Public Hearing Survey

2012 Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Public Hearings, Conducted by the GA State Rehabilitation Council

Georgia Vocational rehabilitation public hearings are being conducted to allow of Georgia citizens the opportunity to contribute their input regarding significant changes to Georgians vocational rehabilitation program regarding the state vocational rehabilitation state plan, a major policy change regarding order of selection and house bill 1146. Additionally, any other topics commented on will be used as part of the recommendations made by the Georgia State rehabilitation council to the administrators of vocational rehabilitation program in order to ensure that Georgia's vocational rehabilitation state plan reflects the needs of the disability community at large. 

We thank you in advance for your participation and thoughtful feedback. 

If you can't join us at any of the locations and times, PLEASE either:

1) Fill out the 2012 Public Hearing Survey

or cut and paste the following link in a browser:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDJzOVdPc2xDc3Rya1FWTEVqaE9xSmc6MQ

OR

2) Send written statements to:
Linda Shepard, Chairperson,
Georgia State Rehabilitation Council,
P.O. Box 5128, Douglasville, GA 30154;

OR

3) Email them to srcofga@gmail.com.

Written statements are limited to two (2) pages, double spaced. Written or emailed comments must be postmarked or time dated no later than Friday, May 18, 2012.

Public input sought statewide regarding VR Program State Plan

The Georgia State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Labor Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program will hold a series of public comment hearings statewide regarding the VR state plan and the delivery of vocational rehabilitation services. 

These hearings will give citizens the opportunity to provide input on goals and priorities for the VR Program and service needs for individuals with disabilities to achieve employment. Other items to be addressed include the order of selection regarding how VR defines priority for services, and HB 1146, which proposes to create Rehabilitation Services as a stand-alone agency attached to the Department of Human Services.  The bill may be reviewed online at http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20112012/HB/1146.

The federal Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) requires the Georgia VR program to submit an annual state plan of how it will use federal and state funds to provide a broad array of rehabilitation services to achieve priority goals and objectives for eligible Georgians with disabilities.  Public input and participation are mandatory when substantive changes in the delivery of VR services are proposed.

Citizens attending the hearing who wish to comment for the record will be allowed five (5) minutes; there is no provision for two-way dialogue. Comments and questions will be recorded for review and response.

Those who wish to provide comment but cannot attend the hearing in person may send written statements to Linda Shepard, Chairperson, Georgia State Rehabilitation Council, P.O. Box 5128, Douglasville, GA 30154; or email them to srcofga@gmail.com. Written statements are limited to two (2) pages, double spaced. Written or emailed comments must be postmarked or time dated no later than Friday, May 18, 2012.

The current Georgia VR State Plan for fiscal 2012 may be reviewed online at http://www.rsa.ed.gov/about-your-state.cfm?state=Georgia or in print at any regional VR office in the state. To locate the nearest regional office, or for more information about the public hearing, call VR Customer Service at 404-486-6331, or statewide toll free 1-866-489-0001; TTY users call GA Relay 711. 

In order to solicit comments from a representative and diverse population, the Georgia SRC will hold two public comment sessions in each of 10 locations around the state, the first from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the second from 4-6 p.m.  The dates and locations for the public hearings are as follows:

Citizen of Georgia, an individual with a disability, and a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor

VOTE "NO" to HB1146! Why?

Dear Members of the Georgia Senate:

I am writing to you as a concerned citizen of Georgia, an individual with a disability, and a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. When given the opportunity to vote on HB1146, please vote "NO." Why?

1. This bill is not based on sound wisdom and is not reflective of what is in the best interest of individuals with disabilities. We deserve to be able to seek assistance with employment from the same agency that non-disabled individuals do. This bill promotes discrimination and segregation rather than equal access, equal opportunity, and inclusion.

2. The Department of Labor is respected among employers and citizens of Georgia as the "go to" agency for employment related services; the Department of Human Services is not.

3. To attach the VR program to DHS will create attitudinal barriers not reduce or eliminate them. Attitudinal barriers are the most significant barrier that a person with a disability has to overcome in securing and maintaining employment. Like HB831, HB1146 is a step in the wrong direction for Georgia not the right one.

4. There has been no additional

Added Layer of Bureaucracy

House Representative Barbara Massey Reece, D-Menlo; and Rick Crawford, D-Cedartown....
 
 “It sets up another … level of bureaucracy, which I feel is unnecessary,” Reece said. “Already the Legislature and the governor have the authority to make those changes.”

Crawford joined her in opposition to HB 1146, which moves the Vocational Rehabilitation program from the Georgia Department of Labor to the Department of Human Services.

Reece said constituents using the employment assistance program, either for themselves or for family members, were pleased with the services from the DOL and asked her to fight against the change.

Read more at: http://romenews-tribune.com/view/full_story/17834643/article-Student-sports-concussion-bill-fails?instance=home_news

Georgia Business Enterprises Program

To my fellow vendors and anyone interested in the preservation of
the Georgia Business Enterprises Program as we know it today:

The Governor has been very aggressive in his efforts to push
legislation which would move vocational rehabilitation from under
the department of labor and put it under the department of human
services.  The Governor truly perceives that anyone blind or disable
is inferior and should not participate as productive members of the
state's tax paying labor force.