Washington State Division
of Vocational Rehabilitation
Annual Report
DVR
2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Photo Credits:
All photos in this publication were submitted by employees and customers.
Cover Photo Description:
DVR Customer Linda enjoys her new administrative career working for Pegasus CDL,
a commercial driving training school, based in Bellingham, Washington. Linda and
her employer pose for the camera inside their workplace.
Copyright Disclaimer:
Copyright © 2023 by the Washington State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)
and the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Office of
Communications. All Rights Reserved. No parts of this report may be used without
the express permission of the division. All information reported has been verified and
obtained from reliable sources.
Dear Employees, Stakeholders, and Partners,
The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation within the Washington State Department of Social
and Health Services provides unique, vital and innovative services to individuals with disabilities
in Washington State. Our mission statement is “transforming lives by assisting individuals with
disabilities to fully participate in their communities through meaningful employment.” We strive
to provide the best services and resources possible to our customers helping them find, keep,
and maintain employment.
As Director, I have had the privilege of leading DVR since December 2020, and I am proud of
our agency’s transformation in how we creatively pivoted resources and services to a remote/
hybrid approach that attempted to meet everyone’s collective needs during the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic. We continued to do the same in 2022 as we adapted to hybrid work,
providing virtual services to customers, while also expanding our in-office presence statewide
to customers who needed in-person services.
ORDER OF SELECTION SERVICES
Intake and Eligibility Status Updates
In 2022, we made significant progress in reducing the number of customers waiting for services
on our Order of Selection waitlist. At the close of FY 2022, there were 1,228 eligible customers
on the waitlist as compared to 2,716 customers who waited in FY 2021. With support of our
leadership team, we successfully reduced the number of customers on the waitlist by 55
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DIRECTOR’S LETTER
Terry Redmon
DVR Director
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Director’s Letter ........................................................................................................................2
DVR Statistics .............................................................................................................................5
EDAI Efforts Valued .................................................................................................................7
Tribal Relations .........................................................................................................................8
Customer Success Stories
Master Control Supervisor Lands Dream Job in Spokane ...................................................... 11
Customer Lands Long-Time Dream Cashier Job at Home Depot ....................................12
Thriving in New Administrative Career .............................................................................................13
About DVR and DSHS .......................................................................................................... 14
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percent during 2022, and released everyone from priority category 3 allowing that category to
open. Priority categories one, two, and three also remain open.
The number of new applications and eligibility status for services provided to customers fell
below 40 percent of FY 2021 levels for various reasons. However, in the last half of 2022, we saw
an increased amount of new customers who utilized services in the last quarter of the year.
Finally, the amount of time needed to complete customer plans would take 30–40 days longer
on average in comparison to pre-pandemic levels in the first half of 2022, but it leveled out in
the last quarter.
Note that DVR entered an Order of Selection system in 2017 as a requirement to meet all
federal regulations mandated by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) 34 CFR
361.36 provision. This provision requires that all Vocational Rehabilitation agencies must have
an Order of Selection of Services waiting list system in place when an agency cannot serve all
eligible customers in a timely basis. To meet these requirements, we persevered and continued
to provide efficient services to customers throughout the year while evaluating our service
categories to ensure we served as many eligible customers as possible.
MODERNIZED INTAKE PROCESSES AND CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
In addition to providing services to customers, we streamlined our intake processes and
standardized several forms (i.e. intake appointment letters, intake case narrative guidelines,
record request letters, etc.) that allowed us to provide more consistency across all services.
Currently, there is a new case management system in development that will streamline
processes for intake and create more consistent eligibility practices. We also have scheduled
eligibility training for FY 2023 to improve our eligibility determination process.
IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW ENTERPRISE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
Another exciting activity was the collaboration between DVR and Mass Ingenuity that
allowed us to implement a new enterprise performance management system called Results
Management System™ and Software.
This new EPM system will allow staff across the state to stay connected and collaborate with
others across the division. By having a more functional system, we can expect improved
engagement through real-time performance measures and outcomes, increased productivity
and innovation, and see an increase in overall staff satisfaction related to transparency,
accountability, and ownership. We are excited to roll-out the system to staff in early 2023 and
publish external data dashboards for stakeholders to access.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2023
In looking ahead towards the next fiscal year, we have several goals we would like to
accomplish as a division, but our primary goals are to increase customer engagement and
ensure customers are satisfied with services received. To achieve this outcome, we will continue
to make progress on the Order of Selection waitlist and reduce the amount of time customers
spend waiting to receive services. Additionally, we continue to make progress on our Equity,
Diversity, Access, and Inclusion efforts division wide, and EDAI will continue to remain a focus in
our work.
