University of North Texas



Employment First – TexasThe first 30 minutes of this event was not captioned. The plan for transition is that they may be working with for dealing with -- I would like to liken it to the idea of flying over the countryside in a plane and wondering -- if you want to jump from the plane -- with a parachute, hopefully, where would you land? Where would you be as you scan of the countryside. First, where are we starting? With me I would need to make sure my parachute was packed and I have all the equipment needed on the or with me so that if I have going to actually to drop from something like the education system which is an entitlement into the adult of services world, I will be prepared for it. Let's think about that -- did the education system give me the skills -- did they give me a good parachute and skills to use the parachute to be able to actually jump from the plane? Did I pack my parachute correctly? Do I have everything I need? [indiscernible] talks about the backpack -- was in the backpack. In this case, do I have a parachute that will actually help me from the job from entitlement services into the adult services world so I can actually pursue employment? That's the first thing to think about. The second thing to think about -- I need to know that it really isn't opportunity when I don't. -- Up to me when I jump in. With schools services are over, they are over. There are nowhere teaches. -- I'm out of here. For family members that's when you see the deer in the headlights look. What am I going to do now? What's going to happen? Again, knowing that we don't have a choice about the timing. You are looking at movies and there was a wise guy that the started -- they wanted to get rid of -- they scream as they are going out -- the same thing. Probably not so much fun. Knowing that we have to make it to the matter what -- we are going to move on. We need to be ready for that. , If I have a plan, did it include will land? If I have a plan and doing the parachute jump and I'm going to look out at the countryside, to know at what point in terms of where I wanted to and that I will determine who should toward. For people with severe disabilities in Texas today the landing zone is pretty much -- either they are at home or in a sheltered workshop or a date program. It's really work. Think about that -- 4% of the people using publicly funded services are in a real job. And mentioned this -- thinking about that, we're investing approximately 16 to 19 years of educational services of a person to graduate really school services to segregated day program placement. The question is -- is this the best we can do? The answer is obviously that is not. At one point in the past Texas reached 50%. Today it seems to be what is happening. That is a huge impetus behind why we need employment first legislation and a mandate saying we need to get back to what we know we can do. I wanted to share with you also at the bottom of this slide -- Texas in the transition. I just received this morning. An initiative from -- that we soon as a part of our voting that is advisory subcommittee on employment. As well as -- the advocacy effort for this transition in Texas website is now from a Texas education agency. It offers a lot of information about employment. We had a tremendously advocacy effort from Texas as well as [indiscernible] in pursuing the legislation -- a lot of work from the TEA and [indiscernible] Johnson -- education and service centers. Putting this together. It's the first one out -- it's a start. As we as the state get that are in doing Employment First will probably see a lot of changes but at least we have something going and we are starting it off -- that has come out and you have the -- it will be posted at the UNT website and you have the web address that there. I wanted to let you know that Frank had a comment. He said he felt like access to information was the main issue that many families that tended to stay away from employment for their loved ones -- I agree that it is access to information but also getting information consistently. What they might hear from one part of the system. We will say education because that we are talking about. An assault service provider or system -- -- adult service provider or system. There are bigger gaps. Making a consistent and taking it slow to. Makes sense. Having that pathway a little bit more -- a lot more clear that what it is now. They you, Frank, great comment. I agree. Helping people to be more confident -- a lot more confident in the work that we do is important. Frank agrees with you. I might want to add another thing. Employment and transition guide will be posted -- a link on each independent school district website and they are supposed to have also on the -- my understanding is each independent school district will have contact with in their school district so that people can get more personal information. Awesome. Great. I look forward to this -- helping with ringing more work and more benefits in terms of the employment connection will be awesome. Okay. Another piece of the legislation -- this is the third out of seven of the mandates in the policy. This has to do with offering the continuing education -- the training pathways toward employment. This is new, innovative and thinking in a lot of ways. In fact, in a recent workshop I was having with a group of students, one of the young man was an intellectual developmental disability was practicing his introduction. He was working on what he was going to do as he exited at school services. Clearly