State of Illinois
Department of Human Services
Rehabilitation Services Annual Report 2016 (pdf)
DRS Success: Making It Work Together
"My Success Can Be Your Success" - Jim Brown, Child Support Specialist
To learn more about Jim and other success stories, please visit drs.illinois.gov/success
Message from the Chair...
On behalf of the members of the State Rehabilitation Council (SRC), we are pleased to provide in tandem with our DRS partners the Fiscal Year 2016 Annual Report for the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program. The update provides an overview of progress made this year in program services and identifies outcomes and trends.
Council members are particularly pleased to report the following points of focus in their FY2016 efforts:
- Working closely with DRS administration to pilot the Best Practices Guide for VR in select field offices and will evaluate progress towards increasing consistencies of service levels throughout the state.
- Assisting in the development of an online satisfaction survey that when combined with the annual needs assessments will serve to aid and identify where priority areas for service improvement lie.
- Supporting DRS to increase the scope of work-based learning experiences for youth with disabilities, including internships, apprenticeships and other non-traditional experiences that increase the knowledge and capability of the individual and enhance future opportunities for competitive integrated employment.
- Establishing a strategic approach for the VR program in cooperation with DRS and look forward to what promises to be an annual strategic planning session.
- Continuing to encourage DRS to create a Workforce Development Unit within VR to work with employers and promote the hiring of qualified individuals with disabilities.
We invite you to visit the DRS SUCCESS website at drs.illinois.gov/success and to enjoy the wonderful stories from our customers and business partners that will encourage and educate on how to make successes happen at your home and in your community. Numerous helpful resources are also provided for your use.
It has been my honor to serve on the SRC and to Chair it. Please be assured that your Council members are hard-working and devoted to the ongoing partnerships with IDHS/DRS, consumers and community stakeholders to better ensure that the services that DRS provides are those that people with disabilities need and that they are delivered in a fashion that is most useful for them.
Sincerely,
Marco T. Lenis, Chair
Illinois State Rehabilitation Council
New Job Driven Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center (JDVRTAC)
The Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS), was one of eleven states recently chosen to receive Technical Assistance from the newly created Job Driven Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center who will provide guidance through the Institute on Community Inclusion.
This is a very exciting time for Illinois DRS as we are a mandated core partner as part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) which will give us a greater ability to leverage our relationships, skills and knowledge with our workforce partners and services to both employers and individuals with disabilities.
This "Dual Approach to Customer Service" enables DRS to form partnerships with employers and individuals with disabilities to create an effective workplace and enables our staff to develop strategic approaches to interacting with businesses and engaging employers.
The Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA)
In FY2016 DRS continued the implementation of changes brought about by WIOA. In the VR program this included implementation of pre-employment transition services (PTS) through contract arrangements with high schools as part of the Secondary Transitional Employment Program (STEP). Another key effort has been outreach to individuals working in subminimum wage settings to encourage them to pursue competitive integrated employment through the "Real Work for Real Pay" initiative.
DRS also continued its efforts to develop an effective business engagement strategy working with national experts to conduct training and skill development with VR field staff. Other notable activities focused on planning: participation in the first statewide WIOA Summit; development of local and regional workforce plans; and completion of the State Unified Plan for WIOA, involving DRS as one of four core partner agencies along with numerous other state, local and private entities.
Message from the Secretary and Director...
The Illinois Department of Human Services' Division of Rehabilitation Services (IDHS/DRS) remains committed to continuous quality improvement and partnering with employers and customers to create an effective workplace.
Our "Dual Approach" to customer service begins with valuing our partnerships. Through our partnerships DRS can provide qualified applicants with disabilities that meet the needs of employers and valuable on-boarding services ranging from access to no cost job accommodation experts to information regarding tax credits and incentives.
It is important to understand that our commitment to the continuous improvement process is not limited to organizational strategies or implementing new initiatives. It goes beyond metrics and encompasses customer and employer relationships.
Creating rapport and building trust with our partners is a key component to our shared success. Fiscal year 2016 marked the fourth year in a row that DRS assisted more than 5,000 customers in achieving competitive employment outcomes, and the fifth consecutive year with positive growth in the number of outcomes. As an example, we are very proud to share that two customers of our VR program recently received offers to work as software developers at Microsoft and will receive a base salary well over $100,000 per year.
With over 5,000 new tax payers in Illinois, it is important to note that they will contribute upwards of $6 million in new revenue to the state. However, not every benefit of our programs can be represented with figures. The impact our relationships have on our customers and the social and economic impact they have on the businesses that hire them and the communities they now can fully participate in is immeasurable.
As we look at the economic picture for fiscal year 2017 and beyond, we are encouraged by the workforce partnerships we are developing and our staff's ability to engage with employers to build on the history of SUCCESS for our customers.
