National Disability Employment Awareness Month
 Held each October, National
Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is a national campaign that
raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and
varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities. This year's theme
is "A Strong Workforce is an Inclusive Workforce: What Can YOU Do?"
Throughout
the month, locally sponsored DVR events will recognize businesses for their
efforts to recruit, hire and retain employees with disabilities!
Walgreens and DVR are REDI!
This team of WDA staff serve as the leads for the Walgreens REDI program in the Milwaukee area. They are, from left, Jennie Hrodey, Lela Yang, Amanda Rosalez and Lea Collins-Worachek.
The Walgreens REDI, Retail Employees with Disabilities
Initiative, is partnering with DVR to provide retail employment opportunities
for people with disabilities. The program is in full swing in several other states,
and a REDI pilot launched in the Milwaukee area earlier this year.
The first
class of REDI participants will graduate from the program later this month. Of
the 12 participants in this initial class, 8 have been offered permanent
employment at Walgreens retail locations in the Milwaukee area.
REDI is a
Walgreens' designed retail customer service training and applicant pool
certification program. Graduates of the program are certified for the Walgreens
applicant pool, which is also accessed by recruiters for Lowes and Office Max.
 Out of the Darkness
DVR counselor Natalie Carlsten (Menomonie) is an organizer for the
Out of the Darkness Walk in Eau Claire on September 8, 2012.
The local
event is part of a national campaign to raise awareness about suicide and
suicide prevention. It is sponsored by The American Foundation for Suicide
Prevention (AFSP).
Click on the picture at the right to see Natalie's interview on Channel 18
(note - you may be redirected to a short/15-second commercial prior to seeing the
interview). The interview aired August 14, 2012.
If this link doesn't work, you can click on
http://www.wqow.com/category/174901/daybreak-interviews and click on
"next" to find the August 14th interview.
DVR Cold Case Unit
The DVR Cold Case Unit is encouraging DVR staff to send referrals to the unit. The information can be sent to the Cold Case Unit mailbox - search for DWD MB DVR Cold Case Unit in Outlook.
The Cold Case Unit can assist in finding DVR consumers, particularly for wages to close status 26 or for Social Security reimbursement tracking. The unit is also working on follow up with individuals that DVR may have lost contact with. The goal is to find them and determine if they are interested in re-engaging in DVR services.
Successful Food Drive
The offices of WDA 2 recently participated in a food drive
as part of their wellness activity. The offices collected more than 800 pounds
of food for The Hunger Task force of Milwaukee.
VRC Lyssa
Frechette coordinated the food drive. WDA 2 Director Lea Collins-Worachek said, "It is significant that, during challenging times, WDA 2 staff came together with
Lyssa's leadership, collected and donated 800 pounds of food."
Invoice Resolution Form
Changes have been made to the DVR Invoice Resolution form that will help improve communications with vendors and to make the dispute resolution process more efficient.
The updated form is available at
http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dwd/forms/dvr/doc/dvr_14726_e.doc.
BOND Information
WDA 9 Director Amy Grotzke, along with Samina Grimes (VRC, WDA 9) and BOND staff, compiled information that can be helpful when talking to DVR consumers who have received information about the program from the Social Security Administration.
The Benefit Offset National Demonstration (BOND) is a demonstration program created to help Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries return to work. Through the use of a benefit offset, they are testing a different way to treat SSDI beneficiaries' work and earnings. This offset can help beneficiaries earn more and keep more of their benefits than is currently possible.
The information is available on both the DVR Internet site and the DVR WorkWeb.
DVR Letterhead
DWD Forms staff have updated DWD's Letterhead to reflect Mike Greco's permanent appointment as our Division Administrator.
For a refresher on DWD Letterhead System, staff may visit this training document/webpage -
http://dwdworkweb/dwd/publications/asd/pdf/BIT_16485_P.pdf.
DVR's form letters have also been updated in the Forms Repository.
Those staff who prefer to send form letters on your local office letterhead can use the "Unprotected Body of Letter Only" versions which can be found on the DVR Forms WorkWeb page -
http://dwdworkweb/dvr/forms/default.htm.
Note: With these unprotected versions, for the form field/tabbing capabilities to work, they will need to be protected at the local level. Please remember that changes should not be made to the content of any form letters.
If you have any questions regarding letterhead, please contact Audrey Merten.
