Transcript Legal Update - Welcome to IPMA-HR | IPMA-HR

Disability Employment Initiatives in
Montgomery County, Maryland
“Inclusive workforce training, employment, and career opportunities”
Presenters:
Joe Adler
Director
Melissa Voight Davis
Manager, Recruitment & Selection
Office of Human Resources
Montgomery County Government
Rockville, Maryland
September 23, 2014
ipma-hr.org
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Disability Employment Initiatives in
Montgomery County, Maryland
“Inclusive workforce training, employment, and career opportunities”
P re s en t at i on O vervi ew
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A Better Bottom Line – Video
Montgomery County Government & Office of
Human Resources
Montgomery County Population
Innovations facilitated by the Office of Human
Resources
Project SEARCH-Montgomery – Video
Questions/Discussion
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Innovate & Achieve Possibilities
for Persons with Disabilities in Your
Organization, Your Community
A Better Bottom Line
Video Presentation
Web link:
HTTP://VIMEO.COM/USER20906694/REVIEW/10527
2814/C7453ED549
ipma-hr.org
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I. Montgomery County Organization Chart
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Montgomery County Government
A mission-based public service agency that
delivers:
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Responsive and accountable public services
Affordable housing in an inclusive community
An effective and efficient transportation network
A strong and vibrant economy
Children prepared to live and learn
Healthy and sustainable communities
Safe streets and secure neighborhoods
Vital living for all county residents
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Montgomery County Population
People QuickFacts
Montgomery County
Maryland
Population, 2013 estimate
1,016,677
5,928,814
Population, 2010 (April 1) estimate base
971,777
5,773,623
Population, % change
April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013
4.6%
2.7%
Population, 2010
971,777
5,773,552
Persons under 5 years, % 2013
6.5%
6.2%
Persons under 18 years, % 2013
23.6%
22.7%
Persons 65 years and over, % 2013
13.3%
13.4%
Female persons, percent, 2013
51.8%
51.5%
SOURCE: US Census Bureau State & County QuickFacts. Last Revised: July 8, 2014
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Montgomery County Government
Fiscal Year 2015 Operating Budget:
 $ 4.9 billion
Organized into 32 Executive Branch Departments
 Three Employee Unions
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MCGEO (Municipal and County Government Employee
Organization)
IAAF (International Association of Fire Fighters)
FOP (Fraternal Order of Police)
A workforce of 9,035 (Full Time) employees hired
under competitive merit employment system
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II. Montgomery County Government
Office of Human Resources
Vision Statement
 Montgomery County Office of Human Resources staff work
to be the best organization delivering quality Human
Resource Services
Mission Statement
 The Office of Human Resources staff attract, develop, and
retain a high performing, well qualified, and diverse
workforce
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National Statistics on Disabled Persons*
 In 2010, about 56.7 million (18.7%) of the 303.9
million civilian non institutionalized population had
a disability
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About 38.3 million (12.6%) had a severe disability
 4 in 10 individuals, aged 21 to 64 with a disability
were employed (41.1 %)
 8 in 10 individuals aged 21 to 64 without disabilities
were employed (79.1%)
SOURCE: Americans With Disabilities: 2010, July 2012. U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau
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Montgomery County Disabled Individuals
.
