12.3 Supportive Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Supportive services, which include maintenance, transportation, services to family members, and personal assistance services, are provided for the purpose of enabling the individual to participate in and benefit from other necessary services and goods. DVR shall not provide a supportive service alone or in conjunction with only other supportive services. Supportive services necessary for an individual to participate in assessment services including supplemental evaluations do not require the financial participation of the individual, but do require a comparable benefits search. Maintenance, transportation, and services to family members that correspond with services provided under an IPE, BEA, or TWE Plan do require financial participation for individuals other than SSI/SSDI recipients, if there is a monthly resource, as well as a search for and utilization of comparable benefits.

Maintenance is monetary support provided to an individual for expenses, such as food and shelter, that are in excess of the normal expenses of the individual and that are created by the individual's participation in an assessment for determining eligibility and vocational rehabilitation needs or the individual's receipt of vocational rehabilitation services under an IPE. Maintenance shall be provided only for expenses that the individual would not have, if not receiving vocational rehabilitation services.

Maintenance payments shall not exceed the additional cost of living incurred by the individual as a result of their participation in the assessments for determining eligibility and vocational rehabilitation needs and/or planned goods and services under the IPE. The amount of a monthly maintenance payment does not include costs for normal living expenses covered by previous sources of income that are no longer available due to participation in the vocational rehabilitation program.

For short-term maintenance (30 days or less), reimbursement shall be limited to the actual costs incurred as documented by receipts verifying purchases, not to exceed federal per diem rates established by the US General Services Administration. No reimbursement shall be allowable in the absence of receipts. The purchase of alcohol is not eligible for reimbursement under any circumstance. Meal reimbursement is not allowable when travel is limited to a single day. Services requiring travel over consecutive days may be eligible for the following:

• Breakfast reimbursement if travel is required before 5 a.m.

• Lunch reimbursement if travel begins before 11 a.m. and ends after 1 p.m.

• Dinner reimbursement if travel ends after 8 p.m.

https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates/per-diem-rates-lookup

For long-term maintenance (in excess of 30 days), reimbursement shall be limited to the additional cost of living as determined by MIT’s Living Wage Calculator.

http://livingwage.mit.edu

The following are examples of expenses that meet the definition of maintenance. The examples are illustrative, do not address all possible circumstances, and are not intended to substitute for individual counselor judgment:

1. The cost of a short-term residence (hotel, lodging) that is required in order for an individual to participate in assessment activities or vocational training at a site that is not within commuting distance of an individual's home.

2. The initial one-time costs, such as a security deposit or charges for the initiation of utilities, that are required in order for an individual to relocate for a job placement.

Additional detailed examples describing the application of maintenance policies are available in Appendix E.

Transportation services are provided as a support service for travel and related expenses that are necessary to enable an individual to participate in a vocational rehabilitation service.

Whenever available, public transportation shall be used unless the individual’s impairment-related limitations prevent use of public transportation. If the individual chooses to use their own vehicle when public transportation is available and accessible, DVR may provide reimbursement for mileage, up to the cost of public transportation.

When DVR pays for reimbursement related to the use of a personal automobile for transportation to obtain required goods and services, the driver shall have a valid driver’s license, possess an active insurance policy to drive the automobile, and use an automobile which is appropriately licensed and registered. The rate of payment for mileage is established in the DVR fee schedule. The individual shall provide appropriate documentation to DVR to support that the reimbursement is related to services necessary for eligibility determination or the provision of services. The documentation shall be placed in the case record.

When transportation to an out-of-state training institution is determined to be a necessary and appropriate service, DVR may pay for one round trip between home and the training institution per year unless the individual experiences an impairment-related medical emergency which can be reasonably treated only in Colorado.

The following are examples of expenses that meet the definition of transportation. The examples are purely illustrative, do not address all possible circumstances, and are not intended to substitute for individual Counselor judgment:

1. Travel and related expenses for a personal care attendant or aide if the services of that person are necessary to enable the individual to travel to participate in any vocational rehabilitation service.

2. The repair of vehicles, including vans, but not the modification of these vehicles, as modification would be considered a rehabilitation technology service.

3. Relocation expenses incurred by an individual in connection with a job placement that is not within a commutable distance from the individual’s current residence.

Maintaining and repairing a private vehicle is primarily the responsibility of the owner. DVR does not routinely pay for license plates, insurance, depreciation, and/or routine maintenance for vehicles because these are part of the typical costs of maintaining a vehicle. Individuals are expected to participate in the cost of their transportation expenses when using their own vehicle, as in most cases, vehicles are not used exclusively for rehabilitation activities.

Assistance with vehicle repair is intended for emergency situations where services have been initiated under the IPE and participation in the IPE cannot continue without the repair. Generally, this shall mean that the vehicle cannot be driven without the repair. In order to repair a vehicle, it shall be the individual’s primary means of transportation and shall be owned by the individual or a family member. If the vehicle needs emergency repair and the cost of that repair exceeds the blue book value of the car, supervisory approval is required.

Before providing vehicle repair, the DVR Counselor shall consider the following:

• The overall condition of the vehicle (i.e., is the vehicle likely to require frequent repairs).

• The extent of the repairs needed.

• The availability of other appropriate transportation.

• The vehicle is necessary for work or training.

• There is no other source of funding for the repairs.

• The ability of the individual to assume long-term upkeep of the vehicle.

Vocational rehabilitation services to family members are services to an individual (either a relative, guardian, or someone living in the same household as the individual receiving services), who has a substantial interest in the well-being of that individual; and, whose receipt of vocational rehabilitation services is necessary to enable the individual to achieve an employment outcome.

Personal assistance services are a range of services provided by one or more persons designed to assist an individual with a disability to perform daily living activities on or off the job that the individual would typically perform without assistance if the individual did not have a disability. The services shall be designed to increase the individual's control in life and ability to perform everyday activities on or off the job. The services shall be necessary for the achievement of an employment outcome and may be provided only while the individual is receiving other vocational rehabilitation services. The services may include training in managing, supervising, and directing personal assistance services.