Legal authority

Federally approved BI, CAC, CADI and DD waiver plans, Minn. Stat. §245D.03

Definition

Prevocational services: Work-skills training and support services that advance people toward competitively paid employment in community jobs. Prevocational services focus on strengthening people’s fundamental work skills and achieving their individualized work-skill goals through meaningful work experiences and vocational training.

Overview

Prevocational services teach people essential work skills and strengthen their work capacity to meet the challenging demands of work. These services develop necessary and marketable work skills and abilities that lead to greater opportunities for competitive, community employment.

A person who receives prevocational services can:

Prevocational services are not a prerequisite for employment exploration services, employment development services or employment support services.

Eligibility

To receive prevocational services, a person must both of the following criteria:

1. Be eligible for services through one of the following options:

2. Have prevocational services as an assessed need in their support plan.

Covered services

Prevocational services teach and support needed work skills and activities, including:

1. Following work instructions, routines and schedules.

2. Increasing appropriate workplace skills in the following areas:

3. Increasing the following work skills:

4. Providing relevant work-related education, training and development.

5. Providing worksite transportation, mobility and street-safety skills training.

Limitations

Services before Jan. 11, 2021

People who received prevocational services, including through day training and habilitation (DT&H), before Jan. 11, 2021, can continue to receive prevocational services.

Services on or after Jan. 11, 2021

People who are new to prevocational services on or after Jan. 11, 2021, can receive prevocational services for three years (i.e., 36 months).

It is possible for a person to receive prevocational services beyond three years. A person may receive services for an additional year (i.e., 12 months) if they experience:

Non-covered services

Prevocational services do not cover:

The lead agency must document in the person’s file that prevocational services are not available through programs funded by Section 110 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or IDEA.

Prevocational services are not ICF/DD services during the day.

Remote support

Prevocational services can be delivered through remote support. Services delivered through remote support must meet all the requirements listed on CBSM – Remote support.

Location of services

Prevocational services are delivered in provider-controlled facilities and businesses, including:

Setting connected to an institution

The lead agency cannot authorize prevocational services for people on BI, CAC, CADI and DD waivers who reside in a living setting adjoined to or on the same property as one of the following:

Collocated settings

When a single provider leases or owns more than one service setting located on the same or adjoining property, the lead agency can only authorize services in one of the settings. A service setting includes a setting used to deliver any of the following services:

Collocated setting exceptions

Setting status: The provider maintains ownership/control of the setting, and the 2017/2018 HCBS attestation/validation process determined HCBS setting compliance. In this situation:

Setting status: There was a sale or transfer of ownership to a new provider, and the 2017/2018 HCBS attestation/validation process determined HCBS setting compliance. In this situation:

Secondary information

Wage and benefit compensation must be compliant with all applicable federal laws and regulations, as well as state statutes and rules.

Waiver funds are used to reimburse providers’ billing claims for providing assistive services and supports to people with disabilities. Waiver funds cannot be used as capital to:

Provider standards and qualifications

Prevocational services are DHS enrollment-required services. For more information, refer to CBSM – Waiver/AC provider enrollment and standards.

License requirement

Prevocational services providers must have a license under Minn. Stat. Chapter 245D as an intensive support services provider.

Background study

To provide prevocational services, providers must have a background study. For more information, refer to CBSM – Waiver/AC service provider overview – Required DHS background studies for direct-contact services.

Reporting

Providers licensed under 245D must report all uses of controlled procedures, emergency use of manual restraint and prohibited procedures according to Minn. Stat. §245D.06, subd. 5 to DHS via the Behavioral Intervention Report Form, DHS-5148.

Authorization, rates and billing

Prevocational services are framework services. The lead agency uses the Rate Management System (RMS) to determine rates. For more information, refer to CBSM – RMS and Long-Term Services and Supports Service Rate Limits, DHS-3945 (PDF).

Prevocational services staff supervision and service support ratios must comply with Minn. Stat. §256B.4914, subd. 2 (f)(l)(m)(n).