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VA DRS Order of Selection

If Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS) funding is insufficient to provide services to all who apply and are eligible, federal law requires that it specify the order to be followed in selecting those individuals who will receive services. This is called an Order of Selection. The law requires that individuals with the most significant disabilities be served first.

DRS' Order of Selection became effective July 1, 2004, and will remain in effect until such time as there are sufficient resources to serve all eligible individuals.

NOTE: The Fiscal Year 2010 State Plan for Vocational Rehabilitation and Supported Employment statement about Order of Selection is available at:
http://www.vadrs.org/downloads/Attachment411c32010.doc.

Priority Category

When the Order of Selection is implemented, applicants are given one of the following priorities:

·             Priority I: An individual with a most significant disability (in accordance with the DRS definition of most significant disability).

·             Priority II: An individual with a significant disability that results in serious functional limitations in two functional capacities.

·             Priority III: An individual with a significant disability that results in a serious functional limitation in one functional capacity.

·             Priority IV: All other individuals determined eligible for the Vocational Rehabilitation program.

All applicants will receive diagnostic and evaluation services necessary to determine eligibility for the Vocational Rehabilitation program. Individuals determined to be eligible for the Vocational Rehabilitation program, but who have not yet started receiving services under an Individualized Plan for Employment (Employment Plan) when the order of selection is implemented, will be served according to the priority of their assigned category.

Eligible individuals who have started receiving services under an Individualized Plan for Employment (Employment Plan) when the order of selection is implemented are exempt from the order of selection and will continue to be served under the Employment Plan. Post employment services are exempt from order of selection.

Other current consumers (those who did not have a signed Employment Plan as of June 30, 2004), and new applicants, will receive diagnostic services to determine whether they are eligible for services. An eligibility determination is required prior to assignment to a priority category. A determination that the consumer is eligible for the VR program does not necessarily mean that the consumer will be served.

Effective July 1, 2004, DRS closed Priority Categories III and IV. It is not known when these priority categories will be re-opened.

Consumers assigned to Priority Categories I and II will be able to move to Employment Plan development and implementation. Consumers assigned to Priority Categories III and IV will be placed on a waiting list for 12 months.

Consumers on the waiting list will be notified to this effect by letter and will be referred to their One-Stop Center (or other resource(s)) for possible employment services. After 12 months, consumers on the waiting list will be asked whether they wish to remain on the waiting list, or to have their case closed.

Consumers on the waiting list cannot have an Employment Plan developed and cannot receive services. This includes "no cost" services (i.e., counseling, guidance and placement services) and services paid for by a third party (i.e., insurance coverage). This also includes services provided at the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center.

SSI and SSDI consumers are not exempt from Order of Selection. While they, by law, have a significant disability, an assessment to determine their priority category still must be conducted; however, they cannot be assigned to Priority Category IV.

Consumers who are on the waiting list and who have evidence that their disability has become more severe, may request a review of their assigned category by their counselor.

Additional Information

Additional information about Order of Selection is available in PDF format (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) as both a Brochure and Key Points from:
http://www.vadrs.org/formscabinet/documents/Public/Brochure%20-%20Order%20of%20Selection_VR-001.pdf
http://www.vadrs.org/downloads/ooskeypoints.pdf

See Also:

Eligibility for Services

Employment Services

WWRC Services

Community Based Services

Nursing Home Outreach

DRS Financial Participation in Cost of Services

Department of Rehabilitative Services Overview

Back to:

Virginia Benefit Information System Welcome and Introduction

Source:

Chapter 2.2, Policy 2 of the DRS Policy and Procedure Manual at: http://www.vadrs.org/FRS/FRSmanuals/.

http://www.vadrs.org/orderofselection.htm.

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