to provide “in–house” job development and/or work incentives counseling services. OOD has been piloting these new service delivery models during FFY 2015 and, based upon the success of the pilots, is poised to increase investments in this area. (Page 160)

In FFY 2015, OOD piloted the provision of both job development and work incentives counseling (i.e., benefits planning) services through “in–house” personnel. OOD is currently in the process of evaluating the results of these pilots to determine the extent to which they resulted in increased outcomes and reduced time to placement. It is anticipated that OOD will expand the use of this service delivery model over the course of this Combined State Plan. (Page 179)In–House Service Delivery: In FFY 2015, OOD conducted in–house service delivery pilots in the areas of job development and work incentives counseling (i.e., benefits planning). OOD is in the process of evaluating the results of these pilots and expects to expand this service delivery model in FFY 2016. (Page 184)

Follow–up services for not less than 12 months;

• Comprehensive guidance and counseling;
• Financial literacy education;
• Entrepreneurial skills training;
• Labor market and employment information; and
• Activities to prepare for and transition to post–secondary education and training.

These services will be made available and/or will be provided through the procured youth provider. Assurance that all local workforce development areas and the lead agency are making the 14 program elements available and implemented will be done through the state monitoring program. (Page 101)

Through collaboration with local workforce development partners and alignment with the regional or local plan, ABLE programs will assist English language learners with career goals by offering integrated English literacy and civics education concurrently with integrated education and training as part of a career pathway. Integrated education and training will focus on in–demand occupations that lead to economic self–sufficiency. Successful career pathways, leading to educational and career advancement for ABLE students, will require coordinated design, delivery, and evaluation amongst all local workforce development partners In PY2016, ODHE will plan and coordinate with state-level workforce development partners to provide guidance and technical assistance to eligible providers who seek to implement, beginning PY2017, an IELCE program in combination with integrated education and training under section 243. (Page 136)

Expands access for students with disabilities to engage in career exploration and skill development at a younger age, launching them on a path to career success and independence;

• Increases participation of VR counselors in IEP team meetings ensuring cross–agency planning and earlier career preparation; and
• Improves strategies to ensure that students with disabilities secure employment prior to graduation and connect with long–term supports services when needed and available to ensure long term success.
• Educates parents and youth on work incentives planning by comparing benefits of work versus SSI. (Page 37)

OOD has traditionally relied fully on fee for service purchasing of VR services from Community Rehabilitation Programs. In FFY 2015, OOD piloted the provision of both job development and work incentives counseling (i.e., benefits planning) services through “in–house” personnel. OOD is currently in the process of evaluating the results of these pilots to determine the extent to which they resulted in increased outcomes and reduced time to placement. It is anticipated that OOD will expand the use of this service delivery model over the course of this Combined State Plan. (Page 179)

Under WIA, the vocational rehabilitation (VR) program was evaluated by standards and indicators unique to the VR program. OOD has met compliance with program standards and indicators, which relate to the number and quality of employment outcomes achieved by the program. As noted previously, OOD is currently in the process of making changes in its case management system to align with the common measures under WIOA. In addition baseline data related to the common measures is being established and evaluated. It should be noted that for newly required data elements, such as skill gains and attainment, a period of data collection will be required to establish this baseline data. (Page 147)

ABLE is Ohio’s front–line program to help adults without a high school diploma or equivalency. ABLE is the foundation on which workforce education is built, therefore providing the fundamental skills for individuals to be successful in job training and employment. Remedial services provided through ABLE are contextualized to meet the diverse needs of individuals’ career pathways. The single biggest challenge the ABLE program faces in Ohio is a lack of awareness about what ABLE is and the wide–range of free services the program provides. (Pages 27-28)

Ohio’s vocational rehabilitation (VR) program is aligning its on–the–job training strategy and policies with Title I employment and training and Trade Adjustment Assistance programs for seamless service delivery for businesses. The VR program also is working to increase utilization and access to the Workforce Inventory of Education and Training – Ohio’s eligible training provider system – which includes connection with apprenticeship programs. To further that connection, VR is working with Ohio’s Apprenticeship Council to develop career pathways for transitioning youth to enter into the programs. (Page 32)

