Factors Influencing State-Federal Vocational Rehabilitation Agency Consumers

For consumers with disabilities, vocational rehabilitation services can be the only answer to employment. This study examined which factors influence successful employment outcomes for this population. Specifically, does a rehabilitation counselor (RC) with a bachelor's degree offer the same employment outcomes as an RC with a master's degree? The purpose of this study was to establish a baseline of comparison of consumer outcomes across all state-federal Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies on the effects of the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014. The specific factors of interest in this study were the rehabilitation counselor's minimum level of education at hire, the consumer's disability status (severe or not severe), and the agency's Order of Selection implementation. Data were obtained from the 2015 Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) case service report (911-15) and VR state plans to compare successful outcomes across states. Few studies have compared the varying state policies with reported performance outcomes. The impact of recent changes in legislation implemented through the WIOA will require vigilant monitoring. This is the initial study in a series identifying predominant factors that influence state-federal VR consumer outcomes.