Labor and Employment Law Commons^™

Massworks: One-Stop Collaborations: The Key To Expanding Your Workforce Connections, Rick Kugler

MassWorks Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 mandated One-Stop Career Centers to deliver public workforce development services. The intent of WIA was to bring together a wide range of federally funded employment and training programs to create an integrated service system to meet the needs of all job seekers.

Data Note: Job Seekers With Disabilities At One-Stop Career Centers: An Overview Of Registration For Wagner-Peyser Funded Employment Services, David Hoff, Samita Bhattarai

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933 established a nationwide system of public employment services, known as the Employment Service. Via the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, the Employment Service was made part of the One-Stop service delivery system. Wagner-Peyser funds are a primary source of funding for the core and other services of One–Stop Career Centers that provide employment services available to all people, including people with disabilities.

Data Note: Timeframe From Application To Closure In Integrated Employment For Vocational Rehabilitation Customers With Developmental Disabilities, Alberto Migliore, Frank A. Smith

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Getting a job promptly after applying for vocational rehabilitation (VR) services is important for a successful career. Rapid placement boosts self-confidence and prevents applicants from losing work skills as a consequence of inactivity. Moreover, employers may prefer candidates whose work history shows limited gaps in employment.

Data Note: National Day And Employment Service Trends In Mr/Dd Agencies, Jean E. Winsor, John Butterworth

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

In FY2004, 22% of individuals receiving day supports from state mental retardation or developmental disability (MR/DD) agencies participated in integrated employment while 56.5% of individuals were supported in facility-based settings. While the data demonstrate a continued decrease in the percent of people served in facility-based settings (from 60% in 1999 to 57% in 2004), it also suggests a slight decrease in the percent served in integrated employment (from 25.5% in 1999 to 22% in 2004).

Massworks: Quality Employment Services: Where Research And Practice Meet, Rick Kugler, Cindy Thomas

MassWorks Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Providing quality employment services to people with disabilities requires a substantial commitment of time, energy, and resources. Given this investment and our obligation to individuals with disabilities, we as providers must deliver the most effective services possible.

Tools For Inclusion: Minimum Wage Increase: What It Means For People With Disabilities (Updated 2009), David Hoff

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This publication provides guidance to individuals with disabilities regarding the increase in minimum wage, with a particular focus on understanding who this increase applies to, the impact of the wage increase on public benefits, and how to deal with issues that may arise with employers.

Institute Brief: Increasing Placement Through Professional Networking, Allison Fleming, Diane Loud

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The national percentage of people of working age with disabilities who are employed continues to hover around 37%, compared with 80% for their peers without disabilities. However, according to the Harris Poll (2004), 67% of people with disabilities who are not currently working would like to be. In the late 1990s, a Presidential Task Force began work on improving the employment rate for adults with disabilities, a national priority that was further supported by the New Freedom Initiative of 2001, creating a bipartisan effort. Despite these initiatives, the rate of employment for people with disabilities has not increased.

Institute Brief: Minimum Wage Increase: A Guide For Disability Service Providers (Updated 2009), David Hoff

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This publication provides guidance to service providers regarding the increase in minimum wage, with a particular focus on assisting consumers with questions and concerns they may have regarding the impact on their public benefits.

Data Note: The Relationship Between Supported Employment Status And Minimum Wage For Vocational Rehabilitation Integrated Employment Closures In 2004, Frank A. Smith, Dana Scott Gilmore

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Some VR customers earn less than minimum wage despite being closed successfully, i.e., exiting Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services into an integrated employment setting. Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to pay less than the minimum wage to a person whose disability impairs their capacity to be productive at a particular job. People in supported employment are more likely to have a disability that makes them eligible for Section 14(c) minimum wage exemption. How do wages for customers in supported employment compare to those earned by other customers?

Data Note: Wia Employment Outcomes, Frank A. Smith

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) requires One-Stop system partners who provide employment services funded by the U.S. Department of Labor to report data on performance measures. These data include the rate of customers entering employment, their employment retention rate, and their rate of earning a work credential. WIA tracks a number of funding streams for different audiences. This Data Note focuses on adults in the general population and dislocated workers.

Data Note: Relationship Between Ssi Recipients Who Work And State Unemployment Rate, Katherine Fichthorn, Dana Scott Gilmore

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Supplemental Security Income program (SSI) administered by the Social Security Administration provides cash assistance to low-income individuals who are seniors, blind, or have a disability.

Research To Practice: The National Survey Of Community Rehabilitation Providers, Fy2004-2005 Report 1: Employment Outcomes Of People With Developmental Disabilities In Integrated Employment, Heike Boeltzig, Dana Scott Gilmore, John Butterworth

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Where do people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities work? What are their hours, wages, and benefits? This brief covers partial results from a survey that gives a snapshot of the outcomes for recently employed people with developmental disabilities.

