The Arc of Texas Provides Verbal Comments Before the Sunset Advisory Commission on the Texas Workforce Commission

Good morning, Chair Kolkhorst and members of the Sunset Advisory Commission. My name is Sabrina Gonzalez Saucedo, and I am the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at The Arc of Texas. We are a statewide advocacy organization that promotes, protects, and advocates for the human rights and self-determination of Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Within Texas Workforce Commission, the Vocational Rehabilitation, or VR, division plays a critical role in connecting Texans with disabilities to employment. VR provides individualized services, including counseling, job training, job coaching, and Pre-Employment Transition Services to support Texans with disabilities in preparing for, obtaining, and maintaining employment.

Our position today is straightforward: VR is critical to helping Texans with IDD achieve competitive integrated employment, and we support the direction of the Sunset recommendations to make VR more accessible, consistent, high-quality, and responsive to the customers it serves.

When VR works well, it can be life-changing—helping people with IDD obtain meaningful employment and participate more fully in their communities. However, significant work is needed to ensure this is a consistent experience. Last year, The Arc of Texas held a statewide listening session and surveyed Texans with IDD and their families about their experiences with VR. We heard concerns about delays in accessing services, difficulty navigating the VR system, high counselor caseloads, staff turnover, and inconsistent service delivery. The feedback gathered can be found following page 4 of your packet.

As such, The Arc of Texas supports Recommendations 3.3, 3.5, and 3.6 related to restructuring the regional administration, strengthening VR counselor training, and expanding provider certification options.

As the Legislature considers these recommendations, we encourage continued attention to two key areas.

First, the customer experience. VR clients and their families need clear information about available services, proactive assistance navigating the VR system, and meaningful involvement in developing their employment plans.

Second, the quality of contracted employment services. Families reported that the quality and effectiveness of contracted job coaching can be inconsistent, with some providers lacking the training and experience needed to effectively support Texans with IDD. Texans with IDD can have specialized employment support needs related to communication, learning, adaptive skills, and ongoing support. As the Commission considers ways to address provider shortages, expanding access should be balanced with appropriate quality standards to ensure providers can effectively support Texans with IDD in reaching their employment goals.

Finally, we want to recognize the many VR counselors and staff who work hard every day to serve their customers. We appreciate the Commission’s thoughtful review and look forward to seeing these changes materialize into a stronger VR program that gives staff the support they need and consistently helps Texans with IDD achieve meaningful employment and greater quality of life. Thank you.