Desktop Training: Due Process: New Counselor Training Series Part II

When a vocational rehabilitation (VR) applicant or eligible individual is dissatisfied with a decision made by a public VR counselor, a safety net of rights exists that assure decisions are reviewed and re-considered when requested.  Appeals occur, from time to time, for all VR counselors and are an expected part of service delivery to eligible individuals.  A new VR counselor should understand the federally-driven process for handling appeals, the informal as well as the formal processes and mediation options for appeal resolution, and the strategies for working out disagreements regarding service provision at the lowest possible level when appropriate and possible.