Texas Administrative Code › Title 40 - SOCIAL SERVICES AND ASSISTANCE › Part 20 - TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION › Chapter 856 - VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION SERVICES › Subchapter B - ELIGIBILITY AND PROVISION OF SERVICES › Section 856.52 - Individualized Plan for Employment

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) The
				  Vocational Rehabilitation Division (VRD) initiates and continuously develops an
				  individualized plan for employment (IPE) for each individual eligible for
				  vocational rehabilitation (VR) services and for each individual being provided
				  such services in trial work. All IPEs must be written using the form prescribed
				  by VRD for this purpose.
(b) VRD
				  advises the customer or, the customer's parent, guardian, or other
				  representative, as appropriate, of the customer's options and all VRD
				  procedures and requirements affecting the development and review of an IPE,
				  including the availability of special modes of communication.
(c) The VR counselor and customer or, as
				  appropriate, the customer's parent, guardian, or other representative, uses
				  information obtained during the assessment to help the customer make informed
				  choices about VR needs, employment outcome, intermediate rehabilitation
				  objectives, and the nature and scope of VR services and the service providers
				  to be included in the IPE.
(d) The
				  VR counselor must provide the customer or, as appropriate, the customer's
				  representative, with a copy of the IPE and its amendments, in the mode of
				  communication specified by the customer or representative.
(e) All substantive revisions necessary to
				  reflect changes in the customer's employment outcome, specific VR services,
				  service providers, and the methods used to procure services must be
				  incorporated into the customer's IPE.
(f) The customer may develop all or part of
				  the IPE with assistance from the VR counselor, a qualified vocational
				  rehabilitation counselor not employed by VRD, or another resource outside VRD.
				  VRD does not pay for non-VRD assistance with IPE development. The IPE is not
				  final until approved by the VR counselor. A copy of the plan and any amendments
				  are provided to the customer or the customer's parent, guardian, or other
				  representative, as appropriate.
(g)
				  The data used to prepare the IPE must include the information necessary to
				  satisfy federal requirements and to adequately document the customer's plan of
				  services. Regardless of the approach selected by the customer to develop the
				  IPE, the IPE must, at a minimum, contain the following mandatory components:
(1) a description of the customer's specific
				  employment outcome;
(2) a
				  description of the specific VR services that are needed to achieve the
				  employment outcome, including, as appropriate, the provision of assistive
				  technology devices and assistive technology services; personal assistance
				  services, including training in the management of those services; and timelines
				  for initiating the services and for achieving the employment outcome;
(3) a description of the entity chosen by the
				  customer or, as appropriate, the customer's representative, that will provide
				  the VR services, and the methods used to procure the services;
(4) a description of criteria to evaluate
				  progress toward achievement of the employment outcome;
(5) the terms and conditions of the IPE,
				  including, as appropriate, information describing:
(A) VRD responsibilities; and
(B) customer responsibilities, including:
(i) the customer's responsibilities related
				  to his or her employment outcome;
(ii) if applicable, the customer's
				  participation in paying for the costs of the plan;
(iii) the customer's responsibility to apply
				  for and secure comparable benefits; and
(iv) the responsibilities of other entities
				  resulting from arrangements made under comparable services or
				  benefits;
(6)
				  for a customer with the most significant disabilities for whom an employment
				  outcome in a supported employment setting has been determined to be
				  appropriate, information identifying:
(A) the
				  extended services that the customer needs; and
(B) the source of extended services or, if
				  the source of the extended services cannot be identified at the time that the
				  IPE is developed, a description of the basis for a reasonable expectation that
				  a source will become available; and
(7) as determined to be necessary, a
				  statement of projected need for post-employment services.