Boosting Employment Success for People with Disabilities: How Partnership Plus Helps VR Professionals

Partnership Plus is a collaboration between state VR agencies and ENs. The goal is to help people with disabilities get jobs and stay employed over time. VR agencies provide up-front services to help someone get a job, and once the person is employed, ENs offer ongoing support to help them keep that job or move up in their career.

This partnership is crucial because many individuals need ongoing help to maintain employment, which the ENs provide after VR services end.

1. VR Services: VR helps the individual prepare for and find a job. This includes things like job training, resume building, and interview practice.
2. Job Placement: Once the person is employed, VR closes their case after they have worked for 90 days.
3. Handing Over to ENs: After VR closes the case, ENs step in to offer ongoing support. They help with job retention, career advancement, and benefits counseling to ensure the person stays employed.

The Partnership Plus program benefits both VR professionals and their clients:

• Continuity of Support: Often, people who receive VR services need additional help to keep their job. ENs can provide that long-term support, preventing a "revolving door" where people lose their jobs and come back to VR for help repeatedly.
• Specialized Help: ENs focus on providing services like benefits counseling and career planning. They also help clients understand how working affects their Social Security benefits, which is a major concern for many.
• Collaboration: VR professionals and ENs work together, referring clients back and forth when necessary, to make sure each individual gets the right support at the right time.

By working with ENs through Partnership Plus, VR professionals can:

• Maximize their impact: Instead of seeing the same client repeatedly, you can focus on helping new clients, knowing the previous ones have ongoing support through the ENs.
• Support client success: With the ongoing support of ENs, your clients are more likely to stay employed, achieve financial independence, and reduce reliance on benefits.
• Receive additional payments: Under certain conditions, state VR agencies can receive cost reimbursement when a client remains employed, providing an extra incentive to refer clients to ENs.

ENs play a significant role by offering services such as:

• Work Incentive Counseling: They help clients understand how working affects their disability benefits, which reduces fear and confusion.
• Career Advancement: ENs offer ongoing career advice and support, even years after initial employment.
• Retention Services: If someone loses their job, ENs can quickly step in to help them find a new one without having to return to VR.

Whether it’s through a formal agreement, a simple handshake deal, or sharing information with your clients, Partnership Plus offers a flexible way to extend the support you provide. If your VR agency doesn’t yet participate in Partnership Plus, it’s easy to get started:

• Contact ERI to learn more about Partnership Plus and the Ticket to Work program.
• Check out resources available at choosework.ssa.gov.

Source: Information for this article was taken from TACQE's Increasing Employment Outcomes Through Partnership Plus Webinar.