Agency Coordination

AGENCY AGREEMENTS: COORDINATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES:

Federal law requires that the project maintain close coordination with other agencies that provide services to persons with disabilities.  Such coordination avoids the duplication of services and economy results, minimizing confusion to the person being helped.  Each agreement is found immediately following this section.

UTILIZING THE SERVICES OF OTHER HUMAN RESOURCES AGENCIES:

 Project personnel are required to become familiar with the work of human resource agencies, with the objective of utilizing these services as a resource for the rehabilitation program. The agreements that follow this section support the above policy. Personnel are also expected to be constantly exploring other services that may be a resource to the project consumers, keeping current with policies of agencies that are utilized as resources by the project.  Also, in all appropriate contacts with consumers, the personnel are to explain this policy and reinforce actions of consumers that generate resources, assisting in the successful completion of the Individualized Plan of Employment.

The information below is also cross-referenced under Application > Referrals

RECEIVING AND PROCESSING VR REFERRAL:

  • The following information  received by the project constitutes a referral:

Name, address (or method of contact), disability, referral source and date of referral. The date this information is received should be in the Project Database as the date the client entered referral status.  Other information recorded in the database at this time is the client’s name, address (if obtained), sex (unless unavailable), reported disability, and other information related to the database that was obtained.

  • A case file is opened at the earliest possible time following the receipt of a new referral.
  • A contact report indicating all of the above information and any other pertinent information gained in the referral contact is to be reported in the contact report.
  •  The referral contact report ends with a notation in BOLD TYPE that the client entered referral status.  
  • Following the initial contact report, all collateral referral information contacts and all attempts to contact referral are to be reported in contact reports in the case record.
  • To generate new referrals, VR Personnel will frequently contact referral sources and inform them of the purpose, scope and eligibility requirements of the project.

COUNSELOR RESPONSIBILITY:

Upon receipt of a referral, the responsible VR counselor or other appropriate project personnel will attempt to contact the person within 30 days.  The project counselor or other appropriate project personnel will attempt to make an in-person or telephone contact with the applicant to explain VR services and find out if the person is interested in applying for such services.  If an in-person contact cannot be made, then a contact will be attempted through written correspondence.

REPORT TO REFERRAL  SOURCE:

The counselor will report to the referral sources the disposition of referred cases, if this requested by the referring agency.  Only minimal information is required, e.g. an application was completed or the person was not interested in services.  More complete information requires a release of information. If after contact the person decides not to apply for services or for some reason contact is not made with referral after several attempts then the case is closed.  A contact report needs to be made detailing the closure decision.  The date of the decision is recorded in the Project Database.  The closure is recorded as an 8 in the database.

REFERRED PERSON INELIGIBLE FOR SERVICES:

If a person is not eligible for services, the counselor will advise that person of the availability of potential resources through other agencies.