3490 Belle Chase Way, Suite 110

1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 MICHIGAN COUNCIL FOR REHABILITATION SERVICES 10 3490 Belle Chase Way, Suite 110 11 Lansing, MI 48911 12 517.887.9370 or 877.335.9370 13 14 15 Business Meeting Minutes 16 Tuesday May 17, 2016 17 Michigan Career and Technical Institute (MCTI), Plainwell 18 19 20Members Present: Ed Benning, Carol Bergquist, Sharon Bryant, Trina Edmondson, 21Sara Grivetti, Suzanne Howell (Department of Health and Human Services – Michigan 22Rehabilitation Services DHHS-MRS), Deanna Middlebrooks, Caryn Pack Ivey, Michael 23Poyma, Anne Riddering, Brian Sabourin, Mitch Tomlinson, Jennipher Wiebold, Elaine 24Wood. 25 26Members Excused: Ed Rodgers (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs – 27Bureau of Services for Blind Persons LARA-BSBP), Zach Tomlinson. 28 29Members Absent: Sheryl Diamond. 30 31Guests Present: Eleanor Canter, Beth Childress (Pine Lake Fund), Tina Fullerton 32(DHHS-MRS), Joe Harcz, Sherri Heibeck (LARA-BSBP), Leamon Jones (LARA-BSBP), 33Lisa Kisiel (LARA-BSBP), Paul Mulka (Michigan Career and Technical Institute (MCTI), 34David Robinson, Gwendolyn Williams (Our Lifeline Inc. Peer Recovery Support 35Services). 36 37Staff Present: Marlene Malloy, Shori Teeple. 38 39Call to Order 40The meeting was called to order by Council Chairperson B. Sabourin. Roll call 41determined that a quorum was present. 42 43Welcome & Introductions

2 1New MCRS Member E. Wood, representing the Governor’s Talent Investment Board, 2was welcomed to the Council. B. Sabourin welcomed Council members and guests. 3Introductions were made. 4 5Agenda 6The draft agenda (May 17, 2016) was reviewed by the membership. Several edits were 7proposed to allow time planned for a training session following adjournment of the 8business meeting at 1:45 p.m. 9 10 A motion, made by C. Bergquist and seconded by D. 11 Middlebrooks, was passed to approve the draft agenda as 12 amended. 13 14Minutes 15The draft minutes (March 15, 2016) were reviewed by the membership. 16 17 A motion, made by S. Grivetti and seconded by T. 18 Edmondson, was passed to approve the draft minutes as 19 presented. 20 21Welcome from Michigan Career and Technical Institute (MCTI) - Paul Mulka, 22Director 23The Council was thanked for coming to MCTI for the business meeting and surveys with 24students the evening before. MCTI has been long-time partners with the Council for the 25MRS Champion Awards event as well as other events. An overview of programs and 26services offered at MCTI was provided, along with a current brochure and handouts that 27were distributed to the membership. Handouts included a brochure from the Council of 28State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), which for the first time 29focused on Michigan at a conference focusing on ‘Invest in America’. 11 MCTI students, 30all advanced technicians and still working at Haworth Manufacturing, were featured in 31one of the articles. 32 33It was noted that MCTI’s Annual Report is contained in the MCRS’ FY 2015 Annual 34Report. Highlights shared included MCTI’s 84% placement rate, 95% retention rate in 35training programs, 84% employment retention rate for training programs. They had the 36highest percentage of graduates employed in the trades, 84% of graduates were 37employed in the trades that they were trained for. MCTI had the lowest average cost per 38student that they have ever had, with the highest number of students served. Staff 39continues to do the great work with students that the state empowers and pays them to 40do. MCTI is proud of its high level of return on investment as a post-secondary education 41facility, with many accreditations and federally approved programs. 42 43MCTI is well-positioned with the new emphasis on pre-employment transition services 44(PETS) within the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act in working with youth with 45disabilities. With the average student age of 19, their focus continues to be on helping 46youth transition into post-secondary education and employment. MCTI staff continues to 47work with MRS staff and initiatives to extend outreach into high schools and help guide 48more students to post-secondary success.

