1 WIOA: What It Means for People with Disabilities David Hoff - - PDF document

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David Hoff

Project Director Institute for Community Inclusion University of Massachusetts, Boston

WIOA: What It Means for People with Disabilities David Hoff

617-287-4308 david.hoff@umb.edu www.communityinclusion.org @davidhoff10

• The Workforce Innovation &

Opportunity Act

• f 2014
• Signed into law July 22, 2014
• Reauthorizes the Workforce

Investment Act of 1998, including the Rehabilitation Act

What is WIOA?

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• COVERS TWO PUBLIC SYSTEMS
• Workforce Development System

serving all job seekers (Titles I - III)

• Public Vocational Rehabilitation - VR

(Title IV)

• Legislation goes into effect

July 1, 2015 unless otherwise specified

• Title IV (Rehab Act) has already gone into

effect (with a few exceptions)

• Draft implementing regulations not

expected until Spring 2015

WIOA Basics

• Assist ¡those ¡most ¡in ¡need ¡
• Focus ¡on ¡increasing ¡job ¡skills, ¡

career ¡pathways, ¡& ¡ in-­‑demand ¡occupa6ons ¡

• Focus ¡more ¡on ¡employer ¡

engagement ¡

• Public ¡VR ¡& ¡Workforce ¡

Development: ¡be ¡be;er ¡ partners ¡ WHAT CONGRESS SAID

• The ¡days ¡of ¡students ¡with ¡

disabili6es ¡leaving ¡school ¡ poorly ¡educated, ¡ with ¡no ¡employment ¡experience, ¡ no ¡job ¡prospects, ¡ living ¡lives ¡of ¡poverty, ¡ & ¡too ¡o@en ¡ending ¡up ¡in ¡ segregated ¡day ¡programs, ¡ need ¡to ¡come ¡to ¡an ¡end. ¡ WHAT CONGRESS ALSO SAID

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General ¡ Highlights ¡of ¡ Rehabilitation ¡ Act ¡

Services ¡for ¡Transition ¡from ¡ School ¡to ¡Adult ¡Life ¡

• 15% of state Title I VR Funds must be used for

“pre-employment transition services”

• Title I Funds FY 2014: $3 billion
• Required services:
• job exploration counseling
• work based learning experiences
• counseling on post-secondary opportunities
• workplace readiness training
• training on self-advocacy
• Additional specified activities allowed if funding is available
• Attend IEP Meetings
• Work with workforce

boards, One-Stops, & employers to develop employment opportunities

• Work with schools to

ensure provision of pre-employment transition services

• When invited, attend

person-centered planning meetings

VR Employment Transition Coordination Requirements

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VR’S TRANSITION REQUIREMENTS Don’t End at 15%

• f Expenditures
• VR ¡agency, ¡in ¡collabora6on ¡

with ¡local ¡school ¡districts, ¡ must ¡provide, ¡or ¡arrange ¡for ¡ provision ¡of ¡pre-­‑employment ¡ transi6on ¡services ¡for ¡all ¡ students ¡with ¡disabili<es ¡in ¡ need ¡of ¡these ¡services ¡eligible ¡

• r ¡poten6ally ¡eligible ¡for ¡VR ¡

services, ¡using ¡funds ¡from ¡VR ¡ & ¡other ¡sources ¡as ¡necessary. ¡

• Capacity ¡of ¡VR ¡to ¡take ¡on ¡

addi6onal ¡responsibili6es ¡

• “Unfunded ¡mandate” ¡
• Lack ¡of ¡clarity ¡regarding ¡

who ¡pays ¡for ¡what ¡

• “Work ¡readiness” ¡type ¡

ac6vi6es ¡taking ¡ precedence ¡over ¡real ¡work ¡ experiences ¡

Concerns & Challenges

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Section 511: Restrictions on Sub-Minimum Wage

• Required (as of 2016) for individuals 24 & under

before being placed in a position that pays less than minimum wage

• Steps include:
• 1. Pre-employment transition services
• 2. Either being determined ineligible for VR or an

unsuccessful VR closure

• 3. Provision of career counseling & referrals

designed to assist individual to achieve competitive integrated employment

In 2016, schools no longer allowed to contract with

• rganizations to pay individuals

sub-minimum wage

Steps Required Annually for All Individuals Earning Sub-Minimum Wage

• VR agency must provide career

counseling and referrals to other programs & resources designed to assist individual to achieve competitive integrated employment

