a. Provide joint training opportunities for CRP’s on topics to promote best practices in employment supports for people with disabilities. Objective: Through lessons learned from the Progressive Employment pilot, expand the number of Maine employers who implement diversity hiring activities through engagement with the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services’ Business Services Team to 15 in FFY 2016 in conjunction with workforce system partners Strategies: a. Continue to actively support the Maine Chapter of the US Business Leadership Network. b. Partner with the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, local Chambers, and the Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM) to expand business outreach/network. c. Take a lead role with Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) core partners and others in the workforce development system to grow and diversify Maine’s workforce through targeted outreach to employers, reinforcing the message that need every Mainer”. “We Goal 2 To serve all individuals with the most significant disabilities in a timely manner, which means determining eligibilities within 60 days and developing plans for employment for all consumers within the new 90 day time frame. DVR will continue to maintain no wait list for those individuals in categories 1 and 2, and will monitor the ability to again serve those in category 3 in the future. Objective: To reduce the average time in plan development from 217 days in FFY 2014 to the federal standard of 90 days in FFY 2016 Strategies: a. Increase use of the Career Exploration Workshop, which has been shown to decrease case length time. b. Work closely with the Maine Department of Education to ensure implementation of the joint Cooperative Agreement and best practice guidelines on referral and timely application for transition age students c. Deliver staff training and supervision on best practices in IPE plan development and Order of Selection (OOS) determination Objective: To determine if there could be efficiencies in how DVR processes the work of providing services across the state by building on the recommendations of a process mapping report completed for DVR in summer 2015. Strategies: a.Convene a steering team made up of a representative from the State Rehabilitation Council, at least one clerical staff, three VR counselors, three casework supervisors, the three regional managers, and four Central Office staff.
a. Provide joint training opportunities for CRP’s on topics to promote best practices in employment supports for people with disabilities. Objective: Through lessons learned from the Progressive Employment pilot, expand the number of Maine employers who implement diversity hiring activities through engagement with the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services’ Business Services Team to 15 in FFY 2016 in conjunction with workforce system partners Strategies: a. Continue to actively support the Maine Chapter of the US Business Leadership Network. b. Partner with the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, local Chambers, and the Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM) to expand business outreach/network. c. Take a lead role with Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) core partners and others in the workforce development system to grow and diversify Maine’s workforce through targeted outreach to employers, reinforcing the message that “We need every Mainer”. Goal 2 To serve all individuals with the most significant disabilities in a timely manner, which means determining eligibilities within 60 days and developing plans for employment for all consumers within the new 90 day time frame. DVR will continue to maintain no wait list for those individuals in categories 1 and 2, and will monitor the ability to again serve those in category 3 in the future. Objective: To reduce the average time in plan development from 217 days in FFY 2014 to the federal standard of 90 days in FFY 2016 Strategies: a. Increase use of the Career Exploration Workshop, which has been shown to decrease case length time. b. Work closely with the Maine Department of Education to ensure implementation of the joint Cooperative Agreement and best practice guidelines on referral and timely application for transition age students c. Deliver staff training and supervision on best practices in IPE plan development and Order of Selection (OOS) determination Objective: To determine if there could be efficiencies in how DVR processes the work of providing services across the state by building on the recommendations of a process mapping report completed for DVR in summer 2015. Strategies: a.Convene a steering team made up of a representative from the State Rehabilitation Council, at least one clerical staff, three VR counselors, three casework supervisors, the three regional managers, and four Central Office staff.