Skip to main content

Oregon State Flag An official website of the State of Oregon »

Oregon Department of Human Services Search Site

Vocational Rehabilitation Client Services

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) can help if you have a disability that makes it hard to find or keep a job. 

We work with your interests and skills to help you be successful at work. This page explains how the program works and how to get services. If you have questions, contact your local VR office.

Please note, VR has a waitlist for services. 

Find a VR office Learn more about the waitlist Watch our program video

We work with most people who have a disability that makes it hard to get or keep a job. We also work with young people with disabilities age 14 to 24 who want help getting ready to work. 

A counselor will work with you to make sure you are eligible for VR services.

VR is for people who:

  • Have a physical, developmental or mental disability that makes it hard to get or keep a job
  • Need help looking for a job or things like training or tools so you are ready to work​​
  • Are able to legally work in the United States

Some examples include people with learning disabilities, loss of vision or hearing, ​back injuries and mental health conditions.

You will get a counselor who will spend time getting to know you and what kind of job you want. They will learn about your di​sability and how it makes it hard for you to work.

​Your counselor will help you set goals, make a plan and give you the services you need to be successful. 

You can get help with things like:

  • Getting ready for job interviews
  • Job search, training and transportation
  • Special equipment for your disability
  • Understanding how work may impact other benefits 

See the frequently asked questions below to read more about VR services and the steps to​ get services.

After you contact us about getting VR services, our team will schedule an intake meeting with you. In this mee​ting, a VR counselor may review medical or psychological records or ask you to participate in an assessment. During your intake, the counselor will also ask you about how your disability affects you in the following areas:

  1. Mobility: Your ability to move around in your environment and get to and from work.
  2. Communication: Your ability to communicate with others and express yourself.
  3. Self-care: Your ability to take care of your daily needs.
  4. Self-direction: Your ability to follow directions at work.
  5. Interpersonal skills: Your ability to interact with others at work.
  6. Work tolerance: Your ability to carry out assigned job duties.
  7. Work skills: Your ability to learn skills required for a job.

We’ll use the information you shared with us in your intake meeting to determine your eligibility. Within 60 days of that meeting, we will mail or email you a letter. The letter will tell you if you’re eligible. We put new applicants who are eligible​ on a waitlist for services​.

If you need services for a ​high school student, find more information on ​the VR Youth Services page.

​Questions? Read the frequently asked questions below, or call your local VR office. ​

Frequently asked questions

VR has different types of services that help people with disabilities get what they need to find or keep a job. We will work with you to decide which services are the best fit for you and your job goals.

Here are some examples of services you can get:

  • Personal assessment to help you know your strengths, capabilities, work skills and interests. This helps you choose a job goal and what VR services you need to reach that goal.
  • Counseling and guidance to help you make good decisions about how to reach your goals.
  • Independent living services to help you understand and deal with the disability issues that make it difficult for you to work. This includes things like training in self-care, managing your money and using public transportation.
  • Assistive technology to help you with communication or work tasks by using devices like hearing aids, visual aids or special computer software. You can explore with your counselor how technology might help you reach your employment potential or get a device you need to go to work.
  • Training and college programs to help you get the work skills you need to reach your job goals.
  • Access to a career coach to help you navigate community college through the Inclusive Career Advancement Program. 
  • Employment services to help you look for a job. Some examples are:​
    • ​Help to complete job application forms
    • Writing a resume
    • Practicing interview skills
    • Identifying job opportunities
    • Help to keep your new job
    • Getting the disability accommodations you need