1 2 1 2Successes were shared for MCTI’s 5th class of students for the Certified Nursing Aide 3(CNA) program that is conducted out in local communities. The CNA program’s 4placement and licensing rates are 84%, with over 100 on waiting lists to get into the 5program. Community employers in various communities are now seeking new similar- 6type programming opportunities from MCTI for CNA, culinary and manufacturing 7programs, and they are willing to pay for those programs. 8 9The Weatherization Program is being expanded to become the training provider for the 10State of Michigan, with all weatherization contractors coming to MCTI for training. 11 12Welcome from the Pine Lake Fund - Beth Childress, Executive Director 13Overviews of programs and services provided to MCTI students through the PLF were 14shared. Since 1981, the PLF has functioned as a non-profit whose primary partner is 15MCTI in supporting innovation, expansion, training, and job placement services for 16graduating MCTI students. PLF staff work directly with trades instructors and employers 17and businesses around the state to assist students in securing employment. 18 19The PLF also manages the Pine Lake Apartments at the entrance of campus. The 20apartments are also used as transitional housing for students who have graduated from 21MCTI and others, with 75-80% occupancy and likely at full capacity by the end of the 22summer. The apartments also assist students with developing a rental history for their 23transition from MCTI student to employee, with the need to secure their own housing 24following graduation. The apartments also serve as a testing site for the CNA program 25and staff work in coordination with MRS’ Business Network Unit and Michigan 26Accommodations Center for service agreements among others. 27 28Update - Department of Health and Human Services – Michigan Rehabilitation 29Services (DHHS-MRS): Tina Fullerton, Deputy Division Director and Suzanne 30Howell, Director 31T. Fullerton shared about her experience at the CSAVR conference in Bethesda last 32month, including MRS’ pride with the CSAVR article focused on the 11 MCTI graduates 33that are now employed at Haworth. It was wonderful to see that the story was shared far 34and wide, with members of Congress and conference attendees alike. 35 36Performance 37MRS is presently 62.25% through the fiscal year. All field staff have goals for application, 38eligibility, numbers of individuals in Individual Plans for Employment, and number of 39successfully rehabilitated closed cases with employment. MRS is at 62% for all of those, 40except closed rehabilitated, which is at 60% of the goal. MRS has 2 goals: 6800 and the 41stretch goal of 7000. MRS currently has 20,676 open cases statewide, with 81% of those 42being individuals who have been determined to have a significant disability. The adjusted 43rehabilitation rate was defined and discussed. 44 45MRS presently has two major focuses: business services and pre-employment transition 46services (PETS). 47 48PETS

1 3 1With additional initiatives and funding streams being offered to field staff so they can get 2more involved in schools and with students at younger ages, staff are working more with 3freshmen and sophomores as well as juniors and seniors in high school. Partnerships 4with Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and Community Rehabilitation Organizations 5(CROs) are helping with these innovation projects. Additionally, 2 VR counselor positions 6per district, with new job descriptions, are going to be reconfigured to shift their focus to 7reaching out to potential customers, which is new for MRS. Several pilots will be taking 8place to test some of the new initiatives focused on initiatives for ‘potential’ customers. A 9question was asked about of the 20,676 cases, how many were opened during this fiscal 10year. While numbers are trending up, the exact number was not known but would be 11researched. Another question was asked about when MRS closes customers’ cases in 12Supported Employment, since one of the work teams has recently reviewed MRS’ data 13from three previous fiscal years and the numbers have gone down, what is the definition 14of ‘closed in Supported Employment’. In response, MRS cannot successfully close a 15case in Supported Employment unless the job coach has significantly faded with no 16further need for a job coach. Then a determination needs to be made for whether 17supports are still needed or the case can be handed off to another entity. 18 19Business Services 20MRS will be adding 13 new Business Resource Consultants. The consultants will 21primarily be working with businesses, with new metrics and performance factors and 22many to be housed in businesses. Direct input from business customers will inform the 23work of the consultants. Kickoff for the Business Consultants will be in alignment with the 24Lt. Governor’s Hidden Talent event on June 21st in Flint, with involvement from BSBP. 25First points of contact will be honored so that work takes place in collaboration with 26partners. Interviews for these positions are being completed, with 13 administrative 27support positions to also be filled. 28 29A question was asked about the 13 new positions for Business Consultants being added 30into the existing Business positions and how is that being coordinated. Business 31Resource Specialists work in districts primarily on acquisition of employment and to work 32with CILs and CROs for placement. The new Business Consultants will be working with 33businesses, often from within businesses, at a completely different level. There will 34continue to be a need for CILs, CROs, and other partners to be on board as resources 35with the changes as they move forward. 36 37Another question was asked about outreach to schools and how MRS is working 38statewide or regionally on this initiative. In response, MRS is working statewide through 39memos of understanding and national WIOA consultants, as well as through local 40agreements. 41 42Advisory Executive Team (ET) Report 43The proposed final ET minutes for February 23, March 8, March 22, and April 12, 2016 44were reviewed. 45 46 A motion, made by C. Bergquist and seconded by D. 47 Middlebrooks, was passed to accept and place on file the 48 final ET minutes as presented.

