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WRC Meeting Minutes
October 18, 2007
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Call to Order: Linda Vegoe, Chair, called the meeting to order at 9:15 a.m.
Present: Ben Anderson, Rob Buettner, Charlene Dwyer, Jill Gonzalez, Ken Kluever, Gail Kolvenbach, Vivian Larkin, Peter Lucas, John Lui, Bill Malone, Ashley Marshall, Roxann Perez, Cindi Pichler, Carol Schaufel, Dan Sippl, Linda Vegoe, Jim Dobrinska
Absent: Jodi Hanna, PaTricia Lerch, Steve Gilles, Laura Owens, Dee Truhn, Lynne Wichmann
Resource Staff/Guests: Anna Eggebrecht, Jana Hicks, Vince Holmes, Dana Leisgang, Manuel Lugo, Patricia Severt, Ken Van Bendegom, Brian Vanderwyst
Interpreters: Brenda Prudhom, Tera Cater Vorpahl
Recorder: Kristin Rolling
Roll Call
Introductions
Announcements
None.
Review of Minutes
Schaufel/Anderson moved/seconded to approve the minutes
Motion carried.
Old Business
None.
New Business
- WRC member Peter Lucas recently published an article in Breaking Away, an IndependenceFirst publication, about services to adults with autism.
- WRC member Ben Anderson recently published a book, IQ of 63 – So What! Going Beyond Everyone Else’s Expectations.
Updates
None.
Agenda Item: Committee Reports
Evaluation
- The DVR staff survey has been completed. Results have been shared with the full council. Results will also go to DVR staff and senior managers. An executive summary of the survey will be developed for the WRC website.
- The DVR vendor survey is still in development. The committee hopes to distribute it by the end of 2007.
Reports
- Reviewed annual reports from Minnesota and Nebraska for format and content.
- The FFY 2007 annual report will focus on the WRC’s five major areas of responsibility, as outlined in the Rehabilitation Act.
- The title will be Making Work Pay.
Executive
- Charlene Dwyer provided an update on the DWD/DVR “ Making Work Pay” proposal:
- The Social Security Administration could not rate DVR’s updated proposal, saying that they couldn’t rate a proposal that they had previously commented on as it would appear that they were collaborating on an unsolicited proposal. DWD/DVR are working with members of the Wisconsin congressional delegation to update and expand the SSDI demonstration authority. The desired updated authority would allow SSA to waive program rules for SSDI participants in an approve demonstration. The updated authority is needed prior to resubmission of the demonstration proposal.
- DPI Update:
- The DVR, DPI, DHFS Memorandum of Agreement will be presented at the VR Administrator’s national conference as a best practice model. The agreement defines the roles and responsibilities of each agency in transition services for high school students with disabilities.
- NRA Update:
- WRC members can e-mail John Lui if they are interested in receiving materials about the ADA Restoration Act.
- ILC-W:
- The draft State Plan for Independent Living was submitted to RSA for review and it is expected that it will be approved.
Agenda Item: DVR Report on Mental Health Issues Vince Holmes, DVR
People with mental illness listed as a primary or secondary disability make up 29% of new applicants; and this group accounts for 22% of the DVR caseload.
WRC member observation – The coding at intake may not be accurate, meaning that people may come to DVR for other disability issues and mental health issues become apparent after they have been working with DVR for a period of time.
WRC member observation – Many people with mental illness may choose to work only part time and keep their SSA benefits because they can’t afford their medications.
WRC member question – Has DVR seen an increase in applicants with mental illness, or other disabilities, as a result of the war in Iraq?
Answer: Not yet, as many returning veterans are still in medical recovery and not concerned with vocational issues right now. There probably won’t be an onslaught of new cases; veterans will show up at different times and in different places. The challenge will be addressing their unique needs.
Agenda Item: Mental Health Issues and VR Anna Eggebrecht, VR Supervisor – WDA 5 Brian Vanderwyst, Oconto County
- WDA 5 is a rural area with not many vendors to choose from.
- County staff has increased to three, which has increased placements and improved service quality.
