There are a lot of check boxes and drop down boxes on the CaseNote entry screen and it can be a little confusing. Here is a handy guide to help you pick the right options and make our data as accurate as possible.

Service Date

Service Date is just like it sounds, it Is the date that you provided the service that you are describing in the case note regardless of when you are entering the case note.

Author

That’s you. Pretty easy, but please do take a second to choose the right option. Choosing the wrong option can cause errors in reports and make the people creating and using those reports grumpy, so a little extra care can make a big difference.

Client Contacted check box

If you spoke with a client, either by phone or in person, please check this check box. This means the client, not the parent, teacher, guardian, grandmother, cousin twice removed, cat, employer, teacher, para-educator, or baby brother. Even if the client is not their own legal guardian, they are our client and keeping in contact with our clients is crucial. Text messages and emails don’t count.

IL Code drop down

This is used for IL, but not VR, so leaving it blank or choosing V when working with a VR client are both acceptable.

Note Type

• Do not choose any of the options that start with MSG if you are not a rehab counselor recording a measurable skill gain.
• Most instructors will only use Orientation, VR Teaching, a technology option, based on what you teach, or general for everything else.
• Once again, please take a second to make sure you are choosing the right option.

3 Sections of Checkboxes

There are 3 headings (level 2) in the middle of the page. These headings are:

• VR Pre-Plan Service
• VR Services Provided
• Training Provided

The first section is for services that can be provided regardless of whether or not a person has an open case. They are mostly there for authorizations. The only time you would ever need to use them is if there are no items in the second section (VR Services Provided)

The third section, “Training Provided”, is primarily used for IL statistics. If you are working with an IL client, you want to make sure to use these boxes rather than the VR Services Provided section.

How To Use the VR Services Provided Checkboxes

The checkboxes in this section are important because they are used in our federal reporting to show that we provided a particular service to a client in that quarter. We also report on VR and IL services provided to the public in our quarterly board packets. A number of these checkboxes relate to services provided by counselors or purchased, but some of these are almost exclusively provided by you all. So it is very important that you check the box when you provide the service.

Several VR service types overlap and are very similar. You might be providing more than one service during a service visit. It is important to check all services provided.

For example, if you went out to a client’s house and taught cane travel, gave the person a slate and stylus, and taught them how to use the slate and stylus, you would want to check both “Disability Related Skills Training” (for the cane travel lesson) and “Rehabilitation Technology” because you provided the rehab technology equipment (the slate and stylus) and provided training on the rehab tech device. The next visit, if you are continuing to work on writing on the slate, it might seem more logical to consider that “Disability Related Skills Training.” Obviously since there is overlap in the descriptions, you aren’t expected to get it “perfect” every time. Use your best judgement and ask your supervisor if a really unusual situation occurs. Here are the descriptions that RSA provides in their federal reporting directions and some more examples to help clarify.

Disability Related Skills Training

What RSA says:

Disability-related augmentative skills training includes but is not limited to: orientation and mobility; rehabilitation teaching; training in the use of low vision aids; Braille; speech reading; sign language; and cognitive training/retraining.

Common Examples:

• a cane travel lesson
• a braille lesson
• teaching a client how to do something with VoiceOver or TalkBack on their phone

Job Readiness Training

What RSA says:

Training provided to prepare an individual for work (e.g., work behaviors, getting to work on time, dress and grooming, increasing productivity, etc.).

Common examples:

• talking about appropriate social interactions and behaviors
• talking about time management and keeping appointments
• talking about how to discuss blindness in a job interview

Rehabilitation Technology

What RSA says:

Rehabilitation technology (34 CFR 361.5(c)(45)) means the systematic application of technologies, engineering methodologies, or scientific principles to meet the needs of, and address the barriers confronted by, individuals with disabilities in areas that include education, rehabilitation, employment, transportation, independent living, recreation, home and vehicular modification, other assistive devices including, but not limited to hearing aids, low vision aids and wheelchairs. This includes the hardware portion of neuroprosthetic devices, such as cochlear implants, visual prosthetics, and motor prosthetic devices, but does not include medical and surgical procedures required for implantation of neuroprosthetic devices which should be coded as diagnosis and treatment of impairments.

Rehabilitation technology includes rehabilitation engineering, assistive technology devices, and assistive technology services. The term includes the following:

• a) Rehabilitation Engineering Services are the systematic application of engineering sciences to design, develop, test, evaluate, apply, and distribute technological solutions to problems confronted by VR individuals in functional areas such as mobility, communications, hearing, vision, and cognition, and in activities associated with employment, independent living, education, and integration into the community.

• b) Assistive Technology Devices are any items, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a VR customer.

• c) Assistive Technology Services (34 CFR 361.5(c)(6)) are any services that directly assist an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. Services may include:

• the evaluation of the needs of an individual, including a functional evaluation of the individual in his/her customary environment;

• purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition by an individual of an assistive technology device;

• selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing assistive technology devices;

• coordinating and using other therapies, interventions, or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs;

• training or providing technical assistance for an individual or, if appropriate, the family members, guardians, advocates, or authorized representatives of the individual; and

• training or providing technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education and rehabilitation services), employers, or others who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of individuals with disabilities, to the extent that training or technical assistance is necessary to the achievement of an employment outcome.

Common examples

• installing NVDA or JAWS on a computer
• Completing a technology skill assessment
• Teaching someone to use JAWS or NVDA
• providing loaner pool equipment
• getting quotes for a braille display
• Providing someone a Perkins braillewriter or slate and stylus

Pre-ETS Services

Remember, these services can ONLY be used with folks who are eligible for Pre-ET services. The good news is that if they aren’t eligible, you won’t see these options.

Pre-ETS Instruction In Self-Advocacy

Instruction in self-advocacy (including instruction in person-centered planning), which may include peer mentoring (including peer mentoring from individuals with disabilities working in competitive integrated employment).

Common examples

• talking about how to talk to professors or employers about blindness
• taking Pre-ETS clients to conventions

Pre-ETS Workplace Readiness

Workplace readiness training to develop social skills and independent living;

Common Examples:

• teaching Pre-ETS clients to do laundry, pay bills, take the bus, sign up for classes, prepare meals, vacuum, keep track of medications or appointments, etc.
• working with Pre-ETS clients on appropriate behaviors, social interactions, hand shake, etc.
• working on travel skills to get to classes or work independently (including the basic skills that lead up to the ultimate goal)

Case Note Text Tips

• If you are a screen reader user, the edit box is a nightmare. It is best to type up the note in Word or another word processor and paste it in. Do please remember to spell check.
• In deciding what to put in a case note, imagine that you were kidnapped by aliens and someone else had to continue working with this client. What would it be important for them to know about what happened, what plans you and the client have made for moving forward, any specific concerns or strategies that worked well, etc.?
• Remember, if it isn’t case noted, it didn’t happen. As important as it is for staff to talk to each other about shared clients in order to provide better and more timely services, we are all really busy. Case notes are a very useful communication tool. This is why you are expected to have your case notes in the system no later than five working days after the service date.