Guests Present: Valerie Cowan, Karen Knoop and Russ Thelin

Approved: June 5, 2017

SCVR Minutes Monday, March 13, 2017 Embassy Suites – Lexington, KY

Members Present: Roberta Alston, Michelle Bazeley, Joe Cowan, Chair, Lonnie Cowan, Matt Davis, Duke Pettit, Phillip Donahue, Carol Estes, Veronica Hazard, Buddy Hoskinson, Kelly Knoop, Tony LoBianco, Duke Pettit, Meg Steinman, and Carla Webster

Members Absent: Melissa Aguilar, David Dennis, Sharon Fields, Tyler Levy, Russell Scott Pierce, Sadda Yayo Radder, and Zella Wells

Staff Present: Holly Hendricks, Dave Matheis, Denisa Robinson, Kellie Scott, Chris Sheetinger, Nanci Soard

Guests Present: Valerie Cowan, Karen Knoop and Russ Thelin

Interpreters Present: Paula Ginter and Amy Holt

SCVR Chairperson, Joe Cowan, welcomed everyone at 1:04pm. Introductions were made and guests were recognized. He welcomed new members and guests. SCVR staff liaison, Dave Matheis, introduced new member, Carol Estes. Dave was presented with appreciation for serving on the council since 1994. He explained the council is a way for the agency to receive input consumers and stakeholders. He thanked the council for their support over the years.

The full council broke out into their committees at 1:13pm and reconvened at 2:01pm.

Executive Director Report: Executive Director, Buddy Hoskinson, provided the Executive Director’s Report. He began by discussing the recent reorganization of the Kentucky Office if Employment and Training (OET) and the many office moves. He said OET is now in Phase II of the reorganization which includes moving standalone offices into Kentucky Career Centers across the state. He said the agency has the full support of the Kentucky Workforce Investment Boards. Mr. Hoskinson informed council members of the recent moves of all of the OVR offices across the state. He expressed difficulty the agency has had regarding the relocations of the offices and assured council members they will be kept up-to-date on the progress of the reorganization.

Mr. Hoskinson continued to repot about the agency initiatives. He said one initiative is Jobs for America’s Graduates which is coming back to Kentucky. He explained the agency is looking to help fund this program by looking at dollars and see how many individuals participated in the program in the past. The agency is investigating how much it costs on a national level per participant. Mr. Hoskinson informed the council of another program the agency is looking in to. This program is called the State Exchange for Employment Disability (SEED). He said the Governor’s Office connected KYOVR to Approved: June 5, 2017

SEED. Mr. Hoskinson said the agency turns in a report each month to the Governor’s Office about what new initiatives the agency is working on.

Mr. Hoskinson reported the agency is working on the second year with the Kentucky Autism Council. He said the agency partnered with the Autism Council to educate employers regarding hiring individuals who are on the Autism Spectrum.

Interim Director of Program Services, Holly Hendricks, provided a brief overview of Project CASE. She explained that Helga Gilbert is the point of contact for Project CASE. Mrs. Hendricks informed council members Project CASE is a two-year project to provide jobs, specifically in the field of healthcare, information technology and manufacturing, to eastern Kentucky. Project CASE seems to be running smoothly and falls under the Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS). Mrs. Hendricks also said agency staff all across the state are participating in job fairs, camps with the schools and other Pre-ETS activities to provide services to students. The agency hopes to target more rural areas of the state. Mrs. Hendricks said that the Kentucky Office for the Blind is also involved with the Pre-ETs initiatives and the agency has updated the Pre-ETS Service Fee Memorandum (SFM) to reflect the initiatives. Mrs. Hendricks said the Policy and Planning sub-committee will review the SFM changes for input. She informed council members that other states are also having difficulty on how to report Pre-ETS services but she remains hopeful that staff will be able to understand Pre-ETS in the very near future.

Buddy Hoskinson said the agency will slowly be able to fill agency vacancies in the near future. He said staff across the state are overworked and stretched thin and said he is hopeful that more people will be hired soon, specifically counselor positions.

Mr. Hoskinson said the Sustainable Gainful Activity (SGA) ‘Tools for Success’ conference will be held on March 14, 2017. He thanked Russ Thelin for participating in the planning of the conference. Mr. Thelin introduced himself and thanked the council for the opportunity to speak with them at their meeting. Mr. Hoskinson encouraged council members to attend the conference. Mr. Thelin provided a short bio and more information to the council about the SGA Project. He said the project is in collaboration with the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI). Mr. Thelin commended KYOVR and thanked them for the opportunity to be a part of the SGA Project and encouraged the council to be a voice. Mr. Thelin provided examples of the importance and the impact of the SGA Project.

