Work
Services
Vocational
Rehabilitation (Voc Rehab) Fact Sheet
Introduction
Voc
Rehab is the state agency responsible
for helping
disabled people, including those
with HIV, prepare for the workplace.
Voc Rehab funds a wide variety
of employment-related activities,
including technical training,
schooling or academic work, vocational
and skills testing, equipment
when necessary, transportation,
counseling, some job placement
and post-employment services,
clothing, etc.
To get assistance,
you must contact a Voc
Rehab office, attend
an orientation session, and meet
with a Voc Rehab counselor. The
counselor must prove: 1) that
you are disabled enough to qualify
for services and 2) that
Voc Rehab's assistance is required to
help you move toward employment.
There are no financial eligibilities.
You and your counselor are supposed
to draft a written plan, outlining
your schooling and job goals.
Voc Rehabs interest is in getting
you from disability to work as
quickly and cheaply as possible.
If your agenda is more involved,
or entails years of schooling,
you are more likely to get the
program you want if your goals
are clear-cut and if you research
your own study plan.
Strategies
for Success with Voc Rehab:
Work on your own
agenda. Write up a plan before
you meet with a counselor.
Decide
what you want to do first (if
possible). If you don’t
know, call Work Services to get
career counseling, assistance
in working out a plan, etc.
Research
training or schools that teach
the courses you want. Get comparative
costs. Voc Rehab prefers the least
expensive option (community colleges
as opposed to state universities).
If your plan involves more expensive
or private schooling, you will
have to justify it.
If you
are working, prove that your plan
will either keep you at work or
allow you to go from part- to
full-time work.
Stick
to your guns; don’t let
Voc Rehab talk you into something
you are not interested in.
You can
request a change of counselors
or offices, if necessary.
Medical
Eligibility
Voc Rehab counselors
score you according to the severity
of your disability. They may not
be very familiar with HIV. You
need to mention every possible
symptom that you have, or have
had, that interferes with your
ability to work.
Write
down and mention, in your interview,
every symptom you have had (if
you don’t say you had it,
the Voc Rehab counselor doesn’t
know about it).
Connect
symptoms to “functional
incapacity” when possible
(for example: “My medications
make it hard for me to concentrate
on specific tasks.”).
Voc Rehab
counselors require medical questionnaires
from you and your doctor; fill
them out completely and thoroughly;
mention all your symptoms (fatigue,
depression, nausea, etc.).
Take a
copy of your entire medical file
to your Voc Rehab counselor, even
if he/she doesn’t ask for
it.
Mental/emotional
problems add to your disability;
if you have been in therapy, on
psych meds (Prozac, etc.), seen
a psychiatrist, etc., take those
records in with you.
If Voc
Rehab denies or delays your claim,
appeal the decision.
Changing
Careers
Voc Rehab must
prove that their services are “required” to
assist you. If you have job skills,
but want to change careers, you
will have to justify the change.
Health:
A good justification is change
in health status. (“I can’t
work in a restaurant anymore because of my neuropathy, so
I need training in computers.”)
Outdated
skills: “I could make good
money as a manicurist, but those
jobs are gone,” or “My
degree in French literature is
useless in the job market, unless
I can get my credential to teach.”
Danger: “Even
though I’m a certified lab
tech, it’s dangerous for
me to be working around blood
and needles.”
Summary
Voc Rehab is often
a difficult bureaucracy to deal
with. Prepare yourself first.
Some offices and counselors may
okay your plan, other will not.
Appeal any denials. Voc Rehab
is outcome based; they want you
to return to work. If you want
training or education, but are
not ready for work, you may be
better off financing your training
in other ways. Voc Rehab assistance
can be used in conjunction with
other forms of financial aid.
Best advice: talk to a benefits
or career counselor before you
go to Voc Rehab.
Voc
Rehab Directory of Addresses
and Phone Number
If you have questions
about APLA, becoming a client or about
any of the services we offer, call
us at 213.201.1600 during normal business
hours or send
an e-mail. We are happy
to help.
The Get
Help section of this Web site includes:
- Eligibility Requirements for Programs & Services
- Programs & Services
- Registration Forms
Contact
APLA Webmaster |
