Meeting Minutes
Virginia State Rehabilitation Council
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Virginia State Rehabilitation Council
Meeting Minutes
August 10, 2009
A meeting of the Virginia State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) was held on August 10, 2009 at the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS), Richmond, Virginia.
Members Present: Karen Baugh, Charles Benagh (by phone), Stephanie Colorado, Sandra Cook, Daniel DeBoer, Charles Downs, Matthew Deans, Donna Kay Graff, Kenneth Holloway, Shannon McManus Jones, Sarah Liddle, Kathleen Maybee, Marianne Moore, James Rothrock (by phone), Samuel Simon (by phone), Cherie Takemoto (by phone), Florence Watt
Members Absent: Gregory Coleman
Others Present: John Phelps, Field Rehabilitative Services Director; Elizabeth Smith, Policy and Planning Director; Scott Fraley, Policy Analyst; Vanessa Rakestraw, Policy Analyst; Rick Sizemore, Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center (WWRC) Director; Barbara Tyson, Staff Support; Ernie Steidle, Chief Operating Officer; Larry Roberts, Self-Employment Enterprises Coordinator; Cat Clough and Bernadette Mayhall, Interpreters; Eleanor Fields, Personal Assistant
Call to Order: Because she was unable to attend in person, Cherie Takemoto requested that Florence Watt, Vice Chair, act as Chair of the meeting. The meeting was called to order at 11:45 a.m.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made by Charles Benagh, seconded, and passed by unanimous vote to approve the minutes of the May 11, 2009 meeting as corrected.
Matters of Public Comment: There were no comments from the public.
Chairperson’s Report
• At the November meeting, a certificate will be presented to Sam Simon to recognize him for his outstanding services to the Council. Mr. Simon’s term ends on September 30, 2009.
• Matthew Deans volunteered to serve as the representative to the Assistive Technology Advisory Council. The next meeting will be held on September 9, 2009 at the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center.
• Florence Watt was nominated as the 2009-2010 Chair of the SRC and Marianne Moore as the Vice-Chair. Hearing no other nominations for these positions, a motion was made by Danny DeBoer, seconded, and passed by unanimous vote to elect these individuals.
• The November 16-17, 2009 SRC meeting and retreat will be held in Richmond at a location to be determined.
• The SRC appreciates the weekly Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) success stories and would like to see client success stories placed on the agency’s website. The External Affairs Committee will look at ideas for getting the success stories to a wider audience and will share their ideas with the Commissioner, Ms. Smith and Aileen Colorado, DRS Marketing Director.
• Commissioner Rothrock and Rick Sizemore were recognized for the outstanding dedication ceremony of Rothrock Hall at WWRC.
Commissioner’s Report
• A “Brain Injury Report Out Day” was held on July 24, 2009 at the Science Museum of Virginia. The event was sponsored by DRS and the Virginia Brain Injury Council, in partnership with the Brain Injury Association of Virginia. The purpose of the day was for state agencies and other interested parties to share information and update one another on activities and initiatives in the area of brain injury services. Awards were given to Delegate Kirkland for his support and leadership in the passage of Virginia’s Wounded Warrior Program and to Delegate Hamilton for his years of dedication in bringing awareness to the needs of people with brain injury and in supporting funding for brain injury services. DRS is setting up a website to summarize the results of the day, along with downloadable copies of PowerPoint presentations.
• On July 29, 2009 Governor Kaine, his Cabinet, and members of his senior staff conducted a Cabinet Community Day in the Fredericksburg area. One of the stops included the Rappahannock Goodwill Industries’ laundry facility. Governor Kaine announced the 12 recipients of the grant awards from DRS for increasing employment of individuals with significant disabilities; the grants were funded with federal Recovery Funds.
• DRS has prepared 5%, 10%, and 15% budget reduction plans to be sent to the Governor.
• The Disability Determination Services has received notification from the Social Security Administration that they will provide funds to hire approximately 115 employees in the Roanoke area to help with the backlog of claims.
• A position is currently being recruited to coordinate outreach and enhance service provision for individuals with disabilities with Limited-English Proficiency. In addition, DRS will be hiring a part-time employee to enhance VR quality assurance activities.
Working Lunch – DRS Program Reports
John Phelps reviewed the Field Rehabilitation Services Division Performance Measure Report for the month ending July 2009. He noted that while the number of successful employment closures and the development of Employment Plans is well below last year’s performance, the average earnings are up 2.6% and cases on hand has increased 5.9% from 18,538 in performance year 2008 to 19,631 in performance year 2009. The Field Program will be hiring three new Assistive Technology Specialists to provide assistive technology services to VR consumers.
