From its inception, the public vocational rehabilitation program has focused on efforts to assist Americans with physical and mental disabilities, through a variety of services, to become gainfully employed and self-reliant. This article describes a study in which the rehabilitation outcomes (i.e., closure status & weekly earnings) of persons with mental retardation were analyzed. Six predictor variables were used to predict one dichotomous and one continuous criterion variable: closure status and weekly earnings. Results are presented for each criterion variable, and the implications of the findings for service and research are discussed.

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This study investigates Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services related to competitive employment closure among non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB), non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), and Hispanics with HIV/AIDS and substance use disorder (SUD). Data of 4150 was extracted from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA-911) database. Descriptive statistics and multi-variate analysis showed consumers who received SSI and Medicare were less likely to be employed than those who did not, and, NHW who received rehabilitation counseling and guidance benefited the most compared to NHB who did not. Rehabilitation counselors can assist minorities with HIV/AIDS and SUD secure employment given the positive effects of employment for this population. Health professionals should consider incorporating employment, using VR services in their treatment strategies, while making sure clients with different racial ethnicity background benefit equally from all VR services.

This study examined services received and outcomes of clients with psychiatric disabilities of a Midwestern public rehabilitation program. More specifically, multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between specific vocational services, demographic factors and service outcomes of clients with psychiatric disabilities. The specific vocational outcome of interest was weekly earnings at closure. The twelve predictor variables included in the model were (a) Age, (b) Race, (c) Education, (d) Public assistance, (e) Restoration, (f) College/University, (g) Business/Vocational, (h) Adjustment, (i) Miscellaneous, (j) Placement, (k) Transportation, and (l) Maintenance. The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that the most parsimonious model for predicting weekly earnings of successful closures included six predictor variables: education, public assistance, placement, college/university training, business/vocational training and adjustment training.

Background:State-federal (VR) program efficiency is the focus of empirical research because of increases in the magnitude and types of program requests, possibly funding cuts and class for models to more appropriately measure and evaluate performance.Objective:The purpose of this study was to examine the impact socioeconomic diversity has on the efficiency of service delivery outcomes at the agency level.Methods:Regular closed employment and competitive employment outcome proxy for service delivery outcome. Seven indicators of socioeconomic status are selected: level of English Language proficiency, percentage with high school education, percentage with a bachelor’s degree, number of persons in a household, per capita income, median household income, and poverty level.Findings:Results obtained suggest the magnitude of non-English language spoken in homes and the level of individuals with bachelor’s degrees in the environment served have a significant impact on the efficiency of both regular and competitive placement outcomes at agency level. In addition, the level of high school education and per capita income affect the ability of agencies to procure competitive employment outcomes.Conclusion:Our result provides evidence that gaining knowledge about the environment from which clients emerge and in which agencies operate is necessary for efficient and effective agency level performance. Our work suggests that knowledge about the presence of language proficiency and bachelors’ degree attainment is key to planning, organizing, directing and controlling the efficiency of agency level regular employment outcome.