The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Dinapoli: State education employment program for New Yorkers with disabilities falling short
The program run by the State Education Department to help New Yorkers with disabilities gain employment, transition to independent living, and rise out of poverty is not fulfilling its mission because it too often leaves participants with inadequate plans that do not accomplish those goals, according to an audit released recently by State Comptroller Thomas P. Dinapoli.
“People with disabilities often face great obstacles in finding and keeping the jobs they want, and the pandemic has only made things harder,” Dinapoli said. “The State Education Department needs to do a better job with this important program for people with disabilities. The program’s vital mission is not always fulfilled due to the agency’s failure to monitor progress and by significant delays in implementing the individual plans for achieving participants’ employment goals.
“I applaud the Governor’s appointment of a chief disability officer, and hope that this will result in much-needed improvements to the state’s services and support for people living with disabilities.”
The Adult Career and Continuing Education Services — Vocational Rehabilitation Supported Employment Program (ACCESVR) provides vocational rehabilitation services and supports the employment goals of people with a disability. SED has 15 ACCESVR district offices with 293 fulltime vocational counselors and 97 counselor assistants.
Unemployment rates among
New Yorkers with disabilities have historically been higher than for the general population. The pandemic led to soaring unemployment rates in New York, which peaked in April 2020. For the one-year period between September 2020 and August 2021, unemployment rates for people with a disability averaged 15.2%, 7.9% over pre-pandemic averages. This rate continues to be significantly higher than for the general population.
Under the ACCES-VR program, counselors work with individuals to develop an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE). The IPE should identify the employment goal for the participant, the services that will be provided, and how progress will be measured.
Dinapoli’s auditors, however, found SED does not regularly meet the deadlines for eligibility determinations (60 days after the application date), finalization of IPES (90 days after eligibility date), or annual reviews of IPES, which are required by federal law and SED policy.
Auditors selected and reviewed 200 participants’ case files from April 2017 to Dec. 2020 and found:
• 27 had late eligibility determinations.
• 35 had IPE’S that were completed late.
• 47 had late annual reviews. For example, one participant’s eligibility was determined 175 days after the application date — 115 days late. Another participant had their IPE finalized 362 days after the eligibility determination date — 272 days late. Auditors found SED implemented a