Dr. Steidle reported on the status of the budget for State Fiscal Year 2009. As of June 2009, the agency expended 94% of the budget, which is on target for the year.
Rick Sizemore reviewed the WWRC 2010 Blueprint for Direction. A motion was made by Cherie Takemoto, seconded, and passed by unanimous vote to endorse the 2010 Blueprint for Direction as presented. Mr. Sizemore will send the SRC the results of the 2009 Blueprint. Mr. Sizemore expects 20 new clients for Rothrock Hall in the new future.
Council Roundtable
Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC): Ms. Liddle reported that the next SILC meeting will be held on October 21-22, 2009 in Richmond. A web-based survey has been posted to the SILC website for all consumer groups, service programs, and individuals in the Commonwealth that are affected by disability issues. The comments received will help direct the development of the 2011-2013 State Plan for Independent Living which is due to the Rehabilitation Services Administration in September 2010. Members of the SRC will receive a letter from the SILC chair asking for their assistance in distributing information about the survey to those groups with which they have contact. You may review the information by going to www.vasilc.org.
Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC): Ms. Takemoto reported that PEATC has links for Facebook and Twitter. PEATC is recruiting parent leaders throughout Virginia to be involved in study groups on the IDEA. Additional information can be obtained at the PEATC website at www.peatc.org.
Department of Education (DOE): Ms. Moore reported that the new Special Education state regulations became effective July 7, 2009 and there will be training for Special Education Directors and staff on the regulations in August and September. DOE has added a new unit in the department for children to address needs of children with autism, visual disabilities, and deaf and hard-of-hearing. The Federal Office of Special Education will conduct its monitoring visit of DOE in October. Project Search is assisting students in their last year of high school with internships in hospitals and government offices. Planning has begun for the 2010 Transition Forum which will be held in Roanoke. The Summer Transition Institute was held the end of July and the theme was “Rich Transition in Lean Years”.
Mental Health Planning Council: Ms. Watt reported that the Council discussed the name change from Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services to Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; possible budget cuts; changes at the Southeastern Virginia Training Center; and the requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
Committee Reports
Internal Affairs Committee
Karen Baugh, Chair, reported on the following:
• Barbara Burkett, Lead Analyst, presented data on transition age clients being served in the VR program. It was suggested that Marianne Moore and Dr. Burkett compare data that they have on transition students to determine if there is additional information available to better understand transition services, specifically high school drop-out rates.
• Mable Fleming, Senior Analyst, presented the results of the 2008 VR Consumer Satisfaction Survey, which included a description of the changes to the survey and a comparison of survey rates over the past seven years. In FFY 2008, DRS achieved an overall 81% satisfaction rate. The overall satisfaction among consumers who were successfully rehabilitated was 89%. Ms. Smith distributed the Audit Report on the 2007 Survey, which found that the survey process was appropriately managed with no risk of bias.
• The Committee reviewed the request to extend the Hearing Officer Contracts for one year. A motion was made by Ms. Baugh, seconded, and passed by unanimous vote that the contracts be renewed for another year.
External Affairs Committee
Danny DeBoer reported on the following:
• The Committee finalized the SRC Mission and Vision statements. A motion was made by Sandra Cook, seconded, and passed by unanimous vote to approve the statements.
• The Committee finalized the Guidelines for Public Comments. A motion was made by Chuck Benagh, seconded, and passed by unanimous vote to approve the Guidelines.
• Ken Holloway and Florence Watt volunteered to work on the 2008 SRC Annual Report.
• The Committee will meet on September 21 to discuss ways to increase public and consumer input.
Unfinished Business
Transition Services was discussed as a part of the Internal Affairs Committee Report.
New Business
SRC November Retreat Agenda – GWU TACE Center
Maureen McGuire-Kuletz and Pat Tomlinson from the George Washington University (GWU) Technical Assistance & Continuing Education (TACE) Center discussed the purpose of the TACE Center and reviewed the results of the SRC survey for possible agenda items for the November SRC Retreat. The SRC members seemed most interested in strategic planning and team building. Rob Froelich from GWU TACE will serve as the facilitator for the retreat.
DRS’ Self-Employment Enterprise Program
Larry Roberts shared with the Council his role as the Self-Employment Enterprise (SEE) Coordinator for the VR program and the process to assist VR consumers in their self-employment ventures. For additional information on DRS Self-Employment, go to www.vadrs.org/frs/seehandbook/ or contact him at Lawrence.Roberts@drs.virginia.gov.
Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:45 p.m.