his comment was that he wanted to go to college. Finding out that this is basically -- sorry -- to me to do that. He wanted to go to college. This is something that his brothers and sisters did. He was making this as one of his goals. When I asked him what he wanted to go to school or why his brothers and sisters wanted to go to school. As we do sure that they went to become engineers just like the down. I found out later they were going to Indiana. That made perfect sense. What was school was that he connected that they were going to school to get something and get a job like the data. Connecting the pieces together. Clearly getting a job at the end like what his dad does and he also had an uncle and and and that was a teacher. -- Getting the job was the important thing. He saw that going to school and getting the additional training was one way to do this. He saw this in his brothers and sisters. So, part of what this does and what this challenges us to do is that the educational services we want to offer to you as well as adults -- we are talking about including people with the most significant support needs. This was a young man within intellectual development disability. Clearly not a lot of opportunity beyond education services. There have been a few programs scattered here and there that have offered things like the [indiscernible] program in Houston. There is also at A&M another program, but they are not common in our state. Looking at them as emerging more throughout the state and offering opportunities and job training and community-based instruction in skill building, the post secondary school opportunities need to be there. Opportunity for additional training to be determined employment. Work-based training is a significant initiative under the Department of Labor initiative. The workforce opportunity act. There is a significant session in apprenticeship training that should be looked at. It's up to us again to create what works in our communities and create the tools we made -- paper we are trying to support. I would also suggest that it would not just be a job. We're talking about reaching career goals and giving people on term success and options. -- Long-term success and options. Then, around supported employment and customized employment -- what works -- the evidence-based practice. Individualized -- the piece that we included -- the training to prepare a person and support the person at the worksite. This will give us to the outcome supporting -- having the system and structure in place that creates the individualized training is what we need to start to create. We are talking about the person centered approaches. Those are the things like the discovery model -- or figuring out and creating where that person might want to go in terms of their job skills and capacity and permits. Think that will lead us to creating a good employment plan that -- a pathway to get there. Networking with the employers in the community so that we do address the issues around transportation. Knowing about the person's Social Security, benefits package so we are working with with -- benefit counselors and know that we are using the correct work incentive and use these to maintain their supply met -- employment as support for a Medicaid waiver. Many pieces of the discovery process on the front and, then the training and self is designed around the person's capacities. What do we need to do in terms of the job analysis and task analysis and systematic training so that it actually creates the competency for that person at the jobsite and knowing about the ongoing support of the needs of that they have the long-term relationship with the employer and that it is successfully supported. So, knowing those pieces are all a part of the support -- the employment process and the customized employment process. Those are skill sets that need to be taught and the providers need to have the capacity to deliver. But, we do know -- the data from across the nation has shown us in terms of employment that when we offer that kind of service that several things happen. One is that there is usually an increase in the number of hours a person works. When we've done really good employment services and support the employment hours do, in fact, increase. The other thing is that their wages increase. They are better money. Of course if they are working more hours it will get paid more. That is again -- you will have the work created because you understand the Social Security benefits and you are addressing fears. The employees actually have access to the employer benefits. Talking about things such as paid vacations, sickly. There is a benefit that all the employees receive. Other benefits that are significant -- meaningful to people -- inclusion in the workplace. We are talking about employment in the workgroup but we are talking about the person being included in the workplace and developing relationships with coworkers and colleagues. It becomes a much more meaningful employment for them. Now, the next one is about partnerships with employers. Again we are talking about overcoming barriers. I would submit that once we have the work done that our barriers -- we remove our areas around how we get to the employers -- top of the employers and meet their needs. I truly believe we can do that. Obviously we been able to do that in the past. This also gives us the idea that there are a lot of other things that we can and should be doing with technology and innovation. There have been some incredible developments in the field that give us the use of tool that