1 4 1 2Conference and Hill Visit Reports 3B. Sabourin shared highlights of his recent attendance at 3 conferences this spring in 4Bethesda. Conferences included the National Coalition of State Rehabilitation Councils, 5Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, and the National Council of 6State Agencies for the Blind. L. Kisiel and T. Fullerton also shared about their visits with 7B. Sabourin and E. Rodgers to some of Michigan’s members of Congress during Hill 8visits. Customer success stories, public VR data, and other information were shared with 9members of Congress and their staff. 10 11Financial Operations 12Members reviewed the financial statements for March and April 2016. 13 14 A motion, made by C. Bergquist and seconded by M. 15 Poyma, was passed to accept and place on file the financial 16 statements for March and April 2016 as presented. 17 18Report of the Executive Director (ED): M. Malloy 19A written staff report was included in meeting packets. A brief overview was shared 20about dinner surveys with MCTI students that were conducted the evening before. 21Students were very eager for the opportunity to share about their experiences at MCTI. 22Council members C. Bergquist, C. Pack Ivey and B. Sabourin joined both staff in 23interacting with students as they filled out and turned in surveys and shared informally 24about some of the things they enjoy the most about MCTI. 25 26Update - Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs – Bureau of Services for 27Blind Persons (LARA-BSBP): Lisa Kisiel, Vocational Services Director 28BSBP provided the Council with a narrative and data report for the March business 29meeting, with plans to share another report in July. In response, appreciation for receipt 30of the reports was shared on behalf of the Advisory Executive and Customer Experience 31Work Teams who spent time reviewing and discussing the reports. It has really given 32MCRS members a global view of how BSBP functions and the different aspects of the 33service system. The template will change over time as the regulations are released and 34new data elements are added to the list that BSBP has to report to Rehabilitation 35Services Administration. 36 37A legislative update was shared earlier during discussion about BSBP staff visits to 38members of Congress and attendance at the NCSRC, CSAVR, and NCSAB conferences 39with the MCRS Chair. An upcoming roundtable policy meeting for Region 5 will be 40attended by BSBP staff in June. 41 42Staff is looking forward to conducting their programs this summer at the BSBP Training 43Center, including the ‘Are You Ready?’ program. This is a prep program for students 44who might not yet be ready to attend the Training Center. The College Prep program will 45take place, where students take classes at Western Michigan University, while living on 46campus and having the college dorm experience. 47

