Vocational Rehabilitation Services

The bill makes the following changes to current law regarding individuals to whom the department of labor and employment (department) provides vocational rehabilitation services (services):

• Eliminates the requirement that an individual with a disability require financial assistance to participate;
• Allows the department to consider financial need before providing services during a period of cost containment to prevent or manage a wait list for services due to insufficient financial resources;
• Eliminates the requirement that an individual with a disability, or the individual's legally and financially responsible relative, must contribute toward the cost of their services to the extent that they are financially able; and
• To align Colorado law with federal law, eliminates the requirement that the department provide services only to individuals who are present in the state at the time of filing an application for the services and can satisfactorily achieve rehabilitation.

The bill requires the department to submit data regarding vocational rehabilitation services to the senate business, labor, and technology committee and the house of representatives business affairs and labor committee during its annual "SMART Act" hearing.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)