WAC 67-25-260   Individualized plan for employment.  (1) The individualized plan for employment is a written agreement that documents important decisions made between the customer and a vocational rehabilitation counselor concerning the customer's employment outcome including, responsibilities agreed upon by the department and the customer, and the vocational rehabilitation services to be provided.

     (2) The customer must be actively involved in developing the individualized plan for employment including making meaningful and informed choices about the selection of the employment outcome, intermediate objectives, the vocational rehabilitation services provided, service providers, settings, and methods of procuring services.

     (3) The employment outcome the customer chooses must be consistent with the information and results of the assessment of the individual's vocational rehabilitation needs.

     (4) The department supports customers to achieve an employment outcome as defined in WAC 67-25-005. If a customer chooses another type of employment outcome, the department will, to the extent possible, refer the customer to other programs or organizations that may offer the type of employment that the customer desires.

     (5) The individualized plan for employment must be agreed upon and signed by the customer, or as appropriate, the individual's representative, and a vocational rehabilitation counselor.

     (6) The individualized plan for employment shall be designed to achieve the employment outcome of the customer consistent with the unique strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, and interests of the individual. To the extent possible, consistent with the informed choice of the individual, the plan shall include placement in an integrated setting.

     (7) The plan shall include:

     (a) The individual's long-term employment outcome based on the assessment for determining vocational rehabilitation needs and the career interests of the individual;

     (b) Specific and measurable intermediate rehabilitation objectives to achieve the employment outcome, based on the assessment for determining vocational rehabilitation needs;

     (c) Specific vocational rehabilitation services to be provided to achieve the intermediate rehabilitation objectives;

     (d) Projected initiation dates and the anticipated duration of each service;

     (e) Objective criteria, and an evaluation procedure and schedule to determine whether goals and objectives are being achieved;

     (f) The views of the individual, in the words of the individual, or, as appropriate, in the words of the individual's representative, describing how he or she was informed about and involved in choosing among alternative goals, objectives, services, providers, and methods used to procure or provide services, including alternatives in integrated settings;

     (g) How, to the maximum extent possible, information will be provided to the individual, or if appropriate, to the individual's representative, in his or her native language if necessary, and using appropriate modes of communication;

     (h) Terms and conditions for provision of vocational rehabilitation services, including:

     (i) Responsibilities the customer has agreed to, including steps the customer will take to achieve the employment outcome, and services the customer agrees to apply for and use that are available at no cost from another program;

     (ii) The extent to which goods and services shall be provided in integrated settings, consistent with the informed choices of the individual;

     (iii) The extent to which comparable services and benefits, in accordance with WAC 67-25-360, are available to the individual under any other program;

     (iv) The entity or entities that will provide services and the process and setting to be used to provide or procure services;

     (v) Assessment of the need for post-employment services, in accordance with WAC 67-25-444, prior to closing the case service record, of a customer who has achieved an employment outcome and, if appropriate, a statement of how post-employment services are to be arranged or provided using comparable services and benefits, in accordance with WAC 67-25-360;

     (vi) Information regarding the right to appeal any decision made by the department on behalf of the individual including the procedure for mediation, fair hearing, and judicial review, in accordance with WAC 67-25-570;

     (vii) A description of client assistance program services; and

     (viii) The basis on which the individual is determined to have achieved an employment outcome.

     (8) An individualized plan for employment that includes a supported employment outcome, in accordance with WAC 67-25-436 must also document:

     (a) The supported employment services to be provided by the department;

     (b) Extended services or natural supports that are likely to be needed;

     (c) The source of extended services or, to the extent that it is not possible to identify the source of extended services when the plan is developed, a description of the basis for concluding that there is a reasonable expectation that those sources will become available;

     (d) A goal for the number of hours per week the customer is expected to work and a plan to monitor the customer's progress toward meeting that expectation;

     (e) A description of how the services on the individualized plan for employment are to be coordinated with other individualized plans established under other federal or state services;

     (f) If job skills training is provided, the individualized plan for employment must reflect that the training is provided on-site; and

     (g) Placement in an integrated setting for the maximum number of hours possible based on the strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, interests, and informed choice of the customer.

     (9) Transition students who are determined eligible for vocational rehabilitation services must have an individualized plan for employment prior to leaving school. An individualized plan for employment for a transition student who is receiving special education services should be coordinated, to the extent possible, with the individualized education plan of the individual in terms of identified goals, objectives, and services.



[Statutory Authority: Chapter 74.18 RCW. 05-08-097, § 67-25-260, filed 4/4/05, effective 5/5/05; 98-23-078, § 67-25-260, filed 11/17/98, effective 12/18/98. Statutory Authority: Chapter 74.15 RCW. 95-06-057, § 67-25-260, filed 2/28/95, effective 3/31/95. Statutory Authority: 1983 c 194 § 18. 84-01-042 (Order 83-08), § 67-25-260, filed 12/15/83. Formerly WAC 67-20-260.]