PPInd12
PABSS role with VR
Thomas: Sue the reality is that transmittal seventeen is lawful in the Social
Security administration’s eyes and the eyes of the rehabilitation services
administration regardless of how we feel as individual advocates for people’s
rights within that context though and in the intervention that you undertook with
the state vocational rehabilitation agency, tell us a little bit more about the fine
details. For example when a counselor is engaging in a dialogue with a
beneficiary what were some of those things that you as a PABSS program really
advocated for it to be a part of that interaction when it came to making an
informed choice?
Sue:
We tried to identify barriers as to why the VR counselor wouldn’t be
comfortable or wouldn’t share the information with a beneficiary and there were
several touch points, if you will. Number one at the point of intake VR is suppose
to ask if someone is on SSDI or SSI so we know that they’ve identified them
because that’s done on all the applications.
So we believe the barrier was having the VR counselor talk with the client and
talk knowledgably about the ticket and the benefits of its use with the client that’s
coming to them for services. The retraining was extremely important. The other
thing that happened that was helpful was that VR identified two point people in
downtown Indianapolis at the main VR office that could answer counselors’
questions, would be able to help them through scenarios. VR also began to send
out a newsletter, if you will, to counselors to talk about specific issues in depth,
continuing disability reviews, expedited reinstatement, Medicaid coverage, so
that the counselor had the information and they felt comfortable that they could
go to an expert if they didn’t know. Further we offer just the PABSS program that
if a client said no I don’t want my ticket assigned we offered to talk with that
person to make certain that they understood the benefits, that they had made an
informed decision about not assigning that ticket. The other thing that we were
able to negotiate with voc rehab is that if someone said no they didn’t assign the
ticket.
Thomas: Oh interesting.
Sue:
Now they went ahead and they wrote up an IPE and there’s language
on the IPE that states almost a check off list if you will in the IP: I don’t wish to
assign my ticket now but understand that the VR counselor will be speaking
regarding this to me at, you know, talking to me in the future regarding this issue.
So that VR wasn’t simply overriding the persons’ initial choice.