Denial of Services

Under what conditions may VR deny services?

The services can be denied if any of the following conditions exist:

• If the customer's disability is too severe that successful employment is not possible as determined by the VR counselor based on the objective information available

• The customer cannot benefit (in terms of employment) from the services provided by VR.

• If the customer's disability does not form an impediment to seeking, obtaining and retaining employment.

Generally the VR counselor needs to have convincing evidence on all these counts before services are denied. Also the following situations will lead to denial or discontinuation of services.

• If VR office is not able to contact the customer through phone, regular mail or email after repeated attempts the VR may close the case and hence services will not be available.

• If the customer has moved to another state, the state VR will close the case and deny services. The customer can apply to the VR office in the current state of residence and have records from the old VR office to be sent to the new location.

• If the state VR is in 'Order of Selection' (OOS) status, services may be denied to some customers. A priority sequence determined by the severity of disability is followed while considering for services in OOS status.

What happens if a customer is not accepted for VR services?

The customer can appeal at three levels. First is the appeal to the local area supervisor. The supervisor will review the case records and talk to the applicant and try to resolve the issue. If the applicant is not satisfied with the supervisor's decision, the VR office will arrange for an independent mediator to listen to the customer's case. If the decision is still not acceptable, the applicant can approach the state client assistance program (CAP). The address and toll-free phone to contact CAP will be provided by the VR office.