everyone uses in the workplace and they become natural support. People using smartphones, iPads. Different ways of communicating. Different ways of remembering using the text messaging as well as verbal messages. A+ are of -- many other innovations out there not being used in the workplace today. It continues to be a significant need for employees with disabilities to have access to the tools and to be able to get the training to use the tools on an ongoing basis.One of the biggest frustrations and -- I'm working with another young man and his job search -- trying to pull all the pieces together. He uses a technology were speaking. -- Were speaking. Unfortunately, when we went to his home where he wasn't supported by staff through one of the Medicaid waivers, is speaking device was found in the closet. Obviously it was not being used. Obviously not being put to the utilization it was intended or. -- Intended for. In the interview with the staff we discovered that the staff were new and they didn't know how to use it. They were not given the support they needed to learn how to do that. Well, if we are going to have technology, we need to have the capacity within the staff doing the direct support to know how to use the technology. That will require training is important for staff as well as the individuals with disabilities using the technology. So, it's really much more complex in terms of looking at all of the different pieces. But, we also know that were technology is used to -- some of it can be built on the a six and then you build from there. It can be incredibly powerful. The state of Washington has an initiative where they are taking technology in two the classrooms and using technology with students in transition as a part of how they are entering into the workplace. They are already training and with scheduling and using ask for directions -- ask for directions to get to the worksite as well as we a wide variety of skill building. If they have a series of time they need to complete using technology to take pictures and moving from one step to the next so that the job coach can -- the trainer can actually [indiscernible] at the jobsite much bigger and the technology is used to create a signal the need to move to the next step in the process. So, there is a lot of promising practice there. We have a long way to get there, though. Creating the partnership with employers. What we know is that employers, again, will more than welcome the accommodations needed to support a person to be successful in the workplace. It's up to us to create -- know what the accommodations are and to help create that for the person because I really see that as a much easier way to overcome the barriers. This is interesting -- I have probably alluded to this before. We have a lot of technology and a lot of capacity and a lot of background in terms of the evidence-based practices. Support employment, customized employment, self-employment and to some extent. To we have the staff trained in terms of the delivery of the service? Are they where they need to be? Do they know how to make the connections with people? As I mentioned before, in the 1990s we moved forward. Part of what I recall about that time is that there was a tremendous amount of effort put into training and support for our frontline staff. I'm not talking about administrators or program directors. Yes, they had training, but the frontline staff make thousands of decisions about the people they serve every day. When they are in the community doing integrated employment. That is different than the current model of rehabilitation and sheltered workshops. They can no longer go to the supervisor and say what should I do about this problem? What do you think? They are out in the community workshop -- the work site at the John Deere work site and they have to solve an issue right there. The front line staff because decision-makers. We at this point need to know that -- have the confidence that the frontline staff knows how to go through the process and make a decision to not only all of what was needed for the employer as well as the person with the disability and follow ethical guidelines in terms of the services being delivered. It's complex, but it's not anything that can be done. We've done it before. Frontline staff are making to get have -- be given the opportunity to work with individuals and with the most significant support needs and given the opportunity to prove that they can work. Get the time and energy training for the frontline staff to do this. There are many skills that can be transitioned from a more segregated or complicated setting such as training, perhaps, or doing some task analysis and the training pieces on this. You can see that there are some similarities between what we do in our segregated setting to the integrated setting. But, there are probably some skill sets -- questions they probably, but definitely a lot of skill sets that you never use in a segregated setting. Things like knowing about information about the person's Social Security benefits to effectively communicate with that person. Benefits. Communicate with their family. Communicate with the work instead of planning and benefits counselor. That is an entirely different kind of skill set. Or the front line staff will be talking with the employers or business people at the worksite. Knowing how to communicate and effectively talk about what is needed and how it is needed and how to use a tool or how to use their training and support. There may also be cultural differences when you move from one employer