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OVR may be taken out of high risk designation soon
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Posted on Jan 20 2000
The federal government may soon scrap the high risk designation given to the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation with the successful implementation of corrective action plans to save the agency.
Earlier, the California-based Rehabilitative Services Administration in Region 9 has already lifted the “reimbursement status” of the OVR which due to efforts made by the current officials to carryout meaningful action programs.
Vocational Rehabilitation is a joint federal-state partnership that operates in all the 50 States and possessions and territories of the United States including the CNMI. Although the program has been in existence in the U.S. since 1920, it was not extended to the CNMI until the early ’70s.
Officials from the Rehabilitative Services Administration will be visiting the CNMI next month to review further progress made on the local program before lifting the high risk status.
Asked how she was able to successfully do all the work, Tee Abraham, OVR Director, said: “I have a dedicated Council that has passion to work with people with disabilities.
In 1998, OVR was able to serve 130 clients. In 1999, the case load reached 157. The agency was able to assist four people to get employed in 1998 but last year, it was able to help 10 people find jobs.
Each year, OVR is required to submit state plan updates to ensure continued federal funding support from the U.S. Department of Education/Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. The Rehab Act requires a cost-sharing arrangement between the federal government (78.7 percent) and the state government (21.3 percent) to operate a vocational rehabilitation program.
Over the years, OVR received in-kind support such as a rent-free facility and other free services such as repair and maintenance of the facility, lawn and yard service, trash collection and pick-up, and utilities (power,water and sewer) from the CNMI government.
