OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahomans with disabilities who had been on a waiting list to receive services will soon be contacted by Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services staff to start their journey to joining the state’s workforce.
Each month, DRS’ Performance Review Committee looks over consumer services activity reports and determines if agency and vendor resources are adequate to service additional clients who are on the Priority Group 3 waiting list. In May, committee members agreed clients could be served who were on the waiting list as of the day of the decision.
That determination allows Vocational Rehabilitation counselors and technicians from DRS’ two employment divisions, Vocational Rehabilitation and Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired to begin serving jobseekers transferred from the Priority Group 3 waiting list.
DRS continues to provide services to clients with more severe disabilities in Priority Groups 1 and 2. DRS reopened job preparation and employment services for both these groups in 2023, after they were previously shuttered due to budget constraints.
“We are doing everything we can to end delays, which are a temporary budget control measures, so that applicants with disabilities can start getting the help they need to go to work,” Vocational Rehabilitation Administrator Mark Kinnison said. “We will continue to monitor expenditures closely to keep serving as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.”
Vocational rehabilitation programs use priority groups to allocate limited resources and ensure those with the most severe disabilities receive services first.
A person’s placement in a priority group is based on the severity of an individual's disability and its impact on their ability to work. In Oklahoma, for example, Priority Group 1 includes individuals with the most severe disabilities, who may require multiple services over an extended period.
Priority Groups 2 and 3 include individuals with fewer functional limitations than those in Group 1.
“If funds are not available to serve everyone, applicants with the most severe disabilities are served first because they need help most to become employed,” DRS Executive Director Melinda Fruendt said. “Others with less significant barriers to employment remain on a waiting list until we have funding identified to pay for their services.”
DRS contracts with vendors across the state to provide clients with goods and services managed by staff to help clients reach their employment goals. Vendor resources refer to the capacity of community partners to meet demand.
Only new applicants are affected by waiting lists. Current clients will continue to be served at the same levels.
The state earns four federal matching dollars for every state dollar appropriated for these DRS employment programs. The high match is an indication of strong federal support and generates federal revenue for the state of Oklahoma.
In 2024, DRS’ Vocational Rehabilitation and Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired divisions provided counseling, medical and psychological services, training, job placement assistance and other services to 13,565 Oklahomans with disabilities.
Federal reports show that 1,045 clients became employed. These Oklahomans earned an annual average of $30,465 and paid annual average taxes of $4,570 last year.
To reach the nearest DRS Vocational Rehabilitation or Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired office, visit https://www.okdrs.gov/office-locator.
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For more information
Brett Jones,
DRS Communications Officer
Cell: 405-651-4594