to another. How to identify the cultural differences and how to help support the person and know that it's a good match in terms of the cultural workplace. Identify the expectations of the players, making sure that they are being met. That is a real different skill set that we currently see energy services. So, it will take accredited training, support. I think that when we look at the national organization like [indiscernible], this has been where they have focused a lot of energy around the best practices for direct support staff. Certainly, the UNTWISE offers through courses as well as webinars like today -- those are mechanisms, but we will also need to have people becoming much more intern with how important it is on the frontline where the rubber meets the road and the direct support staff are touching the lives of people with disabilities and their skill set the much more elevated to the able to accomplish the employment first initiative. Investing in all of our staff will be an important piece of what the future will hold. Hopefully that made sense to everybody. We have a comment. It just came in. It's from Frank again. Hello, Frank. He says you know that we have used tech items but the family was not interested in the use for their child. Due to the image that it showed to the public and friends. This was very sad when you had a kid that was independent with the use of his vocal device -- family education will be needed for training as well on the tech devices. Yes. Rate comment, Frank. Thank you so much. You are absolutely right. This is a scary thing for some families. Your example is the polar opposite of my example, but I see that. Who knows what other kinds of issues might of been there for them -- cultural or whatever fears they might be dealing with. When we do a person is centered approach to working with individuals and the people that support them, in many cases it is a family which is what your example states, looking at the issues around what we are using and how much the family will be able to support that is part of the education process. I wonder if when we think about that approach -- we think of person centered planning and creating the employment plan around the person you think about all the support around that person, while the counselor or employment specialist or direct support staff person and even teachers -- we come and go in that persons life. But it's they are staying with long-term one there may support system that will be with them over the long haul. So, to sum extent we can't to person centered planning without them being a part of it. And when we do it, many times we've done employment plans, it seems like we had isolated that person and we done the employment plan without the family or support structure being a part of it. The similarity between your example in my example is that mine was a residential service. Yours was within the family. In both cases, though, the support structure needed to have a lot of buy-in into the person's goals in order to be successful. That is a great example. I appreciate your comment on that. That really is again where the rubber meets the road and whether we are getting the buy-in from the players that should be in the room. Thanks again. The last of the seven Employment First policies have to do again with competitive employment. Priority and preferred as an outcome. That is significant. But, it's not -- repeat not required to maintain public benefits. This again, the assurance for the people that we serve as well as and family members. Those benefits that they currently have can remain in place, but at this point forward what the system will be looking at is how we can create more opportunities for people in and Employment First initiative and to the competitive employment model. If a person doesn't fit or there are issues that don't work, whatever the reason may be that they can maintain their public benefits, and it's not really a requirement of the system that they be employed to somewhere in order to get a benefit. Like a Medicaid waiver or one of the other things like housing. Often it has employment attached to it to qualify for housing. That doesn't create that kind of requirement. Hopefully that is clear. We are not excluding people from public benefits by the employment first initiative. I hope that makes sense. With that said, there has been a lot of work done already and we've been trying to create this opportunity for people. I have more than 25 minutes left. What I like to do next is -- challenges by thinking if we can really do this. Is this possible for us to move from the 2% of the people receiving public funding overall and all of the systems to and Employment First stated that is really and lamenting this. Any other questions before I launch into the last part? There is a question about public benefits. Does that include social security? Okay, yes, good point. That could be confusing. Yes, Social Security is actually one of the benefits that is individualized for the person. You are usually talking about a title to benefit. This is attached to the person and goes to an entirely separate eligibility process. The state of Texas the Social Security program is called the work incentive planning and assistance referred to as WIPA. [indiscernible] also has the capacity to help people out with their personal benefits -- Social Security benefits. There is no conflict there. It doesn't require planning, but the public benefits have to do more with the Medicaid waiver program and rehabilitation programs and delicate -- education and services