Your counselor’s role is to help you establish an employment goal and make progress towards this goal while working within the constraints of the VR regulations that govern VR agencies.
They can help you figure out a goal that fits your unique strengths, concerns, experiences, and interests. They can also help identify steps you can take to meet that goal, such as developing a resume, doing a mock interview, or completing additional training.
They should be providing you with enough information for you to choose an employment goal and discuss what services are needed. Rather than telling you about every VR service that exists, they should tailor the discussion to you and get creative about what services will help you work towards your employment goal.
Although they are knowledgeable about a variety of topics, they are not experts in every type of job, and they are not responsible for helping you get SSI, SSDI, SNAP, or other benefits.
It is helpful for the counselor to explain from day one (and throughout your case) what services they can and cannot provide under the VR agency policies and the regulations. The counselor’s role is to tell you how the process works, take your case through the necessary steps, and keep you updated on how things are going. Accessing any given VR service is usually a multi-step process. They cannot skip steps to make things go faster or provide services that are not covered by VR. For example, your counselor cannot get a job for you, but they can provide job counseling to ensure that your employment goal is realistic and observe you in on-the-job scenarios.
Sometimes counselors perform this work directly with individuals, and in other cases they make referrals to third-party vendors who may have more expertise with the individual’s specific needs. For example, your counselor might refer you to a Job Placement Specialist who will provide feedback on your resume, mock interviews, skills assessments, and training opportunities that will increase your chances of getting hired. If you get a job, you and your counselor should be in regular communication about how your job is going, and your VR counselor may be able to assist you with issues related to your job.
Counselors can help to make VR cases go smoothly by responding to participants’ calls and emails in a timely manner, starting meetings on time, providing detailed explanations of VR processes, following through on the tasks that they agree to complete, and notifying individuals of updates. It can also be helpful for counselors to be aware of any circumstances that may make an individual’s case especially urgent, such as their unemployment assistance running out or a current job coming to an end.
If you tell your counselor that you have concerns about your VR case, they should give you CAP’s contact information so that you can get assistance. Counselors have an obligation to meet with CAP about your case and include CAP in their meetings with and emails to you if you ask them to do so.