Employment Support Services

The Employment Support Services (ESS) Unit manages six (6) specialized employment contracts serving individuals with the most significant or significant barriers to employment. The ESS unit maintains current contracts, develops new employment service contracts, and provides technical assistance and training to contracted agencies, DRS staff, and community partners throughout the state.

Supplemental Employment Services (SES) are services to assist adults or youth with a most significant or significant disability, as well as individuals with disabilities that do not meet the definition of an individual with a most significant or significant barrier to employment, including youth with a disability or most significant disability. The services may assist the individual and DRS Counselor in determining or verifying a vocational goal by providing opportunities for real-world community assessments and/or career exploration. In addition, SES includes Vocational Preparation (Job Club), Internships, and Job Development and Placement to assist individuals with preparing for and obtaining competitive integrated employment. SES services provide support services to assist individuals with job development and placement after assessment, career exploration, and/or internship experience.

Supported Employment (SE) Services Contract provides ongoing support services, job accommodations, and other appropriate services needed to support and maintain an individual with a most significant disability (substantially limits three (3) or more functional capacities in terms of an employment outcome), including a youth with a most significant disability, in competitive integrated employment for a period generally not to exceed twenty-four (24) months after the individual’s first day of employment, unless under exceptional circumstances the individual and the DRS Counselor jointly agree to extend the time to achieve the employment outcome identified in the IPE.

The Employment and Retention (ER) Contract is designed for individuals with significant barriers to employment. This contract is intended to provide individuals with job experience who require short-term, limited on-site (as needed) and off-site support to maintain competitive integrated employment.

The Job Placement (JP) Contract is an employment contract designed to support individuals who do not have significant barriers to employment and require minimal assistance in maintaining competitive, integrated employment.

The Support Services for Employment (SSE) Contract provides access to additional employment support services, including specialized assessments, community integration support, and support for managing disability-related issues. These services are available to individuals with the most significant or significant barriers that limit their ability to achieve or maintain competitive, integrated employment. The contract services can be used individually or in conjunction with other ESS contract services and other Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) services.

ESS Oklahoma Service Payment System received awards from the Ford Foundation and the Harvard School of Business, as well as other government groups, for cutting government spending, improving service delivery, and increasing consumer satisfaction by linking payment for contract services to a series of completed services, or milestones, on the way to specific goals or outcomes, such as competitive integrated employment. Many states have used our milestone/service payment system as a model to develop their own. The Social Security Ticket to Work program, commonly referred to as Ticket Plus, is modeled after the Oklahoma Service Payment System.