and support and personal benefits would be things like Social Security benefits. Great question. Things. Is a question -- and we really do this? Is it really going to happen? Is Texas -- does Texas have the capacity to do it? If you go to the Employment First task force meeting it would be unequivocally Yes. Will it take a lot of work? Yes. It's always been a lot of work and we enjoyed it very much. This is one of those jobs that make your heart seeing every time we see in person get a job. It is so meaningful and it takes us into a space that is a positive experience. So, making it work is what it's all about. Although we were working ethics subcommittee force quite some time prior to the employment -- Employment First task force -- we really didn't get appointed as the task force until March of this year -- 2014. It was pretty fast work. The task force itself. We did put together a report with all of the recommendations and that is the website you will find the report at. It will have most of the history and the things I have covered. As well as some of the recommendations that I will cover in the next few slide. So, that report went to the Commissioner for Health and Human Services Texas education agency and Texas workforce commission and it was shared with all of the agencies that provide employment services and support. It is also an instrument that is shared with the advocacy groups as well as self advocacy groups that are interested in the employment initiative. It doesn't lay together some of the basic steps in terms of moving forward. -- It does latest together. It also creates challenges in terms of what might be out there in the future. One of the biggest recommendations from the report itself is that we need to know where we are at to know where we want to go. So, that has always been a little bit difficult for us to get our heads around. We really want to have much better defined outcomes. Outcomes related to integrated employment would include the employer is in the which is being offered in the hours that people are working. The outcomes are measured from a variety of different places. I have the health and human services commission listed. There are several agencies under age 8F included in them. -- The Department of aging and disability services, rehabilitation services, Department of the family and protective services. Department -- state health services. These are just a few. You have the subgroups. Certainly, better outcomes are measured out of the Texas education agency. This is something that has been worked on for quite some time and I think I've seen a few specific requests or considerations going forward from -- for penalty EA over the next few years. And the Texas workforce commission has probably been impacted by the federal legislation in regard to data and data collection and people with disabilities coming to the workforce commission. We will be seeing some good data hopefully from that as well. Of course, the federal legislation is the workforce and implement an act opportunity act. So, what we looked at is establishing much clearer goals and goals really looking at increasing the number of individuals in competitive employment. Raising the bar. What are we going to achieve in the coming years? The other goal, and we seen this not just in Texas but across the nation people earning some minimum wage. This is typically one of those family shelter settings. There are quite a number of them across the state. We received quite extensive report in regard to how this is used throughout Texas and a variety of different shelter to work settings. As we begin to move forward with competitive employment and earnings looking at the expectation of decreasing the number of people earning some minimum wage -- some minimum wage -- sub minimum wage. Also, how we are doing with the self-employment initiatives. What are we doing for individuals for self-employment making the most sense for a variety of reasons. Certainly, the employer resources -- the whole process of recruiting and hiring in providing the support that work for the employees with disabilities is a big piece of what employers want us to bring to the table. When we have worked with the employers that are hiring people and have people with disabilities in their workforce, the message back to us is just do it. Give us what we need in terms of how the person will that in the workplace. It will be a good job of mass. It was this information. It's a much more clear piece of communication. That, where accommodations are needed, be clear about that. Let us know what we need to create in order for that person to be most success with the job. I will never forget one employer talking to me in a Franktown. -- In a frank tone. I had inside of the in regard to the kind of support that the individual would need and it bothered him the things perfectly comfortable with the information that we had given -- provided to him about the services and support that the person making. Then he -- as we brought out a difficult individual that has some behavioral issues, there would be some accommodations needed. They would need to set up the workstation for him in a certain way. A way to minimize the amount of stimulation coming in and that he could also moved to a space where he could be -- a safe space to make a phone call or -- he had a program on his iPad that he would pull up and it played music and showed bubble and it helped him to calm down. We knew that we would need to some accommodations. When we described that to the employer -- at the person's workplace, the