Community Employment Support Professional (CESP) Certification – FAQs

Community Employment Support Professional (CESP) Certification – FAQs

 

As we approach the effective date of the Community Employment Support Professional (CESP) requirement for Supported Employment Job Development (SEJD), OOD has been receiving an increase in questions from providers about this requirement. We thought it might be helpful to revisit this topic and provide additional clarification and resources for all providers.

 

The CESP requirement for SEJD was established in OOD’s most recent update to the Vocational Rehabilitation Fee Schedule (implemented October 2017) and is effective January 1, 2019. To help providers prepare for this requirement, OOD has been paying for provider staff to take the CESP exam. OOD sponsored 328 provider staff in sitting for the CESP examination in FFY 2018, an investment of over $80,000. Based upon continued interest from providers, OOD has arranged funding for an additional round of support of 500 provider staff to sit for this examination. This is an investment of an additional $99,500 in FFY 2019 for CESP examinations for provider staff.

 

Q: What is the CESP?

A: CESP is a professional certification offered through APSE. Their website provides additional information about the certification including requirements to sit for the exam, exam sites, and frequently asked questions: https://apse.org/cesp-central/

 

Q: What content is covered in the CESP examination?

A: The CESP exam covers knowledge and competency in the areas of employment/career planning, community research, job development, workplace supports, and ongoing supports.

 

Q: When was the CESP requirement established?  

A: OOD first discussed this requirement through informational sessions on the proposed VR Fee Schedule changes in August 2016. There were several meetings and public forums to discuss changes and the specific creation of the SEJD service. The VR Fee Schedule was approved by the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) in April 2017 with an effective date of October 1, 2017. OOD provided follow up regional trainings for providers in August 2017. SEJD was specifically addressed in training as a new service. OOD also discussed that the CESP would be required for direct service staff providing SEJD effective January 1, 2019.

 

Q: Can a supervisor hold the CESP credential on behalf of an agency?

A: The CESP is an individual certification, not an agency requirement. Therefore, each individual who will be delivering SEJD for the provider must hold this credential.

 

Q: Is this credential necessary for other VR services, such as On-the-Job Supports (OJS)?

A: No, the CESP credential is only required for SEJD.

 

Q: Are job coaches providing On the Job Supports (OJS) to individuals receiving SEJD required to meet the CESP requirement? Can job coaches who are not CESP certificated provide retention check-ins that are required as a part of the Tier III authorization under SEJD?

A: This CESP credential is only required for SEJD. Job coaches providing OJS to individuals receiving SEJD are not required to meet the CESP requirement. All services that are part of the performance-based SEJD package must be carried out by a CESP certified staff person. Therefore, a job coach that is not CESP certified may not provide retention check-ins that are required as a part of the Tier III authorization for SEJD.

 

Q: We have staff currently providing SEJD who do not have CESP. What will happen to individuals receiving services from these non-CESP certified staff when the requirement begins on January 1?

A: Staff that do not have the CESP certification may continue to provide SEJD services to individuals assigned to them who started services prior to January 1. This will ensure continuity of services for individuals being served. These staff will not be able to accept new SEJD referrals effective January 1. Staff that do not have the CESP certification can provide other VR services under the fee schedule, including standard job development services. Please keep in mind that individuals requiring long-term supports will be referred for SEJD, not traditional Job Development (JD) services. If you historically provide SEJD and do not have staff that have the CESP certification, this could negatively impact referrals to your program.

 

Q: If a provider does not have staff with the CESP to provide SEJD, can they provide SEJD and just accept the traditional Job Development (JD) rate?

A: Individuals with the Most Significant Disabilities who need SEJD (i.e., require long-term supports) will be referred to providers that offer SEJD, not traditional JD. Typically, individuals served under the EF partnership agreement with DODD require supported employment, and VR staff would refer to providers who can offer this service. If you are providing services under EF, you should be prepared to get your staff certified.

 

Q: Given this new CESP requirement, are the Employment First (EF) training requirements changed, voided, or reduced?

A: OOD, in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, is considering these requirements, but at this time the EF provider training requirements are still in place in addition to the CESP requirement for job developers.   The EF training requirements currently include an on-line supported employment training, including a test they must pass (course work is about 12 hours), an in person, one-day training and 4 follow up web-courses. Please keep in mind that this free EF training may be useful to staff to help them prepare for the CESP examination and can also be used to help credentialed staff meet the continuing education required to maintain certification.

 

Q: Are staff working for Individualized Placement and Support (IPS) programs required to meet the CESP requirement?

A: OOD accepts the IPS model of evidence based supported employment for working with persons with mental health diagnoses. IPS programs are exempt from the CESP requirement because the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (MHAS) conducts regular fidelity reviews of the programs adherence to the IPS evidenced based practices.  

 

 

 

 

 

The services described are funded, in part, with federal funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) under the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), Supported Employment Services, and the Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who are Blind (OIB) programs. For purposes of the VR program, the federal VR grant paid 78.7% of the total costs of the program. In federal fiscal year (FFY) 2018, the VR agency received $100,336,097 in federal VR funds. Funds appropriated by the state paid 21.3% of the total costs $27,155,767 under the VR program.

The Pre-Employment Transition Services provided under the VR program, described, are funded 100% through a grant from the U.S. DOE. For FFY 2018, the total amount of grant funds used for these services is $15,050,415.

 

For purposes of the Supported Employment program (youth with a disability program), federal funds paid 100% of the total costs. In FFY 2018, the VR agency received $303,725 in federal supported employment funds (youth with a disability program).

 

For purposes of the Supported Employment program, federal funds paid 95% of the total costs. In FFY 2018, the VR agency received $303,725 in federal Supported Employment funds. State appropriated funds paid 5% $33,747 of the total costs under the Supported Employment program.

 

For purposes of the OIB program, federal funds paid 90% of the total costs incurred under the program. In FFY 2018, the agency received $1,174,400 in federal grant funds for this program. Funds appropriated by the State paid 10% $130,489 of the total costs incurred under the OIB program.

 

The services described are funded, in part, with federal funds awarded by Health and Human Services (HHS) under the independent living (IL) program. For purposes of the federal IL program the federal grant paid 90% of the total costs of the program. In FFY 2018, OOD received $632,411 in federal IL funds. Funds appropriated by the state paid 10% of the total costs $70,268 under the IL program.