DVR also plans to increase availability of training for staff members and streamline service
delivery. We will also sharpen staff professional judgment and critical thinking skills via
mentoring and coaching, improve the delivery of transition services (including pre-ETS services),
and modernize our case management system allowing us to have a more efficient and
integrated service delivery.
Thanks for a great year, and we look forward to what we accomplish as a team in 2023.
Regards,
DIRECTOR’S LETTER continued
NEW DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Allowing DVR to go paperless
The Business Management Modernization Project team successfully
completed phase one of implementing our new document
management system which will allow DVR to go paperless.
The second phase is expected to launch and “go-live” with our
new case management system, Waves, sometime in 2023. DVR
Executive Leadership made the tough decision to delay the implementation of this system in
2022 to further explore accessibility concerns. Thanks to continued planning, we will provide
updates on progress made with an expected project launch date planned for late 2023.
Terry Redmon
DVR Director
DIRECTOR’S LETTER continued
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STATE
$16,361,413
FEDERAL
$47, 826, 354
In FY 2022, there were a lot of positive outcomes that resulted in successful
placements of customers who have disabilities.
DVR STATISTICS
DVR CUSTOMERS
ANNUAL MEDIAN
EARNINGS INCREASED
DVR SOURCES
OF REVENUE:
State and Federal Grants
CASE SERVICE
EXPENDITURES:
Funds Spent Per Program
TYPES OF
DISABILITIES
DVR CUSTOMERS
HAVE
NUMBER OF
CUSTOMERS
SUCCESSFULLY
EMPLOYED
AGE GROUPS
OF CUSTOMERS
SUCCESSFULLY
EMPLOYED
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TRIBAL RELATIONSEDAI EFFORTS VALUED
The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation values and is committed to Equity, Diversity, Access
and Inclusion in all forms. This includes commitment and dedication to truth, social justice, and
dismantling racism. DVR recognizes that we are stronger when we are a diverse organization
serving diverse customers, centering lived experiences, and collaborating with customers and
the community at large to produce results.
COLLABORATION AND OUTREACH IS KEY TO EDAI EFFORTS
Collaboration and outreach in 2022 by DVR included:
• Participation in the DSHS statewide survey for the Governor’s Equity Summit.
• Collaborated in the development of the DSHS Equity Summit Employee Survey.
• Planned site visits and ongoing collaboration with Historically Black Colleges & Universities
(HCBU’s).
• Collaborated in reviewing and analyzing Decision Package.
• Implemented DVR employee listening sessions about Belonging.
TO EMPOWER OTHERS, WE MUST COLLABORATE WITH OTHER PARTNERS
EDAI Projects scheduled for the coming year include:
• Developing EDAI vision across the department.
• Statewide DVR and Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Program (TVR) Meet & Greets
(in collaboration with DVR’s Tribal Relations Administrator).
• Collaborating and planning site visits at HBCU’s with a focus on recruitment efforts.
We also have ongoing projects and activities that we plan to continue in 2023:
• DVR’s More than a Moment Conversations.
• Facilitated monthly Community of Practice meetings.
• Expanding DVR’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Employee Resource Group.
• Continued work with statewide BRGs and Office of Equity partners to utilize them as Subject
Matter Experts in relation to equity work and accessibility matters.
2023 KEY INITIATIVE FOCUS
What Does Belonging at Work Mean?
In 2023 and beyond, DVR will continue to expand EDAI and anti-racism efforts across the division
to ensure DVR staff are empowered to do their best work and that our customers also receive
effective and meaningful services. One of the key initiatives for this coming year is to focus on
what it means to belong at work and demonstrate why this issue matters. The DSHS Office of
Equity, Diversity, Access and Inclusion describes universal access and belonging as “removing
barriers, honoring self-determination, and building inclusive systems that benefit all.” DVR will
continue to support DVR employees by ensuring we cultivate an environment of Belonging that
aligns with the state of Washington’s values on belonging and inclusion for all state employees.
DVR VALUES ITS TRIBAL PARTNERSHIPS
The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation is committed to an active partnership with all Tribal
Vocational Rehabilitation programs and has designated staff assigned to provide direct services
and liasion functions with all Washington State Tribes.
To elevate tribal partnerships, DVR established the first-ever Tribal Relations Administrator role
in October 2022 to lead DVR’s statewide government-to-government efforts. The TRA serves
in a full-time role to manage, promote, and serve as DVR’s expert regarding tribal policy,
protocols, and practices with the purpose of strengthening relationships with tribal partners
and recognized American Indian organizations. The main duties of this role are to oversee DVR’s
government-to-government relationships with Tribes in the state of Washington and to be a
resource for Division of Vocational Rehabilitation staff.
