CRP Incentives

CRP Incentives are tools that local Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) offices may use to support the CRP partnership.

Business Partnership Incentive

To encourage the development of a relationship between a CRP and business partner, VR is making available a “Business Partnership Incentive” payment. This is the result of VR efforts to recognize the additional work required of a CRP that develops and maintains viable business partnerships, resulting in expedited employment services for job candidates. This also serves as an excellent resource in meeting the needs of Iowa businesses.

The Business Partnership Incentive is available to a CRP that provides any employment service listed below to a VR job candidate resulting in their employment at the business where the service occurred. The purpose of authorizing for the following services is not for the VR job candidate to obtain employment, but rather to gather specific information through the provision of that service.  However, when an employment opportunity arises through one of the services listed below, the CRP providing the service is eligible for the incentive payment.  (The Menu of Service Manual can be reviewed for specific definitions, scope and outcome expectations for each service).

• Workplace Readiness
• Job Shadowing
• Career Exploration
• Work Adjustment Training
• Job Seeking Skills Training

For a CRP providing any of these services that result in employment at the business where the service was delivered, VR will fund one hour of Business Partnership Incentive – Job Offer at the rate of $74.32 once the VR job candidate accepts the job offer. In addition to this initial hour, the CRP may also receive a second payment for 3 hours of Business Partnership Incentive – Case Closure ($74.32 x 3 = $222.96) when the VR case closes successfully. The total amount of payment a CRP could expect from VR for a Business Partnership Incentive is $297.28 per job candidate

Should a different VR job candidate participate in one of the employment services at the same business and be offered and accept a job, a CRP could be authorized another Business Partnership Incentive. There is no limit to the number of incentive payments that VR could authorize to a CRP for a partnership they establish with a business that employs an VR job candidate once an above service is received.

A key component to the Menu of Services is that it’s designed to be driven by the needs of a job candidate. Service delivery is a team decision led by the VR Counselor and job candidate. The intent of any Menu service is to provide the necessary support(s) that facilitate or enhance an individual’s employment goal. Potential service needs should be discussed with team members to determine the person, agency or business setting most suited to meet them.

Native Language Incentive

The purpose of the Native Language Incentive is to:

• support the communication needs of a job candidate who has an alternative communication preference
• satisfy employers that may be concerned with too many support people at the workplace
• improve and expedite the work that VR staff has to do to coordinate employment support and translator services
• encourage CRPs to develop and hire employment support providers who are able to also communicate in the native language of the job candidate

The Native Language Incentive is only used whenever a CRP provides a service on the Menu of Services in the job candidate's native language. VR will pay an additional $20/hour or $5/unit in addition to the fee for the service rendered. The Native Language Incentive is not applicable if the CRP is not using the job candidate's native language in the presence of the job candidate. The number of units that can be authorized should never exceed the number of units authorized for the service rendered. As with all services, the Native Language Incentive must be preapproved by VR staff.

Provider Qualifications

• 18 years old,
• Iowa certified translator, OR
• Native language speaker, AND
• Trained in the respective service rendered (e.g. job development, job coaching, customized discovery/ CD, and Individual Placement and Support/ IPS services).

Expanded Area Incentive

VR fees for service rates take travel and administrative work into consideration and mirror the employment service rates paid by Iowa Medicaid. A CRP area of coverage encompasses the county where the provider is domiciled or the area within 40-mile radius of the CRP, whichever is greater. If there is no provider in an area, the local VR supervisor may be able to negotiate with the nearest CRP to bill for mileage.

The purpose of the Expanded Area Incentive is to support providers that agree to go into an area of the state where there are no employment support providers and the area is outside of the CRPs area of coverage. The VR supervisor will negotiate the area of coverage with a provider. This incentive is an option/ negotiating tool that Supervisors may use to incentivize a CRP to go into an area/ town where there is no provider serving it and a JC is in need of the support. EAI should not be a blanket offer to all CRPs. Supervisors are able to offer to pay mileage, door to door, for the employment specialist to provide the authorized service. For the claim, the mileage must be tracked and turned in with a MapQuest print out of the route traveled. Providers must turn in a mileage log, a print out of the route taken with the mileage information from MapQuest, and all of the reports associated with the service rendered.