Training Opportunities & Information Updates

From the Kentucky Supported Employment Training Project
January 28^th, 2025

Information Updates

SETP is growing!

We introduced the new members of our SETP team earlier this month in the newsletter. Please let us know if you or your agency have questions or if you could use individual training around supported employment services. You can find contact information for all SETP staff here. You can also reply to this email with questions.

2025 Social Security Changes

We have posted the new SSI and SSDI Fact Sheets on our webpage. Scroll down to the SSI/SSDI Fact Sheets heading. You can find additional updated resources just below. You can find the 2025 Social Security Fact Sheet here.

OVR Documentation & Rate Changes to Supported Employment

On October 1st, OVR implemented new rates and rate structures for supported employment in Kentucky. You can find the new documentation, instructions, and flow of service documents on the SETP website Materials page. Click on Traditional or IPS for the services you provide. Check out our Traditional Supported Employment flyer and IPS Supported Employment flyer for an overview of the sequence of service, with hyperlinks.

Training Opportunities

Supported Employment: The Nuts & Bolts of the Work

First Thursday of the Month: February – June 2025, 10:00 – 11:30 am ET
Presented by the Supported Employment Training Project
Katie Wolf Whaley and Zac Sappenfield will present a 5-part webinar series digging into practical tips for offering quality supported employment services. Topics include:

Logistics & Tools – February 6
Discovery – March 6
Job Development – April 3
On the Job: SE Services & Extended Supports – May 1
Big Picture: Values and Disability Rights as part of our work – June 5

Register for the Nuts & Bolts of the Work series. Sessions will be recorded and made available afterward.

Kentucky Disability Benefits 101 Lunch & Learn

5^th Friday of the month in 2025: 12:30 – 1:00 pm ET (next one is Jan. 31)
Q&A to follow from 1:00 – 1:30 pm ET
An ongoing chance to learn how to use Kentucky DB 101 to show the positive financial impact of employment while still maintaining a person’s eligibility for Medicaid or Medicare.
Find out more and register for any & all of the Lunch & Learns in 2025

Key Interactive Process Strategies

February 13, 3:00 – 4:00 pm ET
Presented as part of the Job Accommodation Network’s webcast series
Learn more and register. Note: the live event on 2/14 is full, but you can still register for the recorded event.

Supported Employment (SE) Core Training Series

The Supported Employment Core Training Series is required of all new Employment Specialists but is open to anyone wanting a refresher. It continues to be virtual and free of charge.
Note: We have added optional Roundtable discussions to the series. These provide additional time for Core Training attendees to meet in smaller groups, ask questions, and have conversations about the phases of SE service and support.
Register for the Supported Employment Core Training Series

Resources

Kentucky is an Employment First state.

It is the policy of the Commonwealth of Kentucky that competitive integrated employment in the community shall be considered the first and primary option for persons with disabilities of working age who desire to become employed. Learn more and find resources to share:

Share this infographic about Employment First
Employment First Episode on the State of HDI Podcast (under 10 min listen)
Employment First video with overview and resources on employment supports (11 min)
Learn more about Kentucky’s Employment First Council

How to Get Help Finding a Job

How to Get Help Finding a Job. Share this flyer with people looking to go to work and not sure where to start.

Universal Employment Competencies

In 2019, the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) updated the Universal Employment Competencies. This is a useful tool for understanding best practices in our field, measuring how your agency lines up, using it as a tool in employee reviews, and more.

Impact of Wages on Benefits

Disability Benefits 101 – Kentucky
SETP’s Benefits Fact Sheets and additional resources (scroll to bottom 2 headings)

Job Accommodation Network (JAN)

How to Describe Supported Employment Services

OVR & Supported Employment in Kentucky

Plain Language

Think College and AUCD developed a plain language flyer explaining the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 and Competitive Integrative Employment (CIE). Check out the WIOA flyer in plain language.

Employment Files

The Employment Files YouTube channel has lots of stories to share! This can be a useful tool in helping job seekers, family members, or other support staff think about employment possibilities.
Employment Files YouTube video series.

Short Videos about OVR, Supported Employment, and Pre-ETS

Are you looking for ways to share information about OVR, Supported Employment, and Pre-ETS with those not familiar with the agency or supports? The Human Development Institute (HDI) and OVR have partnered to create 3 short videos:

Transportation

If you’re looking for transportation options, check out resources from HDI’s Transportation Initiative.

ADA

ADALive! is a free monthly show/podcast broadcast nationally about the Americans with Disabilities Act. Moderated by the Southeast ADA Center.
Questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act? Call the Southeast ADA Center at 1-800-949-4232 for expert guidance.

Questions?

Please don’t hesitate to reach out! The Supported Employment Training Project is here to offer training and technical assistance to providers across Kentucky. We are available to bring trainings to your agency and for individual conversations. Contact Katie Wolf Whaley at kwolf@uky.edu (or reply to this email).

With our expanded team, we look forward to offering more events and to having the ability to meet one-on-one with agencies and Employment Specialists. Let us know how we can help and support you in this work.

Thank you for all you do to move Employment First forward and help people find successful employment.

Katie