Thanks for a Job Well Done
All of DVR
Email received by DVR Administrator, Mike Greco, from Rob Buettner, Wisconsin
Rehabilitation Council member, Beyond Vision board member and Vision Forward
Rehabilitation Services Director
I was at a great event, Live at the Lakefront, last night in Milwaukee. Beyond Vision (formerly WisCraft) and Vision Forward were the primary hosts. Frenchie Randolph, an employee at Beyond Vision was honored as the National
Industries for the Blind Employee of the Year. See
http://www.beyond-vision.org/blind-ambition/employee-of-the-year-frenchie-randolph/. Frenchie is also a DVR client working with Philip Marshall and a past client of
Vision Forward.
Secretary Newson was at the event. In his public remarks, he congratulated
Frenchie and touted the work of DVR. He mentioned Philip by name. I was
also able to talk with the Secretary. He stated that DVR was the "crown jewel"
of the Department. Also, he touted your efforts and the work of your leadership
team. He stayed at the event for over two hours and did a great job of "working"
the event.
I left the event feeling proud of the work we all do and I wanted to share
with you.
Take care,
Rob
Angie Boutwell, CCC - Kenosha
Email sent to WDA 1 Director, Patti Johnson, from a consumer's sister
I just wanted to pass along a sincere thanks for the great help provided by Angie Boutwell last week. On Friday, Angie met with my brother, my mother, and I to discuss the possibility of employment for my brother. I was so pleased with the level of respect, care, and compassion that Angie showed him. He has a TBI among other health issues and often needs to be redirected and reigned back in. This can cause a lot of frustration for many people that don't understand Aaron's conditions. Angie did a magnificent job keeping him on task and focused without belittling him or being disrespectful.
Angie is a wonderful blessing to your office and the community members who may need her help working towards achieving their goals.
La Crosse Staff
Email received by WDA 9 Director, Amy Grotzke, from a service provider that recently expanded to the La Crosse area
I wanted to thank you and your team for making our growth into the La Crosse
area a very positive experience. I spent a lot of time in the area initially,
and now I am doing much more training and guidance via phone, email, etc.
All of the counselors are great to work with; they have really partnered with
Stacy to help her learn more during those situations that cannot be predicted
and are helping to guide with longevity and wisdom in the field. Stacy is also
very appreciative. I wanted to recognize Ed (Karlman) in particular, he
contacted me the other day to provide feedback about our services and a
particularly difficult case he and Stacey had worked on. Great to hear!
We are creating a great partnership which will result in great outcomes.
Tamara Silha, VRC - Sheboygan
I love what I do now and I feel very needed and appreciated as daily I hear from different workers 'thank you' words or 'great job'. My boss is young but skilled, which puts a lot of trust in me. I am very thankful to all his employees and to him for making it a place where I really enjoy going to work. I would also like to say THANK YOU to you as you are a big part in my recovery from depression and current success of getting that job!
Charlie Olson, DVR Central Office
From DVR Deputy Administrator, JoAnna Richard
I received a voice mail message from a consumer who indicated that when he called Central Office and spoke with Charlie Olson, he received the "best customer service he has ever experienced". "Charlie went beyond expectations in assisting him".
Megan Banik (VRC) and Beth Ulrich (CCC) - Menasha
letter received from the wife of a DVR consumer
Words are not enough to express our gratitude for all you've done for our family. I can see a burden that has been lifted ever since we received the lift (piece of rehabilitation technology). We believe with this lift we will have even more business potential than we did before (consumer's name) accident.
Thank you for all of the time you have spent with us and the attitude toward him of really wanting to make a difference. You are very gifted at what you do and have been a huge blessing to us.
Jennifer Mikalowsky, VRC - Sheboygan
email received by WDA 5 Director, Anna Eggebrecht
I need to let you know how absolutely wonderful Jennifer Mikalowsky has been with me throughout the process - putting aside the confusions and misunderstandings. Please let Jennifer know that I submitted this to you. She is really a great person.
What's New/Updated on the Web
Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program
The following DVR materials were updated (to remove any reference to this program):
Knowledgebase Updates
Staff Updates
New Faces/Transfers:
- Mallory Hall, VR Counselor (Manitowoc)
- Megan Schueller, VR Counselor (Menomonie - Transfer from Eau Claire)
Goodbyes:
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