CHAPTER VII

FEDERAL ORGANIZATION AND SERVICE

The Federal legislation for vocational rehabilitation provides for a cooperative relationship between the Federal Government and the several States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. The United States Office of Education is responsible for the Federal administration of the legislation. It is authorized to cooperate with State boards and with such public and private agencies as it may deem advisable in order to carry out the provisions of the law.

Federal Organization

and Administration

The administration of the program of vocational rehabilitation in the Office of Education is under the immediate supervision of the Assistant Commissioner for Vocational Education. The professional rehabilitation staff of the Office consists of a chief and four regional and three research agents. There is an additional staff for the service for the blind.

The staff organization is both regional and functional. The country is divided into regions for the purposes of carrying out certain administrative responsibilities, and an agent is assigned to each region. The agents also represent the service in certain fields of work to which they give such attention as time permits.

The Social Security Act authorizes the appropriation annually of $102,000 to the Federal agency in charge of the administration of the vocational rehabilitation legislation. Since 1921 this appropriation has varied from $55,000 to $95,000. (See Table 14.)

The Office of Education is charged by law with six important duties relating to the States: (1) To examine State plans and approve them if they seem feasible and in conformity

with the provisions and purposes of the Federal legislation; (2) to ascertain each year whether the States are using or are prepared to use the funds received by them in accordance with the law; (3) to certify to the Secretary of the Treasury on or before January 1 each year the States which have accepted the provisions of the Federal legislation and complied therewith, indicating the amount of money each State is entitled to receive; (4) whenever any of the annual funds of a State have not been expended for the purpose provided in the law, to deduct from the next succeeding allotment to that State a sum equal to such funds; (5) to withhold funds from any State whenever it shall be determined that its allotments are not being expended for the purposes and conditions of the law; and (6) by withholding subsequent allotments, to require the replacement of any portion of the funds received by the custodian of any State that by any action or contingency is diminished or lost. In case an allotment is withheld, the State board may appeal to Congress.

TABLE 14.-Federal appropriations for administration of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act and for research and reporting on vocational rehabilitation, by fiscal years, 1921-381

1 Compiled from the U. S. Statutes at Large. The appropriations were made to the Federal Board for Vocational Education (1921-34) and to the U. S. Office of Education (1935-38).

The Vocational Rehabilitation Act expressly authorizes the Federal administrative agency "to make and establish such rules and regulations as may be necessary or appropriate to carry into effect the provisions of this Act in order to provide for the vocational rehabilitation of disabled persons and their placement in employment . . ." This broad grant of power

1 46 Stat. L. 524 (1930).

is ample for the responsibilities with which the agency is charged.

Since Federal funds are appropriated to the Office of Education "for the purpose of making studies, investigations, and reports regarding vocational rehabilitation of disabled persons and their placements in suitable or gainful occupations," as well as for administrative expenses, the making of such studies, investigations, and reports is a duty of the Office. The Office is also required to make an annual report to Congress, on or before December 1, on the administration of the Act.

Among the most important duties of the Office of Education is that of examining and approving State plans. In performing this function the Office exercises a considerable degree of discretion in determining the nature of the agreement it is willing to enter into with a particular State. Variable factors which are taken into account are (1) the volume and character of industries in the State, (2) the training and employment facilities available, and (3) the number and character of agencies with which the rehabilitation service may set up cooperative relations. Consequently, each plan is approved on the basis of conditions peculiar to the particular State.

One of the most essential parts of the State plan is that which deals with the qualifications of personnel. Although the Federal Office reserves the right to accept plans in the light of conditions peculiar to particular States, it also insists that there are certain qualifications which should be met by all States in the appointment of their rehabilitation personnel. It has, therefore, prepared a set of minimum standards based on an appraisal of the qualifications and experience of the persons who have been successful in rehabilitation work, and these standards are suggested to the States.

2

Inasmuch as it is the responsibility of the Office of Education to determine the nature of State reports and the detail in which they are to be submitted, the Office has prepared forms to be used by the States in making statistical and the financial reports. It also reserves the right to require supplementary reports. Although the Federal Act does not

2 See p. 53.

authorize or empower the Office of Education to require the States to keep uniform administrative or case procedure records, from time to time the Office has made suggestions on methods of record-keeping, and its agents have assisted the States in developing systems which facilitate securing adequate information on the annual report forms. A bulletin published in July 1933 included a detailed treatment of record-keeping.

The Office of Education maintains a research and statistical service for the purpose of analyzing and appraising case work statistics, studying special training programs and employment opportunities for the disabled, and furnishing to the States information gained through such studies and investigations.

The States provide the Office of Education with a report on each disabled person who has been rehabilitated. This information is transferred to cards for mechanical tabulation and is used in studying the results of the rehabilitation program. By means of these analyses State administrators are able to evaluate their own work in comparison with that done in other States.

Field reviews of the work in the States are made largely by the four regional agents, each of whom spends annually from a week to a month in each State of his area. The agents examine the case records carefully and audit the State accounts. They also render such advisory and promotional service as time permits.

With the consent of the particular States, the Office of Education makes surveys of State programs of vocational rehabilitation. Since 1934 surveys have been completed in 19 States, and studies are now in progress in 8 others. The reports range from 70 to 120 typewritten pages and are fairly thorough. The procedure for making these surveys has been carefully worked out, and is available in printed form for the use of such State rehabilitation officials as desire to conduct surveys independently.

The regional conference has also been used extensively by the Office of Education to assist the rehabilitation supervisors and agents. A conference is held at intervals of one or two years in each of the four regions. It is the practice to

mimeograph the proceedings and distribute them to all State rehabilitation officials and workers.

The States Vocational Rehabilitation Council, which consists of one representative from each State, was organized in 1937 largely upon the initiative of the Office of Education. Its purpose is to promote and improve the technical work of rehabilitation in the States. The Council meets biennially. An executive committee, consisting of nine members selected from as many sections of the country, serves as an advisory committee to the Office of Education for the formulation of plans and policies for the rehabilitation service. It is now the policy to concentrate the four regional conferences in the year between the sessions of the Rehabilitation Council.

Upon certification by the Office of Education, Federal funds are paid to the States in equal semiannual installments on July 1 and January 1 each year. The monies received by the State treasurer are paid out on the requisition of the State board as reimbursement for services already rendered or for expenditures already incurred and approved by the board.

Evaluation of the Federal Service

Such investigation as it has been possible to make in the preparation of this study indicates that the relationships between the rehabilitation staff of the Office of Education and the States are being maintained on a satisfactory basis. State officials report the Federal staff to be appreciative of State conditions and problems and helpful in meeting them. The regional agents have performed their duties in a conscientious and sympathetic manner, and in the spirit of cooperation necessary to the maintenance of good administrative relationships. In the opinion of a number of State officials, however, provision should be made for more prompt and frequent professional service by these agents. The problem could be met in part by relieving the regional agents as far as possible of detailed audit work, and this should be done.

A good beginning has been made in research and statistical service by the Federal staff. The bulletins published on organization and administration of rehabilitation, case work