The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) requires us at Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services to provide individuals who earn subminimum wages (SMW) guidance and career counseling service and information referral services for employment supports.
Since 2014, many Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRPs) have discontinued paying SMW. Iowa still has around 5 CRPs with 14(c) certificates that pay SMW, but only one individual is in SMW employment.
Our in-house processes satisfy these services that are done on a semi-annual and annual visit with SMW earners. The supported employment services resource manager tracks these timeframes and provides these services. Our local field staff are sometimes called on to provide the services during times the resource manager is not readily available.