Civilian
Non-Institutionalized
Population
With A Disability
With No Disability
Estimate
Estimate
Estimate
774,176
68,261
705,915
Employed
68.0%
26.3%
72.0%
Not In Labor
Force
27.1%
68.5%
23.1%
Population Age
16 & Over
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. American FactFinder, 2010-2012 American Community Survey 3-Year
Estimates
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Initiatives Facilitated by Office of Human Resources
Serving Persons with Disabilities
Intern Programs
 Customized Employment Public Intern Project (May 2007)
 QUEST (October 2009)
 Project SEARCH (September 2012)
Policy Initiatives
 Hiring Preference (July 2010)
 Noncompetitive Hiring (June 2013)
 Dedicated staff person for Targeted Special Recruitment (July 2013)
Human Resources Management Enhancement
 Hiring Initiative Registration for Employment Database (HIRED)
(August 2014)
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How Were County Initiatives Implemented
Executive Branch Commitment
 Commitment and Leadership from County Executive
Partnership & Collaboration
 County Commission for People with Disabilities
 County Commission for Veterans Affairs
Legislative Branch Commitment
County General Election Approval for Charter
Amendment
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How Were County Initiatives Implemented [continued-2]
Legislative Branch Commitment
 2010 County Council legislation approval to provide a hiring
preference to veterans and people with disabilities who apply to
initial position with Montgomery County
Charter Amendment for Noncompetitive Hiring
Authority
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No provision for non-competitive hiring under merit system
Advocacy efforts joined by County Commission on People with
Disabilities and Commission for Veteran’s Affairs
In 2011, Charter Review Commission did not approve action for
amendment needed to approve the noncompetitive hiring authority
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How Were County Initiatives Implemented [continued-2]
• In 2012, County Executive recommended, and the County Council voted
9 to 0 to add the question of the County Noncompetitive Hiring Authority
in the general election ballot
• Outcome of Nov. 6, 2012 County voter election resulted in a 4 to 1 support
and approval to grant the Noncompetitive Hiring Authority similar to the
Federal Schedule A hiring practice
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Personnel Hiring Accomplished
 Hiring Preference
 Non-Competitive Hiring
Workforce Outcomes
Veterans hired
120
Non competitive hired
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Persons with disability hired
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Veterans with disability hired
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Total Hired*
154
* 1/1/2011 – 9/23/2014
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Customized Employment
Public Intern Project
Program/Employment Eligibility
Person with a significant disability; Minimum age of 18 years of age; Proof of disability
Employment Status/Duration – Based on Department needs
 Temporary position with no benefits, sick time, or vacation accrued
 Flexible work schedule; can work 2 – 18/hours/week based on department need and
availability of employee
 Work duration of 900 hours in a 12 month period, not to exceed 2 years from
employment start date
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Department Position Creation
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Department & County Liaison (CL) conduct position work requirements
Department & CL determine job specifications for a shared, segmented, or new position
and availability of suitable work accommodations to accommodate varying range of skill
levels
 Job task list (position description) developed to include location accessibility, work
hours, and position transition requirements to accommodate person with
disabilities
Funding
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Interns paid $8.15/hour
County Fund Allocation: $150,000 for Fiscal Year 2015
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QUEST
(Quality, Understanding, Excellence, Success and Training)
Program/Employment Eligibility
 Resident of Montgomery County
 Certification by Department of Rehabilitation Services (DORS)
Employment Status/Duration
 Internships can begin at any time during the year.
 Intern may complete a maximum of 2 internship rotations
 Full-time Intern (40/hrs/wk) for 3 months, or Part-time Intern (20/hrs/wk) for up
to 6 months
Department Position Creation
 OHR and Department staff identify special projects eligible internship placements
 Department Intern Request Information Form completed/submitted to DORS
Coordinator
 DORS conducts recruitment for internship; recommends interns for Department
screening, selection & intern assignments
Funding
 DORS provides intern stipends for travel expenses & meal allowance ($10/meal)
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Project SEARCH
Program/Employment Eligibility
 On the job skills internship training program for young adults with intellectual
and developmental disabilities
 Recent high school graduates and young adults between 18 and 24
 Collaborative partnership with Ivymount School, Community Resource
Providers, DORS, DDA
Employment Status/Duration
 One year Intern Status for the September to June based academic school year
 Up to three 10 week, intensive worksite internships supported by SEEC’s job
coaches
Department Internship Creation
 Project SEARCH Montgomery job developer and Montgomery County
Business Liaison, & County Department representatives identify and develop
intern placements for total immersion job training assignments
Funding
• Unpaid Internship placements
• County fund allocation: $70,000 Fiscal Year 2015
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Amy’s Project Search Success Story
 Project SEARCH Intern with Montgomery County
