New Jersey Administrative Code

(a) Transition services are designed to provide the client, family, high school personnel and other professionals with specialized vocational achievement to assure a smooth transition from high school to college or work. The goal of transition services is to provide early vocatio…

(a) The Commission's career development services assist vocational rehabilitation clients in obtaining appropriate employment by working directly with clients, professionals and prospective employers of blind and visually impaired job applicants. These services may be provided to…

(a) Maintenance is a supportive service provided only to enable an individual to participate in other vocational rehabilitation services. It is provided to the client in meeting the extra or added costs of food, shelter, clothing and other subsistence expenses arising from the ac…

(a) Placement and adaptive equipment may be issued to eligible vocational rehabilitation clients to enable them to compete equally in the job market. (b) Placement equipment refers to those tools, appliances, machinery, licenses, initial stocks and supplies which enable an indivi…

(a) The Commission's business enterprise program is designed to emphasize and reaffirm the Commission's commitment to assist those clients whose vocational goal is self-employment. The program provides coordinated services to the client from the beginning of the diagnostic evalua…

(a) The small business program is designed to provide vocational rehabilitation services to those clients whose goal is to establish a solely owned business. (b) The following criteria will determine a client's eligibility for the small business program: 1. The client must indica…

(a) A client will be considered competitively employed when the client, vocational rehabilitation counselor and employer determine that the client is suitably employed for a minimum of 90 days and has reached his or her vocational goal. The standards for determining suitable empl…

(a) The following shall be considered non-competitive occupations: 1. Unpaid family worker; and 2. Homemaker. (b) An unpaid family worker is a person who works without actual cash reimbursement on a family farm or in a family business. In order to be considered an unpaid family w…

(a) Extended employment in a sheltered setting is a legitimate and valuable employment option for individuals with disabilities and such individuals may wish to pursue long term extended employment outside the Commission's vocational rehabilitation program. (b) The Commission is …

(a) Post-employment services are designed to assist the individual in maintaining, regaining or advancing in employment after the individual has been determined to be rehabilitated. Post-employment services may include any vocational rehabilitation services or combination of serv…

(a) Services shall be provided to family members when such services are necessary to the adjustment or rehabilitation of the client. The objective of the client's successful rehabilitation is carried out by helping the family recognize its responsibilities to use its own resource…

(a) Transportation is a supportive service which contributes to the eligible individual's ability to participate in or receive the benefits of vocational rehabilitation services. Transportation services consist of necessary travel and related expenses, including subsistence durin…

(a) Other training and placement related services are basic services or pieces of equipment which are required by clients for their education or training because of their visual impairment. (b) The Commission shall apply its comparable benefits and services rules as set forth at …

(a) Upon a determination of ineligibility, the Commission shall close the case of an individual who was either referred or applied to the agency for vocational rehabilitation services. (b) The Commission shall base its determination of ineligibility for vocational rehabilitation …

(a) The Commission shall consider a client to be competitively employed and close the case as rehabilitated when the following criteria have been met: 1. An assessment was made of the rehabilitation potential of the client which resulted in a determination that the client met the…

(a) In order to close the case of a rehabilitated client who is suitably engaged in non-competitive employment, the case record shall show that: 1. The Commission provided substantial services which materially contributed to an improvement in the client's adjustment or ability to…

(a) The counselor shall document in the client's case folder the amount of time actually needed and the core areas which have been addressed in the homemaker training. The Commission shall make every effort to schedule homemaking training in such a manner as to permit an individu…

(a) The Commission may close a client's case as not rehabilitated, after the initiation of services developed through an individualized plan for employment, when the client is unable to achieve his or her vocational goal after having received at least one planned vocational rehab…

(a) Vocational rehabilitation clients declared ineligible because their disability was deemed too severe to benefit from services shall have an opportunity for their cases to be reviewed and reopened, if appropriate. (b) The Commission shall conduct one review within 12 months af…

The Commission shall annually review and re-evaluate the status of each individual for two years who has been placed in a community-based organization to receive extended employment services (see N.J.A.C. 10:95-12.5(c) ). Notes N.J. Admin. Code § 10:95-18.2 Amended by R.1999 d.37…

(a) Clients of the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (or their agents), their parents, guardians, advocates or legal representative may record their dissatisfaction with a determination with regard to the furnishing or denial of vocational rehabilitation services by …

(a) Upon request for an administrative review, either in person or on the record, the Executive Director shall assign a supervisory employee to conduct the review. Neither the reviewer assigned this task for his or her immediate supervisor shall have had any direct part in the di…

(a) Upon receipt of a request for a fair hearing, the Executive Director shall notify the client, parent, guardian, advocate or legal representative within 10 days whether the matter shall be disposed of, pursuant to (a)1 or 2 below. 1. If the Executive Director determines that t…

The purpose of eligibility determination is to identify those blind and visually impaired persons who may be served so as to provide such persons an opportunity to reach a level of independence which will promote an employment outcome consistent with each individual's capacity, i…

(a) Once a signed application or equivalent has been received, the Commission shall make use of existing and current information, from other programs and providers, particularly information from education officials and the Social Security Administration, to the extent that it is …

