E1MN, a state agency partnership working together
to deliver a more seamless and timely employment support system.
As a waiver case manager,
you play a critical role in supporting employment
by helping the person monitor the services they get.
The way you fulfill that responsibility looks a little different
during Engage, Plan, Find, and Keep.
Let's start by looking at the Engage phase.
As a reminder, the Engage phase is where the person needs help
making an informed choice about competitive integrated employment
They aren't sure if they want to work.
They might have concerns about working,
or they might not even know work is an option.
The first step to monitoring services during the Engage phase
is to know the expected outcomes of the service.
You can find guidance on expected outcomes of employment exploration services
in the work toolkit, Supporting People on Waivers: Engage.
Second, participate in the waiver employment exploration service intake
as well as each 45-day meeting.
This is an important point of collaboration
with the employment service provider.
During the intake, be sure to answer questions
and communicate clear expectations of what will be done
as a part of employment exploration services.
During the 45-day meeting,
talk to the person and the waiver employment service provider
about how things are going,
if there are any areas or concerns,
and what's working and not working.
Ask the person if they're happy with the service,
what they're doing, and the progress they're making.
If needed, increase, decrease, or change the service.
Third, monitor progress that the employment service provider
and the person are making during employment exploration services.
Ask the provider for regular progress updates
and continue to check in on what's been done,
what's working, what's not working, and if the person
is making progress toward an informed choice
about competitive integrated employment.
Remember, employment exploration services are limited to 12 months
following the initial authorization of the service.
In some situations, a person might need
to receive continued employment exploration services
after the 12 months.
You can reauthorize employment exploration services
if the person experiences one of the situations
listed in the CBSM employment exploration service policy.
To ensure exploration services are provided within 12 months,
it's important you review the employment service provider's
progress notes or reports
and intervene if it appears the services are not occurring
in a timely manner, expectations are not being met,
or progress is not being made.
Finally, as you track the person's progress
during employment exploration services,
look for indications that the person is ready to transition
to Plan or Find services.
When the person says "Yes, they want to work
in competitive integrated employment,"
and they have an idea of what that means,
they've moved to the Plan phase.
Some people might go right from Engage to Find.
Once they learn about employment, they might be ready to find a job.
Wherever the person is at, it's important to keep them engaged
in employment and keeping things moving.
If the person is ready to transition to Plan services,
connect the person to Waiver Employment Development Services.
If the person is ready to transition to Find services,
connect the person to VRS/SSB services.
This is another important point of collaboration.
You'll need to collaborate with the waiver employment service provider
and VRS/SSB and monitor the person's progress towards employment.
If a person decides they do not want to pursue competitive integrated employment
at this time, be prepared to have them explore
and transition to other services and supports
that support a full and integrated life.
Remember to continue to have conversations about employment in the future.
They may not be ready today, but in six months or a year,
things may be different, or they may have changed their mind.
Now let's look at the Plan phase.
As a reminder, during the Plan phase,
the person knows they want to work in competitive integrated employment,
but they need some help discovering their interests and strengths
and getting ready to look for a job.
The steps you take during the Plan phase are similar to the Engage phase.
Like Engage, the first step to monitoring services
during Plan phase is to know the expected outcome of the service.
You can find guidance on the expected outcomes
of employment development Plan phase services
and examples in the work toolkit, Supporting People on Waivers: Plan.
Second, if the person is working with a new employment service provider
for their employment development services,
it's important that you participate in the intake meeting.
During the intake, be sure to answer questions
and communicate clear expectations of the service
based on what the person wants.
Elements of the employment portfolio
including things like personal profile, a benefits plan,
résumé, and sample job application are expectations
of waiver employment development Plan phase services.
Then, as employment development services are provided,
be sure to participate in the 45-day meetings.
During the 45-day meeting, talk to the person
and the waiver employment service provider
about how things are going,
if there are any areas of concerns, what's working,
and what's not working.
Find out if the person has created a My Vault account
and how they're using it if they have,
or what their concerns are if they have not.
Ask what elements of the employment portfolio
have been completed and ask that they be shared with you
if they haven't already.
Ask the person if they're happy with the service,
what they're doing, and the progress they're making.
If needed, increase, decrease, or change the service.
Both of these are important points of collaboration
with the employment service provider.
Third, keep track of progress that the employment service provider
and the person are making during employment development
Plan phase services.
Ask the provider for regular progress updates
and continue to check in on what's been done.
Ask them to help the person share any new or revised items
in their employment portfolio.
Find out what's working and not working
and if the person is making progress towards setting an employment goal.
