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“INDEPENDENCE THROUGH EMPLOYMENT”
To be eligible to participate in the VRNA project:
You have to be an enrolled member of any federally recognized tribe. A copy of your tribal enrollment card or letter from the enrollment office is needed for verification.
You have to live in one of our service areas... View Map
You need to have a documented physical, mental, cognitive or developmental disability. If you don’t have copies of your records, the VRNA Counselor can help you get this information. Some examples of possible disabilities are:
Hearing loss
Vision problems
Complications from diabetes
DepressionArthritis
Substance abuse (however, you must not be using drugs or alcohol to participate)
The disability must be the major problem for getting, keeping or advancing in employment. If you are not sure what the disability is or how it is making it difficult for you to find employment, the counselor can recommend different assessments that will help identify the disability and point out your abilities and interests.
You must be reasonably expected to benefit from vocational rehabilitation services. In other words, the disability can’t be so severe that it is impossible for you to work. However, we assume you are able to work until proven otherwise during the development and implementation of your Individualized Plan for Employment.
You have to have the desire to work and actively take part in the journey towards your employment goal.
Once all the needed paperwork is completed, the counselor has up to sixty days to make a determination of your eligibility to participate in the VRNA project. You will receive a letter notifying you of the decision. At this point, if accepted, you and the staff will begin developing your Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE).
CREATING and WORKING YOUR INDIVIDUALIZED PLAN FOR EMPLOYMENT (IPE)
Once you’ve been determined eligible, you, the counselor, and if appropriate, the job development specialist will work together to create the “map” you need to reach your employment goal.
The map is called an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE). It is customized to meet your individual strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, and informed choice. The IPE contains the following information:
Your employment goal
Each service that is needed to reach your goal
The beginning and end dates for each service
The cost of each service
Your responsibilities
VRNA’s responsibilities
The responsibility of any other people or agencies involved in helping you
Measurements that will tell you and VRNA that progress is being made towards your goal
The types of support that might be included in an IPE:
Vocational counseling
Vocational evaluation and/or career exploration
Job seeking skills
Job development
Transition from high school to post-secondary education or immediate employment
Physical or technical aids needed to accommodate a disability in the workplace
Tools and equipment
Other Federally approved supports needed to find, keep or advance at a job
Services begin once the IPE is approved by the project director. The length of time it takes to reach your employment goal depends on your disability, your job choice, your attitude and your willingness to work towards achieving your goal. It is your responsibility to make the plan successful.
CLOSURE
Once you begin working; the counselor and job developer will continue to provide support for you, and if necessary, the employer. We want to make sure everything is working out well for everyone. After you have successfully completed 90 days of employment, your case can be closed.
POST-EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
Post-employment services are available after your case is closed. Often, as time goes on, a person’s disability might change, a work area changes, the way a task is done can change…change happens. We can help you and your employer adjust to the changes and keep you working.
VRNA - Vocational Rehabilitation for Native Americans
2932 Hwy. 47 N.
PO Box 760
Lac du Flambeau, WI 54538
phone: 800.472.7207 [ext.209] / 715.588.3324 [ext.209] fax: 715.588.2177
2932 Hwy. 47 N.
PO Box 760
Lac du Flambeau, WI 54538
phone: 800.472.7207 [ext.209] / 715.588.3324 [ext.209] fax: 715.588.2177