• Is informed by “employer” of

self-advocacy, self-determination, & peer mentoring opportunities not provided by “employer”

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• Addi?onal ¡responsibility ¡

placed ¡on ¡VR ¡

• “Checklist” ¡approach ¡to ¡

requirements ¡rather ¡than ¡ abiding ¡by ¡actual ¡intent ¡

• Organiza6on ¡paying ¡

sub-­‑minimum ¡wage ¡ (“employer”) ¡responsible ¡for ¡ implementa?on ¡with ¡VR ¡

• Monitoring ¡& ¡enforcement ¡

Section 511: Challenges & Concerns “Competitive Integrated Employment” Defined

• Full-time or part-time work at

minimum wage or higher

• Wages & benefits similar to

those without disabilities performing the same work

• Fully integrated with

co-workers without disabilities

Optimal outcome under WIOA

New Definition for Supported Employment (SE)

• Competitive integrated employment, including

customized employment, or employment in an integrated work setting in which individuals are working

• n a short-term basis toward competitive integrated

employment. For individuals with most significant disabilities:

• for whom competitive integrated employment has

not historically occurred; or

• for whom competitive integrated employment has

been interrupted or intermittent as a result of a significant disability; &

• who, because of the nature & severity of their

disability, need intensive supported employment services & extended services.

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Supported ¡ Employment ¡ State ¡Grants ¡ Focused ¡on ¡Youth ¡

• 50% of each state’s SE

grant must be focused on youth (up to age 24) with most significant disabilities

• May receive extended

supports for up to 4 years

• FY 2014 allocation:

$27 million

WIOA Workforce Development System Disability Highlights

• Federal ¡Agency: ¡

US ¡Department ¡of ¡ Labor ¡

• State ¡Workforce ¡

Boards ¡

• Local ¡Workforce ¡

Boards ¡(600 ¡na6onally) ¡

Workforce Development System: Administrative Structure

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• Local boards must ensure

sufficient service providers for individuals with disabilities

• State workforce boards must

develop strategies for career pathways for individuals with disabilities

• Local workforce committees
• n disability issues encouraged
• Annual assessment of One-Stop

Career Center accessibility required

WIOA Workforce System Disability Changes

• Variety of services available

for eligible youth to assist with employment & career development

• Primarily administered by

local workforce boards

• Two types:

In-School, Out-of-School

• Young people with

disabilities are highly eligible Workforce Development Youth Services

Changes ¡in ¡ Youth ¡ Services ¡ Under ¡WIOA ¡

• Age for eligibility for

Out-of-School Youth Services changed from 16 to 21, to 16 to 24

• In-School Youth Services age

remains 14 to 21 - except students with disabilities who can be served prior to age 14

• Amount of youth funds spent on
• ut-of-school youth increases from

30% to 75%

• Virtually all youth with disabilities

now eligible

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Youth ¡Services ¡Required ¡Program ¡Elements ¡

CONTINUING ¡FROM ¡WIA ¡ ¡

• Tutoring, ¡study ¡skills ¡training, ¡and ¡

instruc6on ¡

• Alterna6ve ¡secondary ¡school ¡offerings ¡
• r ¡dropout ¡recovery ¡services ¡
• Paid ¡and ¡unpaid ¡work ¡experiences ¡
• Occupa6onal ¡skill ¡training ¡
• Leadership ¡development ¡ac6vi6es ¡
• Suppor6ve ¡services ¡
• Adult ¡mentoring ¡
• Follow-­‑up ¡services ¡ ¡
• Comprehensive ¡guidance ¡and ¡

counseling ¡

¡ ¡ NEW ¡UNDER ¡WIOA ¡

• Integrated ¡educa6on ¡and ¡training ¡for ¡a ¡

specific ¡occupa6on ¡or ¡cluster ¡

• Financial ¡literacy ¡educa6on ¡
• Entrepreneurial ¡skills ¡training ¡
• Services ¡that ¡provide ¡labor ¡market ¡

informa6on ¡about ¡in-­‑demand ¡industry ¡ sectors ¡and ¡occupa6ons ¡

• Postsecondary ¡prepara6on ¡and ¡

transi6on ¡ac6vi6es ¡

• 1. Adult, ¡Dislocated ¡Worker, ¡& ¡

Youth ¡Workforce ¡ Investment ¡Programs ¡

• 2. State ¡Employment ¡Service ¡
• 3. Adult ¡Educa?on ¡& ¡Literacy ¡
• 4. Public ¡Voca?onal ¡

