By Ruth Brown, Idaho Reports 

More than 3,000 Idahoans with disabilities await vocational rehabilitation services from the state, though the agency’s interim administrator reported this week that they are making progress in addressing financial issues that have plagued the agency in recent months. 

The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation’s mission is to prepare individuals with disabilities for employment and career opportunities while meeting the needs of the employer. They use counselors or job training and education to partner people with jobs and help them maintain employment with a disability. The division serves both adults and high school students nearing graduation.  

But recently, the division has struggled financially. 

Former Administrator Jane Donnellan resigned in May 2024  after budgeting issues came to light during the legislative session.  The division had been paying for more services than its budget could cover. This year, the legislature appropriated an additional $10 million from federal funds and $4.4 million from the state general fund. 

The Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation has been under an order of selection since September. That means people who were not currently receiving services are placed on a waitlist. The order of selection prioritizes services for customers with the most significant disabilities. 

During a July 22 meeting, interim administrator Judy Taylor told the Idaho State Rehabilitation Council that when she first started, the division was facing “a dire financial cliff” but that they are working to get the permission of Rehabilitation Services Administration to take people off the waitlist.  

Voc Rehab’s Stakeholder Relations Manager MiKayla Monaghan said that they hope to serve waitlisted individuals with the most significant disabilities this year.  

“So, with order of selection, how it works is the VR program cannot say ‘we’re not going to provide X service or Y service because of lack of funds,’” Monaghan said. “If someone needs a service, we are federally obligated to provide that service at the level that’s necessary for them to meet their employment goal. And so, that means that everybody that’s in plan with us, whatever services that they’re going to need to meet their vocational outcome that we’re required to provide those services.” 

That means the division puts people in “delayed status” or waitlisted until resources become available.  

Pulling people off the waitlist is a complicated process. Applicants are sorted into three categories: Most significantly disabled, significantly disabled and disabled. 

“And so, it’s first and foremost that it’s the most significantly disabled category that has to be pulled off the wait list first,” Monaghan said. “And then, it’s secondary then by date of application.” 

The agency must be able to pull everyone who applied on the same date, or wait until they have the resources to pull everyone from that date.  

“Because otherwise it isn’t equitable,” Monaghan explained. “We’d be just randomly picking and choosing.” 

Since the division’s financial issues came to light last year, the number of monthly applications for services has gone down. In January 2024, the division received 652 applications. In June 2025, they received only 165. Presenters from the division told the council that people with less significant disabilities are starting to seek services elsewhere. 

Working on the waitlist has brought some hope back to the division, Monaghan said.  

“Because we all are here because we want to help people and we want to help people be successful in employment,” Monaghan said. “And so it’s been really challenging to be an employee that your heart is in helping people and then knowing that you have people on a wait list. And so that’s been really challenging. But I think it’s provided a lot of hope for me, for others I’ve talked to, since we shared that message that we’re moving in the right direction.” 

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