Who can get VR? Eligibility criteria
VR serves people who need help getting or keeping work because of their disability. To be eligible for VR services you need to meet these criteria:
- You have a documented disability, that is:
- physical,
- mental,
- intellectual, or
- sensory.
- Your disability significantly impacts your ability to:
- prepare for employment,
- secure employment,
- retain employment,
- advance in employment, or
- regain employment.
- You can benefit from VR services and need VR services to reach your employment goal.
VR eligibility is different from eligibility for disability benefits
VR does not use the same criteria to define disability as the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefit program, so it is possible to be eligible for one but not the other. Areas that VR may look at to determine disability include (but are not limited to) communication, interpersonal skills, self-direction, work skills, and work tolerance.
Prioritization if VR funding is reduced
The VR agencies try to use their funding carefully so that they can serve all eligible applicants who will benefit from VR services.
However, if a VR agency does not have enough funding to serve all eligible VR participants, they may start prioritizing who gets served first. So if VR funding dropped significantly, the VR agency could implement an intake process known as Order of Selection (OOS), which allows them to prioritize serving eligible VR participants with the most significant disabilities.
Currently neither of the VR agencies in Massachusetts are operating under OOS.
If you expect to need VR services and funding cuts seem likely, then applying soon can help avoid delays. OOS would not impact VR participants who already have an Individualized Plan for Employment.