Rehabilita?on ¡

9 Additional Federal Programs that are Mandated One-Stop Partners, but Not Core Programs

Core Programs Under WIOA

Core ¡Program: ¡What ¡It ¡Means ¡

• Must submit a unified 4-year state plan
• Subject to “Common Measures” starting in

2016

• Adult Measures:
• Entering & retaining employment
• Median earnings
• Obtaining an educational credential
• Effectiveness in serving employers

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10 WIOA

• Real Jobs, Real Wages
• Great opportunity to get transition right!
• Reinforces national movement away from

segregated services, sub-minimum wage

Workforce: State & Local Public VR Education: State & Local Service Providers State/ County Mental Health

State/ County ID/DD

WIOA Partnerships

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• Peter Drucker

“The bottom line of the

social sector is changed lives.”

• Niels Bohr

“Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.”

• Implementation is

underway

• Federal agencies:
• ngoing information

issuances

• Draft regulations to be

released  Spring 2015

• States in early stages of

plan development

What’s Happening and What’s Next

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Implementation

• f WIOA:

What will it be?

One Hundred Thirteenth Congress

• f the

United States of America

AT THE SECOND SESSION Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday, the third day of January, two thousand and fourteen

An Act

To amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to strengthen the United States workforce development system through innovation in, and alignment and improve- ment of, employment, training, and education programs in the United States, and to promote individual and national economic growth, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act’’. (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

• Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
• Sec. 2. Purposes.
• Sec. 3. Definitions.

TITLE I—WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES Subtitle A—System Alignment CHAPTER 1—STATE PROVISIONS

• Sec. 101. State workforce development boards.
• Sec. 102. Unified State plan.
• Sec. 103. Combined State plan.

CHAPTER 2—LOCAL PROVISIONS

• Sec. 106. Workforce development areas.
• Sec. 107. Local workforce development boards.
• Sec. 108. Local plan.

CHAPTER 3—BOARD PROVISIONS

• Sec. 111. Funding of State and local boards.

CHAPTER 4—PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY

• Sec. 116. Performance accountability system.

Subtitle B—Workforce Investment Activities and Providers CHAPTER 1—WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDERS

• Sec. 121. Establishment of one-stop delivery systems.
• Sec. 122. Identification of eligible providers of training services.
• Sec. 123. Eligible providers of youth workforce investment activities.

CHAPTER 2—YOUTH WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES

• Sec. 126. General authorization.
• Sec. 127. State allotments.
• Sec. 128. Within State allocations.
• Sec. 129. Use of funds for youth workforce investment activities.

CHAPTER 3—ADULT AND DISLOCATED WORKER EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES

• Sec. 131. General authorization.
• Learn ¡about ¡the ¡law ¡
• Get ¡involved ¡with ¡planning ¡
• Create ¡awareness ¡across ¡

cons6tuencies ¡

• Build ¡partnerships ¡
• Begin ¡to ¡align ¡services ¡with ¡

WIOA ¡

• Advocate! ¡

What To Do NOW!

Resources ¡

• ICI Institute Brief

“WIA is Now WIOA”

• APSE Connections

“WIOA: Will It Deliver on its Promise for Transition?”

• Department of Education RSA Website -

www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/rsa/wioa- reauthorization.html

• DOL Website - www.doleta.gov/wioa

THE INSTITUTE BRIEF

Issue No. 31 August 2014 By David Hoff WIA is Now WIOA: What the New Bill Means For People with Disabilities INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNITY INCLUSION UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON W ith the passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Congress has reauthorized the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), including the Rehabilitation Act, through 2020. Commenting on the bill’s passage, President Obama stated that the bill “will help workers, including workers with disabilities, access employment, education, job- driven training, and support services that give them the chance to advance their careers and secure the good jobs

• f the future.”

