Georgia's Dept of Labor Rehabilitation Services - VR Services for People with Disabilities - VR provides a wide range of services to help individuals with disabilities prepare for meaningful work.
The services received are arranged for and provided based on individual needs, so the length of time it takes to prepare for employment is different for each person, as are the services provided.
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is an eligibility, not an entitlement, program. Any Georgia citizen may qualify for VR services if: The individual has a permanent physical or mentalimpairment, which Interferes with the ability to work, and Vocational rehabilitation services are necessary for the individual to prepare for, enter, engage in or keep gainful (paid) employment, and The individual with a disability can, will and wants to go to work.
From application to eligibility determination through assessment, and from work plan development to job placement, VR clients benefit from the expertise of the service delivery team members located in each local office. The team -- vocational rehabilitation counselor, account representative, work preparation technician, assistive work technology staff, program assistant, and employment manager -- works on the local level, utilizing comprehensive knowledge of both the employment community and the services available to the job seeker.
VR provides only those services necessary for a qualified client to meet the mutually agreed upon and individualized work goal. Services may include, but not limited to:
Counseling and Guidance, Work Readiness Training, Work Adjustment Training, College and University Instruction, On-the-Job Training, Vocational and Technical Training, Supported Employment, School to Work Transition, Job Coaching, Physical and Mental Restoration Services, Assistive Technology, and Referral to Other Agencies As Needed.
Rehabilitation Services is cost effective - Most workplace accommodations cost employers less than $100. For every rehabilitation dollar spent, $35 is returned through taxes (there are plenty of free tax tools available online) and reduced government benefits.
Your Responsibilities - You are also part of the team. Your involvement is essential to making all this work.
Your Team - VR uses a team concept in helping you prepare for work. Team members may include a vocational rehabilitation counselor, an account representative, a work preparation technician, an assistive technology team, a program assistant, and an employment manager.
Work Needs Assessment - You and your counselor will make choices about available services you will need to reach your employment goals. Your counselor may schedule you for tests to find out what services you need.
Work Plan - You and your counselor will write a WORK PLAN that lists your responsibilities and the services you may receive.
Vocational Services - Services will be based on your individual needs for purpose of working.
Closure - Your case may be closed after you have been employed successfully for 90 days.
Services after Closure - You can request additional services after your case is closed if they are needed to keep you working.
Client Assistance Program (CAP) - CAP provides assistance in informing and advising you of all available benefits under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
About Us - Rehabilitation Services is the cornerstone of Georgia’s rehabilitation community. . .
The five unique programs of Rehabilitation Services have a singular purpose – to help ensure that people with disabilities can reach their potential through independence and employment.
People with disabilities who join Georgia’s world-class workforce are self-sufficient, valued citizens who pay taxes, buy goods and services, rent apartments, own homes, and shop at malls. They do not need direct financial assistance, and that saves society millions of dollars.
There are 940,000 Georgians with disabilities between the ages of 21 and 64, and 276,000 of them want to work. If just 1% of those people worked full time for a year at the average weekly wage of the VR client ($273), almost $40 million dollars would flow back into the GA economy.
Rehabilitation Services is cost effective - Most workplace accommodations cost employers less than $100. For every rehabilitation dollar spent, $35 is returned through taxes and reduced government benefits.
Disability Adjudication Services adjudicates claims of Georgia citizens who apply for federal disability benefits. Nearly 10,000 claims are processed each month, resulting in Social Security disability payments to eligible Georgians of over $230 million monthly.
Rehabilitation Services is a success story - In each of the last five fiscal years, approximately 4,000 Georgians with disabilities were successfully rehabilitated and employed in meaningful jobs at competitive wages.
The Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation serves approximately 6,500 clients each year.
The average annual salary for a licensed blind vendor in the Business Enterprise Program in FY2005 was $41,565.
Georgia Industries for the Blind is largely self-supporting, with about 93% of its operating dollars generated by product sales.
The VR program serves over 35,000 Georgians annually, and has working relationships with more than 3,200 Georgia businesses.
D.O.L. General Info