employer found it interesting. He said well, if you knew some of the accommodations are needed to make for some of the other employees none labeled with a disability -- this is easy. You bet. It's not a problem. To some extent when I shared information with the employment specialist, we put a burden on ourselves. We think that employers are somehow sheltered. Sheltered from the problems of the world. They seen a lot of action. -- They've seen a lot of action. We need to be clear about is for the person is and what they can offer the employer the workplace. It's a good job match? Here are some things that will make it work better. These are the accommodations at the personal me. -- The person will need. Another idea from the state agencies -- they would become model employers. We should look at all of the issues around the number of hours that people are working. The wages offered. Are we, in fact, is a state agency offering people with disabilities opportunities to work? In the self-employment are no one of the pieces -- businesses owned by individuals with disabilities are historically underuse. Getting a state certification for that. We have a federal certification we don't have it state level. That could be one of the things that we can pursue in our state legislation. I am working with a young man who started his own business. As of Monday this week he received his federal certification for his business. He was one of the people that pointed out to us -- I believe the Texas Council for developmental disabilities -- they pursued this recommendation for us to consider as a task force. Yes, and the task forces also looked at where the tools we need and how are using the tool? The first tool is one that I strongly believe in. In fact, concerned with person centered planning -- how to do these plans with individuals or families. People who support them. From my experience in the late 80s. I strongly believe in planning and how the tool can drive so many decisions that need to be made and also create the option or opportunity for people [indiscernible] or 100% of the time. This is a tool that we need to support. If you don't know about climate assistance to the Medicaid waiver already, that employment assistance these in the Medicaid waiver which is offered -- the employment planning please -- planning options -- for those out there using Medicaid waivers for your service and the employment assistance point in your planning, you might want to take advantage of them. It is connected to a point -- employment assistance. It's also one of the drivers in vocational rehabilitation services model. We already talked a little bit about this. Frankly, I think this is where you are coming from. We're not just talking about training for employment specialist but also the job seekers themselves. The family members -- letting them know what Employment First is all about. Getting them the tools they need for decision-making. Social Security work incentives -- there are other options about how we are looking at Social Security. I put an rocketship on this slide because [laughter] -- one of my favorite people that passed away -- he has a book called It's Not Rocket Size. He would be talking about the Social Security work incentives and how you can use the work incentives to create the support that people need long term and create employment opportunities. That is why the rocketship is there. It was one of his favorite things -- it's not rocket science. The fact that he was a rocket scientist -- he could say that. For those of us out in the field, sometimes the Social Security stuff seems like rocket science and it is confusing and scary. That is why we use our tools -- the work incentives planning an assistant benefit Council and the [indiscernible] counselors and the people that deal with it on a ongoing basis so that we understand some of the basics around Social Security. Under vocational rehabilitation some of the recommendations were made with coronation. We talked about this a little bit. The vocational rehabilitation services and the Medicaid waivers. I talked with a provider yesterday at length because he informed me there was no way he could do the Employment First initiatives. This is one of the biggest issues. He said we are waiting forever to get eligibility and it reflected some of the organ systems -- old system work -- the barriers between hours and Medicaid. Many of those issues are trying to install. A lot of that -- we always have to deal with the legacy. No matter how hard we try to move forward, we have to deal with our legacy. Getting a lot of the information to the front line. Showing people the path -- the roadmap to where these issues are no longer the issue are a person is not offered a job. Not offered service they needed to get a job. This is what we are being challenged with. So, we don't need to create more rules to get over the whole world. We should probably give some of the old stuff and move on to the new stuff. We need to do clarify policies around self-employment, transitional employment. What we are doing with you in transition -- these are two different things. -- You in transition -- these are two different things. Give on this for people to be employed. This is a big piece of this -- are concerned about the long-term services. The services under the Medicaid waiver. How are we going to go from where we are reaching 50% or better for people receiving Medicaid waiver services to be in integrated employment settings. Some of the recommendations have to do with how to identify the community jobs. How to create