Compendium of Budget Information for the 2009 General Session
| Commerce & Workforce Services Appropriations Subcommittee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subcommittee Table of Contents | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Agency: State Board of Education Line Item: State Office of Rehabilitation Function The Utah State Office of Rehabilitation (USOR), under the direction of the State Board of Education, operates programs designed to assist disabled individuals prepare for and obtain gainful employment as well as increase their independence. USOR contains an Executive Director's Office, and four operating divisions: Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired, Rehabilitation Services, Disability Determination Services, and Services to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing. The Smith-Fess Act authorizing the state-federal vocational rehabilitation program was passed by Congress and signed into law in 1920. The program officially opened in Utah in 1921. The Utah State Office of Rehabilitation was created during the 1988 Legislative session under the direction of the State Board of Education and State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Prior to 1988 two separate departments the Division of Rehabilitation Services and the Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired existed as separate divisions under the Utah State Office of Education. USOR provides tailored services focusing on the needs, interests, abilities, and informed choices of the individuals served. USOR works in concert with other community service and resource providers to offer rehabilitative services throughout the state. To be eligible for services, patrons must have a physical or mental impairment that constitutes a substantial impediment to gainful employment. State law requires a financial needs test to determine the extent to which a client may receive services. Statutory Authority Statutory provisions for the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation may be found in UCA, Section 53A, Chapter 24. In addition to state law, many functions provided by USOR have provisions detailed in federal law. Those federal law references, where available, follow the references in Utah Code. Utah Code:
Federal Law:
Funding Detail Two primary sources provide revenue for USOR. The largest contributor is the federal government, providing approximately 62 percent of total USOR revenues in FY 2008. In addition to federal funds, USOR receives a significant appropriation from state funds. Uniform School Fund revenues account for roughly 36.2 percent of the total appropriation. The remaining state generated revenue comes from the General Fund. In addition to state and federal resources, the office collects dedicated credits generated primarily through fees and the sale of services, goods and materials.
Function With the approval of the State Board of Education, the State Superintendent appoints the Executive Director of USOR. The Executive Director administers the office in accordance to the direction of the State Superintendent, policies of the State Board, and applicable state and federal laws and regulations. The Executive Director's Office supervises and coordinates the four operating divisions which include the Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Division of Rehabilitation Services, the Division of Disability Determination Services, and the Division of Services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Functions of the Executive Director's office include planning, budgeting, policy and procedure development, program evaluation, program and fee approval, facility and lease management, computer network development and maintenance, contracts and monitoring, public relations, special project grants, personnel, and training. The office also acts as the primary interface between the Legislature, the State Board of Education as well as the Rehabilitation Services Administration and the Social Security Administration for the various divisions. Statutory Authority The following statutes detail the creation of the Executive Director's office, provide for the appointment of the Executive director and enumerate the functions of the office. Utah Code:
Federal Law:
Funding Detail The Uniform School Fund provides the majority of funding for the Executive Director's Office. The office receives approximately 8 percent of its revenue from the federal government. In addition, the Executive Director's office generates a portion of its revenue from dedicated credits. The dedicated credits are generated through two receivable contracts USOR has with the Department of Health. One contract involves network support services for a Department of Health office that is located next to a USOR office in the same building. The second contract involves a joint effort with the Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities through the State Office of Rehabilitation and the Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (DOH) to educate employers about hiring people with disabilities.
