| Rehabilitation Services--Vocational Rehabilitation Grants to States |
Rehabilitation did not always determine applicant eligibility for services within the required period and did not properly document extensions to eligibility periods for six of the 40applicant cases reviewed. Rehabilitation has processes in place to monitor the timeliness of its eligibility decisions; however, these tools and instructions were not effectivein identifying and correcting these six exceptions. |
2008-09 |
| Partially corrected. Rehabilitation’s current Field Computer System (FCS) lacks the functionality necessary to effectively track and monitor extensions of an applicant’s eligibility determination.
Rehabilitation implemented a short term solution in September 2010 for local level monitoring of eligibility determinations. Rehabilitation counselors and supervisors receive automated reminder notices on the FCS before the expiration of the 60 days allowed for eligibility determination. Rehabilitation will continue to remind counselors and managers of the most effective tracking tools available and emphasize the importance of manually tracking eligibility timelines and extensions using available reports. To ensure appropriateness and compliance with federal regulations, Rehabilitation supervisors continue to conduct reviews of eligibility determinations and extensions.
Long term solution is the implementation of an electronic records system. Rehabilitation has committed considerable resources to replace the FCS with a new electronic records system, Accessible Web-based Activity Reporting Environment (AWARE), now in pilot implementation. Rehabilitation expects that eligibility extensions will be more effectively tracked and monitored by staff through the AWARE system. The system is expected to be fully implemented statewide by October 2011. Rehabilitation has completed the Meet and Confer process with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union regarding the change in Information Technology systems. Rehabilitation continues to identify strategies to streamline procedures that will ensure the timeliness of eligibility decisions and extensions. Examples include streamlining of processes, forms, and signature requirements, and combining eligibility and priority for services. Issue Memo 2011.03 for this purpose was approved in January 2011. The AWARE system has been adapted to daily display a list of consumers with activities due and their respective required completion dates, including eligibility decisions and extensions. The AWARE system is configured to automatically update an approved eligibility extension expiration date upon staff entry within the Record of Services (ROS). The AWARE system also contains ad hoc reporting features that allow easily attainable reports produced by each user, facilitating increased monitoring at the local level. |
109 |
| Rehabilitation Services--Vocational Rehabilitation Grants to States |
Rehabilitation did not always determine applicant eligibility for services within the required period and did not properly document extensions to eligibility periods for six of the 40applicant cases reviewed. Rehabilitation has processes in place to monitor the timeliness of its eligibility decisions; however, these tools and instructions were not effectivein identifying and correcting these six exceptions. |
2008-09 |
| Partially corrected. Rehabilitation’s current Field Computer System (FCS) lacks the functionality necessary to effectively track and monitor extensions of an applicant’s eligibility determination.
Rehabilitation implemented a short term solution in September 2010 for local level monitoring of eligibility determinations. Rehabilitation counselors and supervisors receive automated reminder notices on the FCS before the expiration of the 60 days allowed for eligibility determination. Rehabilitation will continue to remind counselors and managers of the most effective tracking tools available and emphasize the importance of manually tracking eligibility timelines and extensions using available reports. To ensure appropriateness and compliance with federal regulations, Rehabilitation supervisors continue to conduct reviews of eligibility determinations and extensions.
Long term solution is the implementation of an electronic records system. Rehabilitation has committed considerable resources to replace the FCS with a new electronic records system, Accessible Web-based Activity Reporting Environment (AWARE), now in pilot implementation. Rehabilitation expects that eligibility extensions will be more effectively tracked and monitored by staff through the AWARE system. The system is expected to be fully implemented statewide by October 2011. Rehabilitation has completed the Meet and Confer process with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union regarding the change in Information Technology systems. Rehabilitation continues to identify strategies to streamline procedures that will ensure the timeliness of eligibility decisions and extensions. Examples include streamlining of processes, forms, and signature requirements, and combining eligibility and priority for services. Issue Memo 2011.03 for this purpose was approved in January 2011. The AWARE system has been adapted to daily display a list of consumers with activities due and their respective required completion dates, including eligibility decisions and extensions. The AWARE system is configured to automatically update an approved eligibility extension expiration date upon staff entry within the Record of Services (ROS). The AWARE system also contains ad hoc reporting features that allow easily attainable reports produced by each user, facilitating increased monitoring at the local level. |
109 |
