STEPS
IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS
STEP 1.
Complete the Application,Financial and Accreditation Agreements ( together here as a LibreOffice document or here as a Microsoft Office document ) and return them to RSAS by postal mail along with your REGISTRATION fee of $750. The amount of your annual fee is based on the documented amount of revenue received from the State Vocational Rehabilitation, County, Federal and/or other funding agency during the previous 12 months. The fee is payable, beginning on the first of the month following the awarding of accreditation status, in 12 equal monthly installments or in lump sum, in lieu of a large, one time fee. Please refer to the Cost of Accreditation for fee schedule (contained in above referenced document).
If your agency does not yet have a full twelve months experience of working with clients referred by Federal, State, County and/or other funding agency, the initial annual fee will be established by consultation with RSAS.
STEP 2 ( if applicable )
Collect case results data for at least the past SIX months, where possible, using the Case Services Record Form (Or send electronically using our ECSRF process). This data should also be forwarded to RSAS as quickly as possible after sending in your application. (You will need to plan to continue to report performance data on a monthly basis from this point forward.) The data on clients served is necessary information for the accreditation review.
STEP 3.
Upon receipt of your completed Application and Financial and Accreditation Agreements, we will email you a copy of our recommended review process and the Accreditation Review Document ( the actual tool to be used during the review ). The Accreditation Review Document includes a copy of each standard that will be used to determine your accreditation status.
STEP 4.
When you have completed gathering documentation for all of the standards, and have identified those which do not apply to your particular situation, send the Accreditation Review Document, including copies of your documentation, to RSAS. If you have questions as you develop the written material, don't hesitate to call for clarification. We ask that you also call the RSAS office to schedule an appointment at this time.
STEP 5.
The documentation, when received by RSAS, will be reviewed to determine if your policies and procedures actually meet the intent of the RSAS standards.
STEP 6.
When the documentation review has been completed to the extent
possible
by RSAS, you will be contacted to set up a date for the on-site survey.
Because
of the preliminary review of documentation, the actual survey should
normally require approximately a day of your staff
time. RSAS staff will have prepared notes identifying our
interpretation of
your material, and indicate where there may be areas that are still
unclear.
There is nothing secret or subjective about the accreditation review,
and every
effort is made to establish and maintain open and clear communication.
The
on-site review is an excellent time for discussions of your staff’s
understanding of your funding agency's processes, inherent problems, and methods for more
effective relationships.
STEP 7.
The actual on-site survey will accomplish several objectives. RSAS will evaluate, with your staff, the degree to which written policies and procedures in such areas as safety are actually being implemented. Where there have been questions about written documentation, this will be the time to clarify the issues. If you have had some difficulty in selecting appropriate documentation to forward for our review, this can be completed during the on-site review. The survey will provide RSAS staff with personal verification of the accuracy of the documentation that has been submitted previously.
A sampling of client case records will be reviewed during the
survey. It
is desirable for CRP staff persons familiar with case record content to
be
available for this review. Since accreditation is relevant to the
entire staff,
it is helpful to have the opportunity to discuss rehabilitation
services with
those staff who are involved. The purpose of the record review will be
to
insure your thorough understanding of the vocational rehabilitation
process,
and to verify the accuracy of the data being reported. This is
especially
important, as it lays the foundation for the on-going reporting of
monthly
performance data.
A sampling of staff files will be inspected during the review to
demonstrate compliance with not only your policies and procedures, and
also with the federal, state and local regulation pertinent to the
provision of vocational services.
STEP 8.
You are also encouraged to request some of the funding agency counselors who have made referrals attend a portion of the on-site review for an in-depth discussion of participant services. Some of them may enjoy participating in the entire process to gain a better understanding of the accreditation system. It has been our experience that discussion between funding agency counselors, your staff, and RSAS can lead to better working relationships. This presents an opportunity for all concerned to explore the partnership needs without being distracted by the urgency of a specific rehabilitation plan.
STEP 9.
A report will be completed by RSAS explaining in detail how your agency complies with the standards detailed in the ARD, and your case performance level. If the Accreditation Agreement has not already been completed, we will insure that that document has been completed, and that there is a clear understanding of all obligations and responsibilities. If there has been substantial compliance with RSAS standards, a Certificate of Accreditation Award status will be postal mailed to you.
STEP 10.
If there are certain corrective actions to be taken, the report will address those issues, and confirm the dates by which the corrective action report(s) should be completed. Usually, these dates will have been mutually agreed upon during the review process.
A
copy of the final report will be shared with the
and the state / county agency staff
will be kept