1 5 1BSBP has been updating their policy manual for several months. Administration is 2planning 1-day monthly meetings around the state to meet with their VR counselors to 3discuss important topics. The meetings have been very well received. 4 5BSBP has been pursuing Social Security reimbursements thanks in large part to Mike 6Pemble’s division and their staff doing the work. 7 8The Independent Living/Older Blind program is moving forward. Vision Rehab Therapists 9continue to keep BSBP ‘blindness specific’ by working with VR counselors and utilizing 10their very specific talents to assist customers into employment and independence. 11 12L. Kisiel and S. Heibeck met with C. Bergquist and both MCRS staff yesterday to discuss 13the survey tool and next steps for the Council’s Customer Satisfaction Survey Project for 14BSBP. 15 16Following a report that BSBP will be updating their database systems, a question was 17asked about whether BSBP would consider using the same AWARE system for database 18management that MRS uses. At this time there is not a plan for a transition to using the 19AWARE system. 20 21Customer Service System Issues 22Written reports from the Client Assistance Program and DHHS-MRS Administrative 23Hearings Manager were included in meeting packets. 24 25Partner Reports 26Written reports from the Governor’s Talent Investment Board and Statewide Independent 27Living Council were included in meeting packets. 28 29Advisory Work Team Reports 30In the essence of time needed for the member training following the business meeting, it 31was proposed that the Advisory Work Team reports be tabled until the July meeting. 32 33 A motion, made by A. Riddering and seconded by C. Pack 34 Ivey, was passed to table the Advisory Work Team reports 35 until the July business meeting. 36 37MCRS Reports on Designated State Unit Work Team Involvement 38MRS Marketing - M. Malloy 39S. Howell joined the most recent meeting to discuss a marketing plan with goals and 40strategies for moving forward. 41 42Public Comment 43The public comment statement was read aloud. 44 45Eleanor Canter 46It is the role of this committee to make policy suggestions regarding rehabilitation 47services in the state of Michigan, if so, I’d like a written response to the following 48questions. 1. This month, Governor Snyder appointed Todd Culver, the Executive

1 6 1Director of the Michigan Association of Rehabilitation Organizations, to the set-aside 2committee for the purchase of goods and services from community rehabilitation 3organizations. That means that the person paid to represent subminimum wage and 4sheltered work employers is the same person who is in charge of approving the state 5dollars flowing to those businesses. That’s a major conflict of interest! Are you familiar 6with the Source America scandal? If not, Source America is under investigation by four 7Inspectors General because the Board is controlled by the owners of the businesses 8Source America hands out contracts to. That’s called bid-rigging or racketeering. 2. 9We’ve heard today that sheltered work and subminimum wages are expanding in 10Michigan. This committee is supposed to be consumer controlled. It is obviously not. This 11committee is very obviously run by agencies partnering intimately with Peckham, MARO, 12MCTI and other businesses financially exploiting the disability community. How can this 13body implement Employment First when you continually and formally partner with these 14businesses instead of the consumers begging for your assistance? Why are you meeting 15at a sheltered workshop today? 3. Labelling the Lieutenant Governor’s visit to this 16committee as a training session does not excuse your responsibilities under the Open 17Meetings Act. If you have a quorum, it is a meeting and it is required to be open to the 18public. The Lieutenant Governor has said that implementation of the Executive Order is 19meant to be carried out in a transparent manner. So why is the first discussion on this 20issue being closed to the public? 4. Why are taxpayer dollars being used by Michigan 21Rehabilitation Services to maintain membership in MARO? As a person with a significant 22disability and a taxpayer, I object to the state government financially supporting 23associations that lobby in support of continuing subminimum wages and segregated 24work. I have contacted Suzanne Howell with my concerns, but no response was 25received. Does anyone know who a member of the public can speak to about this 26important issue? 5. Suzanne Howell stated that there’s plenty of business for everyone. 27The disability community does not appreciate being referred to as “plenty of business”. 28 29Joe Harcz 30Joe Harcz, Advocate. I want to dovetail on this. The conflicts of interest within this very 31organization and the principal members on this SRC (state rehabilitation council) has 32never been addressed. Nor has the documentation of waste, fraud and abuse and actual 33fraudulent entries into my records and the records of other people that are documented. 34That is systemic, that is going on all over this state and particularly here in the Flint 35Office. And that is a violation, by the way, of the False Statements Act. It is a criminal 36offense. That has never been addressed and that has never been looked into by this 37body, except for the documentation’s been ignored. Secondly, facility-based 38employment, period, whether above minimum wage or not is not a part of Employment 39First, is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the (?) Brown Decision, 40and is expanding in Michigan. When my Center for Independent Living, receiving MRS 41funds, public funds, opens up a number to create new jobs for facility-based employment 42to Mitch Tomlinson’s Peckham operation, that is a violation of (?) mandate and that’s a 43violation of true Employment First principles, but we don’t have Employment First 44principles embodied in the Executive Order because we’ve got all these hacks running 45around behind the scenes, non-disabled people that are using public expenses to create 46more segregated employment options in violation of the Rehab Act and in violation of the 47ADA. Coming all the way up here to Flint, and I’ll tell you what, there’s a little lesson, and 48there’s a little lack of credibility by this government, where we’ve had falsification of

