Florida Senate - 2015 SB 802
By Senator Gaetz
1-01395B-15 2015802__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to vocational rehabilitation; amending
3 s. 413.202, F.S.; providing for the future repeal of
4 the designation of the Division of Vocational
5 Rehabilitation as the administrative unit for purposes
6 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, subject
7 to legislative review of a required report; amending
8 s. 413.207, F.S.; requiring the Division of Vocational
9 Rehabilitation to initiate, by a specified date, a
10 performance improvement plan designed to achieve
11 specified goals; requiring the division to submit a
12 performance report annually, by a specified date, to
13 the Governor and the Legislature which includes
14 specified information; amending s. 413.23, F.S.;
15 authorizing the division to develop and implement a
16 pilot program; creating s. 413.80, F.S.; requiring the
17 division to develop and implement a pilot program to
18 improve the state vocational rehabilitation program;
19 requiring the division to enter into partnership
20 agreements with local, nonprofit organizations;
21 authorizing the division to issue an invitation to
22 negotiate under certain circumstances; requiring that
23 the agreements include specific performance goals in
24 certain areas; requiring the division to report
25 activities and results of the pilot program to the
26 Governor and the Legislature annually by a specified
27 date; providing an effective date.
28
29 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
30
31 Section 1. Section 413.202, Florida Statutes, is amended to
32 read:
33 413.202 Designated administrative unit.—Effective on the
34 effective date of this act, for the purposes of effecting
35 compliance with the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as
36 amended, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation is designated
37 as the administrative unit. This section is repealed June 30,
38 2016, unless reenacted by the Legislature after review of the
39 progress report on the achievement of the performance goals
40 required by s. 413.207.
41 Section 2. Section 413.207, Florida Statutes, is amended to
42 read:
43 413.207 Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; quality
44 assurance.—
45 (1) The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation shall
46 maintain an internal system of quality assurance, have proven
47 functional systems, perform due diligence, review provider
48 systems of quality assurance, and be subject to monitoring for
49 compliance with state and federal laws, rules, and regulations.
50 (2) No later than October 1, 2015, the division shall
51 develop and implement a performance improvement plan designed to
52 achieve the following goals:
53 (a) Increase the number and percentage of persons with a
54 program record who receive services.
55 (b) Increase the number of persons receiving postsecondary
56 workforce education as defined in s. 1004.02(25).
57 (c) Increase the number of persons earning CAPE industry
58 certifications and CAPE postsecondary industry certifications
59 approved pursuant to s. 1008.44.
60 (d) Increase the number of cases closed due to the
61 employment of the person who has a disability.
62 (e) Decrease the average cost per employment outcome, as
63 that term is defined in s. 413.20.
64 (f) Decrease the proportion of full-time equivalent
65 positions in the division devoted to administration.
66 (3) The improvement plan goals shall be designed to elevate
67 the state vocational rehabilitation program to one of the top 10
68 in the nation.
69 (4) By December 1 of each year, the division shall submit a
70 performance report to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
71 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives which includes
72 the following information for each of the 5 most recent fiscal
73 years:
74 (a) Caseload data, including the number of individuals who
75 apply for, and the number who receive, services, statewide and
76 by service area, by service type.
77 (b) Service use data, including the number of units of
78 service provided, statewide and by service area, by service
79 type.
80 (c) Financial data, including expenditures for
81 administration and the provision of services, by service type.
82 Expenditure data shall be reported on a statewide basis and by
83 service area, and expenditures for education-related services
84 shall be identified in specific categories such as tuition and
85 fees, program fees, and support services.
86 (d) Outcome data, statewide and by service area, including
87 the number of cases closed without employment and with
88 employment. Employment data must specify whether the employment
89 was supported or integrated.
90 Section 3. Section 413.23, Florida Statutes, is amended to
91 read:
92 413.23 Administration.—The division shall provide
93 vocational rehabilitation services to persons who have
94 disabilities determined to be eligible therefor and, in carrying
95 out the purposes of this part, is authorized, among other
96 things:
97 (1) To cooperate with other departments, agencies, and
98 institutions, both public and private, in providing for the
99 vocational rehabilitation of persons who have disabilities, in
100 studying the problems involved therein, and in establishing,
101 developing, and providing, in conformity with the purposes of
102 this part, such programs, facilities, and services as may be
103 necessary or desirable.;
104 (2) To enter into reciprocal agreements with other states
105 to provide for the vocational rehabilitation of residents of the
106 states concerned.;
107 (3) To conduct research and compile statistics relating to
108 the vocational rehabilitation of persons who have disabilities.;
109 (4) To prepare a federally required state plan for
110 vocational rehabilitation, as required by the act. The state
111 plan must contain all of the elements required by s. 101 of the
112 act, including an assessment of the needs of persons who have
113 disabilities and how those needs may be most effectively met.
114 The division is authorized to make amendments to the state plan
115 considered necessary to maintain compliance with the act and to
116 implement such changes in order to qualify for and maintain
117 federal funding. After completion of the state plan or making
118 amendments to the state plan, the division must distribute
119 copies of the state plan to the Governor, the President of the
120 Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the
121 United States Secretary of Education.
122 (5) To develop and implement a pilot program under s.
123 413.80 using such resources and operating in designated regions
124 of the state as may be specified in the General Appropriations
125 Act.
126 Section 4. Section 413.80, Florida Statutes, is created to
127 read:
128 413.80 Partnership for Employment of Persons with Unique
129 Abilities.—
130 (1) The division shall develop and implement a Partnership
131 for Employment of Persons with Unique Abilities pilot program
132 aimed at achieving specific, measureable performance goals for
133 the employment of persons who have a disability. To that end,
134 the division shall partner with one or more local, nonprofit
135 organizations with experience assisting persons who have a
136 disability in gaining employment. If more than one qualifying
137 organization in the pilot areas designated by the General
138 Appropriations Act requests a partnership agreement, the
139 division may issue an invitation to negotiate pursuant to s.
140 287.057(1)(c).
141 (2) The partner organizations must agree to performance
142 goals established by the division based on improvement over past
143 performance in at least the following areas:
144 (a) The number and percentage of individuals with open
145 records who receive services.
146 (b) The number of individuals with open records who receive
147 postsecondary workforce education pursuant to s. 1004.02(25).
148 (c) The number of persons earning CAPE industry
149 certifications and CAPE postsecondary industry certifications
150 approved pursuant to s. 1008.44.
151 (d) The number and percentage of cases closed due to the
152 employment of the eligible individual.
153 (e) The proportion of full-time equivalent positions in the
154 division devoted to administration.
155 (3) The division shall report activities and results of the
156 pilot program to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
157 the Speaker of the House of Representatives by December 31 of
158 each year.
159 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.