- There is a grant project in Sheboygan and Oconto counties, co-funded by DHFS and DVR, to serve people with severe and persistent mental illness. The grant has allowed for more collaboration between the agencies involved in someone’s case.
- Of the 30 long term employment support cases served by Oconto County, 13 are people with mental illness.
WRC member question – In the tribal cases you work with, do consumers prefer work on or off the reservation?
Answer: The preference is usually work on the reservation but that doesn’t always work out.
WRC member question – What is the difference between services for people with mental illness in rural and urban areas?
Answer: There are usually more choices in service providers in urban areas. Some people have an advantage in a rural area because service providers and employers in small communities often get to know a consumer well and are invested in their success.
WRC member question – Is homelessness an issue?
Answer: It is and it puts DVR in a difficult position. DVR can’t provide basic living services but the vocational issues can’t be addressed until those other needs are met.
Agenda Item: State of WDA 5 – Anna Eggebrecht, VR Supervisor
- DVR staff teams are in three job center locations with an additional 3 DVR staff out-stationed to Job Center locations throughout the service area.
- The WDA serves about 2000 people; 1,027 new IPE’s were developed in FFY ‘07.
- The rehabilitation rate for the WDA is 38%.
WRC member question – Is DVR at the table for high school transition meetings?
Answer: The goal is to be there for plan development but timing and scheduling of the meetings can be an issue.
- There is coordination between DVR and the tribes to do joint case work with common customers.
- Staff also work with W-2 and veteran services liaisons.
- Serving customers with mental illness:
- 156 successful case closures
- 30.6% success rate
- Many have a dual-diagnosis of AODA
- WDA-wide goal is to increase competition among vendors to improve services for this population.
- Consumers have been conditioned to tell people “what’s wrong” with them in order to gain access to services. They have to learn to highlight their abilities so they can talk to n employer about their skills.
- A mental health clubhouse will be opening soon in Manitowoc
Agenda Item: National Disability Employment Awareness Month and DVR Marketing – Kristin Rolling, DVR
- During October, as part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), DVR will feature four consumers on its website.
- Local offices participate in a variety of NDEAM activities, including employer recognition events, job fairs and events deigned to increase the public’s awareness of disability employment issues.
- DVR is designing new consumer information materials. They will have simplified language. The goal is to increase consumer engagement by increasing their knowledge about DVR services and the VR process.
- WRC member Cindi Pichler and Rob Buettner will provide feedback on the materials, reviewing accessibility and readability.
Agenda Item: DVR Administrative Report - Charlene Dwyer, DVR Administrator; Manuel Lugo, DVR Deputy Administrator
- For the first time in several years, all areas of the state met their successful closure goals. A successful closure is defined as one where the consumer met their job goal, has been on the job for 90 days, is earning a competitive wage and the consumer agrees to the closure.
- The DVR FFY ’08 State Plan received an unqualified approval from the Rehabilitative Services Administration (RSA), the most positive response that RSA can make.
- Wisconsin DVR uses the State Plan as a strategic plan. It is not just written to comply with the RSA service delivery requirements which is also a primary purpose of the plan.
- DVR’s waiting list continues to be negligible. Other states are approaching Wisconsin for technical assistance for strategies to transition people off of a waiting list in a manageable way.
- DVR is one of a few state agencies that was exempted from the 0% financial growth instruction in the state budget. DVR’s state funding in the current budget proposal is sufficient for the increase in state match needed to draw down the full federal allotment which is anticipated to increase by the CPI index.
- If a state budget is not passed soon, it will have an impact on DVR services. As an example, if tuition is increased as a result of the state budget not being passed, that will affect the DVR budget because DVR pays tuition for some consumers. That would be funding that is diverted from other case services. A waiting list would have to be used to manage any budget implications.
WRC member question – What is the status of DVR’s request for continuing appropriation authority?
Answer: It was not included in the Assembly version of the budget. DVR has decided not to pursue it during this budget cycle if it is not included in the final budget bill.
Agenda Item: Public Comment
- No one appeared to make public comment.
- No public comment was sent to the WRC prior to the meeting
Perez/Anderson moved/seconded to adjourn. Motion carried.
Meeting adjourned at 4:15 p.m.