Council member, Carla Webster, asked if there was an update on Order of Selection (OOS) and the budget situation. Mr. Hoskinson said the agency will be on a waitlist until after September 2017 and said the agency is making a difference regarding the budget situation. He continued to say, the agency will re-evaluate how the budget looks and where the agency will be in the coming year. At that time, the agency will be able to look into opening more categories within OOS. Mr. Hoskins assured the council the agency continues to investigate how the agency can maximize funds. Approved: June 5, 2017

Mr. Hoskinson concluded his report by informing council members there had not yet been a new Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Commissioner appointed.

Business Meeting Called to Order: SCVR Chairperson, Joe Cowan, called the official meeting to order at 2:48pm.

Approval of the December 5, 2017 Minutes: A motion to approve the December 5, 2017 meeting minutes was made by Meg Steinman. Roger Braden, second. Motion carried unanimously.

SCVR Chair Report: SCVR Chairperson, Joe Cowan, had nothing to report.

Staff Report: SCVR staff liaison, Dave Matheis, provided the Staff Report. He began by discussing the letters sent to new legislators regarding match funds. He directed council members to page 26 of their meeting booklet to review the sample letter that was sent out. Mr. Matheis said staff continue to collect applications for new council members and informed attendees the applications would be sent to the Governor’s Office in the Spring.

Mr. Matheis discussed the success of the 874K Event that was held in Frankfort during the month of February. He said council member, Duke Pettit spoke on behalf of SCVR at the event. Mr. Pettit informed council members the even was a good opportunity for individuals with disabilities to advocate and he enjoyed the opportunity.

Mr. Matheis continued to inform council members, the agency will be constructing a Disability Benefits 101 or DB 101 through a web-based program and has taken several months to complete.

Mr. Matheis concluded his report by distributing ABLE account information to council members. He explained that Kentucky’s ABLE account is called a STABLE account and individuals can save up to $100,000 to use towards disability-related costs. He continued to say family members can donate up to $14,000 per year to the account.

Committee Reports: Executive Committee: No report was given due to no quorum.

Nominating Committee: Meg Steinman said the Nominating Committee met earlier today and discussed the applications and who to recommend to the Governor’s Office for appointment. She informed the full council there are five council members whose terms are expiring in May 2017. Ms. Steinman said applications will be sent to the Governor’s Office soon however, there will be no guarantee that the appointments will be made promptly.

A motion was made by Carla Webster to accept the report and all it entails. Duke Pettit, second. Motion carried unanimously. Approved: June 5, 2017

Policy and Planning Committee: Veronica Hazard was named the new Policy and Planning Committee Chairperson. She provided the committee report and suggested the full council approve the following action items.

Action Items: Recommends the full council accept the OVR application and amendment changes. A motion was made by Roger Braden to accept the OVR application and amendment changes. Carla Webster, second. Motion carried unanimously.

Recommends the full council accept the Eligibility and IPE with pending changes suggested by the committee. A motion was made by Phil Donahue to accept the Eligibility and IPE with pending changes suggested by the committee. Roger Braden, second. Motion carried unanimously.

Recommends the full council accept the referral and application updates. A motion was made to the referral and application updates by Carla Webster. Matt Davis, second. The recommended changes were discussed among council members. After clarification from staff, the motion carried unanimously.

A motion was made by Carla Webster to accept the Policy and Planning report and all it entails. Meg Steinman, second. Motion carried unanimously.

Public Awareness, Legislative and Advocacy (PAL) Committee Report: Roger Braden provided the PAL committee report. He said the committee would like to make two recommendations to the full council which were:

Action Items: Recommends the full council accept the annual report. A motion was made by Meg Steinman to accept the annual report. Duke Pettit, second. Motion carried unanimously. Recommends the full council accept the employer recognition award form and memo. A motion was made by Kelly Knoop to accept employer recognition awards form and memo. Meg Steinman, second. Motion carried unanimously.

A motion to accept the PAL report and all it entails was made by Michelle Bazeley. Meg Steinman, second. Motion carried unanimously.

Consumer Services and Program Evaluation Committee Report: Meg Steinman provided the Consumer Services and Program Evaluation Committee Report. She said the committee discussed updates regarding the SGA Project and the Return on Investment (ROI). She said there was no wage data available and will be provided with an update during the June SCVR meeting. Ms. Steinman said staff will also update the Approved: June 5, 2017 committee on the Consumer Satisfaction Survey (CSS) in June as well. Ms. Steinman said the committee was updated on and discussed eligibility/out of selection update.

No recommendations were made to the full council by the committee.

A motion to accept the report was made by Phil Donahue. Carla Webster, second. Motion carried unanimously.

Old Business: None

New Business: Mr. Matheis discussed the upcoming Asset Development Summit held in Hazard, KY on May 11, 2017.

SCVR Staff Liaison, Dave Matheis, was recognized again on behalf of the council and was presented with a plaque of appreciation.

Motion to Adjourn: A motion was made by Carla Webster to adjourn the meeting. Roger Braden, second. Motion carried unanimously.

Next Meeting Date:

June 5, 2017 Embassy Suites, Lexington, KY