Homestead Property Tax Credit Program
 Amy researched & identified over
4,858 out of compliance accounts
 Based on Amy’s research work,
action taken to recoup approximately
$2 million revenue
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Montgomery County Project SEARCH
Project SEARCH Montgomery
Video Presentation
Web Link: http://youtu.be/NZaujVzjj5o
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Hiring Preference
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Applicant applying for a Hiring Preference must be considered for
initial appointment to vacant position before others are considered
This does not guarantee the candidate will be selected for
appointment, reassignment, or promotion
1. All Hiring Preference candidates are interviewed before any other candidate
on the Eligible List
2. If Hiring Manager elects not to select candidate with Hiring Preference, he/she
must provide HR Director written justification why the Hiring Preference
candidate can not perform duties of position before they can proceed to
interview other candidates
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A Hiring Preference/Noncompetitive Hiring Database was created to
document and track all Hiring Preference and Noncompetitive Hiring
data, and to inform County Council members, the press, the disability
community, and others about individuals hired based on county
initiatives for persons with disabilities, veterans with disabilities, and
military veterans
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Non-Competitive Hiring Policy
OHR Director may noncompetitively appoint a qualified
person to a County merit position if individual:
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Has a severe developmental, physical, psychiatric disability within
meaning of disability criteria used by Federal Office of Personnel
Management for noncompetitive appointment to Federal merit system
positions under the special hiring authority
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Has been certified by Maryland Department of Education Division of
Rehabilitation Services or an equivalent out-of-state vocational
rehabilitation agency as meeting the definition of disability contained
above based upon medical evidence
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Meets minimum requirements for the position and is able to perform
essential functions of job with, or without, reasonable accommodation
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Passes background check and physical examination if required for
position
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Noncompetitive Hiring
OHR Director may noncompetitively appoint
individual to a County merit position:
 For seamless and expeditious transition of Customized Employment
Program, QUEST, or Project SEARCH Intern into permanent merit system
position without advertising the position
 To fill a position designated by OHR Director as appropriate for
noncompetitive appointment of persons with severe disabilities without
advertising the position
 When a department director holds the competitive process in abeyance and
noncompetitively appoints an applicant with a severe disability when the
merit position has been advertised competitively and a qualified disabled
applicant who meets the eligibility requirements applies for the position
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H I R E D Database
Hiring Initiative Registration for Employment Database
HIRED is Montgomery County’s database designed for applicants
who meet the eligibility requirements and are interested for
consideration for the non-competitive hiring process
HIRED will:
 Streamline the online job application process for the non-
competitive hiring process
 Expedite review of job applicants by the Targeted Recruitment
Specialist (TRS) to identify qualified candidates from persons
with disabilities
 Help TRS and Hiring Managers fill job vacancies with
qualified persons with disabilities under the Noncompetitive
Hiring Policy
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Questions?
Contact:
- Joseph Adler, Director
[email protected]
240-777-5010
- Melissa Voight Davis, Manager
[email protected]
240-777-5071
- Karen Hochberg, Targeted Recruitment Specialist
[email protected]
240-777-5091
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Supplemental Information
 Customized Employment Public Intern Project
 QUEST Program
 Project SEARCH- Montgomery
 Hiring Preference Requirements
 Noncompetitive Hiring
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Customized Employment
Public Intern Project
 As employer, county recognizes individuals with disabilities can qualify
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for county positions but have difficulty competing for traditional jobs in
government
Created Customized Public Intern Project to help persons with
significant disabilities who face difficulty applying for county staff jobs
County established the initiative to create flexible work opportunities
for persons with disabilities
County departments work with a customized employment career
specialist to identify and create part-time position based on work needs.
Individuals with disabilities are matched to work tasks based on their
interests, skills, competencies
Goal is that job experience and training will help interns compete for
County merit positions and at other places of employment
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QUEST
(Quality, Understanding, Excellence, Success and Training)
 Partnership with Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services
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(DORS) that provide mentoring services for persons with
disabilities through internship training and job experience
Internships placements are voluntary
Internship placements may be full-time or part-time, may be
extended beyond the three-month period
Participants paid a stipend to cover basic living expenses.
