By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports 

The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation outlined its budgeting plans on Tuesday to the Idaho State Rehabilitation Advisory Council, with interim administrator Judy Taylor saying she was hopeful the division would not have to request a supplemental for Fiscal Year 2025 but acknowledging it may be necessary. 

Former Administrator Jane Donnellan resigned earlier this summer amid the budgeting crisis.  Taylor, director for the Idaho Commission on Aging, is filling in as interim administrator for Voc Rehab and helped field questions on Tuesday. She began her presentation with some history on the agency’s budget. 

In fiscal year 2022, Vocational Rehabilitation authorized $10.19 million in spending, out of an appropriated budget of $11.4 million. Taylor said that tight of a budget should have been a wake-up call. 

In fiscal year 2023, Vocational Rehabilitation authorized $12.96 million in spending, but had only been appropriated $11.4 million by the Idaho Legislature.  

In fiscal year 2024, Vocational Rehabilitation authorized $15.993 million in spending, but only had an appropriation of $11.782 million for services. They served 5,464 people that year.  

Voc Rehab did not get a supplemental budget for FY 2024, and instead is using FY 2025 funds to pay what they owed. 

As of Friday, the agency had authorized spending $7.7 million of its fiscal year 2025 budget. The agency only has a $10.9 million appropriation for FY 2025. 

Taylor said the agency is doing everything it can, including canceling travel plans and leaving positions vacant, to potentially use personnel funds for other expenditures. 

“I have every confidence we’re going to get out of this situation,” Taylor told the Council.  

She said by December they would know more about whether a supplemental request would be needed.  She did not anticipate asking for budget increases in fiscal year 2026. 

“We didn’t get into this position over night, we can’t expect to get out of it in a single fiscal year,” Taylor told the group.  

By fiscal year 2027, she hopes the financial situation would stabilize, allowing the agency to ask for more than just a maintenance budget. 

Implementing the order of selection process is already in the works at the division. Order of selection means the agency may not be able to serve all disabled people who request help. So, the agency has chosen to prioritize people with the most significant disabilities, and others will be placed on a waitlist for services. 

All people who are eligible for Social Security or who are already receiving services will continue to receive services. Those on a waitlist will also receive referrals to other resources. 

Darrell Quist, chief of field services for Voc Rehab, explained the agency is changing its intake process. Currently, each person in need starts with a counselor. Under order of selection, trained vocational rehabilitation assistants will gather customers’ medical information, applications and needed information to then pass it on to a team of five people who decide if the person is eligible for services. 

Council members asked questions about how the agency would fairly determine who is eligible and who will continue to serve clients in rural areas. Agency staff said they plan to continue to serve people in their local areas as much as possible.  

At the next meeting, the Council plans to further discuss priorities for future services and what kind of services Vocational Rehabilitation should focus on moving forward.  

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