TRIBAL RELATIONS PROGRAM COLLABORATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS
The mission of our program is to advance government-to-government relationships and
ensure the delivery of accessible and quality Vocational Rehabilitation programs and services to
Native Americans and Alaska Natives with disabilities to assist them in fully participating in their
communities through meaningful employment.
In November 2022, our program worked in collaboration with Washington State Office of
Indian Policy and other administrations to host three guest speakers during Native American
Heritage Month. Sessions were open to all tribal partners. The TRA also wrote and distributed
email newsletters to DVR staff and Tribal partners to highlight the importance of government-
to-government relations, working with TVR’s, spotlighted tribal liaisons, and Native American
veterans.
We also marked Native American Heritage Month by collaborating with DVR’s EDAI
Administrator on the “More Than a Moment” event conversation. Both of them attended
in-person cultural events such as the Clark College pow-wow to network and learn more about
local tribal cultures.
Starting January 2023, the TRA will join the EDAI Administrator in traveling to provide outreach
services and network with local DVR offices and TVR programs. Several meets and greets have
already been confirmed with tribal partners and field offices throughout the state.
INDIAN POLICY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (IPAC) DVR SUBCOMITTEE
In 2023, the Indian Policy Advisory Committee DVR Subcommittee will fold into the ALTSA/
BHA/DDA Administrations IPAC Subcommittee. This move better aligns collaboration between
administrations that work closely with the same shared customers on a more frequent basis.
GOVERNMENT-TO-GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
The annual cooperative agreement meeting between DVR, DSB, and the American Indian
Vocational Rehabilitation Services program directors was held on October 21, 2022. Referrals to
the Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Programs continues to be a challenge and was discussed
at length with a recommendation for TVR’s to offer staff orientation to new DVR and DSB
employee hires. Updated 2023 agreements are being reviewed by respective AIVRS programs.
As a result of that meeting, DVR, DSB and TVR’s are currently collaborating on a potential
combined effort to concurrently host new staff orientations focusing on the foundation of
Tribal-State relations in Washington and best practices for working with TVR’s. The objective of
our orientations are to increase staff understanding about the unique status of Tribes and their
members, and why tribal programs are best suited to meet the appropriate cultural needs of
Native Americans and Alaska Natives.
TRIBAL RELATIONS continued
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CUSTOMER LANDS LONG-TIME DREAM CASHIER POSITION AT HOME DEPOT
Written by: Mount Vernon DVR Counselor
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Kyle Jones
Resilient, exuberant, unique, and passionate.
These four words are how I would
describe Roman, a young deaf man
with learning disabilities, in his steadfast
determination to secure his long-time dream
of being a cashier.
In 2014, Roman started working retail
in hopes of eventually getting a cashier
position. His strengths, skillsets and positive
attitude have made him an ideal employee.
Unfortunately, each time he thought he
was close to his goal, he discovered that
he was taken off the work schedule due to
management turnover.
Roman and his counselors at DVR, the
Developmental Disabilities Administration
(DDA), and Washington Vocational Services
(WVS) decided that it was time for Roman to
look for another position that recognized his
talents and would accommodate him being
deaf and having learning disabilities.
He persevered with tons of hard work and
determination until he landed his first-ever
cashier position at Mount Vernon’s Lowe’s
Home Improvement store in 2017. Roman’s
co-workers and counselors say that he has
a smile and personality that puts people at
ease. During his time at Lowes, he earned
accolades for being one of the top regional
cashiers.
In 2021, Roman moved to Oak Harbor,
and knew that he had to do another job
search. With the support from all of us, he
landed another job at Home Depot as a
cashier. Management was thrilled to discover
they had hired such a skilled cashier who
excelled in doing their job. Roman also
became a leader by joining the Home Depot
Diversity Committee where he advocates
for accessibility, inclusion and acceptance
for customers and employees with
disabilities. We are all very proud of Roman’s
accomplishments, and are very excited about
his future endeavors.
MASTER CONTROL OPERATOR LANDS DREAM JOB IN SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
Written by: Tacoma DVR Counselor
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Dee Quintanilla
Wilson dreamed of working in television ever
since he was an anchor on his middle school
news team. His interest grew while working
at Alaska’s KACN-TV as an assistant engineer
where he learned about video production and
programming automated systems used to
play digital video. He also worked as a camera
operator and audio engineer at KTVA-TV.
