OAR 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.