Iowa APSE Report: The Great Debate, The Shift from Sheltered Workshops to Competitive Integrated Employment (2018)

“Perhaps now more than ever there is opportunity and pressure to ensure that all individuals with disabilities have equal access to Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) opportunities in their communities. Understanding the history of sheltered workshops in America and the reasons people believe they are valuable and necessary is imperative to finding an effective approach that leads to competitive integrated employment for all people. This publication was created by the Iowa Department of Human Rights in collaboration with the Iowa Chapter of the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) and the Iowa Coalition for Integration and Employment (ICIE). It is intended to provide a history of subminimum wage employment and an assessment of the arguments in favor of sheltered work for people with disabilities. It is an attempt to help individuals with disabilities understand the benefits of competitive integrated employment and the resources available to assist them in reaching their employment goals.”

Links:

Iowa APSE Report The Great Debate: The Shift from Sheltered Workshops to CIE (2018,PDF)

Iowa SF 2353: An Act Relating to… State and Local Workforce Development Boards

“(1) The individual is compensated at a rate in Accordance with all of the following:

(a) If the individual is not self-employed, all of the following apply:
(i) The rate of compensation shall not be less than the higher of applicable federal or state Minimum wage. Rate of compensation shall not be less than the customary rate paid by the Employer for the same or similar work performed by other employees who are not Individuals with disabilities, and who are similarly situated in similar occupations by the same employer and who have similar training, experience, and skills.
(b) If the individual is self-employed, the rate of compensation yields an income that is comparable to the income received by other individuals who are not individuals with disabilities, and who are self-employed in similar occupations or on similar tasks and who have similar training, experience, and skills.

(2) The individual is eligible for the level of benefits provided to other employees.”

Links:

Iowa SF 2353: Text (PDF)

What is Employment First?

~~“Employment First is a movement to deliver meaningful employment, fair wages, and career advancement for people with disabilities. How did Employment First come to be? What is the Great Debate around the Shift from Sheltered Workshops to Competitive Integrated Employment?
The Iowa APSE Chapter was formed to improve and expand integrated employment services and outcomes through supported employment for persons with disabilities. Supported Employment (SE) enables people with disabilities who have not been successfully employed to work and contribute to society. SE focuses on a person’s abilities and provides the supports the individual needs to be successful on a long-term basis.

It allows people experiencing disabilities, their families, businesses, and their communities to experience the successes of people with disabilities. The partnership that SE has established between individuals experiencing disabilities and their communities is having a lasting impact on the way the public perceives people with disabilities. SE affords the public the opportunity to see the person for who they are rather than seeing the disability.”

Links:

What is Employment First?

Iowa Administrative Bulletin (2018)

“The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS) has issued regulations that define the residential and nonresidential settings in which it is permissible for states to provide and pay for Medicaid home-and-community-based services (HCBS). The purpose of the CMS regulations is to ensure that individuals receive Medicaid HCBS in settings that are integrated in and support full access to the greater community. These regulations also aim to ensure that individuals have a free choice of where they live and who provides services to them, as well as to ensure that individual rights are not restricted. While providing Medicaid HCBS in institutional settings has never been allowed, these new regulations clarify that HCBS may not be provided in settings that have the qualities of an institution. The federal regulations were effective March 17, 2014, with an initial five-year transition time period for all HCBS providers to be in full compliance with the regulations or lose federal HCBS funding for services provided in the setting. Due to the complexity of the changes required for full compliance, CMS extended the implementation time period by three years on May 9, 2017. The State has until March 17, 2022, to demonstrate full compliance with the HCBS settings regulations.
As part of a statewide transition plan developed to transition HCBS services to meet the federal regulations, CMS required the State of Iowa to complete a full assessment of the administrative rules in the Iowa Administrative Code for compliance with the federal regulations. These amendments make changes to the Department’s administrative rules necessary for full compliance with federal regulations as cited above.”

Links:

Iowa Administrative Bulletin (PDF)

Goodwill of the Heartland Mission Services – “Service Manual”

~~“Supported employment services are intended to assist persons receiving services to retain employment in the community or in their own business. This service is intended for the person who needs longer-term supports to retain employment and/or reach career goals.
1. Entrance Criteria:
Meet agency admission criteria
Client expresses interest in or agrees to community-based employment.
Funding is secured.”

Links:

Goodwill of the Heartland Mission Services – “Service Manual”

Iowa RFP Number MED-19-011 Technical Assistance and Program Support

“The purpose of this procurement is to select a vendor to provide technical assistance, support, and ad hoc analysis for current and new Medicaid programs and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) including, but not limited to, the State Plan Amendment (SPA), federal regulations and guidance, 1915(b), 1915(c), 1915(i) and 1115 waivers and waiver renewals, as directed by the Agency.”

Links:

Iowa RFP Number MED-19-011 Technical Assistance and Program Support

Iowa WIOA Unified State Plan: Goals and vision

This page contains links to most recent WIOA Unified State Plan.

Excerpt from an older state plan: “Iowa’s workforce delivery systems will collaborate to build a Future Ready Iowa -a pipeline of skilled workers who are prepared to meet the workforce needs of Iowa’s current and emerging industries. In alignment with the National Governor’s Association Talent PIPEline vision and goals, this unified plan will ensure individuals are prepared for dynamic careers through an emphasis on lifelong learning while meeting the needs of employers. Iowa’s workforce delivery system will assist more Iowans to become Future Ready by attaining the “new minimum” of high-quality education, training, and work readiness by bringing together education, rehabilitation, workforce, and economic development resources and ensuring that all Iowans have access to an integrated and efficient workforce delivery system. Future Ready Iowans will be ready to meet the employment challenges of today and into the future so that ALL Iowans work in competitive, integrated employment settings.”

Links:

Iowa WIOA Unified State Plan: Goals and vision

Iowa HCBS Provider Quality Management Self- Assessment

“This form is required for entities enrolled to provide services in Section B under the following waivers/programs:

Health and Disability (HD)
Elderly Waiver
Brain Injury Waiver (BI)
AIDS/HIV Waiver
Children’s Mental Health Waiver (CMH)
Physical Disability Waiver (PD)
Intellectual Disability Waiver (ID)
HCBS Habilitation Services (Hab)

Each provider is required to submit one, six-section self-assessment.”

Links:

Iowa HCBS Provider Quality Management Self- Assessment

Iowa Veterans Preference Information

“Upon request, veterans hiring preference shall be applied to honorably discharged veterans as defined in Iowa Code Chapter 35.1. Former members of the Reserve Forces or Iowa National Guard who served at least 20 years after January 28, 1973, are eligible. Reserve Forces or Iowa National Guard veterans who were activated for federal duty, other than training, for a minimum of 90 days and were discharged under honorable conditions or retired under Title 10, United States Code, are eligible…..
10 Points

Veterans with a service-connected disability, a Purple Heart, or who are receiving disability compensation or pension through the U.S. Veterans Administration may also request veterans’ preference.”

Links:

Iowa Veterans Preference Information

Iowa 84A.1A Workforce Development Board

“An Iowa workforce development board is created, consisting of thirty-three voting members and thirteen nonvoting members.”

Links:

Iowa 84A.1A: Text (PDF)