18- 389 C.M.R. ch. 8, § 6
The purpose of the Special Appointment and Supported Employment Programs is to provide persons with severe disabilities increased access to positions in the classified service. Persons who are selected for these programs will be matched to job classifications that they have the potential to learn and appointed to these classifications on an acting capacity basis for a trial employment period. The trial employment period will be in lieu of the established examination. Participants will be provided support services and training on an as needed basis during the trial employment period, and those who satisfactorily complete this alternative examination will be transferred from acting appointment to Civil Service appointment status.
Participants in the Special Appointment Program will be appointed to standard State of Maine job classifications and will be required to meet the minimum qualification requirements for these classifications. Participants must be certified by a qualified vocational rehabilitation professional to have the capability to attain or exceed the entrance-level productivity requirement of the classification used for their employment.
Participants in the Special Appointment Program will require less support and training during the trial employment period than participants in the Supported Employment Program and, with only few exceptions, support services will not be needed once the trial employment period is completed.
Participants in the Supported Employment Program will be appointed to special job classifications that will be established for the specific purpose of this program. A special pay scale will be established for each Supported Employment classification. Participants must be certified by a qualified vocational rehabilitation professional to have the capability to attain an acceptable level of productivity for the special classification used for their employment. Participants in the Supported Employment Program will require more support, and support for a longer period, than is needed for participants in the Special Appointment Program. Some participants may require support and/or training throughout their employment.
Persons who are selected to participate in the Special Appointment and Supported Employment Programs will be appointed on an acting capacity basis for a trial employment period. Normally, the trial employment period will not exceed one year.
Acting Capacity appointments for the Special Appointment and Supported Employment Programs may be extended beyond the normal one-year period when the final evaluation indicates that the participant has not quite attained a level of job productivity that is acceptable by the appointing authority but is expected to reach this level of productivity within a reasonable extension period. The length of the extension will be the joint decision of those providing support services, the appointing authority and the Director of Human Resources.
The following conditions shall be required for each acting appointment to the Special Appointment and Supported Employment Programs:
Participants in the Special Appointment and Supported Employment Programs will be provided ongoing or as-needed support services during the trial employment period to guide them toward their maximum productivity level. The need and extent of support services that are provided during the trial employment period will be decided by a qualified professional or a team of qualified professionals. Examples of support services include counseling, job coaching and on-the-job instruction. Decisions with respect to the support services that are needed will be made at time of appointment and at regular intervals during the trial employment period. Support services for participants in the Supported Employment Program will be continued after transfer to Civil Service status for as long as these services are needed.
The performance of participants shall be evaluated 30 days after the initial acting capacity appointment, with additional evaluations at 90 days, 180 days, 270 days and the end of the appointment year. If participants are appointed to their positions with Civil Service status prior to any of these review dates, the remaining review dates will be voided and the standard probationary review process will apply.
Participants who attain the level of productivity that is acceptable for their program type will be transferred from acting appointment to Civil Service appointment status as soon as this level of productivity is reached. The transfer to Civil Service appointment status may occur at any time during the trial employment period. Each transition to Civil Service appointment status must be supported by a written performance evaluation that states that the level of productivity that has been attained is acceptable by the appointing authority. Participants who are transferred to Civil Service appointment status will be required to serve a six-month probationary period, starting with the date that the Civil Service appointment is made. This six-month probationary period may be extended up to a maximum of one year.
The participant's acting appointment will be terminated and a Civil Service appointment will not be made if the participant is unable to attain a level of productivity that is acceptable by the appointing authority.
18- 389 C.M.R. ch. 8, § 6