Research To Practice: Trends And Emerging Issues Regarding Ssa/Vr Reimbursements For Ssi/Ssdi Recipients, John Halliday, Dana Scott Gilmore, Katherine Fichthorn

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This brief discusses the declining amount of reimbursement paid to public VR agencies from federal fiscal year (FFY) 2002 to FFY 2005 by considering the impact that fewer claims submitted and a rising SGA level may have on the amount of reimbursement paid.

Pushing The Integrated Employment Agenda: Case Study Research In Washington State, Jean Winsor, Allison Cohen Hall, John Butterworth, Dana Scott Gilmore

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This is the second in a series of publications highlighting findings from case studies in three states—New Hampshire, Washington, and Colorado—that are recognized as high performers in integrated employment. These products are intended to be a practical resource for states as they work to help people with disabilities obtain and maintain gainful employment.

ICI identified “high-performing” states based on the following criteria: the percentage of citizens served by the state’s mental retardation/developmental disabilities agency that participate in integrated employment, and the rate of growth in integrated employment.

In 2003, a team of ICI researchers conducted face-to-ace interviews with state and …

Sharing The Costs, Reaping The Benefits: Paid Family And Medical Leave In Massachusetts, Randy Albelda, Alan Clayton-Matthews

Labor Resource Center Publications

This report provides an analysis of the costs and benefits associated with Massachusetts Senate President Robert Travaglini's proposed family and medical leave insurance program (April 2006). The authors developed a simulation model to estimate the employer and employee wage costs when employees take paid and unpaid family and medical leaves, and they use this model to compare the current costs with those predicted under the Travaglini proposal.

For information about how the authors estimated the costs of the program and the specifics about their model, please follow the link below to "IWPR/LRC Paid Family and Medical Leave Simulation Model," originally …

Research To Practice: The National Survey Of Community Rehabilitation Providers, Fy2002-2003 Report 3: Involvement Of Crps In The Ticket To Work And The Workforce Investment Act, Heike Boeltzig, John Butterworth, Dana Scott Gilmore

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This Research to Practice brief examines CRP participation in the Ticket to Work and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Findings showed that CRPs were more involved in WIA than the Ticket program.

Research To Practice: Employment Services And Outcomes Of People Receiving Welfare Benefits And Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Susan Foley, Jonathan Woodring

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Poverty programs have undergone substantial reform in the past decade, and there has been a heightened interest in exploring the experiences of people with disabilities who receive welfare benefits. This report profiles people with disabilities who had TANF, GA, or both at application to VR services and completed these services in the year 2003.

Research To Practice: Innovations In Employment Supports: Colorado's State Division Of Developmental Services, Jean E. Winsor, John Butterworth, Allison Cohen Hall

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Between the years of 1985 and 1996 Colorado experienced significant growth in integrated employment for people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Several factors were consistently highlighted as contributing to Colorado's employment outcomes during this period.

Research To Practice: Diabetes And Vocational Rehabilitation Employment Services And Outcomes, Jonathan Woodring, Susan Foley

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Approximately 18 million people in the U.S. have diabetes. This brief uses Rehabilitation Services Administration data to provide a picture of people with diabetes using the Vocational Rehabilitation system.

Research To Practice: Job Networking In Diverse Communities, Rooshey Hasnain, Jennifer Bose, Joy Gould, John Butterworth

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

While individuals with disabilities face many obstacles when seeking employment, there are usually additional challenges for those from diverse cultures. To address this issue, ICI formed partnerships with community immigrant organizations to teach networking techniques to job seekers.

Grinding Decline In Springfield: Is The Finance Control Board The Answer?, Robert Forrant

New England Journal of Public Policy

Springfield, Massachusetts, the Bay State’s third largest city, suffered staggering manufacturing job loss over the last thirty years of the twentieth century. In 2004, the financial impact of job loss, coupled with dubious fiscal management, plunged the city into near bankruptcy. In response, state government passed legislation appointing a Finance Control Board to manage city business. Wage freezes for City workers were continued and cuts in numerous essential services occurred to deal with the debt. But the question remains, can a Control Board approach grow a large stock of well-paying jobs — large enough to grow the city’s and the …

Data Note: Ssa Work Incentives Enrollment, 1990-2004, Katherine Fichthorn, Dana Scott Gilmore

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

To encourage employment for individuals with disabilities, the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers special provisions that limit the impact of work on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. These provisions are called work incentives and include the Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS), Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE), and Blind Work Expenses (BWE).