1 7 1records and people are being indicted now. And we’ve got an investigation of the major, 2DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services) related to these activities. Now I 3want this body, and I mean I want this body, to investigate itself, period, and to go into the 4conflicts of interest that are inherent. The money is flowing all over the place without any 5type of consumer control and without any following of the law. And I do want a response. 6Thank you very much. 7 8Dave Robinson 9My name is Dave Robinson and I’m from the National Federation of the Blind of 10Michigan. I agree with what Eleanor and Joe have said and (?) with what they are 11saying. It appears to me that you folks sitting on this politically sensitive board that’s 12supposed to be monitoring the rehabilitation in this state, and yet concurring with the 13corruption that exists and actually having members that are part and partial to the 14corruption that exists in terms of stealing federal dollars. And yet, nobody there, nobody 15there, nobody in government, nobody anywhere that is disabled and speaking up for 16people with disabilities. And so there’s a continuation of building your records, building 17your pocketbooks, building your status within the state government on the backs of 18people with disabilities. And everything that’s been said already by us as consumers, 19you know it’s true, you know what’s happening in this state, and yet you continue to abide 20by it, continue to support it, and continue to take money from people with disabilities. So 21the attitude is clear: we are not equal in this world, we are just people with disabilities. 22We are people who should be subjected to sub-minimum wage and segregated 23employment because we’re not equal. And until that attitude changes, until we’re viewed 24by people like yourselves as people that have a right in this world, that have equality and 25the ability to survive and live in this world, until that happens, your attitude is going to 26continue to keep us as second class citizens. And you can say all the things you want, 27say all the nice things you want, but the reality is your keeping a population of this state in 28poverty and in slavery, and you will be accountable for it one of these days because we 29will be here and you will be gone and we will change this world that we live in despite 30your actions currently. So please be aware that we’re not going away. Thank you and I 31do want a response. 32 33Gwendolyn Williams 34I’m the Executive Director of Our Lifeline Incorporated. I’m currently bedridden, I have a 35501(c)3 and I’ve been striving to get help from this local office in Benton Harbor. They 36met with me in March, I haven’t heard anything since. Just because I’m bedridden and 37I’m not mobile doesn’t mean I’m not employable. My phone number is ### ###-#### and 38I need some assistance. I need to obtain me a wheelchair, which Medicare is not able to 39pay for because I allowed some organization to talk me into getting an electric wheelchair 40that I can’t get around in my house nor take anywhere. I’m striving to get this non-profit 41off the ground to help other people in my community to become employed as well. My 42number again is ### ###-####. I’m greatly in need of assistance in Berrien County, 43Benton Harbor, Michigan. Thank you. 44 45Adjournment 46There was no further business for discussion. 47

1 8 1 A motion, made by C. Bergquist and seconded by D. 2 Middlebrooks, was passed to adjourn the meeting. 3 4The meeting was adjourned at 1:43 p.m. 5 6 NEXT BUSINESS MEETING: 7 Tuesday July 19, 2016 8 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 9 MCRS Office, Lansing