State Plan Attachment: 4.10 Policies, Procedures and Activities to Establish and Maintain a Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD)

The Iowa Department for the Blind has in place a comprehensive system of personnel development designed to ascertain and meet the training needs of its professional and paraprofessional staff, as well as new employees.

(1) Data System on Personnel and Personnel Development

The Iowa Department for the Blind management staff collects and compiles data from numerous sources to review personnel needs and to plan training and development activities for all staff. Managers review monthly reports that identify caseload activity related to referrals, applications, services, cases open and closed, employer contacts, technical assistance, and more. Managers also have access to several automated reports generated by the Department's case management system to review case costs, pending referral and interview activities, and progress toward team goals.

These reports are used to predict caseload activity and personnel needs. In addition, all employees receive an annual performance evaluation from their supervisor. Any need for remedial training is discussed at that time, and the employee is encouraged to offer recommendations and address concerns.

Finally, annual surveys are conducted with staff to ascertain their training needs. In FFY 2009, a Department-wide survey provided the opportunity for staff to express individual and group needs for training and development opportunities.

(a) Personnel Employed (by Category) in Relation to Individuals Served

At the Department, direct vocational rehabilitation (VR) services are provided by Field Operations and the Adult Orientation and Adjustment Center. Staffing in these two areas is as follows:

Field Operations

Adult Orientation and Adjustment Center

In addition, the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped has a staff of twenty-two to provide prevocational, educational and vocational materials or services to clients. The Department's Randolph-Sheppard program has three staff to serve clients in the Business Enterprises Program.

Ratio of Personnel to Applicants and Eligible Individuals Served

The Department expects to serve approximately 154 applicants and 422 eligible individuals during FFY 2009. The ratio of all Field Operations and Orientation Center staff to applicants and individuals served is 39 to 576 or approximately 1 to 15. The ratio of Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor to applicants and individuals served is 8 to 576 or 1 to 72.

(b) Current Staffing Requirements

The Department is beginning several new efforts to increase the number of individuals served and to improve services to those individuals who require more intensive services. As a result, the Department will need to hire additional field staff to meet the projected increase in demands.

By the end of FY 2009, the Department plans to implement a long range marketing and outreach effort in order to increase referrals and the number of eligible individuals receiving VR services. The Department's referrals and active caseload numbers have fallen for the last several years, despite Iowa's increasing population. The outreach plan will ensure that all Iowans who are eligible for VR services receive them.

In addition, a new goal has been established to address the service needs of individuals with secondary disabilities to blindness or visual impairment, including diabetes, brain injury, chronic mental illness, developmental disabilities, heart disease, stroke, etc. Previous reductions in field staff necessitated changes that resulted in our VR Counselor - Employment Specialists having less time to work with those individuals who require intensive services.

Since the number of VR Counselors and Rehabilitation Teachers was reduced in previous years, additional staff are needed to meet the projected increase in demands these efforts are intended to generate. Therefore, the Department will hire two additional VR Counselors and one project specialist to increase the number of staff who will provide services in the field by the end of FY2009. This timeline will allow these new staff to complete training and orientation before the anticipated impact of the outreach effort will be felt.

(c) Projected Requirements to Meet Staffing Needs Over the Next 5 Years

A total of ten Field Operations staff in critical positions will meet eligibility criteria for Iowa's Public Employee's Retirement System (IPERS) retirement plans in the next five years. The following table has a breakdown of staff who will be eligible for retirement in the next five years.

Only one retirement-eligible staff person has indicated plans for retirement. At this time, we do not expect any other staff retirements among the Field Operations staff in the next five years. However, with such a high number of IPERS eligible individuals, the Department has developed a Succession Plan that defines anticipated knowledge and skills gaps and strategies to address those gaps.

Providing that projected retirements are accurate and that desired staffing levels are achieved by the end of 2009, the Department does not anticipate a need to increase or reduce the number of personnel required to provide vocational rehabilitation services in the next 5 years.

(d) Institutions of Higher Learning Training Rehabilitation Personnel

In Iowa, the University of Iowa and Drake University currently offer programs in vocational rehabilitation counseling and placement. The following table shows the number of students who are currently enrolled in the programs and the number of students who graduated last year.

(2) Recruitment and Retention of Qualified Personnel

(a) Analysis of the Staffing Needs

All staff, including all VR Counselors, meet the highest requirements in the state applicable to their profession. No significant factors exist which adversely affect the Department's ability to hire qualified staff. Therefore, no short-term or long-term strategies are necessary to address such factors. Because all Department staff already meet the highest standards in the state, no funding is necessary to implement a retraining plan.

