[SE-Dir] Employment First: New Executive Order 15-01

[SANDBERG Ruby]

TO: Superintendents, Special Education Directors and Coordinators


The message below is being sent to you on behalf of:


Sarah Drinkwater, Ph.D.
Assistant Superintendent
Office of Learning/Student Services

Mike Maley, Statewide Employment First Coordinator
Department of Human Services
______________________________________________
February 12, 2015


Re: Employment First: New Executive Order 15-01

On Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, Gov. John Kitzhaber issued Executive Order 15-01 "Providing Employment Services to Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities." This Order is an update of his prior Executive Order 13-04 with the same title issued in April 2013. The Order is online at:
http://www.oregon.gov/gov/Documents/executive_orders/eo_15_01.pdf

This latest Executive Order contains all of the expectations and provisions of the first, but updates several definitions and directions to align with new state and federal regulations. It also adopts policies and practices that have emerged since the first Order was adopted. There are six significant additions or changes to bring to your attention.

First, the new Order adopts a definition of "Competitive Integrated Employment." This definition is consistent with the one contained in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act<http://www.doleta.gov/wioa/> (WIOA), a newly enacted federal law. The significance of this new definition is it establishes a minimum wage or better threshold for individual integrated employment, and it also establishes a standard for determining an integrated employment setting.

Second, similar to "Competitive Integrated Employment," a minimum wage or better threshold is established for small group employment, as well as a standard for determining if an employment setting is integrated. Those in small group employment must also maintain goals to pursue "Competitive Integrated Employment."

Third, the definition of a "Sheltered Workshop" is revised by eliminating the "more than eight people served" threshold. This definition places more focus on the type of service and setting to determine whether a setting is a sheltered workshop than on the number of people served. References to services typically provided in school settings by public schools are also removed from the definition of sheltered workshop.

Fourth, Executive Order 15-01 clarifies that services for school transition services may begin for people as early as 14 years old, if deemed appropriate.

Fifth, Section IV of the new Executive Order expands the number of people who will receive employment services between July 1, 2013 and July 1, 2022, from 2,000 to 7,000 individuals. This section also directs that any worker in a sheltered workshop who, as indicated in his or her Career Development Plan, wants employment services will receive those services.

Finally, Section IV of Executive Order 15-01 also expands the role of the statewide Policy Group in the implementation of monitoring data and metrics.

We encourage all interested in the Employment First Initiative to read Executive Order 15-01 as it will influence our future efforts. Thank you all for your continued involvement, support, and advocacy for services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Oregon. If you have comments or questions, please email them to employment.first at state.or.us<mailto:employment.first at state.or.us>.


Ruby Sandberg, Executive Assistant
Oregon Department of Education
Office of Learning l Student Services
503-947-5738 l FAX: 503-378-5156 l ruby.sandberg at state.or.us<mailto:ruby.sandberg at state.or.us>

The Oregon Department of Education is an equal opportunity agency and employer.
Messages to and from this email address may be made available to the public under Oregon law.


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/se-dir/attachments/20150212/ab9ed966/attachment.html>