RD394 - Review of Employment Support Services Programs - November 1, 2015


Executive Summary:
*This report was replaced in its entirety by the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services on November 20, 2015.

The Virginia General Assembly, in the State Budget Bill enacted March 26, 2015,(*1) directed the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) to

“undertake a review of employment support services programs and make recommendations on options that would advance the Commonwealth’s progress toward facilitating the inclusion of people with the most significant disabilities in the workplace through community-based and integrated employment opportunities. As part of the review the department shall conduct stakeholder meetings and incorporate the feedback from those meetings into the process. The department shall report its recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees by November 1, 2015.”

The review conducted by DARS included four major components:

1. An overview of the employment support services programs currently administered by DARS and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) and the individuals served by these programs;

2. An analytic review of the literature surrounding employment support services, including relevant data, research, laws, regulations and court actions;

3. Regional meetings to obtain input from a wide range of stakeholders; and

4. Public comment on the draft of this report.

These components of the review form the basis for the Department’s recommendations, which are provided in the final section of this report.
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(*1) 2015 Session, Virginia Acts of Assembly, approved March 26, 2015 -- Chapter 665, item 325 O