• All state-approved secondary career-technical programs will meet State Quality Program Standards (QPS);
• Evaluation of adherence to QPS will be part of a periodic renewal of eligibility as a state-approved career-technical program and for state weighted career-technical funding.
• The state will provide technical assistance for and monitoring of QPS.
• A secondary program that operates under a state-approved POS and meets secondary state QPS will also, by definition, meet Tech Prep criteria;
• Once all secondary programs operate under a state-approved POS and meet QPS, all programs can also be identified as Tech Prep programs;
• Tech Prep programs will be characterized by open entry for all secondary students;
• Effective academic/career counseling and effective Individual Education Plan (IEP) development will be available in schools to ensure that students are in appropriate programs for their individual needs;
• All educators, especially teachers, will be supported with access to products/services that will help them ensure student success;
• High expectations will be in place for students to exit secondary Tech Prep programs as successful secondary “completers;”
  • A successful secondary completer is a student that demonstrates high level academic and technical achievement.
  • A successful secondary completer is a student that is well prepared to move seamlessly to postsecondary Tech Prep programs. (Page 249)

Aligning and implementing the best practices of the current and future Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) Projects. Commerce, ICCB, and Department of Human Services Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) have worked with regional and local partners to increase the participation of individuals with disabilities (aged 18 and above) in integrated career pathway and academic programs through community colleges and non-profit organizations in cooperation with American Job Centers, Local Workforce Innovation Boards (LWIB), employment networks and other regional partners. (Page 135)

Under Title IV’s OhioMeansJobs Center partner program, OOD’s vocational rehabilitation program’s case management system – AWARE – is used by approximately 37 state vocational rehabilitation agencies nationwide. OOD also partners with ODJFS to obtain Ohio employment verification and wage data. It should be noted that access to only Ohio wage information limits the VR program from accurately identifying the full population of individuals employed after receiving services (i.e., individuals who may be employed out of state with a federal agency or as an independent contractor are not in the Ohio wage file). OOD will continue to research opportunities to develop additional data collection activities that will support the accurate identification of the full population of individuals employed after receiving vocational rehabilitation services. (Page 62)

Under Title II’s OhioMeansJobs partner program, the ABLELink system is ABLE’s online student information management system. The system collects student information for local program (Page 62)

The vocational rehabilitation program, in accordance with WIOA requirements, is currently in the process of making changes to its case management system and data collection activities to align with common measures. In addition, OOD is collecting and evaluating baseline performance data to prepare for the negotiation of performance levels with the Rehabilitation Services Administration. (Page 69)

Under WIA, the vocational rehabilitation (VR) program was evaluated by standards and indicators unique to the VR program. OOD has met compliance with program standards and indicators, which relate to the number and quality of employment outcomes achieved by the program. As noted previously, OOD is currently in the process of making changes in its case management system to align with the common measures under WIOA. In addition baseline data related to the common measures is being established and evaluated. It should be noted that for newly required data elements, such as skill gains and attainment, a period of data collection will be required to establish this baseline data. (Page 73)

How the local board will facilitate access to services provided through the OhioMeansJobs delivery system through the use of technology and other means;

• How entities within the OhioMeansJobs delivery system, including OhioMeansJobs center operators and partners, will comply section 188 of WIOA, if applicable, and applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 regarding the physical and programmatic accessibility of facilities. (Page 348)
• How entities within the OhioMeansJobs delivery system, including OhioMeansJobs center operators and partners, will comply section 188 of WIOA, if applicable, and applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 regarding the physical and programmatic accessibility of facilities, programs and services, technology, and materials for individuals with disabilities, including providing staff training and support for addressing the needs of individuals with disabilities;
• How the local board will coordinate with the regional JobsOhio; and
• The roles and resource contributions of the OhioMeansJobs center partners. 351 Ohio’s standards for OhioMeansJobs center certification also will include requirements to not only comply with the ADA, but also Sec 188 of WIOA. Certification will require OhioMeansJobs staff to receive training to understand and better serve individuals with disabilities. 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. (Pages 84-85)