Welcome to our Application process. It is our desire to make this process as transparent and painless as possible.
While we have drawn from our near three decades of experience in crafting this process, we also appreciate that our intent for ease and transparency in that goal may appear different to your fresh eyes.
If at any time during the process something doesn’t make sense to you or you think your situation is outside of the normal process, please do contact us by phone or email so that we can address your concern.
We appreciate the input of over 300 organizations in the creation of this process and look to you to assist in making it work better for new applicants.
Note: Any completed review ( post Step 8 below ) may result in 1 of 3 outcomes:
Full Accreditation Status ( for a period up to 3 years ) – resulting from the Service Provider demonstrating compliance with a overwhelming majority of the standards contained in the Accreditation Review Document, demonstrating a positive ongoing relationship with funding sources, and demonstrating practices that support quality vocational service outcomes for the participants of their programs.
Provisional Accreditation Status ( for a period from 45 days to one year ) – resulting from the Service Provider demonstrating substandard compliance with the standards contained in the Accreditation Review Document or not demonstrating a positive ongoing relationship with funding sources, or not demonstrating practices that support quality vocational service outcomes for the participants of their programs.
Denial of Accreditation Status – resulting from the Service Provider demonstrating substandard compliance with the standards contained in the Accreditation Review Document for the third consecutive review or not demonstrating a positive ongoing relationship with funding sources, or not demonstrating practices that support quality vocational service outcomes for the participants of their programs or any violation of the RSAS Accreditation or Financial Agreements.
Note: The reputation of our Service Providers regarding the quality of vocational services to the individuals they serve has been proven throughout our history. In keeping with that historical level of service, we do require all direct service staff be qualified to provide the vocational service of the Service Provider.
For initial applicants, the Staff Qualification Sheet referenced in Step 1 is vital for our initial and subsequent reviews. Defining qualifications has been an ongoing discussion among our Service Providers and RSAS.
Currently we require that, at a minimum, any Service Provider seeking Awards of Accreditation Status have direct service staff that have demonstrated competency in placement of individuals with disabilities into employment positions.
Towards that goal, and emphasized to new applicants, we require that Service Providers have at least 1 direct service staff person that has achieved 6 funding source verifiable placements lasting 90 days or more within the past year or 10 funding source verifiable placements lasting 90 days or more within the past 3 years
STEP 1
Complete the Application packet ( includes Accreditation Agreement, Financial Agreement and Staff Qualification Sheet { together here as a pdf document for Idaho or pdf document for Washington } ) and return the signed documents to RSAS by postal mail along with your registration fee of $900.
Note: We provide awards of accreditation status by geographic regions as determined by funding sources, so if you want to provide vocational services in more than one region, you will need to submit a separate application packet and registration fee for each region.
Idaho only – due to the dynamic nature of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation regional numbering system, we use the Department of Health & Welfare’s regions to maintain consistency of regional numbers of our Accreditation Review documents over time.
Please refer to this map to indicate which region(s) you will be providing services in and indicate it/them on the Application.
Note: The amount of your annual fee you indicate on the Financial Agreement is based on the documented amount of revenue received from the State Vocational Rehabilitation, County, Federal and/or other funding agency/individual during the previous 12 months. This fee is payable beginning the month following the awarding of accreditation status, in 12 equal monthly installments or in lump sums, in lieu of a large one time fee.
Please refer to the Cost of Accreditation for fee schedule (contained in above referenced Application packet).
STEP 2 ( applicable only for organizations currently providing vocational services )
Collect case results data for at least the past six months, where possible, using the Case Services Record Form You will need to plan to continue to report performance data on a monthly basis to us or, if approved, from a funding source report from this point forward. The data on participants served is necessary information for the accreditation review.
If your agency does not yet have a full twelve months experience of working with participants referred by Federal, State, County and/or other funding agency, the initial monthly fee will be the lowest one on the Cost of Accreditation page of the Application packet.
STEP 3
Upon our receipt of your Application packet documents, we will review the documents for required information and signatures.
If all documents are complete, we will email you a copy of our recommended review process and the Accreditation Review Document ( ARD ), the actual tool to be used during the review. The ARD includes a copy of each standard that will be used to determine your accreditation status.
If the documents are not complete, we will contact you and work together to arrive at the necessary information.
STEP 4
When you have completed gathering documentation for all of the standards, and have identified those which do not apply to your particular situation, send the Accreditation Review Document, including copies of your documentation, to RSAS. If you have questions as you develop the written material, don’t hesitate to call for clarification. We ask that you also contact the RSAS office to schedule an appointment for the date of the on-site portion of the review at this time.
STEP 5
The documentation, when received by RSAS, will be reviewed to determine if your policies and procedures actually meet the intent of the RSAS standards.
STEP 6
With all elements of the documentation reviewed, the next step is the on-site survey. Because of the preliminary review of documentation, the actual survey should normally require approximately a day of your staff time. RSAS staff will have prepared notes identifying our interpretation of your material, and indicate where there may be areas that are still unclear. There is nothing secret or subjective about the accreditation review, and every effort is made to establish and maintain open and clear communication. The on-site review is an excellent time for discussions of your staff’s understanding of your funding agency’s processes, inherent problems, and methods for more effective relationships.
STEP 7
The actual on-site survey will accomplish several objectives. RSAS will evaluate, with your staff, the degree to which written policies and procedures in the areas of administration, personnel, fiscal, health & safety and vocational services are actually being implemented. Where there have been questions about written documentation, this will be the time to clarify the issues. If you have had some difficulty in selecting appropriate documentation to forward for our review, this can be completed during the on-site review. The survey will provide RSAS staff with personal verification of the accuracy of the documentation that has been submitted previously.
A sampling of participant case records will be reviewed during the survey. It is desirable for CRP staff persons familiar with case record content to be available for this review. Since accreditation is relevant to the entire staff, it is helpful to have the opportunity to discuss rehabilitation services with those staff who are involved. The purpose of the record review will be to insure your thorough understanding of the vocational rehabilitation process, and to verify the accuracy of the data being reported. This is especially important, as it lays the foundation for the on-going reporting of monthly performance data.
A sampling of staff files will be inspected during the review to demonstrate compliance with not only your policies and procedures, and also with the federal, state and local regulation pertinent to the provision of vocational services.
STEP 8
You are also encouraged to request some of the funding agency counselors who have made referrals attend a portion of the on-site review for an in-depth discussion of participant services. Some of them may enjoy participating in the entire process to gain a better understanding of the accreditation system. It has been our experience that discussion between funding agency counselors, your staff, and RSAS can lead to better working relationships. This presents an opportunity for all concerned to explore the partnership needs without being distracted by the urgency of a specific rehabilitation plan.
STEP 9
A report will be completed by RSAS explaining in detail how your agency complies with the standards detailed in the ARD, and your case performance level. If the Accreditation Agreement has not already been completed, we will insure that that document has been completed, and that there is a clear understanding of all obligations and responsibilities. If there has been substantial compliance with RSAS standards, a Certificate of Accreditation Award status will be postal mailed to you.
STEP 10
If there are certain corrective actions to be taken, the report will address those issues, and confirm the dates by which the corrective action report(s) should be completed. Usually, these dates will have been mutually agreed upon during the review process.
A copy of the final report will be shared
with the funding agency
Funding agency and/or applicable
state / county agency staff
will be kept fully informed
of accreditation status at all times.