Post-Employment Services

Rehabilitation Services (RS) Policy

The potential need for post-employment services should be assessed and reviewed with the client throughout the planning process and during service provision. The final determination of the potential need for post-employment services should occur when the client is approaching stable performance on the job and/or at the point of case closure. Agencies, organizations and resources that will be available to meet such needs, if they arise, should be discussed. The discussion should include information on how the client could access such resources.

Post-employment services are vocational rehabilitation (VR) services provided when:

• The individual has achieved an employment outcome and the record has been closed.
  
• Additional services are needed to assist the individual in maintaining, regaining or advancing in employment, consistent with the individual’s strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities and interests, and there are no other personal, family, employer or community resources available to assist the individual.
  
• Needed services are limited in scope and duration, are related to services previously provided and are not a new set of comprehensive services.

When a year or longer has elapsed since provision of VR services, the counselor will carefully reassess facts to determine the exact nature of services needed and whether post-employment services are appropriate. The period of time after which post-employment services will be provided will not be arbitrarily limited but will be determined on an individual basis. If post-employment services are appropriate, an amendment to the original Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) will be developed. If it is determined that the individual’s needs would be better met through reopening the case, the standard application and eligibility procedures will be followed.

Factors to be considered in closing a post-employment case include the following:

• Consultation with the individual.
• Satisfactory solution to the issue that required post-employment services.
• Attainment of sufficient independence to function without continuing services.
• Employment continues at a suitable level or can be realized by the individual’s own initiative.
• The individual’s condition or situation suggests that post-employment services cannot maintain the individual’s employment. Consideration should be given to reopening the case or referral to community providers for services to address the issues impeding performance in employment.

Effective Date: May 1, 1998