2004 Minnesota Statutes

     268A.14 Statewide reimbursement system for employment 
  support services. 

    Subdivision 1.    Employment support services and 
 programs.  The commissioner of employment and economic development, in 
 cooperation with the commissioner of human services, shall 
 operate a statewide system to reimburse providers for employment 
 support services for persons with mental illness.  The system 
 shall be operated to support employment programs and services 
 where: 

    (1) services provided are readily accessible to all persons 
 with mental illness so they can make progress toward economic 
 self-sufficiency; 

    (2) services provided are made an integral part of all 
 treatment and rehabilitation programs for persons with mental 
 illness to ensure that they have the ability and opportunity to 
 consider a variety of work options; 

    (3) programs help persons with mental illness form 
 long-range plans for employment that fit their skills and 
 abilities by ensuring that ongoing support, crisis management, 
 placement, and career planning services are available; 

    (4) services provided give persons with mental illness the 
 information needed to make informed choices about employment 
 expectations and options, including information on the types of 
 employment available in the local community, the types of 
 employment services available, the impact of employment on 
 eligibility for governmental benefits, and career options; 

    (5) programs assess whether persons with mental illness 
 being serviced are satisfied with the services and outcomes.  
 Satisfaction assessments shall address at least whether persons 
 like their jobs, whether quality of life is improved, whether 
 potential for advancement exists, and whether there are adequate 
 support services in place; 

    (6) programs encourage persons with mental illness being 
 served to be involved in employment support services issues by 
 allowing them to participate in the development of individual 
 rehabilitation plans and to serve on boards, committees, task 
 forces, and review bodies that shape employment services 
 policies and that award grants, and by encouraging and helping 
 them to establish and participate in self-help and consumer 
 advocacy groups; 

    (7) programs encourage employers to expand employment 
 opportunities for persons with mental illness and, to maximize 
 the hiring of persons with mental illness, educate employers 
 about the needs and abilities of persons with mental illness and 
 the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act; 

    (8) programs encourage persons with mental illness, 
 vocational rehabilitation professionals, and mental health 
 professionals to learn more about current work incentive 
 provisions in governmental benefits programs; 

    (9) programs establish and maintain linkages with a wide 
 range of other programs and services, including educational 
 programs, housing programs, economic assistance services, 
 community support services, and clinical services to ensure that 
 persons with mental illness can obtain and maintain employment; 

    (10) programs participate in ongoing training across 
 agencies and service delivery systems so that providers in human 
 services systems understand their respective roles, rules, and 
 responsibilities and understand the options that exist for 
 providing employment and community support services to persons 
 with mental illness; and 

    (11) programs work with local communities to expand system 
 capacity to provide access to employment services to all persons 
 with mental illness who want them. 

    Subd. 2.    Report.  Before preparing a biennial budget 
 request, the commissioner of employment and economic development, in 
 cooperation 
 with the commissioner of human services, must report on the 
 status and evaluation of the grants currently funded under 
 section 268A.14 to the chairs of the policy and finance 
 committees of the legislature having jurisdiction.  The report 
 must also include a determination of the unmet needs of persons 
 with mental illness who require employment services and provide 
 recommendations to expand the program to meet the identified 
 needs. 

    HIST: 1994 c 483 s 1; 1994 c 632 art 4 s 72; 1999 c 223 art 2 
 s 41; 2004 c 206 s 52