Or. Admin. Code § 436-120-0810 - Certification and Classification of Provider Staff
(a) Individuals determining workers'
eligibility and providing vocational assistance must be certified by the
director and on the staff of a provider.
(b) An applicant for certification must
submit Form 1880, "Vocational Assistance Certification Program Individual
Certification Under OAR 436-120," to the division.
(c) All degrees required for certification
must be from an accredited institution and copies of transcripts must be
submitted with the application.
(d) If the director approves the application,
certification will be granted for five years. A counselor who is nationally
certified as described in subparagraph (3)(a)(B)(i) will be granted an initial
certification period to coincide with the counselor's national certification.
(e) Certified individuals must
notify the division within 30 days of any changes in address or telephone
number.
(f) An individual whose
certification is denied under this rule may appeal as described in OAR
436-120-0008.
(2) Classification of provider staff.
Certified individuals will be classified as follows:
(a) Vocational assistance counselor;
(b) Vocational assistance intern;
or
(c) Return-to-work specialist.
(3) Certification
requirements. The requirements for certification as a counselor, intern, or
specialist are as follows:
(a) Vocational
assistance counselor.
(A) Certification as a
counselor allows the individual to determine eligibility for vocational
assistance and provide vocational assistance services.
(B) Counselor certification requires:
(i) Certification by one of the following
national certifying organizations:
(I) The
Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC);
(II) The Commission for Case Managers
Certification (CCMC); or
(III) The
Certification of Disability Management Specialists Commission (CDMSC);
(ii) A master's degree
in vocational rehabilitation counseling and at least six months of direct
experience;
(iii) A master's
degree in psychology, counseling, or a field related to vocational
rehabilitation, and 12 months of direct experience; or
(iv) A bachelor's or higher degree and 24
months of direct experience. Thirty-six months of direct experience may
substitute for a bachelor's degree.
(C) To meet the direct experience
requirements for a counselor, the individual must:
(i) Perform return-to-work plan development
and implementation for the required number of months; or
(ii) Perform three or more of the qualifying
job functions listed in sub-subparagraphs (I) through (X) for the required
number of months, with at least six months of the experience in one or more of
the functions listed in sub-subparagraphs (I) through (IV). The qualifying job
functions are:
(I) Return-to-work plan
development and implementation;
(II) Employment counseling;
(III) Job development;
(IV) Early return-to-work assistance that
includes working directly with workers and their employers;
(V) Vocational testing;
(VI) Job search skills instruction;
(VII) Job analysis;
(VIII) Transferable skills assessment or
employability evaluations;
(IX)
Return-to-work plan review and approval; or
(X) Employee recruitment and selection for a
wide variety of occupations.
(b) Vocational assistance intern.
(A) Certification as a vocational assistance
intern allows the individual to determine eligibility for vocational assistance
and provide vocational assistance services under the direct supervision of a
counselor. A counselor must co-sign and assume responsibility for all of the
intern's actions.
(B) Intern
certification requires:
(i) A master's degree
in psychology, counseling, or a field related to vocational rehabilitation; or
(ii) A bachelor's degree and at
least six hours of training on the Oregon vocational assistance and
re-employment assistance rules. Thirty-six months of direct experience may
substitute for a bachelor's degree.
(C) To meet the direct experience
requirements for an intern, the individual must:
(i) Perform return-to-work plan development
and implementation for the required number of months; or
(ii) Perform three or more of the qualifying
job functions listed in subparagraph (3)(a)(C)(ii) of this rule for the
required number of months.
(c) Return-to-work specialist.
(A) Certification as a return-to-work
specialist allows the individual to provide job search skills instruction, job
development, return-to-work follow-up, and labor market search, and to
determine eligibility for vocational assistance except when the determination
requires a judgment as to whether the worker has a substantial handicap to
employment.
(B) Specialist
certification requires 24 months of direct experience. Full-time (or the
equivalent) additional college coursework in psychology, counseling, education,
a field related to human services, or a field related to vocational
rehabilitation may substitute for up to 18 months of direct experience, on a
month-for-month basis.
(C) The
direct experience requirements for a specialist are the same for an intern, as
described in paragraph (b)(C) of this section.
(d) To receive credit for the direct
experience requirements, the individual must:
(A) Perform one or more of the qualifying job
functions listed in subparagraph (3)(a)(C)(ii) of this rule at least 50 percent
of the work time for each month of direct experience credit. Qualifying job
functions performed in a job that is less than full-time will be prorated. For
purposes of this rule, full-time is 40 hours a week. An individual will not
receive credit for any function performed less than 160 hours.
(B) Provide any documentation required by the
director, including work samples. The director may also require verification by
the individual's past or present employers.
Notes
Stat. Auth.: ORS 656.340(9) & 656.726(4)
Stats. Implemented: ORS 656.340
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