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A message from OOD Executive Director Kevin Miller
In just the past few years OOD’s commitment to engaging with our employer partners has not only been a great success from OOD’s perspective, but this success has been recognized as a national model amongst peer vocational rehabilitation agencies. This is evidenced by our employer partnerships with the Ohio Workplace Initiative, the growth of the Ohio Business Leadership Network and connecting employers with jobseekers through our job fairs.
With the continued positive impact and commitment displayed by our employer partners, I am very pleased to announce that effective next week I am further elevating the agency’s focus on employers as our dual customer, by consolidating OOD’s business relations activities and staff. They are currently managed between the Bureau of Services for Visually Impaired (BSVI) and the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation (BVR). They will now become part of a newly formed Division of Employer and Innovation Services, led by Deputy Director Raivo Murnieks.
Reporting to Murnieks will be Assistant Deputy Director Bob Nicholson, who will supervise Business Relations Manager Jon Hackathorn and our regional Business Relations Specialists Stephanie Branco, Cynthia Crews, Kelly Jordan and Heather Mauk. Employer Services Liaisons Chris Glover and Craig Marsh will continue reporting to Hackathorn. This structure also connects these business relations resources directly to our staff that are dedicated to managing labor market information, data analytics, performance management and process improvements. We look to expand our employer partnerships in an effort to secure a more fluid sourcing process thereby assuring jobseekers match available positions more accurately.
In addition to
the changes in Business Engagement, OOD’s BSVI has added Program Services
Manager Sarah Kelly. She
will report to Deputy Director Mindy Duncan and will lead BSVI’s efforts on a
number of key priorities. Kelly’s focus will include development of new BSVI
staff training; supporting BSVI’s provision of Orientation and Mobility,
Activities of Daily Living, Rehabilitation Technology and Low Vision Services;
identifying, sharing and promoting promising practices in service delivery
across all services leading to improved BSVI customer experience and
outcomes; and engaging with partners and professionals to increase BSVI
referrals. Kelly brings extensive experience to this new opportunity with five
years of experience at OOD, where she has served as both a Vocational
Rehabilitation Counselor and a Vocational Rehabilitation Supervisor.
I have always approached every decision on its alignment with our strategic direction and what is in the best interest of those we serve. This restructuring not only fits that criteria, but is critical to OOD’s compliance with new federal workforce legislation and aligns with the Governor’s workforce transformation priorities. My ultimate goal is that not only will we continue to be recognized as a national model for other vocational rehabilitation agencies, but that OOD will serve as a blueprint for all workforce agencies.
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 Pictured above are representatives from the Stringtown Road Walmart located in Grove City.
OOD recognized 18
Walmart stores as Committed to Opportunity Award recipients for their leadership
in integrating individuals with disabilities into Ohio’s workforce. The
Committed to Opportunity Awards recognize companies that have had four
consecutive years of successful hires of OOD consumers.
In recognizing Walmart
on their achievement, OOD Director Kevin Miller stated, “Walmart is the largest
retailer in the world and they have taken it upon themselves to make sure that
well-qualified and capable individuals who happen to have a disability are
integrated into their corporate culture. By embracing inclusion and diversity,
individuals with disabilities lives are enhanced, the community benefits and
Walmart’s workforce is strengthened.”
Walmart Market Manager
Jeff Stone said, “In every one of our stores across the state, we make it a
priority to serve our community the best we can and help people to live better.
So it’s very important to us as employers that we find opportunities for those
with disabilities because they are important members of our community with much
to contribute.”
For more information
about OOD’s Opportunity Awards, visit http://ood.ohio.gov/Employers/Opportunity-Awards.
OOD’s
Division of Disability Determination (DDD) is leading the way on the
development and implementation of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA)
new Disability Case Processing System (DCPS). DDD is assisting SSA in their
effort to modernize and bring greater consistency to the 54 separate state
disability determination services across the country. Ohio is one of only three
states to implement DCPS and Ohio was the first state in the nation to process
a claim utilizing this new technology.
In
addition to processing the first case in the new system, DDD is leading the way
in testing and helping other states troubleshoot any issues that arise when
they bring the system on board. When fully implemented across the nation, DCPS
is expected to simplify system support and maintenance, improve the speed and
quality of the disability process, and reduce the overall growth rate of
infrastructure costs.
STABLE Account, the nation’s
first savings and investment accounts for people with special needs, dramatically
improves the lives of individuals with disabilities. Since Ohio rolled out its
STABLE Account on June 1, 2016, more than 1,900 people have enrolled.
Previously, if Ohioans
with disabilities saved more than $2,000 in their name, they risked losing
essential benefits, such as Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income
(SSI). Individuals with disabilities are now empowered to save and invest
up to $14,000 a year with a maximum account limit of $426,000, without losing
their healthcare benefits. This will give them the opportunity to live more
independent and financially secure lives.
Diane Cox, who opened a
STABLE Account for her 13-year-old son Ben said, “It is money he can use for
anything related to his disability in the future. We can save for him the same
way as we can for his siblings without restrictions.”
STABLE Accounts are
available nationwide and can be opened by an individual with a disability or by
an authorized legal representative. They function as an investment account
(similar to a 529 college savings or a 401(k) retirement). Not only can
participants withdraw and spend money as needed, but the STABLE Account will
also allow the money to grow in order to save for long-term
expenses. Earnings on savings are tax-deferred when used to pay for
qualified disability expenses. Qualified expenses range from housing and rent,
to assistive technology (like hearing aids or an iPad) or employment training.
For more information, visit www.stableaccount.com or call 1-800-439-1653.
If you have a disability
and want to work, OOD can help! At oodworks.com starting on the path to employment
is as simple as 1, 2, 3. You can explore Vocational Rehabilitation (VR),
take a self-assessment, create your profile and apply for services.
VR is a program that
assists individuals with physical, intellectual, mental health and sensory
disabilities to obtain and retain employment. More simply, VR helps individuals
with disabilities find jobs and be more independent. This involves
deciding if a person is eligible, setting an employment goal, putting the goal
into a plan, and getting the job services and training needed to get a
job. Job coaching and other employment services may also be involved.
At OOD, both the Bureau
of Vocational Rehabilitation (BVR) and the Bureau of Services for the Visually
Impaired (BSVI) are involved in providing VR services.
Visit oodworks.com to
get started today on your path to employment.
The Eldercare Locator, a service of the U.S. Administration on Aging, helps seniors and families identify local resources for financial assistance, health care, home modifications and more. For information, visit http://eldercare.gov/Eldercare.NET/Public/Index.aspx
or call 188-0677-1116 weekdays 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Vocational Rehabilitation
Current FFY2017
Individuals in Job Ready Status: 2,984 1,774
For county level information
& map, visit our website.
Individuals Employed: 2,277 1,554
Employed, not yet
successfully closed
Successful Closures: 1,631
Employed for over 90 days,
case closed successfully
Disability Determination
(FFY 2017 as of 12/30/2016 – Week 13)
Applications Received: 43,862
Determinations: 47,215
Productivity Per Work Year (PPWY) 351.9
Total number of cases processed divided
by the number of work years funded
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