Chronic unemployment is common for individuals with traumatic brain injuries.
It is estimated that 50 percent of individuals with TBI who receive no or unspecified rehabilitation services following their injury have problems with chronic unemployment. Most VR programs routinely request neuropsychological evaluations that were developed in the 1940s for diagnostic purposes. These tests are no longer typically used in rehabilitation settings and are of limited functional utility for VR counselors planning the vocational rehabilitation of their clients. By requesting functional evaluations, VR counselors will get better information, clients will get better services, and clients will have increased vocational and financial success, and higher satisfaction with MO-DVR services. The Project 2 research will also compare whether individuals from rural communities have better or worse vocational and financial outcomes than individuals from urban settings.