Interns receive valuable training and on-the-job experience
Many successful QUEST interns advance to obtain public and
private sectors employment
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Project SEARCH-Montgomery
 Allows for up to three ten-week unpaid internships to
learn job specific skills
 One year total immersion program that facilitates a
seamless combination of classroom instruction,
career exploration, and hands-on training through
worksite rotations
 Classroom instruction focuses on both hard and soft
employment skills
 There are over 500 Project SEARCH program sites
nationwide
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Project SEARCH [continued]
County Program Year 1
 13 work sites identified including administrative,
clerical, hands on physical work in county
departments and with county contractors
County Program Year 2
 11 sites identified including administrative, clerical,
information technology, hands on physical work with
county departments and with county contractors
County Program Year 3
 Actively developing partnerships with sister agencies
including Community College, other jurisdictions
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Project SEARCH [continued]
County Project SEARCH Outcomes
Work Sites
Interns
Placed
Interns
Employed
School Year
2012 -2013
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11
8
School Year
2013 -2014
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11
6
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Hiring Preference Requirements
Priority Consideration for Initial Appointment to a County Merit System Position
Priority consideration given in the following order:
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A veteran with a disability
An equal preference for veteran without a disability and for person
with a disability
Requirements for a Veteran with a disability
 Must be rated & placed in the highest rating category on the eligible list
 Must be a veteran rated by the Department of Veterans Affairs with a
compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more
 Must have been honorably discharged from a branch of the United
States armed services
 Must not have used veteran’s credit to receive priority consideration for
appointment to a Montgomery County position
 Prior to appointment to a Merit System position, eligible veterans will
be required to submit a copy of DD214 form for verification of military
discharge information
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Hiring Preference [continued-2]
Priority Consideration for Initial Appointment to a County Merit System Position
Hiring Preference Requirement for a Veteran
without a disability
 Must be rated and placed in the highest rating category on the
eligible list
 Must have been honorably discharged from a branch of the
United States armed services
 Must not have used veteran’s credit to receive priority
consideration for an appointment to a Montgomery County
position
 Prior to appointment to a Merit System position, eligible
veterans will be required to submit a copy of DD214 form for
verification of military discharge information
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Hiring Preference [continued-3]
Priority Consideration for Initial Appointment to a County Merit System Position
Hiring Preference Requirements for a Person
with a Disability
 Must be rated and placed in the highest rating category on the eligible
list
 Must have a developmental disability, severe physical disability, or a
psychiatric disability within the meaning of 5 CFR 213.3102(u), the
criteria used by Federal Office of Personnel Management for
noncompetitive appointment to Federal merit system positions under
its special hiring authority, and
 Must be certified by the Maryland Department of Education Division of
Rehabilitation Services or equivalent out-of-state vocational
rehabilitation agency as meeting the above standard disability
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Hiring Preference [continued-4]
Priority Consideration for Initial Appointment to a County Merit System Position
 Applicants who wish to claim any of the above preferences for a Montgomery
County merit system position, must answer the Hiring Preference online
questions as part of their application. These questions can be found in the
Equal Employment Opportunity section (step 2) of the application process
 If they are placed on the highest rating category on the eligible list for positions
that they apply for, they will be contacted to obtain the required confirmation
documents. Information is available to applicants at
[email protected]
 Information provided is voluntary but must be provided in order to claim
employment preference
 This information will be kept confidential and will only be used during the
hiring process to apply employment preference and will not be used in
evaluating an applicant’s application
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Noncompetitive Hiring
A department director may noncompetitively
appoint an individual to a County merit position in
the following circumstances:
1.
2.
3.
For the seamless and expeditious transition of QUEST, Project
SEARCH, and Customized Employment Interns into permanent
merit system positions without advertising the position
To fill a position designated by the OHR Director as appropriate for
the noncompetitive appointment of persons with severe disabilities
without advertising the position, or
Where a merit position has been advertised competitively and a
qualified applicant who meets the eligibility requirements applies for
the position, a department director may hold the competitive process
in abeyance and noncompetitively appoint the applicant with a severe
disability
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Noncompetitive Hiring [continued-2]
A department director may noncompetitively
appoint a qualified person to a County Merit position
if the individual:
1.
Has a severe developmental, physical, or psychiatric disability within
the meaning of 5 C.F.R. 213.3102(u), the criteria for disability used by
the Federal Office of Personnel Management for noncompetitive
appointment to Federal merit system positions under its special
hiring authority
2. Has been certified by the Maryland Department of Education Division
of Rehabilitation Services or by an equivalent out-of-state vocational
rehabilitation agency as meeting the definition of disability contained
in (1) above based upon medical evidence
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Noncompetitive Hiring [continued-3]
3.
Meets the minimum requirements for the position and is able to
perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable
accommodation
4.
Passes a background check, if required for the position
5. Passes a physical examination, if required for the position
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