John* contacted DRLA and was referred to our Client Assistance Program (CAP) for assistance in resolving his issues with Louisiana Rehabilitation Services (LRS). He receives SSI and SSDI monthly disability benefits and resides in a transitional sober living house. He requested assistance in getting LRS to have a new LRS counselor assigned to his case, to replace his tools that were stolen out of his vehicle, and to get a new individual plan for employment (IPE) developed to include the field of construction industry as his employment goal.
DRLA’s CAP Client Advocate gathered additional information regarding the matters, provided John with a release and retainer to sign and date, and began the process of resolving his issues by contacting the LRS Regional Manager that covered the town he resided in. During the course of providing assistance, additional issues arose which resulted in LRS closing his case for failure to maintain contact, failure to provide additional documentation regarding the replacement of the stolen tools, and the submission of responses to written questions asked by LRS of the potential employer.
John contacted his CAP Client Advocate about the letter he received and they contacted the assigned LRS Regional Manager, along with the counselor, to request an administrative review to discuss the matter. The CAP Client Advocate was able to prove that LRS wrongfully closed his case and that he had hand-delivered the documents LRS requested on the last day of the deadline.
Since John is determined to work, his CAP Client Advocate referred him to another DRLA program that helps people with disabilities in the field of employment, the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program, for assistance in determining the amount of monthly wages he could earn without his benefits being affected.
As a result of the CAP program’s assistance, LRS immediately reopened his case, a new IPE containing the employment goal of working in the construction industry was developed, approved, and implemented. John’s stolen tools were replaced, and he is now successfully employed in the construction field and is doing very well.
