32 Miss. Code. R. 10-1-1.3
MDRS provides applicants and eligible individuals or, as appropriate, their representatives with opportunities to exercise informed choice throughout the VR process, including choosing a specific employment outcome, VR services, service providers, service provision, and methods for procuring services. 10
To enable an individual to make such decisions, OVR/OVRB/OBD provides, through appropriate modes of communication, the information, support and assistance needed by the individual.
Information and assistance in the selection of services and service providers must include, at a minimum: 11
* Cost, accessibility, and duration of potential services;
* Consumer satisfaction with those services to the extent that information relating to consumer satisfaction is available;
* Qualifications of potential service providers;
* Types of services offered by potential providers;
* Degree to which services are provided in integrated settings; and
* Outcomes achieved by individuals working with service providers, to the extent that information is available.
Specifically, OVR/OVRB/OBD ensures that the individual, or if appropriate, the individual through his or her representative, including students/youth with disabilities who are transitioning from school to work:
* Makes decisions related to the assessment process and to selection of the employment outcome and the settings in which employment occurs, VR services, service providers, the settings for service provision, and the methods for procuring services;
* Has a range of options from which to make these decisions or, to the extent possible, the opportunity to create new options that will meet the individual's specific rehabilitation needs;
* Has access to sufficient information about the consequences of various options;
* Has skills for evaluating the information and for making decisions, or, to the extent possible, the opportunity to develop such skills or support and assistance in carrying out these functions;
* Makes decisions in ways that reflect the individual's strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, and career interests; and
* Takes personal responsibility, to the extent possible, for implementing the chosen options.
However, informed choice does not mean unlimited choice. An individual's choice must be:
* Related to and necessary to achieve his/her employment goal;
* Cost effective, and
* Made pursuant to federal, state, and OVR/OVRB/OBD rules relating to purchasing and providing services.
While individuals are primarily responsible for making and carrying out decisions regarding their VR/VRB cases, they must also understand, those choices must be agreed to by their VR/VRB counselor.
32 Miss. Code. R. 10-1-1.3