When a person is interested in employment,
it's important to get services started quickly,
keep the person engaged and moving forward toward finding a job.
That's why employment development Plan phase services
are limited to 120 days.
They should end after a maximum of 120 days
following the initial authorization for services.
In some situations, a person might need continued employment development
Plan phase services after 120 days.
You can reauthorize employment development Plan phase services
if the person experiences one of the situations
listed in the CBSM employment development service policy.
To ensure development services are provided within 120 days,
it's especially important that you review the items shared
from the person's employment portfolio
and the employment service provider's progress notes or reports
and intervene if it appears the services are not occurring in a timely manner,
expectations are not being met, or progress is not being made.
As the end of the 120-day authorization period gets close,
or as soon as the person has a preliminary job goal,
the provider should work with the person to complete
their positive summary or a similar tool.
A positive summary is an effective way
to summarize everything that was learned during the Plan phase.
You can use it to monitor services and also document informed choice.
Be sure to ask that it's shared with you.
Finally, as you track the person's progress
during employment development Plan phase services,
look for indications that the person is ready
to transition to Find services.
When the person says that they know what they want to do,
they have a job goal in mind, and they're ready to start looking for a job,
they're ready to move to Find services.
Work with the waiver employment development Plan phase provider
to help ensure the person gets connected with VRS/SSB,
shares their positive summary and items in their portfolio,
and gets started with help looking for a job.
Collaborating with the employment provider and VRS/SSB
is essential for a smooth transition from Plan to Find phase.
If a person decides they do not want
to pursue competitive integrated employment
at this time, be prepared to help them transition
to other services that support a full and integrated life
and remember to continue to have conversations
about employment in the future.
They may not be ready today,
but in six months or a year,
things may be different, or they may change their mind.
Now let's look at the Find phase.
As a reminder, during the Find phase,
the person needs help finding a job.
VRS/SSB staff take the lead role monitoring employment services
during this phase, but it's important you stay up to date
on the person's progress so you're prepared for the transition
to Keep phase services when the time arises.
In the Find phase, if the person needs long-term supports
to maintain a job, VRS/SSB will work with you
to make sure those services are available
to the person through the waiver.
Additionally, during the find phase, be prepared to help the person
adjust the other waiver services they have when they get a job.
For example, they may need to adjust their waiver transportation,
home care services, or day services to help with their job search
or when they get a job.
Collaboration with VRS/SSB and the employment service provider
is necessary at several points during the Find phase.
Some key points of collaboration
are when the person starts working with VRS/SSB,
when you have questions,
when you need to coordinate supports,
and when the person is ready to move to the Keep phase.
Now let's look at the Keep phase.
In the Keep phase, the person has a job
and needs ongoing supports to maintain it.
In this phase, you return to having a primary role
in monitoring employment services,
and the actions you take are similar to the Engage and Plan phases.
First, know the expected outcomes of the service.
You can find guidance on expected outcomes of employment support services
in the work toolkit, Supporting People on Waivers: Keep.
Second, if the person is working
with a new employment service provider
for their employment support services,
it's important that you participate in the intake meeting.
Again, during the intake, be sure to answer questions
and clearly communicate clear expectations of the service.
Then as employment support services are provided,
be sure to participate in the 45-day meetings.
During the 45-day meetings,
talk to the person and the employment service provider
about how things are going,
if there are any areas of concerns,
what's working, and what's not working.
Ask the person if they like their job, their coworkers,
if they're happy with what they're doing, their pay,
if they have any questions about their benefits,
if they like the people who are supporting them in the service,
the progress they're making,
and if there's anything they would change.
Sometimes a person needs a lot of support
when they first start a job, and as they learn
and get more comfortable, employment supports can decrease.
Sometimes they learn they need more support
than originally expected,
so adjust the services as needed.
Both the intake and 45-day meetings
are important times to collaborate with the employment service provider.
Finally, keep track of progress the employment service provider
and the person are making during employment support services.
Ask for regular progress reports from the provider
and check in with the person.
Ask the person if they like their job,
their coworkers, if they're satisfied with their job,
or if they would like to look for a different job,
adjust their hours, or ask for a raise,
if they have questions about their benefits,
or if they like their service provider
and they're doing what the person expects.
Review the employment service provider's progress notes or reports
and intervene if it appears the services are not occurring
in a timely manner,
are not consistent with the service plan expectations,
or progress is not being made.
By monitoring services, you are helping to achieve the shared vision.
We will work together to align our systems
so that people who are on HCBS disability waivers
get seamless and timely supports to make informed choices
and meet competitive, integrated employment goals.