Vocational Rehabilitation and Return-to-Work Programs Flashcards

What is the Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) in state VR programs?

Answer: A written agreement between the VR counselor and consumer outlining employment goal and services

The IPE is a required written plan developed collaboratively by the VR counselor and consumer that specifies the employment goal and the services needed to achieve it.

Which factor most often predicts a worker's successful return to work following a significant workplace injury?

Answer: Employer willingness to offer modified duty and the worker's positive recovery expectations

Employer support and the worker's own belief in recovery are consistently among the strongest predictors of RTW success.

What does 'work conditioning' differ from 'work hardening' in occupational rehabilitation?

Answer: Work conditioning focuses on physical restoration only, while work hardening addresses physical and behavioral work readiness

Work conditioning is a single-discipline, physically focused program, while work hardening is multidisciplinary and addresses behavioral and vocational factors in addition to physical restoration.

Which vocational rehabilitation concept involves placing a worker in a job with structured support and gradually fading that support over time?

Answer: Supported employment with natural supports fade

Supported employment uses a 'place and train' model where job coaches provide intensive initial support that is gradually faded as the worker becomes proficient.

A disability management specialist determines that an injured worker cannot return to their previous occupation due to permanent restrictions. The NEXT step is to:

Answer: Conduct a transferable skills analysis and labor market survey to identify feasible alternative occupations

When the prior occupation is no longer feasible, the specialist conducts a TSA and labor market survey to identify alternative jobs consistent with the worker's restrictions and skills.

What is the role of 'natural supports' in supported employment programs?

Answer: Co-workers, supervisors, and workplace resources that provide assistance without external funding

Natural supports are assistance provided by co-workers, supervisors, and the existing workplace culture, reducing dependence on external job coaches.