Sincerely,
James T. Dimas
Secretary
Illinois Department of Human Services
Quinetta L. Wade
Acting Director
Division of Rehabilitation Services
IDHS/DRS Vocational Rehabilitation Program
FY 2016 Final Data Summary
Service Data
| Category |
Referrals |
Applications |
New Plans |
Total Served |
Outcomes |
| BFS Region 1 |
7,028 |
4,536 |
3,534 |
13,419 |
1,501 |
| BFS Region 2 |
5,166 |
3,525 |
2,999 |
9,756 |
1,454 |
| BFS Region 3 |
3,072 |
2,392 |
1,722 |
6,834 |
993 |
| BFS Region 4 |
2,218 |
1,850 |
1,462 |
4,419 |
668 |
| BFS Region 5 |
2,270 |
1,771 |
1,242 |
4,521 |
745 |
| BBS |
1,260 |
887 |
666 |
2,721 |
177 |
| Statewide Total |
21,014 |
14,961 |
11,625 |
41,670 |
5,538 |
Customers By Service Category
| Category |
STEP |
Non-STEP |
Transition |
SEP |
College |
| BFS Region 1 |
3,319 |
304 |
3,623 |
567 |
553 |
| BFS Region 2 |
2,776 |
417 |
3,193 |
321 |
298 |
| BFS Region 3 |
1,115 |
223 |
1,338 |
168 |
333 |
| BFS Region 4 |
706 |
188 |
894 |
54 |
157 |
| BFS Region 5 |
664 |
153 |
817 |
88 |
185 |
| BBS |
29 |
82 |
111 |
13 |
134 |
| Statewide Total |
8,609 |
1,367 |
9,976 |
1,211 |
1,660 |
Customers By Age Group
| Category |
Served |
Outcomes |
% Outcomes |
% Served |
| Less than 20 years |
23,116 |
2,358 |
42.6 |
55.5 |
| 21-30 years |
5,600 |
1,108 |
20.0 |
13.4 |
| 31-40 years |
3,558 |
617 |
11.1 |
8.5 |
| 41-50 years |
4,091 |
718 |
13.0 |
9.8 |
| 51-60 years |
3,990 |
613 |
11.1 |
9.6 |
| 61 or more years |
1,303 |
124 |
2.2 |
3.2 |
| VR Total |
41,658 |
5,538 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
Earnings Data
| Avg. Earnings |
Weekly |
Monthly |
Annual |
| Case Opening |
$54.27 |
$235.17 |
$2,822.02 |
| Case Closure |
$295.65 |
$1,281.14 |
$15,373.68 |
| Average Increase |
$241.38 |
$1,045.97 |
$12,551.66 |
| Total Increase |
$1,336,762 |
$5,792,593 |
$69,511,112 |
| Effective Tax Rate |
|
|
8.8 |
| Increased Taxes Paid |
|
|
$6,123,234 |
Customers by Disability Category
| Category |
Served |
Outcomes |
% Outcomes |
% Served |
| Blind-Visual Impairment |
2,787 |
196 |
3.5 |
6.7 |
| Deaf-Hard of Hearing |
2,522 |
471 |
8.5 |
6.1 |
| Physical Disability |
3,055 |
356 |
6.4 |
7.3 |
| Mental Illness |
5,143 |
912 |
16.5 |
12.3 |
| Intellectual Disability |
5,881 |
718 |
13.0 |
14.1 |
| Learning Disability |
12,512 |
1,677 |
30.3 |
30.0 |
| Alcohol-Drug Abuse |
26 |
6 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
| Brain Injury |
479 |
84 |
1.5 |
1.1 |
| Other Condition |
9,253 |
1,118 |
20.2 |
22.3 |
| VR Total |
41,658 |
5,538 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
Customers By Race/Ethnic Group
| Category |
Served |
Outcomes |
% Outcomes |
% Served |
| White |
23,937 |
3,569 |
64.4 |
57.5 |
| African American |
11,170 |
1,275 |
23.0 |
26.8 |
| Hispanic/Latino |
5,073 |
523 |
9.4 |
12.2 |
| Asian |
755 |
102 |
1.8 |
1.8 |
| Hawaiian/Pacific Islander |
43 |
5 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
| American Indian |
85 |
4 |
0.1 |
0.2 |
| Multi Racial |
595 |
60 |
1.2 |
1.4 |
| VR Total |
41,658 |
5,538 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
| All Minority Categories |
17,721 |
1,969 |
35.6 |
42.5 |
Comparison of Data by Race/Ethnic Group FY 2011 to FY 2016
Competitive Employment Outcomes
| Race/Ethnic Group |
FY 2016 |
FY 2011 |
Percent Difference |
| White |
3,569 |
3,200 |
11.5 |
| African American |
1,275 |
891 |
43.1 |
| Hispanic/Latino |
523 |
310 |
68.7 |
| Asian |
102 |
43 |
137.2 |
| Hawaiian/Pacific Islander |
5 |
5 |
0.0 |
| American Indian |
4 |
9 |
-55.6 |
| Multi Racial |
60 |
26 |
130.8 |
| Total |
5,538 |
4,484 |
23.5 |
| All Minority Categories |
1,969 |
1,284 |
53.3 |
| Minority Percent of Total |
35.6 |
28.6 |
|
Average Monthly Earnings
| Race/Ethnic Group |
FY 2016 |
FY 2011 |
Percent Difference |
| White |
$1,304 |
$1,258 |
3.6 |
| African American |
$1,178 |
$1,254 |
-6.1 |
| Hispanic/Latino |
$1,185 |
$1,182 |
0.3 |
| Asian |
$1,193 |
$1,331 |
-10.4 |
| Hawaiian/Pacific Islander |
$819 |
$1,384 |
-40.8 |
| American Indian |
$1,103 |
$2,034 |
-45.8 |
| Multi Racial |
$1,402 |
$1,250 |
12.1 |
| Total |
$1,262 |
$1,255 |
0.6 |
| All Minority Categories |