Program: Blind and Visually Impaired Function The Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired (DSBVI) assists individuals who are blind or visually disabled to obtain employment and increase their independence. The division provides a variety of services that include orientation and mobility assistance, vocational counseling, vocation training, adaptive technology services, adjustment to blindness training activities, visual screening of children, and prevention of blindness training. The division also administers a Business Enterprise Program that includes cafeterias, gift shops, and convenience stores that are operated by the blind. The DSBVI provides preschool vision screening. According to state law, DSBVI coordinates vision screening for pre-school and kindergarten age children throughout Utah. Several youth with amblyopia and other severe vision problems are discovered each year through the screenings provided by the division. Low Vision Services Low Vision services provided by DSBVI help citizens throughout the state. The division offers free low vision clinics weekly in Salt Lake City, and on a regular basis throughout the State. The section offers services to aid consumers in adjusting to their particular low vision needs, such as, devices, training, mobility, etc. DSBVI employs a deaf-blind specialist who provides services for those who are deaf-blind, and coordinates services for individuals with other state or USOR programs. In addition to the deaf-blind specialist, the division receives through the Rehabilitation Services Administration funding to conduct an older-blind program. Individuals age 55 and older with severe vision problems may be eligible for these services. The division contracts for three full-time older-blind specialists in Logan, Price and St. George and two part-time specialists in Vernal and Moab through the Independent Living Centers in the respective areas. These individuals assist the older-blind population in rural areas with in-home instruction, support services, and involvement in division and community programs. Statutory Authority The statutory references below define the creation of DSBVI, the division's responsibilities and the appointment of an advisory council.
Funding Detail The Uniform School Fund provides the largest source of revenue for the division, at approximately 70 percent of total division funds. Federal funds and dedicated credits represent the remaining division revenue at 30 percent. The division generates dedicated credit revenue primarily through the sale of low vision magnification devices, Braille devices, and speech equipment.
Program: Rehabilitation Services Function Rehabilitation Services provides two major programs, Vocational Rehabilitation and Independent Living. Vocational Rehabilitation Vocational Rehabilitation provides services directed towards the goal of employment. Services include counseling and guidance, assistive technology, job training, job placement, and post employment follow-up. Eligibility for vocational rehabilitation is based on the presence of physical or mental impairment that constitutes a substantial impediment to employment. Once determined eligible, an individual will work with a counselor to develop an individualized program that leads to employment. The division provides statewide services to people with disabilities through twenty-eight offices. All forty school districts in the state, through cooperative agreements, receive vocational rehabilitation services. Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors are assigned to each high school in the state. The division also works through cooperative agreements with the Department of Workforce Services, the Division of Children's with Special Health and Special Care Needs, the State Board of Regents, the Division of Services for People with Disabilities, Health Care Financing (Medicaid), and the Division of Substance Abuse, and the Division of Mental Health. Utah's Independent Living Centers Statewide Independent Living Centers enable people with disabilities to live independently. The Division of Rehabilitation Services works with the Independent Living Centers, the Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and the Utah Statewide Independent Living Council to coordinate services. Services provided include; peer support, skills training, recreation and community integration programs, and assistive technology. Eligibility for the program is based on the presence of a disability coupled with the ability to benefit from services. All services are based individual need in accordance with an IL plan with specific goals and objectives. Services are time-limited and designed to assist consumers increase and maintain their levels of independence and community participation. Currently, six Independent Living Centers (ILC's) and four satellites operate throughout Utah. They include: Options for Independence in Logan with a satellite in Brigham City; Tri-County Independent Center in Ogden; Utah Independent Living Center in Salt Lake City which operates a satellite in Tooele; Central Utah Independent Living Center in Provo; Active Re-Entry Independent Living Center in Price, which operates two satellites in Vernal and Moab; and Red Rock Independent Living Center in St. George. Each ILC operates on a combination of State and federal funding. All ILC's provide, at a minimum, the services detailed above. Statutory Authority The statutory reverences below detail the Division or Rehabilitation Services, Assistive Technology Services, and various advisory councils in Utah law. Appropriate federal law references may be found following the state code section. Utah Code:
Federal Law:
Funding Detail The federal government provides the largest portion of division funding at over 64 percent. A combination of state funds (Uniform School Fund and General Fund) contributes roughly 33 percent of division funds. The remaining division revenue is generated through dedicated credits. The division's dedicated credits revenue comes from two sources: 1) The Division of Facilities Construction and Management rents a portion of the Buffmire Rehabilitation Services Center building; 2) The Department of Workforce Services Receivable Contract, the Department of Health Receivable Contract, and the Department of Education - At Risk Students Receivable Contract contribute to the dedicated credits revenue. As noted above, Rehabilitation Services receives revenue from the state's general fund of $254,900. This funding stream has existed at the current level for several years. Rehabilitation Services is the only education related agency that receives an ongoing general fund appropriation. The General Fund appropriation provides for the Utah Center for Assistive Technology (UCAT). UCAT began as a federal grant serving multiple state agencies such as; the Division of Services for People with Disabilities, the Division of Children's with Special Health and Special Care Needs, the Division of Aging, the Department of Workforce Services, etc. When the federal grant ended, the Legislature continued the program and placed the Center under the direction of the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation. The General Funds are used to continue services to other non-education related state agencies. The 5 year budget history for the division. Division funding has remained fairly consistent over the past 5 years. As with many of the USOR divisions, Rehabilitation Services passes through the majority of its revenue to other agencies or programs. Rehabilitation Services uses the majority of its pass through revenue in client case management to provide direct services to those clients.
