Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation Program Warns of Possible Wait List as Caseloads Rise

Good afternoon: the Joint Subcommittee on Human Services heard a presentation March 13 from Keith Ozils, director of the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program at the Oregon Department of Human Services, who said VR is serving more Oregonians with disabilities while federal funding has not kept pace with inflation.

Ozils told members the governor’s recommended budget for the program is about $160,000,000, and that most of that funding goes directly to clients and field staff who deliver services. He said VR had 286 positions statewide and that roughly 96% of those positions provide direct services to job seekers with disabilities.

The agency told the subcommittee that in state fiscal year 2024 VR served 14,253 job seekers and that 2,052 moved into competitive integrated employment. Ozils described other program achievements: the Inclusive Career Advancement Program (ICAP), a federal disability innovation grant run with community colleges, reached 500 enrolled participants ahead of its 2026 target; VR expanded its youth counseling team by hiring six youth counselors; and VR is recognized among the top-performing state VR programs nationally on placement metrics.

Why it matters: Ozils said VR faces three converging pressures — rising caseloads, inflation-driven increases in the…