Governor John Kasich recently signed Executive Order 2012-16K authorizing the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission (RSC) to implement a fee schedule for vocational rehabilitation services effective October 1, 2012. Before the order, RSC was the only agency of its kind in the nation that allowed providers to set their own rates, the governor noted.

The fee schedule covers 29 services provided by RSC, including career assessment services, vocational training, rehabilitation technology services, and job development and placement. The new fees were developed through a benchmarking study conducted by Public Consulting Group, Inc. (PCG).

The study found that fees charged by the more than 180 service providers contracting with RSC varied widely. Before the new schedule, for example, 2012 fees for community-based assessment ranged from $45 to $110 per hour, while job coaching fees ranged from $31 to $127 per hour.

According to the study, RSC received 31,103 referrals for Ohioans with disabilities in fiscal year 2011 and placed or retained 3,373 workers. The clients worked an average of 30 hours per week at an hourly rate of $11.11.

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) uses established fee schedules for vocational rehabilitation service providers. The study found that 78 percent of program costs charged to BWC were directly related to personnel and benefit costs, while 22 percent were related to operating costs. RSC’s new fee schedule reflects the same cost ratios.

“The implementation of this fee schedule is truly a historic moment,” said Kevin Miller, executive director of RSC. “The creation and implementation of this standardized fee schedule will allow RSC to focus time and resources where they should be—on Ohioans with disabilities.”