Public input sought statewide regarding VR Program State Plan

The State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Labor Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program will hold a series of public comment hearings statewide regarding the VR state plan and the delivery of vocational rehabilitation services.

These hearings will give citizens the opportunity to provide input on goals and priorities for the VR Program and service needs for individuals with disabilities to achieve employment. Other items to be addressed include the order of selection regarding how VR defines priority for services, and HB 1146, which proposes to create Rehabilitation Services as a stand-alone agency attached to the Department of Human Services.  The bill may be reviewed online at http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20112012/HB/1146.

The federal Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) requires the Georgia VR program to submit an annual state plan of how it will use federal and state funds to provide a broad array of rehabilitation services to achieve priority goals and objectives for eligible Georgians with disabilities.

Public input and participation are mandatory when substantive changes in the delivery of VR services are proposed.

Citizens attending the hearing who wish to comment for the record will be allowed five (5) minutes; there is no provision for two-way dialogue. Comments and questions will be recorded for review and response. Those who wish to provide comment but cannot attend the hearing in person may send written statements to Linda Shepard, Chairperson, Georgia State Rehabilitation Council, P.O. Box 5128, Douglasville, GA 30154; or email them to srcofga@gmail.com. Written statements are limited to two (2) pages, double spaced. Written or emailed comments must be postmarked or time dated no later than Friday, May 18, 2012.

The current Georgia VR State Plan for fiscal 2012 may be reviewed online at http://www.rsa.ed.gov/about-your-state.cfm?state=Georgia or in print at any regional VR office in the state. To locate the nearest regional office, or for more information about the public hearing, call VR Customer Service at 404-486-6331, or statewide toll free 1-866-489-0001; TTY users call GA Relay 711.

In order to solicit comments from a representative and diverse population, the Georgia SRC will hold two public comment sessions in each of 10 locations around the state, the first from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the second from 4-6 p.m.  The closest public hearing will be Tuesday, April 17: Atlanta, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4-6 p.m., First Floor Training Center, Georgia Department of Labor, Sussex Place, 148 Andrew Young International Blvd., NE.