$1,186 |
$1,245 |
-4.7 |
Rehabilitation Rate
| Race/Ethnic Group |
FY 2016 |
FY 2011 |
Percent Difference |
| White |
54.8 |
61.9 |
-11.4 |
| African American |
44.1 |
42.1 |
4.7 |
| Hispanic/Latino |
40.3 |
51.4 |
-21.5 |
| Asian |
49.1 |
46.3 |
6.1 |
| Hawaiian/Pacific Islander |
48.2 |
47.6 |
1.3 |
| American Indian |
23.8 |
60.0 |
-60.3 |
| Multi Racial |
50.4 |
55.8 |
-9.6 |
| Total |
50.1 |
54.1 |
-7.4 |
Vocational Rehabilitation Program
| Race/Ethnic Group |
FY 2016 |
FY 2011 |
Percent Difference |
| White |
23,937 |
26,100 |
-8.3 |
| African American |
11,170 |
11,555 |
-3.3 |
| Hispanic/Latino |
5,073 |
3,730 |
36.0 |
| Asian |
755 |
556 |
35.8 |
| Hawaiian/Pacific Islander |
43 |
64 |
-32.8 |
| American Indian |
85 |
96 |
-11.5 |
| Multi Racial |
595 |
368 |
61.7 |
| Total |
41,658 |
42,469 |
-1.9 |
| All Minority Categories |
17,721 |
16,369 |
8.3 |
| Minority Percent of Total |
42.5 |
38.5 |
|
Home Services Program
| Race/Ethnic Group |
FY 2016 |
FY 2011 |
Percent Difference |
| White |
14,483 |
18,059 |
-19.8 |
| African American |
15,857 |
17,092 |
-7.2 |
| Hispanic/Latino |
2,855 |
2,517 |
13.4 |
| Asian |
529 |
480 |
10.2 |
| Hawaiian/Pacific Islander |
33 |
41 |
-19.5 |
| American Indian |
757 |
108 |
600.9 |
| Multi Racial |
399 |
191 |
108.9 |
| Total |
34,913 |
38,488 |
-9.3 |
| All Minority Categories |
20,430 |
20,429 |
0.0 |
| Minority Percent of Total |
58.5 |
53.1 |
|
Data Summary
Vocational Rehabilitation Program
In FY2016 the DRS vocational rehabilitation program assisted 5,538 people with disabilities in achieving a competitive employment outcome, an increase of 1.8 percent over the previous year and the fifth consecutive year with positive growth in outcomes. These individuals earned an average of $15,374 at case closure, an increase of $12,552 over earnings at case opening. Taken together, this equals annual increased earnings of $69.5 million, which resulted in an estimated additional $6.1 million in taxes paid as a result of employment.
A total of 2,358 outcomes were achieved by individuals who began receiving services prior to age 21, or 42.6 percent of all outcomes. This demonstrates the continuing emphasis of the DRS VR program on serving transition age youth with disabilities. Transition youth represented 55.5 percent of all persons served in FY2016.
Demographic changes in Illinois are reflected in the competitive outcome data, with 35.6 percent of competitive outcomes achieved by minority customers, an increase from 28.6 percent 5 years ago. Notable increases in this time period were seen for African American (+43.1%), Latino (+68.7%) and Asian (+137.2%) groups, as well as those individuals in the Multi-Racial category (+130.8%). In contrast, during this time period the number of outcomes achieved by White customers increased by only 11.5 percent.
Home Services Program
The total number of persons served in FY2016 increased by 1.1 percent compared to the prior year. The number served in the General waiver program was essentially unchanged, increasing by less than 0.1 percent to 28,959 individuals. The number of persons served in the AIDS waiver decreased by 1.8 percent to 1,572, while the number served in the Brain Injury waiver declined by 6.2 percent to 4,382. Some of this reduction is due to continued transfer of cases to the General waiver based on reduced need for specialized services.
A total of 74 individuals were moved from nursing homes into the community through reintegration efforts of DRS contractors. This number is 14.9 percent less than the number for the previous year.
IDHS/DRS: Empowering People with Disabilities.
Programs, activities and employment opportunities in the Illinois Department of Human Services are open and accessible to any individual or group without regard to age, sex, race, sexual orientation, disability, ethnic origin or religion. The department is an equal opportunity employer and practices affirmative action and reasonable accommodation programs.
DHS 4195 (N-01-17) DRS Annual Report 200 copies
Printed by the Authority of the State of Illinois P.O.#17-0917 $0.22 per copy