What does this 300-page legislation mean for people with disabilities? Major highlights include: x A much larger role for public vocational rehabilitation (VR) as people with disabilities make the transition from school to adult life. x Efforts intended to limit the use of sub-minimum wage. x Required agreements between state VR systems and state Medicaid systems, and state intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) agencies. x A definition of “customized employment” in federal statute, and an updated definition of “supported employment” that includes customized employment. x A definition for “competitive integrated employment” as an optimal outcome. x Enhanced roles and requirements for the general workforce system and One-Stop Career Centers in meeting the needs of people with disabilities. x A number of disability agencies moving from the Department of Education (DOE) to the Department

• f Health and Human Services, including the

Independent Living Program. x Changes in performance measures, with potentially major implications for VR. Suggested audience for this brief: policymakers, federal and state agency personnel, service providers, educators In general, WIOA has the potential for significant advancement in employment of people with

• disabilities. Here are some more details about the act’s

anticipated impact: Increased VR role in transition: Each state’s public VR program will now have a much larger role in the transition from school to adult life. Under WIOA, 15% of public VR funds must now be used for transition services, specifically pre-employment transition services as defined within the act. These services include job exploration counseling, work- based learning experiences, counseling on post-secondary

• pportunities, workplace readiness training, and training on

self-advocacy. Other services are also allowed if funds are available. In addition, each local VR office must undertake pre- employment transition coordination activities, including working with schools and the local workforce development system to engage these entities in transition activities. Limitations on sub-minimum wage: A new section has been added to the Rehabilitation Act, Section 511. It requires (as of 2016) a series of steps before an individual under the age of 24 can be placed in a job paying less than minimum wage (almost all of which are positions with community rehabilitation providers in sheltered workshops

• r enclaves). Section 511 also prohibits schools from

contracting with sub-minimum wage providers. Requirement for formal cooperative agreement between VR and state Medicaid and IDD agencies: WIOA requires that state public VR agencies have formal President Obama stated that the bill “will help workers, including workers with disabilities, access employment, education, job-driven training, and support services that give them the chance to advance their careers and secure the good jobs of the future.” For more information, visit www.apse.org December 2014 APSE Connections 1 WIOA: Will It Deliver on its Promise for Transition? dents with disabilities in need of these services eli- gible or potentially eligible for VR services, using funds from VR and other sources as necessary. Under WIOA each local VR office must under- take “pre-employment transition coordination”, which includes: (1) attending individualized educa- tion program (IEP) meetings, when invited; (2) working with the local workforce development boards, one-stop centers (American Job Centers), and employers to develop employment opportunities for students with disabilities; (3) working with schools, to coordinate and ensure the provision of pre- employment transition services; (4) attending person- centered planning meetings, when invited, for individuals receiving services funded by Medicaid. Under Section 511, VR will have the responsi- bility for ensuring that a series of steps are complied with prior to an individual being placed into sub- minimum wage employment, and also for comply- ing with a series of documentation requirements. The Challenges and Opportunities under WIOA One of the core challenges of WIOA is the capacity of public VR from a resource perspec- tive, to take on these additional responsibilities, particularly given the challenges that already exist for VR nationally in meeting the needs of job seekers with disabilities, with many states already in order of selection. If WIOA is to deliver on its promise in terms

• f improved transition outcomes for all students

with disabilities, it will be critically important for VR systems to work in a highly cooperative fashion with state and local education agencies and school districts, as well as other public agen- cies and funders, to leverage resources. In addition, simply assuming that the details will be worked out at the local level between VR offices and local school districts in terms of delivery and funding of the transition services required under By David Hoff

I

n a rare case of bi-partisanship, this past July the U.S. Congress passed and President Obama signed into law the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). WIOA re-authorizes and replaces the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and among other things, reauthorizes the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. While WIOA is a very broad-based bill, it is clear that one of the core messages that Congress is sending via WIOA is the need for improved transition outcomes. Simply put, Congress has said that the days of students with disabilities leaving school poorly edu- cated, with no employment experience, no job pros- pects, living lives of poverty, and too often ending up in segregated day programs, need to come to an

• end. As a result, a great deal of responsibility has

been placed on the public vocational rehabilitation (VR) system to achieve improved transition out-

• comes. These responsibilities include the following:

WIOA specifies that at least 15% of each state’s Title I VR funds must be used for “pre- employment transition services”. Required pre- employment transition services include: (1) job exploration counseling; (2) work-based learning experiences; (3) counseling on post-secondary edu- cation opportunities; (4) workplace readiness train- ing; (5) instruction in self-advocacy. (Additional

• ptional pre-employment transition services speci-

fied in WIOA are also permitted if funding allows.) The responsibility for VR in terms of pre- employment transition services does not end with the expenditure of 15% of Title I funds – or the expenditure of VR funds in general. As stated in WIOA, each state is responsible for ensuring that their VR agency, in collaboration with local school districts, must provide, or arrange for the provision

• f pre-employment transition services for all stu-