Ohio Employment First Partnership
Julie Hance, Project Lead
Stacy Collins, Project Lead
Ohio Employment First
• Employment First Federal and State Landscapes
• Ohio’s Employment First Initiative Overview
• Employment First Partnership Basics
• First Year of the Partnership
• Current Layout of the Partnership
• Service Model for the Partnership
Ohio’s Employment First
Executive Order
Signed in March 2012
• Employment First Task Force
• Department of Developmental Disabilities
• Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities
• Department of Medicaid
• Department of Education
• Mental Health and Addiction Services
• Department of Jobs and Family Services
• Developmental Disabilities Council
• Employment First Advisory Committee
Employment First
5123.022 of the Ohio Revised Code
“It is hereby declared to be the policy of this state that employment services
for individuals with developmental disabilities be directed at community
employment. Every individual with a developmental disability is presumed
capable of community employment.
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/5123.022
Employment First Administrative Rule Language
Every individual of working age takes part in a
person-centered planning process
to identify their desired employment outcome and
their place on the path to community employment.
Changing Expectations
Young people with developmental disabilities will learn
about employment options and planning during their
school years.
Changing Expectations
A new expectation that
community employment, i.e,
competitive employment that
takes place in an integrated
setting, is the preferred
outcome for working-age
adults with developmental
disabilities.
Path to Employment
Developed in partnership with self-advocacy groups, this
publication explains the Employment First Rule for all audiences,
and can be a useful tool in the person-centered planning process.
Order at ohioemploymentfirst.org
(detail)
http://www.ohioemploymentfirst.org/view.php?nav_id=63
Ohio APSE Statement on Employment First
www.ohioemploymentfirst.org
“Community Employment shall be the priority
and the preferred outcome for working-age
Ohioans with disabilities.”
Employment First Taskforce
Employment
First
Partnership
Family and
Job Seeker
Support
Employment
First Website
Project
Transformation
Provider
Support
DB 101
Employment
First Data
Collection
System
Transition
Framework
Employment
First Rule and
Companion
Document
Local Leaders
Funding
System
Redesign
Community
and Employer
Support
www.ohioemploymentfirst.org
Employment First Advisory
Ohio
Real Culture Shift
• All people with disabilities are presumed
capable of community employment
• No more asking “Can you work?” but instead
“What are you good at?”
• No more asking “Do you want to work?”
but instead “Where do you want to work?”
• Working is the norm – not the exception
Current DD Employment Picture
• 94% of available adult service funding supports
facility based work and non-work
• 32,557 Working Age Adults in Ohio served in the
DD system
Employment First Partnership
Interagency agreement between DODD
and OOD designed to expand community
employment services to county board
eligible adults with developmental disabilities
to transition from segregated settings into
integrated competitive employment.
Employment First Partnership
Original FFY14 Layout
• 15 Designated Embedded EF VRCs with reduced
caseloads
• 4 CWIC Certified Counselor Assistants
• 14 Regions
• Largest region 12 counties
• All new referrals, no transfer cases
Employment First Partnership Basics
Current FFY15 Layout
• 25 Designated Embedded EF VRCs
• 5 CWIC benefits CAs
• 20 regions
• Largest region 7 counties
• Average caseload size of 60
Original EF
Partnership
Map
14 Regions
15 Counselors
Nearly 1500
additional EF
Slots Spread
Across the
State
Current EF
Partnership
Map
20 Regions
25 Counselors
Nearly 1500
additional EF
Slots Spread
Across the
State
EF Partnership
Supported Employment Service Model
• Embedded Counselors
• Person Centered Planning
• Plan Match Support Placement Model
• Dual Certification Process for Providers
• Outcome Based Reimbursement for Services
• Individualized Benefits Analysis
Person Centered Planning
• Counselors received 2 days of intensive Person
Centered Career Planning Training from Dale Dileo
• The process begins with a presumption of
employability
• Meeting consumers where they are on their Path to
Community Employment and only providing the
services that they need
• Reduced time and money spent on assessment and
readiness
Plan Match Support Model
• Old model of Train and Place uses sheltered
workshops to get people “ready” for work
• Individual often had difficulty transferring skills
to mainstream workplaces
• Place and Train Model quickly became Place
and Pray because of inadequate planning.
• The Employment First Partnership works to
Plan Match and Support individuals in their
employment goal.