After high school, Wilson passed the
Society of Broadcast Engineers Television
Operator Certificate Exam to become a master
control operator. After a few years at KTVA-TV,
he looked for a broadcast operations program
to further his education and enrolled at Bates
Technical College in Tacoma. This meant that
Wilson and his family had to relocate from
Alaska to Washington to allow him to pursue
his dreams. Shortly after the move, Wilson
learned about DVR and the types of services
and training opportunities available to help
him pursue his goals. He graduated from
Bates in 2015 with an Associates Degree in
Broadcasting and Video Production.
Wilson remained professional and
courteous in working with DVR and his CRP
providers while accessing services throughout
his job search. In an interview with KHQ-TV,
he learned that he held the qualifications and
skillsets necessary to work as a master control
operator, but he needed a bachelor’s degree
to work there. Shortly after this interview,
Wilson decided to further his education to
remain competitive as a job applicant.
He was accepted into Washington
State University’s Murrow College of
Communications in 2016 with DVR’s full
support. Wilson attended classes and worked
for Cable 8 Productions as a master control
supervisor. DVR supported him by paying
a part of his tuition and books, providing
counseling and tutoring services, and covering
transportation and moving costs. Wilson
graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2021.
After a lot of hard work, Wilson landed
his dream job at KHQ-TV in Spokane, where
he’s worked as a master control operator for
the last 2 ½ years. He thinks his coworkers
are great to work with. “DVR has been very
supportive of my education and employment
goals,” Wilson says. “People that I worked with
have been compassionate and responsive
cheerleaders. I also thank Amanda Kipfer and
Dee Quintanilla for working with WSU while I
pursued my degree.”
CUSTOMER STORIES
CUSTOMER STORIES continued
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The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) and the Washington State Department of
Social and Health Services (DSHS) are tied together by a single mission which is to transform
lives. Each administration within DSHS has a refined focus on this mission.
DSHS Mission:
To transform lives.
DVR Mission:
Transforming lives by assisting individuals with disabilities to fully participate in their
communities through meaningful employment.
DVR Vision:
Dedicated professionals leading the field of vocational rehabilitation, delivering exceptional
experiences to every customer, every time.
DVR Values:
• Transparency through clear, honest communication with customers, staff and partners.
• Acting with Integrity, upholding the ethics and values of our profession.
• Promoting a culture of Empowerment for customers and staff.
• Advancing rehabilitation practices through Innovation.
• Collaboration with customers, staff, and partners that produces results.
• Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Access and Inclusion in all its forms to achieve excellence.
DVR Financial Statement:
State and Federal Funds are used to deliver DVR Services. The VR program receives
approximately 78 percent in federal Funds and 22 percent in state funds. For detailed
information on the dollar amount of Federal funds for the program, please visit:
https://rsa.ed.gov/fiscal/grant-awards.
ABOUT DVR AND DSHS
THRIVING IN A NEW ADMINISTRATIVE CAREER
Written by: Bellingham DVR Counselor
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Gina Barrieau
An unstoppable force. These two words best
describes Linda’s resolve to re-orient herself
as she found herself unemployed going
through two major surgeries while managing
significant mental health challenges. She
reached out to DVR for assistance as she
transitioned into a new career – one that
didn’t require her to use physical strength or
stamina.
After some thought and discussion, she
decided that administrative work would be
the best fit for her thanks to some technical
training in office systems she took years ago.
Linda’s DVR team put together a plan of action
that allowed her to refresh her foundational
skillsets, update her technical knowledge, and
build upon the contemporary office skills she
already had.
DVR provided Linda with a laptop that
allowed her to build self-confidence in using
technology again. This led her to connect
with potential employers, and to register
for relevant courses through the Goodwill
Learning Center. Training allowed Linda to
start working again in various temporary office
positions, but she realized that she needed
to continue building up her administrative
skillsets.
Linda’s journey hasn’t always been smooth,
but with guidance and encouragement from
the DVR team, she persisted in her search
for a permanent administrative position.
She now has a job at Pegasus CDL, Inc., a
commercial driving training school, based in
Bellingham, Washington. DVR partnered with
them to ensure that Linda received workplace
accommodations and proper effective training
tools needed. As a result, she loves what she
does and thrives within the company culture.
Linda also credits her DVR team –
Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Gina
Barrieau, Business Specialist Ben Cram, and
Rehabilitation Technician Leilani Kittel – as the
ones who helped her rally and tap into her
relentless self-determination.
CUSTOMER STORIES continued