Program: Disability Determination Function This state administered federal program develops, adjudicates, and processes all disability claims of Utah residents under Title II and Title XVI of the Social Security Act. It refers disabled adults to the Division of Rehabilitation Services whenever the adult may benefit from vocational rehabilitation services. The determination of who may benefit is based on criteria developed by the Social Security Administration. The following statutes govern the operation of the Division of Disability Determination Services. Federal law references follow references to Utah Code. Statutory Authority
Funding Detail Disability Determination Services, except for a small Uniform School Fund appropriation, receives its' revenue from the federal government. The $3,600 in state Uniform School Funds received by the division supports the Disabilities Determination Services Advisory Council (UCA 53A-15-205). details the division's budget for the past 5 years.
Program: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Function The Division of Services to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DSDHH) helps increase productivity, independence, and community integration of individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Program services provided through the Robert G. Sanderson Community Center for the Deaf include: information and referral, educational classes, counseling and case management services, recreation and leisure activities, telecommunication services for the deaf, repair and maintenance of assistive technology, interpreter services, and a library. The division operates four programs: Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Utah Interpreter Programs, Outreach and Technology Program, and the Individualized Program. These programs are detailed in the following paragraphs. Programs for the Deaf - The deaf program includes activities and services to fulfill social, recreational, and adult learning needs with barrier-free communication. Specialized programs have been developed for Deaf Seniors, Deaf teenagers, families with Deaf children, people with multiple disabilities and some degree of deafness, and people who have lost their hearing as adults. Programs for the Hard of Hearing - The Hard of Hearing Specialists work with hard of hearing and late-deafened individuals and their families to support those individuals with building various degrees of adjustment/coping skills by providing a barrier-free environment in which to learn, share experiences and enjoy socialization with others who have similar experiences. They provide classes, workshops, sign language and speech reading training. They also provide information and resources on self-advocacy, assistive technology, purchasing hearing aids, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), self-help strategies and employment issues. Utah Interpreter Program - The program provides interpreter training, mentoring, best practices, and certification. The center offers classes and workshops to help interpreters improve skills, increase knowledge, and prepare for certification. The Center performs interpreter certification quality assurance evaluations to ensure that deaf community is receiving quality interpreting services. Individualized Services Program - Services are provided at no cost to individuals who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, such as mental health counseling in family, group or individualized settings; case management services; assistance with reading documents; and referring clients to appropriate agencies or service providers. Outreach and Technology Program - Outreach services offer information and referrals to the public regarding deaf and hard of hearing issues. The program provides presentations or workshops on the needs and technology available for individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. The Center offers a Demonstration Lab that has equipment available for individuals to test before purchase. Equipment includes special phones for the Hard of Hearing, TTY Devices, Doorbell and Phone Transmitters and Flashers, Baby Cry Devices, Fire/Burglar Alarms, computer software and hardware, etc. Statutory Authority The following statutes detail the creation of the division, division responsibilities, and the appointment of an advisory council. Federal law references follow UCA references.
Funding Detail Provides a 5 year budget history for the division. The table illustrates that Uniform School Funds represent roughly 89 percent of the total division revenue. The only other revenue source in the division's budget is dedicated credits revenue. The division generates dedicated credits through the sale of services that includes items such as: building rental income (Utah Association for the Deaf and a Bookstore); fees for interpreter certification evaluation; fees for interpreter services to Courts and state agencies; fees for interpreter training workshops; fees for sign language classes; and mental health service fees.
|