Dual Certification
Braided
Funding
Sequenced
Funding
Consistency
in Services
DD Waiver
ProvidersWaive
CARF
Without Dual Certification
Very Small Number of
Providers Doing Both
Number of
Traditional
DODD
Waiver
Providers
Number of
Traditional
VR Certified
Rehab
Providers
With Dual Certification
Number of
Traditional
DODD
Waiver
Providers
The
Number
of
Providers
Doing
both is
much
larger
Number of
Traditional
VR Certified
Rehab
Providers
Services Provided in the Partnership
• Full Range of individualized, vocational
rehabilitation services
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
Career Exploration
Benefits Counseling
Personal/Work Adjustment
Outcome Based Job Development
Job Coaching
• Waiver Services (Level 1, I/O, SELF)
▫ Integrated Employment
▫ Supported Employment Community
▫ Non Medical Transportation
Caseload Assistants
Providing Benefits Analysis
• 5 Caseload Assistants trained as Certified Work
Incentive Counselors
• Competency Based Training provided by Social
Security Administration and Virginia
Commonwealth University
• Every individual participating in the partnership
is offered a complete benefits analysis if desired
Training and Provider Competencies
• Orientation to Supported Employment web
based course
• VR 101 Training
• In Person Training
▫ Marketing and Employer Engagement
▫ Jobsite Support and Training
• Future Webinars and Continuing Education
Participant Setting at Application
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
39%
28%
13%
10%
5%
0%
Sheltered Workshop
Enclave
Not Working (Home or ADS)
Program Results to Date
Hours Per
Week
20.2
Average
Time to
Rehab
10.6 months
Eligible/Served
2,022
Total
Placements
331
Average
Wage Per
Hour
8.46
FFY 15 Partnership
VR Performance Statistics
• 1455 open cases on hand
• 458 Individuals in Job Ready Status
• 127 Individuals in Employed Status
• 181 Individuals with Successful job closures
◦ Data as of 6.22.15
Future of the Partnership
• Continuous improvement of Person Centered Planning,
provider competency and collaboration with community
partners.
• Training Plan and Schedule for FFY16
• Provider Quality Assurance
• Integration of other Employment First Initiatives
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
Waiver Redesign
Provider Transformation
DB101
Local Leaders and Others
ODEP Vision Quest
Hollie
Hollie is a 57 year old woman who is diagnosed with CP,
ID, Mild Arthritis and has significant expressive and
receptive language issues. She phased out of a county
board school into sheltered work and has been completing
piece and production work nearly her whole life and is a
SSDI recipient.
After participating in vocational rehabilitation services
through the Employment First Partnership, she now works
30 hours a week earning minimum wage as a dietary aide
in a local long term care facility. She is very excited about
work and has made vast improvements in other aspects of
her life as well.
Hollie
Since beginning her job, her sister, noted the following about
Hollie:
• Increased Confidence – in both her physical ability and
socially.. She is starting to come in to her own and
"blossoming".
• Physical Stamina – She no longer has to participate in PT
and doesn’t “shuffle” around rooms anymore. This has
allowed her to lead a walk club and fully participate in yoga
classes (she no longer has to use a chair and helps to lead it at
times).
• Social Network – many of her coworkers or residents
attend church with her and her social circles are increasing.
She also recently joined a reading club.
Hollie
• Attitude – Sister noted that Hollie would often talk to herself
at home. In the past this talk has been very negative and now
she is repeating more positive and encouraging things.
• Accountability – Hollie ensures her clothes are laundered
and laid out before every shift. She is always ready for her
transportation (even though it sometimes arrives nearly 1
hour before she has to be at work).
• Activities Change – Since beginning work Hollie has
consciously chosen to reduce leisure time activities to
accommodate her schedule, including working on her
birthday. Hollie has been attending a 2 week summer camp
for around 45 years and has chosen to reduce this to 1 week
this year because she has not yet built up enough time off at
work.
Terrance
• Mild ID, vision impairment, co-occurring mental
health needs
• Attended a local workshop, history of behavioral
and MUI occurrences
• Significant personal crisis while case was open
• Team approach to stabilization including
residential, therapy, family, and employment
services.
Terrance
• Job development continued in spite of crisis
situation.
• Competitive placement at Lowe’s Lawn and
Garden, raise within 2 weeks, employer
recognition.
Work viewed as part of therapy and
as a catalyst to change
Questions
Stacy Collins
Employment First Project Lead
Stacy.collins@dodd.ohio.gov
(614) 466-6612
Julie Hance
Employment First Project Lead
Julie.hance@ood.ohio.gov