(b) Coordination of Recruitment and Retraining Efforts with Institutions of Higher Education and Professional Associations

Recruitment

The Department's plan for recruitment and training of qualified personnel is based on the highest standards in the state for VR Counselors. The Department actively recruits persons who are blind or disabled, and persons from minority backgrounds. Recruitment efforts include:

• Participation in internship opportunities for students in the Rehabilitation Counseling and Placement programs at the University of Iowa and Drake University.
   
• Job opening announcements are posted on the Iowa State employment system and are sent to the Rehabilitation Counseling and Placement programs at the University of Iowa and Drake University. They are also submitted to individuals with contacts to large and diverse web distribution systems. Finally, job postings are sent to the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa and the Iowa Council of United Blind.
   
• Promotion of experienced and qualified personnel from within the agency, including personnel who are blind.
   
• Participation in an Equal Employment Opportunity & Affirmative Action training session offered by the Iowa Civil Rights Commission. Topics covered included definition of discrimination, overview of the Civil Rights Commission, definition of Affirmative Action, and the State of Iowa's Affirmative Action plan.
   
• Participation in a statewide evaluation of state government's recruitment and hiring practices.

Retention

The Department's plan for retention of qualified personnel includes ongoing training opportunities for all staff; provision and support of assistive technology for staff who are blind or disabled; encouragement and support for personnel desiring advanced degrees; and opportunities for advancement within the organization.

The Department does not discriminate in any way in its recruitment and hiring practices or in its administration and supervision practices against individuals who are from minority backgrounds or who have disabilities.

(3) Personnel Standards

(a) State Approved Personnel Standards

In accordance with 34 CFR 361.18(c) of the Act, the Department for the Blind has defined and implemented personnel standards for Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors based on state approved and recognized certification requirements, which were duly promulgated under the Iowa State Administrative Procedures Act. The following standards for VR counselors are based on the highest entry-level degree needed under the existing State certification requirements codified in Chapter 2, Section 2.1(2) of the Iowa Administrative Code:

2.1(2) Service Specialist for the Blind 2 and Senior Service Specialist for the Blind 1 (vocational rehabilitation counselor). Certification shall be required of all Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors employed by the Department.

a. At the time of hire into the position, an individual holding at least a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and one year of work experience shall be granted provisional certification. Exceptions regarding education and experience can only be made by the Commission for the Blind upon the recommendation of the Director. Provisional certification shall be recognized for a maximum period of 18 months.

b. An individual may obtain full certification as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor by demonstrating competency in the following areas.

1. Knowledge, understanding, and implementation of the Department's philosophy of blindness.

2. Knowledge of the Department's programs.

3. Skills in career planning and development.

4. Knowledge of placement techniques and practices.

5. Knowledge of occupational information, job site evaluation, and analysis.

6. Knowledge of and ability to develop alternative techniques of blindness.

7. Knowledge of rehabilitation technology services.

8. Disability knowledge and issues.

9. Advocacy role.

10. Case management.

c. An individual holding at least a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, who has been employed by the Department as a Service Specialist for the Blind 2 or Senior Service Specialist for the Blind 1 (Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor) for a minimum of six months on the date this rule is finalized, shall be considered to be a fully certified Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, as long as the individual maintains unbroken employment with the Department in that classification.

These standards, which are the highest in the state, ensure that the professional personnel needed within the Department to carry out the vocational rehabilitation program are appropriately and adequately prepared and trained. All of the professional staff at the Department meet these standards. To maintain standards, personnel must participate in ongoing training through the Department.

(b) Plan to Retrain or Hire Personnel to Meet Standards

Evaluation of recruitment practices is based on the Department's ability to hire and train qualified personnel. These practices will continue to be evaluated as additional hiring is necessary. Since all staff currently meet the highest standards within the state, no retraining program is in place.

As a general practice, the Department does not hire individuals who do not meet the established personnel standards for the Service Specialist for the Blind 2 or Senior Service Specialist for the Blind 1 (Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor) positions. In the event an individual is hired who does not meet the Department's personnel standards that individual would be expected to meet those standards within a mutually established time period. The Department would devise a schedule by which the individual must report on progress and by which time period he or she must meet the standards. Failure to meet the standards within the established time period would result in termination or reassignment. The Department would use training grant funds to pay for the training and / or education the individual would require in order to meet the standards for that position.

(4) Staff Development

(a) System of Staff Development

The Department actively assesses the training needs of all employees. The state approved Individual Performance Plan and Evaluation (IPPE) document is used to review an employee's performance and to identify training needs. Training grant funds are used to cover training costs. In doing so, the Department maintains compliance with CSPD and its own administrative rules related to the certification of professional staff members.

