Customers of DVR
Does the Council really understand perspectives of current and former customers?
Every DVR customer’s experience is unique. The Washington State Rehabilitation Council endeavors to understand the perspectives of customers. In some ways this understanding is supported by our structure.
- The federal law requires that 51% of our membership be comprised of people with disabilities;
- Three membership positions are reserved for customer representatives;
- The Council’s Executive Director is a former recipient of services from the Washington State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Does the WSRC want input from customers?
Absolutely. In fact, we are federally mandated to garner information about customer satisfaction with DVR services. We do this by:
- Initiating survey efforts;
- Evaluating data collected from DVR internal customer surveys;
- Seeking public comment at our quarterly meetings;
- Comments are also welcome by phone, email, or snail mail.
What does the WSRC do with the comment it receives?
- In 2009, the Council began providing a quarterly summary of Customer Feedback to the local office nearest our quarterly meeting location;
- Feedback is also highlighted in our quarterly newsletter, The Rehab Council Connection;
- If feedback illuminates a systemic issue, we follow up with DVR’s senior leadership to spur further dialogue, mutual understanding and resolution.
What are some examples of the impact of WSRC’s policy partnership with DVR?
- An increased timeline for requesting fair hearings;
- A formalized opportunity for DVR staff and senior leadership to listen to customer concerns on a regular basis;
- Bringing a broader perspective to the dialogue about DVR services than it would otherwise have;
- The WSRC supports DVR to increase communication with customers;
- The WSRC supports its members who represent a range of stakeholder groups to bring back the latest information about DVR services to the interests they represent;
- The WSRC promotes accountability by tracking and asking questions about performance data.
What influence does the WSRC have on the way that DVR does business?
- The Council has a federally mandated policy partnership with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation;
- The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation is required to submit a document called the State Plan to the Rehabilitation Services Administration. The Rehabilitation Services Administration allocates the majority of DVR’s funding and monitors its performance. The Council contributes a section of this plan that specifies the recommendations and input we have given to DVR. DVR is required to explain what they did as a consequence of those recommendations;
- DVR field staff and senior leadership are represented on our Council. We have an ongoing dialogue with the division about policy issues and systemic trends.
Is the WSRC an independent body?
- No, the Rehabilitation Act requires that DVR negotiate a resource plan with the Council each year to assure that we are appropriately funded to pursue our federal mandates;
- Our staff is employed by the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, however they are supervised by the Council Chair;
- If the Council were not affiliated with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, our access to program and performance data would likely be harder to come by because of confidentiality agreements that the Division has with its customers.
Does the Council address individual case issues?
- No. While we empathize with customer concerns, our role is to look at the relationship between individual case concerns and larger systemic issues impacting service delivery;
- Council members and staff are happy to assist customers in seeking resolution on individual case concerns by putting them in touch with DVR’s Customer Relations Manager, the Client Assistance Program, or the Supervisor at the local office where his or her case is being held;