Case Studies Of Local Boards And One-Stop Centers: Underutilization Of One-Stops By People With Significant Disabilities, Doris Hamner, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) identifies individuals with disabilities as among the constituencies to be served by One-Stop Career Centers. Due to a variety of factors, including lack of an overall One-Stop data collection system, no clear way to identify disability in the system, and non-disclosure of disability by many customers, it is difficult to ascertain the exact level of One-Stop usage by people with disabilities. However, existing data sources and anecdotal evidence indicate that people with disabilities underutilize One-Stops. The number of people with disabilities that use One-Stops seems to be lower than what would be expected based on …

Case Studies Of Local Boards And One-Stop Centers: Levels Of Involvement Of State Vr Agencies With Other One-Stop Partners, Sheila Fesko, Doris Hamner

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) emphasizes coordination and collaboration for better service delivery between state departments of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and other One-Stop partners. Although WIA's requirements for VR participation are clear, the parameters of this partnership are flexible and depend on a variety of factors within each state and local system. Defining the role of VR has had its challenges, as is the case for many partners in the WIA system. However, there are numerous examples of VR agencies working creatively to establish effective partnerships that positively influence services for job seekers with disabilities in the One-Stop system. The …

Case Studies Of Local Boards And One-Stop Centers: Strategies For Maximizing Staff Competence When Supporting Job Seekers With Disabilities In One-Stop Career Centers, Allison Cohen Hall, Sheila Fesko

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Since states began implementing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, One-Stop Career Centers have had to address the challenges of serving all customers seeking services, including job seekers with disabilities. To meet this challenge, many local One-Stops have demonstrated commitment to and progress towards creating innovative practices that positively affect access for job seekers with disabilities in the workforce system. The following brief is offered as a tool for local workforce systems to help achieve meaningful employment outcomes for job seekers with disabilities. This brief is part of a series of products offering practical solutions for Local Workforce Investment …

Case Studies Of Local Boards And One-Stop Centers: Tackling Fiscal Issues, Heike Boeltzig, Allison Cohen Hall

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) established a network of One-Stop Career Centers by integrating different employment and training services into one comprehensive workforce investment system. Within this environment, One-Stop partners are mandated to collaborate to create a seamless service delivery system that enhances access to services and improves employment outcomes for all individuals, including those with disabilities. WIA's intent was to establish local workforce development systems that would respond to their areas' specific needs with unique solutions and creative partnerships. In addition to service delivery, WIA encourages One-Stop partners to share in the operating costs of the One-Stop …

Case Studies Of Local Boards And One-Stop Centers: Creative Involvement Of Community-Based Disability Organizations At One-Stop Career Centers, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Heike Boeltzig

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) facilitates partnerships among organizations for more coordinated service delivery to all job seekers. Although the state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency is the only disability agency or program that is a mandated partner under WIA, community-based disability organizations (CBOs) can also work with One-Stop Career Centers to enhance their capacity to support customers with disabilities. Through case study research, the Institute for Community Inclusion identified several models of involvement between CBOs and One-Stops. These models illustrate that organizations can be creative in developing their partner roles to meet the needs of both their staff and their …

Tools For Inclusion: Getting The Most From The Public Vocational Rehabilitation System, Colleen Condon, Cecilia Gandolfo, Lora Brugnaro, Cindy Thomas, Pauline Donnelly

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Every state has a vocational rehabilitation agency that is designed to help individuals with disabilities meet their employment goals. Vocational rehabilitation agencies assist individuals with disabilities to prepare for, get, keep, or regain employment. This publication answers questions frequently asked by individuals with disabilities. For consumers.

Institute Brief: Making Experiential Education Accessible For Students With Disabilities, Cynthia Zafft, Sara Sezun, Melanie Jordan

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

College students with disabilities enter with less work experience and have a harder time finding jobs than their nondisabled peers. Experiential education-- mentoring, internships, job shadowing, and so on-- can create a bridge to graduation and employment. However, that requires college professionals to consider access issues for all students. A new Institute Brief provides basic disability awareness information, suggests ways to create welcoming career offices, and offers ideas to increase access to experiential education.

Institute Brief: Taking The Mystery Out Of Customer Service, Heike Boeltzig, Lora Brugnaro, Cecilia Gandolfo, Amy Gelb, Karen Zimbrich, Lara Enein-Donovan, Cindy Tsui, Joy Gould

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

With the current emphasis on universal access to employment services for all members of the community, the workforce development field needs to evaluate service delivery. A "mystery shopper" program is one of many evaluation tools available to ensure continuous quality improvement and customer satisfaction. This technique allows organizations to collect data on the experiences of One-Stop Career Center customers from the customer perspective. The brief includes a sample shopper questionnaire.