(a) A vocational rehabilitation counselor shall request an eye report from an ophthalmologist, optometrist, and/or utilize medical records from other sources in order to determine an applicant's eligibility for Commission services. The Commission shall utilize existing informatio…

(a) The comprehensive assessment is designed to determine which vocational rehabilitation services may be of benefit to the individual in terms of an employment outcome. This study shall consist of a comprehensive evaluation of pertinent medical, psychological, vocational, educat…

(a) An extended evaluation is provided to those individuals who require in-depth analysis in order to determine if they can benefit from vocational rehabilitation services. This evaluation offers individuals who have a disability and an impediment to employment the opportunity to…

(a) Trial work may be provided to those individuals who require an in-depth analysis in order to determine if they can benefit from vocational rehabilitation services. Trial work may be used in lieu of an extended evaluation, based on a case-by-case agreement between the client a…

The Commission provides eligible individuals an opportunity to make informed choices throughout the rehabilitation process. Individuals have the right to make an informed choice about their vocational goals, rehabilitation objectives, services and service providers. Notes N.J. Ad…

(a) The Commission has established the following principles relative to informed choice in order to assure accessibility, communications, certification, and an employment outcome: 1. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (42 U.S.C. § 12101), shall be utilized to determine the…

(a) The Commission shall apply the principles of informed choice at the determination of eligibility and at plan development/plan amendment. (b) The consumer shall be an active participant to the extent feasible in evaluating potential programs and services. Such active participa…

Following the determination of eligibility and assessment, an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) is developed with each client which includes a description of the specific outcome that is chosen by the eligible individual the nature and scope of vocational rehabilitation se…

(a) The IPE may be developed by the eligible individual, by the eligible individual and a qualified vocational rehabilitation counselor, or by an eligible individual, with the assistance of a representative. It must be agreed to, and signed by the vocational rehabilitation counse…

The client or client's representative shall review the IPE jointly, with the qualified rehabilitation professional as appropriate, but at least once a year, to assess the progress in meeting the objectives identified in the IPE. Notes N.J. Admin. Code § 10:95-5.3

The IPE shall be amended, at any time, as appropriate, to incorporate any revisions or changes that are necessary to reflect changes in the client's vocational goal or rehabilitation needs, after obtaining the agreement and signature of the client or the client's representative. …

Restoration services are designed to alleviate or diminish the effects of a disability in order to improve a client's employment potential. These services include surgery, hospitalization, physical therapy, psychological, psychiatric or other medical services. Physical and mental…

(a) Physical restoration services are designed to correct or substantially modify, within a reasonable period of time, a physical condition which is stable or slowly progressive that constitutes a substantial impediment to employment. (b) Physical restoration services may be prov…

(a) Mental restoration services are designed to stabilize, correct or substantially modify, a mental condition. The Commission shall exclude from reimbursement those mental restoration services which:1. Do not directly relate to the client's impediment to employment; 2. Do not di…

Low vision services are physical restoration services designed for low vision Commission clients who qualify to receive specialized services to assist them in maximizing visual efficiency and functioning. Low vision services rules are set forth at N.J.A.C. 10:94-3.3. Notes N.J. A…

(a) Prosthetic, orthodic or other assistive devices, such as hearing aids, are sometimes necessary to assist a client in obtaining or retaining employment. The Commission may assist in providing these devices to severely disabled clients with dual disabilities if the client has b…

The Commission's training services are designed to develop and/or remediate those vocational and/or daily living skills needed for successful entry into employment. Notes N.J. Admin. Code § 10:95-7.1

(a) The client's training services shall be consistent with his or her interests, aptitudes, and abilities as documented in the case record and shall be required to achieve the client's vocational goal. (b) The Commission shall apply its financial needs standard as set forth at N…

Orientation and mobility services are designed to teach methods for safe, independent indoor and/or outdoor travel emphasizing environmental awareness, sensory training and utilization of remaining vision. The purpose of these services will be to enable clients, whenever possible…

(a) Vocational rehabilitation home instruction services are designed to provide instruction and counseling in the techniques of daily living. The purpose of these services is to help clients, whenever possible, accommodate to their visual loss and to acquire the needed skills to …

(a) College services are designed to assist Commission clients who require college training in order to achieve their vocational goal. The Commission monitors eligible clients during their college careers and functions as a resource to clients for information concerning: 1. Finan…

(a) The purpose of on-the-job training is to encourage an employer to hire a Commission vocational rehabilitation client who may not be fully productive in the particular job opening available, but who shows promise of being able to perform the job with some additional on-the-job…

(a) The Commission's deaf-blind services are designed to better serve those individuals who experience a unique set of problems and needs due to profound hearing loss in addition to their visual loss. (b) In order to be eligible to receive the Commission's deaf-blind services, an…

(a) The Commission's vocationally-related transitional summer services are designed to evaluate the academic and vocational potential of the clients involved and provide them with an opportunity to test their skills to function independently. In addition, the services provide doc…

(a) The Joseph Kohn Rehabilitation Center (JKRC) is a residential facility which functions as a resource to: 1. Offer assessment and adjustment services; 2. Clarify the client's fundamental concepts about blindness and visual impairment; 3. Maximize the client's independent funct…