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State board to publish updates to vocational rehabilitation rules to align with federal standards
Summary
MSDE presented amendments to vocational rehabilitation regulations to align with WIOA and RSA guidance, remove outdated requirements and reduce barriers to employment supports; the committee recommended the changes be published for public comment.
Dr. Eric Bonner, assistant state superintendent for the Division of Rehabilitation Services, presented proposed updates to COMAR 13A1101 to modernize Maryland’s vocational rehabilitation rules and align them with federal Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) guidance.
Bonner said the amendments clean up outdated language, remove certain financial-participation requirements (for example, related to GED training), clarify definitions and update operational practices to reduce paperwork and barriers to services. He said the changes also align regulatory language to the 2026 federal poverty guidelines and remove some provisions that led to inconsistent interpretation across offices (for example, purchases of medical cannabis will no longer be allowable under certain program provisions).
Committee members had no substantive objections at the meeting. The committee moved and voted unanimously to recommend permission to publish the vocational-rehab amendments for public comment.
