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Vocational Rehabilitation details outcomes and requests modest capital matching funds
Summary
The Department of Vocational Rehabilitation reported serving over 22,000 people statewide and requested state matching funds for three capital projects (two paving projects and heat‑pump replacements) largely financed with federal funds; committee members asked about procurement and eligibility for services.
Ms. Johnson, representing the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, presented program outcomes and capital requests to the committee.
She said VR served 22,686 individuals across 31 offices and helped 3,954 obtain or maintain competitive employment in integrated settings last year; the agency reported 10,520 new referrals and noted that 41% of new referrals were ages 14'4. "We were able to provide 41,666 pre employment transition services to 6,162 students," Johnson said, citing expanded student services and an increase in the ratio of services per student.
Johnson requested capital funding for three projects on the West Columbia campus: two paving projects (parking lot repairs and additional exterior lighting for safety) and replacement of 23 heat pumps at a dorm building used for customized hospitality training. She described a federal/state funding split for each capital request: in general, 75% federal and 25% state for paving; for the heat‑pump project she cited a larger federal share with a smaller state request. The department stated it would request $150,000 in state funds for one paving project and in total asked for $373,750 in state funds to complete the listed capital projects.
Representative Lonnie Hosey provided a personal testimony about having used VR services and thanked the agency for assistance following military service. Committee members asked for procurement details and clarification of formulas for federal matching; Johnson said federal VR funds are formula grants with annual allocations and two‑year carryover rules and that the agency lost a COLA last year.
No formal motions or votes were recorded. The committee recommended follow‑up on procurement and a county‑level breakdown of outcomes for students transitioning to employment.
