VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Nevada State Legislature/Carson City & Grant Sawyer Building, Las Vegas MEMBERS PRESENT Dr. Ralph Baker Dr. Bill Bauer Barbara Cegavske Ed Guthrie Beth Horrigan Lorraine Marshall Karla McComb Charlette Serline Gillian Wells Myrn Wiebe Pat Williams Maynard Yasmer MEMBERS ABSENT Linda Lueck Denise Pursel STAFF PRESENT Barbara Legier, Chief, BSBVI, BVR Program Services Jim Hadwick, Chief, BVR,BSBVI Operations and Special Services Howard Castle, BVR Manager, Las Vegas Bill Hamilton, Rehabilitation Division Bob Himmelreich, BVR, Winnemucca GUESTS PRESENT Libby Jones, DETR Director s Office John Giefer, Las Vegas Paiute Tribe VR Program Devone DeSoto Celeste DeSoto Pam Gallion, UNLV Cannon Center Denyse & Chuck Lizer Pat Himmelreich EXHIBITS Draft minutes of January 18, 2002 meeting Updated Council roster Joint recognition proposal Ticket to Work Medicaid Infrastructure Grant Community Meetings Summary Vocational Rehabilitation Council budget 2001/2002 Developmental Disabilities report Performance indicator reports Individual with a most significant disability handout CALL TO ORDER, PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND ROLL CALL Chairman Bill Bauer called the meeting to order at 9:35 am and roll call was taken. INTRODUCTIONS AND WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS Bill Bauer welcomed the newest member of the Council, Assemblywoman Barbara Cegavske, who also is Director of Development and Public Relations for West Care, in Las Vegas. Others in attendance also introduced themselves.
VRC Minutes Page 2 of 7 MINUTES With two corrections noted on pages 6 and 7 of the minutes of January 18, 2002, that had been mailed, Karla McComb moved, and Charlott Serline seconded approval, supported unanimously. CHAIRMAN S REPORT. No report. PUBLIC COMMENT Bob Himmelreich, Rehabilitation Supervisor in Winnemucca, proposed that the Council and rural district jointly recognize each year a rehabilitation counselor, technician, or staff member who has made an outstanding contribution to vocational rehabilitation (VR), with award cost paid by the rural district. Recognition also would be submitted for publication to the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation s (DETR) Public Information Officer. Maynard Yasmer suggested that each district do this. Bill Bauer supported this as deserving and as a morale booster. More on this idea at the Council s next regular business meeting. On behalf of former Council member, Florence La Roy, Gillian Wells discussed the value of positive behavioral supports for counselors working with consumers, or for Council members. Florence La Roy will train on this free of charge. Bill Bauer will call Florence and talk to her about what she would like to do for counselors and the Council. Devone Desoto said that her attendance was prompted because she is starting a business that might employ people with disabilities, and she also knows some individuals who claim they did not receive satisfactory service from the BVR and BSBVI programs. VR COUNCIL TRAINING AGENDA AND COST Bill Hamilton said that May 2-3, at Sam s Town Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, is scheduled for a Council training on the Rehabilitation Act, Council responsibilities, discussion of its mission and goals, etc. Two Council members told him they could not attend. A facilitator recommended by the Council s former trainer, and by the Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program in San Diego, will be on hand. The lead speaker will be Dr. Fredric Schroeder, recent Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration. COMMITTEE REPORTS A. Marketing and Advocacy 1. Legislative. Nothing to report 2. CD/Technology. For Linda Lueck, Bill Hamilton said she thought no money is presently available, hence no progress. Karla McComb wants to help move the project ahead. 3. Parents Forum. Gillian Wells, subcommittee chairman, asked for Council and community support to help learn about community needs and how the proposed Parents Forum is formulated to serve programs ranging from VR to Opportunity Village to parents and others. Those who volunteered or were volunteered include Dr. Lisa Davidson (Opportunity Village) and Assemblywoman Barbara Cegavske. Beth Horrigan will check with Las Vegas BSBVI staff, Howard Castle will do the same for Las Vegas BVR staff. Barbara Legier will identify someone in the Northern Nevada VR programs
VRC Minutes Page 3 of 7 and will try to find a business representative. Gillian wants someone from the school district and was advised to talk to Jean Peyton or someone else in the blind community. Bill Bauer will talk to Gillian about the subcommittee the week of March 18-22, 2002. 4. Website for Disabled Nevadans. Lorraine Marshall has assembled some basic information for a comprehensive disability website to consult about Nevada organizations that provide a range of programs and services. Links elsewhere could be included. Discussion focused on website design, concept pages, content material, updating, and potential entities that might do this work. Bill Bauer asked if this is an appropriate project for the Council s time and expenditure. Lorraine and Barbara Cegavske strongly supported it based on personal experiences where such information would have been helpful to them, and others. Mrs. Cegavske volunteered to help with the project. Barbara Legier said the Rehabilitation Division had looked at Lorraine s work as a subgrant application, not as an RFP (request for proposal). Following that is the need to perform regular updates to the web pages. Effort will be made to provide more information at the next regular VRC meeting. 