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ACCSES

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Shared with RCPA by ACCSES:

 The Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs (OFCCP) will hold a webinar at 2:00 pm EST on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, “on the registration process for OFCCP’s new Contractor Portal. Federal contractors are required to take affirmative action to provide equal employment opportunities. Federal contractors meeting specific jurisdictional thresholds are required to develop a written Affirmative Action Program (AAP) under each of the laws enforced by OFCCP. Covered federal contractors must use the Contractor Portal to certify, on an annual basis, whether they have developed and maintained an AAP for each establishment and/or functional unit, as applicable.”

Register for the webinar here.

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A message from ACCSES:

A few minutes ago, the Rehabilitation Services Administration announced the release of long-awaited revised FAQs. The message from RSA reads as follows:

Today, the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) is pleased to announce the release of frequently-asked questions titled Criterion for an Integrated Employment Location in the Definition of “Competitive Integrated Employment” and Participant Choice, published as RSA-FAQ-22-02. These FAQs provide guidance and technical assistance to VR agencies and community rehabilitation programs so they may assist individuals with disabilities to achieve high-quality employment and exercise their informed choice about the type of employment to pursue, either with assistance from the VR program or from other community resources.

While these FAQs do not change the Department of Education’s interpretation that has existed since at least the mid-1990s with respect to the criterion for an integrated employment location, they clarify and update a similar set of FAQs, issued January 17, 2017, entitled Frequently Asked Questions: Integrated Location Criteria of the Definition of ‘Competitive Integrated Employment.’ Therefore, OSERS rescinds the January 2017 FAQs effective as of this date. These updated FAQs take effect immediately upon issuance, and will enable VR program personnel to better carry out the purpose of the VR program and allow individuals with disabilities to maximize their employment potential.

Additionally, RSA issues a Response to Significant Comments that addresses changes in the updated FAQs made in response to comments received on the proposed FAQs (FAQ 21-03) published in the Federal Register and that provided the public with a 30-day opportunity to comment (86 FR 13511 (March 9, 2021)).”

ACCSES is in the process of reviewing the final FAQs and the RSA Response to Significant Comments and will provide additional information to ACCSES members on Monday.

Kind regards,
Kate

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A message from ACCSES:

The Government Accountability Office, which has reached out to ACCSES for assistance with this survey as well as other GAO studies, asked ACCSES to send the following message to ACCSES members:

“In the coming days, your organization may receive an email from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. The GAO is conducting a study of trends in wages and participation in the 14(c) program, characteristics of 14(c) employees and movement to competitive integrated employment, and the Department of Labor’s oversight of the program. To help inform parts of this study, GAO plans to conduct a survey of a random sample of 14(c) certificate holders. We encourage you to respond and ensure that GAO has the correct contact information for the survey.

If you have any questions about the survey or GAO’s study, please contact the GAO team at 14csurvey@gao.gov.”

If your organization receives the survey and can speak to the issues, ACCSES hopes you will participate. You are welcome to reach out to us with questions.

Kind regards,
Kate

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Tuesday, September 21, 2021
2:00 pm–3:30 pm ET
Register for the call

Please mark your calendars for a 90-minute AbilityOne Committee Zoom meeting with the AbilityOne Commission’s Acting Executive Director, Kimberly Zeich, on Tuesday, September 21 from 2:00 pm–3:30 pm ET. Kim will share with us information about what the Commission is working on currently. We have invited her to include others from the AbilityOne Commission to join the call as well. This will be an open discussion for ACCSES members only. All ACCSES members are welcome.

To join ACCSES, visit here.

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Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA-3), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-5) introduced the Transformation to Competitive Employment Act of 2019 (HR 873 / S 260). This Act provides states, service providers, subminimum wage certificate holders, and other agencies with the resources to help workers with disabilities transition into competitive, integrated employment. The Transformation to Competitive Employment Act is legislation designed to strengthen and enhance the disability employment service delivery systems throughout states while subminimum wages, which are currently allowed under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, are phased out over a six-year period. Currently, under Section 14(c), employers that obtain a certificate are permitted to hire individuals with disabilities at less than minimum wage. The Act would include some grant money to assist states and certificate holders in transforming their organizations.

Chairman Scott’s press release lists the organizations supporting the bill: “American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), Autism National Committee, Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), Autism Society of America, Center for Public Representation (CPR), Collaboration to Promote Self-Determination (CPSD), Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), Disability Rights California, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF), Disability Rights Florida, Disability Rights Iowa, Disability Rights New Mexico, Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc., National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS), National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), National Disability Institute (NDI), National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC), National Federation of the Blind (NFB), National Rehabilitation Association, TASH, Inc.”

ACCSES, on the other hand, strongly supports a full array of employment options for people with disabilities, including Section 14(c), and will continue to advocate for providers and people who chose this option. Contact Carol Ferenz, RCPA IDD Division Director, with any questions.

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