In addition to annual individual performance reviews, the Department issues a survey annually to all staff to determine the training or resources they require to perform their duties more efficiently and effectively. A new training plan is developed based upon the results of the survey. This plan provides training for all vocational rehabilitation staff and is intended to increase the general competencies of the staff. Training will range from legal issues regarding the Rehabilitation Act to computer training that will allow staff to utilize their computers more effectively.

Vocational rehabilitation staff have participated in the following training activities:

• Quarterly in-service training activities focus on improving knowledge and understanding of rehabilitation topics, development and demonstration of new skill levels and organizational change projects that enhance achievement of employment outcomes for blind individuals. Topics have included: Quality Assurance Practices; RSA Data Reports (RSA-113, RSA-911, and RSA-2); Iowa Promise Jobs - Disability Specialist Initiative; Iowa Youth and College Leadership Forums; Suicide Prevention Training; Valuing Diversity in the Workplace; Supported Employment Model; and Non-Visual Access Technology.
   
• Staff have attended these professional conferences and meetings: IA Dept. of Education's Vision Conference; Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program (RCEP) Region 7 Employment Conference; California State University at Northridge (CSUN) Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference; Issues in Deafness & Deaf Blindness Conference; National Council of State Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB); Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR); National Blindness Professional Certification Board; and Iowa Rehabilitation Association.
   
• Performance and Development Solutions (PDS) courses are provided by the Iowa Department of Administrative Services / Human Resources Enterprise on a wide range of general topics and transferable job skills.
   
• Great Plains TACE Center courses and conferences on disability issues and Rehabilitation Management training are also made available to staff.
   
• In-house training in classroom settings and one-on-one is made available to all staff depending upon the need.

Retention of qualified personnel is addressed through CEU credit for staff training, as well as opportunities for expanding skills and knowledge in a variety of areas.

The Department's Workforce Plan submitted in April 2009 to the Iowa Department of Administrative Services identified succession planning as a high priority. As such, staff have been working on strategies to ensure knowledge transfer. Strategies include identification of critical staff positions and developing cross-training plans. Further, all in-house and PDS training opportunities are available to any staff who wish to participate, thus affording them the opportunity to advance their careers as openings occur in-house.

Leadership development and capacity-building opportunities are offered through a wide variety of personnel development seminars available to staff including management certifications and continuous quality improvement certification courses. Staff are encouraged to participate in professional organizations such as the National Rehabilitation Association and National Council of State Agencies for the Blind in leadership roles.

(b) Procedure for Acquisition and Dissemination of Research

Staff acquire information about current research by participating in professional conferences, attending training on a variety of topics, and through professional publications, such as the Journal of Rehabilitation, the Journal of Visual Impairments and Blindness, and Institute on Rehabilitation Issues (IRI) publications. Staff are required to submit reports on conference findings to the Department's Deputy Director and their supervisor. These reports include summaries of significant issues or findings, assessments of the conference's information to their work, and an evaluation of the value of conference to other staff. Further, staff who have attended conferences or training sessions provide updates on results of research or new information to others at the in-service meetings.

(5) Personnel to Address Individual Communication Needs

This plan supports the use of training funds for courses in foreign languages and in sign languages. However, the Department's policy is to hire outside interpreters for individuals who are not proficient in English or who use sign language. Staff are routinely counseled on how to locate interpreters. The Deaf-Blind Specialist is a valuable resource in locating qualified outside interpreters and in negotiating contracts with them.

Braille is an integral part of the training that all professional personnel receive.

(6) Coordination of Personnel Development Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA)

The Department pursues the following activities to coordinate the system of personnel development with personnel development activities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA):

• Maintains an interagency agreement with the Iowa Department of Education (DE) which defines the roles and responsibilities of both agencies regarding transition activities. (Refer to attachment 4.8(b)(2) for details.)
   
• Staffs two Transition Specialists to oversee all of the Department's transition activities, coordinate services with the VR counselors, and serve on the statewide transition Coordinating Council. (This council consists of representatives from the Department, DE, and the Iowa Braille School. The purpose of the council is to assess the delivery of specialized services to blind and visually impaired students, referral procedures, and the working relationship between the participating agencies.)
   
• VR Counselors and Supervisors participate in an annual statewide VISION conference sponsored by the DE and attended by special education professionals, families of children who are blind or visually impaired, and other service providers.
   
• Participates in Drake University's and the University of Iowa's Rehabilitation Education advisory boards.