5. Council Membership. Bob White and Mike Stubblefield left the Council. Linda Lueck agreed to be transferred to the category of past/present VR client. The Council s recommendations of Jean Peyton and John Giefer are in the Governor s Office. The terms of Bill Bauer and Linda Lueck will expire soon. Both desire to continue. Lorraine Marshall moved, and Charlotte Serline seconded, approval of their continuance. Unanimously approved with Mr. Bauer abstaining from the vote. B. Oversight 1. Satisfaction survey/needs assessment. Bill Hamilton and Ed Guthrie met with Dr. Tom Lamatsch and Pam Gallion, Cannon Center for Survey Research at UNLV, about the 2002 needs assessment/satisfaction survey. Its bid is slightly under the Council s budgeted $15,000. Council concerns with past surveys were addressed. They were asked for professional expertise to help with: survey questions; methodology; meaningful interpretation of the results; recommendations to improve future surveys; associated costs for improvements if the Cannon Center is selected next year. Pam Gallion said that the 2002 survey would more closely approximate a needs assessment and satisfaction survey than in the past. Examples: A question asking for frequency of usage by service will be followed by a question to rate the service, and additional open-ended questions. From these, new needs assessment questions might develop for future surveys. Ms. Gallion said that a pilot project of employers not known to have used BVR and BSBVI will be carried out. Results gleaned could lead to further development of this component next year. ADMINISTRATOR S REPORT A. VRC budget update. Jim Hadwick discussed the new format of the Council s budget for the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, that it is easier for Council members to comprehend where funds were originally allocated, where changes in those allocations have occurred, and identified what funds have been spent or obligated. Lorraine Marshall will talk with Barbara Legier about what might be spent this fiscal year on the disability website.
VRC Minutes Page 4 of 7 B. Other items. Mr. Yasmer announced that the Division s strategic plan meeting will occur April 10-12, on the Division s mission, goals, and objectives that help establish performance indicators for the next few fiscal years. They will be compatible with Governor Guinn s goals. Bill Bauer agreed to attend the meetings. Participation by other Council members is welcomed. REPORT ABOUT VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMS A. Performance Indicators and Program Report. Barbara Legier summarized the year-to-date BVR and BSBVI performance indicators. B. Response to Gillian Wells. Barbara Legier answered the following questions from the January 18, 2002, VRC meeting: Time elapsed from when a person inquires about potential receipt of services until an intake is done (normally one week to a month); time elapsed from intake to eligibility determination (60 days maximum unless the counselor and client agree to an extension); time elapsed from eligibility determination to when service begins (varies by client need); number of clients in a counselor s caseload (it is done by a hand count and is not readily available, but Barbara will have this information at the June meeting); definition of the meaning of successful closure in federal law (at Gillian s request, Barbara will e-mail it prior to the June meeting); copy of performance indicators that show targets and results for successful closures in the VR programs (Barbara will e-mail that to Gillian prior to the June meeting). Ed Guthrie and Bill Bauer asked that these e-mails go to all Council members. C. Meaning of Order of Selection. Barbara Legier provided a handout and identified order of selection as a concept developed at the federal governmental level to ensure that services are provided appropriately by VR agencies when resources are limited and counselors cannot serve all of the individuals eligible for the program. Criteria used include service to individuals needing it the most. If too many people need to be served with funds available, or a waiting list for services is developed, then Nevada s VR programs would be forced to adopt an order of selection. This means the establishment of a priority list of individuals to be served. The first priority is the most severely disabled individuals who are determined able to work, starting with public safety officers at work and injured as a result of criminal activity. The last priority is the least severely disabled. Ms. Legier added that if the Council and VR programs pursue marketing of the VR programs to generate additional requests for service, a waiting list is likely to develop and order of selection likely would need to be created. This action would reduce the total number of clients and types of clients served. Mr. Yasmer and Ms. Legier also said that, based on the experiences in states using order of selection, increased counselor time is required for eligibility determination and services delivered are reduced to many clients. The number of successful closures falls while the cost per closure increases. D. State Plan. Barbara Legier reported that the re-write of the State Plan that begins July 1, 2002, is progressing well. E. Functioning of One-Stops. Beth Horrigan read a report from counselor Sylvia Milburn, who works at a Nevada Job Connect office in Las Vegas. Benefits of working at Job Connect: Staff can learn about the services partners can provide to VR; direct referrals for our clients can be made to partners; participation in the in-service trainings of partners; collaboration and sharing in costs of mutual clients with other partners, in job fairs, and in recruitment