  1. ​To get started, call or visit the VR office closest to you. We will ask you for basic information like your name, address and phone number. We will also help you schedule an intake meeting.
  2. Attend an intake meeting and apply. A counselor will meet with you for about an hour to learn about you, your disability and how it causes work problems. The counselor will also help you complete the application form and get the documents we need to make sure you qualify for services.
  3. Find out if you are eligible for VR. Sometimes a counselor can tell right away if you are eligible. Other times, it can take up to 60 days or longer if we need medical records or need an evaluation by a doctor. If you are eligible, you will be moved to the waitlist​.
  4. Identify your job goal and the services you need. Once you are released from the waitlist, your local VR office will call you to set up an appointment with your VR counselor. ​You and your counselor will choose a job goal that makes sense for your disability and the job openings available. We will help you find your talents and interests, search for jobs and decide what services you need.
  5. Write a plan. You need to make a written plan so you can get the services you need. Your counselor can help you. We call this your Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE). It describes the steps you will take to meet your job goal.
  6. Complete the IPE. Once you and your counselor agree on your plan, you can start getting the services in your plan.
  7. Job search and getting a job. After you complete the services in your plan, you'll start looking for a job until you get one. Your counselor may help you with this, or refer you to other service providers in the community who can help you reach your job goal.
  8. Follow up and closing your case. Your counselor will check how you are doing for the first 90 days after you get a job. If everything is going well, we will close your case at that time.

Yes, there is currently a ​waitlist to receive VR services

​Yes. You get to make choices when you work with VR.

  • You choose the job goal that fits your interests, talents, needs and values.​
  • You choose how much help you want.
  • You choose the services you need and who provides most services.
  • You help decide how long you will be in the program.

How VR helps you make choices

Our staff gives you the information to feel confident when you face each choice. Think of us as your career consultants.

Early on, you and your counselor talk about the work problems caused by your disability. We call these your “barriers to employment." Knowing your work problems helps you and your counselor decide on steps to overcome them. It also helps you figure out what services you need to reach your job goal.

You and your counselor share responsibility for your choices. 

Guidelines for making choices

  • ​Making choices does n​ot mean you can have anything you want. Your choices must make sense. They must give good value for their cost. And they must help you reach your job goal.
  • The job goal you choose must also make sense.​
    • Can you do the work?
    • Are people needed to fill this job where you want to live?
  • ​You choose services because you need them, not just because you want them.

​Your rights

  • To be treated politely, professionally and with respect by VR staff.
  • To find out if you qualify for our services within 60 days after you apply. You can agree to give us more time if we need it.
  • To have your records, phone calls ​and letters kept private. Sometimes, VR may need to share some information without telling you. Ask your counselor about this.
  • To get the information you need to make choices.
  • To write your own plan for getting a job. You can review your plan with your counselor at least once each year to make changes.
  • To get free help from the Client Assistance Program (CAP). This program is separate from VR and can help you if you disagree with your counselor or services.
  • To appeal any VR decisions or actions that you don't agree with. See our Problems and Complaints page for options.

Your responsibilities

  • To treat VR staff politely and with respect.
  • To get the information you need to write and follow through with your employment plan.
  • To pay what you can for the parts of your program that cost money.
  • To apply for and use other sources of money to pay for what you need. For example, you might apply for a Pell grant to go to school. Or you might use health insurance for medical care. Your counselor will help you with this.
  • To follow through with the services you choose as best you can.
  • To meet with your counselor regularly, especially if problems come up that affect your plan.
  • To go to work after completing your program.

If you have a problem or disagree with a decision about your VR services, start by talking to your counselor or VR branch manager. You can solve most problems that way.​

If you need more help, visit our Problems and Complaints page for information about your options.

V​R partners with service providers who can help you reach your job goal. These services come with a cost. Depending on your family's income, you may need to pay for all or some of the cost of these services. For information, see our Cost of Services handout​.


Resources

Many people with disabilities worry that if they go to work, they will lose all their federal and state benefits or their medical insurance. But that's usually not the case.

Oregon has free benefits counseling to help you understand how going to work might affect your benefits. Certified counselors help you ​make informed decision​s that are right for you.

See also:

People who are blind or deaf-blind can get VR services through the Oreg​on Commission for the Blind.

Young people with disabilities who want help getting ready to work can​ visit our Youth Services Page

  • The Oregon Department​ of Human Services has programs to help older adults and people who receive food or cash benefits find a job. See our Get Help Finding a Job page.
  • WorkSource Oregon has one-stop career centers around the state.
  • The Oregon Employment Department is also a resource for job seekers.
  • People receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for a disability or blindness automatically qualify for the federal Ticket to Work program. You can receive employment services through a designated Employment Network Provider.