Customized Employment

Customized employment (CE) is an interest based negotiation between the job seeker and employer. CE is a process that allows individuals with disabilities and employers the opportunity to negotiate job tasks and/or reassign job duties to improve overall contribution in the workplace. For employers, customized employment allows an employer to examine its specific workforce needs and fulfill those needs with an employee’s specific skills.

Overview

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) purchases customized employment Discovery services through an hourly rate structure. Customized employment Job Development is currently issued through a Performance Based Agreement (PBA) structure. Discovery uses an individualized, person centered approach to first examine a person’s skills, interests, and conditions to then create integrated employment by matching these with business needs. Discovery is the foundation of the customized employment process. In order for any practitioner to complete discovery services, contracting with VRS, the practitioner must meet competency review standards.

Defined
Forms
Training
Resources
Competency Review Process
Contacts
Funding

Defined

Customized employment will include the discovery process; initial meeting, home visit, community description, preferences of the job seeker, interviewing people who know the job seeker, life activities, summarizing information, theme development, theme testing, final meeting, and development of a visual resume.
Forms
Training
- PowerPoint MN CE Training Overview
Resources
Competency Review Process
1. The CE practitioner completes an ACRE Certified Customized Employment Training and submits documentation of the completed training.
2. The CE practitioner submits a completed CE Discovery Documentation and visual resume of a job seeker. The documents will undergo the Minnesota Customized Employment Competency Review Process.
  - If the CE practitioner meets the standards of the review, they will be informed and added to the approved CE practitioner's list; which will allow them to provide CE services to individuals on behalf of their organization
    - CE practitioner will be added to the CE Community of Practice
    - The CE Practitioner will review feedback and recommendations from the reviewer
  - If the CE practitioner doesn't meet the minimum standards of the MN CE Competency Review, they will receive follow up recommendations on how they can improve to meet the standards of the review.
    - CE practitioner will be given the option for live feedback consultation
    - CE practitioners can resubmit at any time and as many times as needed
Contacts
Funding

The VR program received 73.42% of federal fiscal year 2023 funding through grants from the U.S. Department of Education. The federal fiscal year 2023 grants totaled $47,671,377. The required state match for these funds is $12,849,251. The state of Minnesota appropriated $14.3 million to meet the match requirement.