VRC Minutes Page 5 of 7 efforts of local employers. Negative experiences have been: Some partners are in the office part-time only, making it sometimes hard to schedule clients for an appointment; frequent loss of full-time partners; extra work falls on partners in the office when other partners do no show up there, thereby compromising service quality. Pat Williams in Northern Nevada cited some of the same experiences about the absence or departure of partners but added that some new partners have been added at Job Connect. Also, training about what each of the partners does is ongoing. Partners are an excellent source of referrals. Bill Bauer asked that Bill Hamilton send written reports from Sylvia Milburn and Pat Williams to the Council. REPORT FROM OTHER ENTITIES AND COUNCILS A. Developmental Disabilities Council. The Council received a written by Ken Vogel, Executive Director of the Developmental Disabilities Council. B. Statewide Workforce Investment Board. Karla McComb said that she had been asked by DETR Director, Myla Florence, to head a new subcommittee on people with disabilities, first meeting March 20 at the main DETR Las Vegas office. Ed Guthrie will represent the VRC. C. State Independent Living Council. Ralph Baker said that, with $500,000 in one-shot funds from the State Legislature, a number of independent living plans have been or are being carried out in the current state fiscal year. He said the SILC received an additional $37,000 in federal funds, and RFPs have been sent to independent living centers to identify needs and propose how to spend the money. Ralph also said that some tobacco settlement monies have gone to the assistive technology loan fund. D. Mental Health Planning Council. No representative was present nor a report received. E. State Department of Education/IDEA. Recruitment by the State Department of Education is being concluded for someone to fill the vacant IDEA position. That person likely will be recommended for Council membership. F. Advisory Group for Medicaid Buy-In. Gillian Wells said that a stakeholders letter is being prepared by John Alexander of the Department of Human Resources Medicaid unit and will be available soon for Council members to support the Medicaid Infrastructure Grant if they desire to do so as private individuals. Ed Guthrie moved, and Ralph Baker seconded, that the Council write a letter of support to the Interim Finance Committee (IFC), copied to John Alexander, for the Medicaid Buy-In plan that will go to the IFC in April. The motion passed unanimously. COUNCIL LOG: Nothing to report COUNSELOR VR PROGRAM FEEDBACK: Beth Horrigan said a vacant orientation and mobility position in the Bureau of Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired program in Las Vegas has resulted in a waiting list for service. Also, an employment specialist position has been vacant. BSBVI staff would appreciate VRC support to fill the vacancies. Barbara Legier responded that action is being taken on the vacancies. In Northern Nevada, Pat Williams also said that counselors are concerned over vacant positions.
VRC Minutes Page 6 of 7 Several BVR counselors, reported Beth Horrigan, believe that recently added case file paperwork is detracting from service time to clients. They asked if the scope of Council work includes examination of paperwork requirements in relation to federal and state requirements governing VR services. Chairman Bauer said that the federal VR rule identifies a part the Council may play, in cooperation with the VR programs, in case file documentation. Mr. Yasmer supports paperwork reduction. He invited counselors to send him specific examples of where extra paperwork occurs and suggestions for how it may be reduced, as long as internal controls are not compromised. Beth Horrigan said one counselor asked if the VR Council can study and/or make recommendations about counselor competency requirements and an increase in grade and compensation for counselors with masters degrees and a C.R.C., or eligibility to sit for the C.R.C. exam. EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR BVR/BSBVI WORK CANDIDATES At a meeting she recently attended, Pat Williams said a suggestion was that the VR programs have a list of employment-ready individuals for when employers call. Mr. Yasmer concurred. Ed Guthrie urged that the VR programs be involved with the local chambers of commerce to network with large networks of prospective employers, giving as examples Alice Martz of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce and Kara Kelly of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. NEXT MEETING DATE, LOCATION, AND AGENDA ITEMS May 2-3, 2002 training for the Council and public meeting on the State Plan at Sam s Town, on Boulder Highway, in Las Vegas. ADJOURNMENT Barbara Cegavske moved, and Ed Guthrie seconded, adjournment at 12:25 pm. Unanimously approved.
VRC Minutes Page 7 of 7 Recorded by: Denise Phipps, Sierra Nevada Reporters Edited by: William Hamilton, Rehabilitation Division Approved by: William Bauer, Chair