the opportunity by having providers connected to people who can do the employment service or using the consumer directed of services model and a way to connect directly to their employment providers. To use this in your planning process. So, creating incentives for the providers so that we are moving much more into an integrated employment setting. Some of these disabilities -- the local mental health authorities -- at one point, in fact, back when we had 50% in the service delivery system, this was defined as the core service under general revenue. Looking back at the initiative that what the expectations were, where the core services -- redefining it is a core service is an expectation. People receiving the publicly funded services with integrated employment. Again, developing the technical assistance and financial incentives that make Employment First work -- it's really pretty things upside down. Also looking at the timing. What it is we need to do in that person's life. One of the big issues? I have this under long-term services but it applies to [indiscernible]. Move a person up from school -- a young person from school directly into integrated employment, you are far more likely to be successful with the job and their long-term success that if they go into a shelter the setting. So, creating the pathway to be much more clear is an important piece of that. Transition -- you in transition. Transition planning for students and work options. There is a significant piece in the federal legislation regarding TEE. Collaboration as well as how we will be working with Tran 14 in transition. This is significant in that the service strategies that they would share across the system will include more people with disabilities. The partnership with agencies -- the local workforce centers. I think, especially for people listening to this, looking at how a local level -- at the local workforce level there will be amazing agencies -- committees assigned for inviting the global workforce board and entering into the committees. Making sure that the workforce centers have people with disability expertise being represented. And that we continue to be about that. I know that when I worked with a incentive planning, the benefits counselors -- they have done a good job of getting into one-stop centers or workforce solution offices and other people with disabilities their services and support. Again, that is a good way to connect. The [indiscernible] and workforce commission will be doing a lot together over the coming years. Another big issue that came up have to do with the wages -- the Tran 16 wage. There was specific top -- recommendations in regard to how we are promoting the wages for people with disabilities. And that we wanted to make sure that those individual using publicly funded services are making minimum wage or better. We continue to have a discussion in regard to the use of services -- funds. How we can help people -- providers and services moving to a level of service are more inclusive and away from the sheltered workshop model or segregated models of services. Again, part of that has to do with -- when you look at Tran 16 wage, also this has been a segregated or sheltered workshop setting. These things go hand-in-hand. As we discussed last week, there are federal initiatives driving this training. This is a good time to be working on these things. The work incentive planning and assistance -- the work incentive counselors are going to be they are currently doing well throughout the state and will be looking at their new applications in the spring. So, they are always looking at ways to improve the system. There is a some research done on [indiscernible]. Hopefully this will make it easier for people receiving title 2 payment in regard to where they are going to work -- people are still working on the results of that research as well as legislation to make changes within the Social Security Administration. We had quite a bit of a conversation last week about the work investment opportunity act -- this is the Employment First looking at the state plan -- the state unified plan and how they will encompass some of these recommendations from the task force as well the new mandates from Medicaid to -- CMS -- for integrated services throughout the system and how we are using Medicaid and the services in integrated setting. We can also promote those initiatives through the task force as well. I have a few more slides. We are in the deep end of our time. Yes, we are at the end of our time. We have one question that I should give to you before we try to sign on. This has to do with -- is there any information on where we can learn more about Medicaid waiver employment services? I think they are looking for a resource. The subcommittee working with this has created an employment manual for people using Medicaid waivers. You should be able to locate that on the website. If not, contact me -- Norine .Gill and UNT .EDU. Send me an email. Let me say that we are getting messages from the dissonance saying and you very much for this very informative session. Thank you, Tran 18, from several people. It was a very informative webinar. We should have scheduled a little more time. Thank you all. You will be receiving an evaluation link in an email. Please this and we will upload your certificates to your UNTWISE portal. Thank you very much. See you next time. Have a happy Thanksgiving. Goodbye. Thank you. Thank you, Martha. Goodbye Franca, goodbye Lillian. Bottom of Form ................
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