50 MAPE members impacted by layoffs at Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Some of Minnesota’s most vulnerable people may find it harder to access the career counseling services they need after recent layoffs at the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) will leave a gap in dedicated counselors for more than 2,000 participants.

“In late January, we found out in a public meeting for service providers that there was a $23.3 million shortfall and $10.3 million would be cut from salaries,” said Maureen Dunaway, MAPE Speaker of the Meet and Confer Chairs and DEED member. “VRS received one-time reallotment funds from the federal government that boosted the budget. The funding from Minnesota has remained flat.”

“We have had budget concerns for the past two years. The agency’s spending did not feel sustainable. They were hiring new people through this past summer until a hiring freeze was put in effect in the fall,” explained Dunaway. “The one-time money was not going to last forever; we just wish the decision-makers had a better plan in place so we would not be amid layoffs.”

On February 26 VRS staff, most of them in MAPE, opted for Early Retirement Incentive (ERI) and voluntary layoff options after being given two weeks to decide. Their last day was April 14. By the end of March, involuntary layoff letters were sent to 41 employees, including 28 from MAPE. Their final day will be April 30.

“This is going to cut into the services provided to the most vulnerable people in Minnesota. Fifty MAPE members are losing their jobs due to poor planning by higher-ups and our remaining staff, who already have large caseloads, gets even larger,” Dunaway continued. “The VRS Meet and Confer has been working to stay in communication with management throughout this process. They have done a great job despite the challenging situation and will continue to advocate for members whose workloads will not be sustainable.”

There is a bill in the Legislature to appropriate additional funds to VRS to cover the funding shortfall, SF 3032 authored by Senator Zaynab Mohamed (SD-63) and HF 2838 authored by Representative Kim Hicks (HD-25A). This would be in addition to the Governor's proposed funding increase of $5 million per year. MAPE members testified on April 2 during the Senate Committee hearing on Jobs and Economic Development in support of the bill. However, the proposed funding in the Senate Jobs omnibus finance bill allocates only $1 million per year, as there are still outstanding concerns regarding DEED's mismanagement of funds for the program that created the shortfall and layoffs. 

Chandra Petersen is a career counselor with VRS, has been in state service for 14 years and is a member of the MAPE VRS Meet and Confer. She is fluent in sign language and has a unique position serving deaf Minnesotans across Southern Minnesota.

“VRS provides employment counseling and services to support individuals with disabilities in obtaining or maintaining competitive integrated employment,” Petersen said.

She said from 2019 to 2023, VRS helped 9,492 Minnesotans with disabilities gain successful employment, many of whom secured jobs with sustainable income, allowing them to work off Social Security benefits.

“When an individual reaches their employment goals through our services, VRS gets reimbursed from the federal government for the services we provided. During the same period from 2019-2023, this reimbursement totaled $25.8 million, an amazing return on investment.”

MAPE member Sheenah Jewison also testified, saying, “I have dedicated the last 10 years of my career to supporting Minnesotans with disabilities achieve their full potential, a mission that is both rewarding and meaningful. However, due to the uncertainty surrounding the state budget for VRS, I had to make the difficult decision to leave my position. Without additional funds, participants will not get the services they need nor the quality they deserve. People with disabilities are already marginalized and VRS needs additional funding to ensure they can reach their full potential.”

Sen. Bobby Joe Champion (DFL-Minneapolis) then called upon Deven Bowdry, Government Relations Director at DEED, referencing the reallotment funds and asked, “So, it’s my understanding, and you can correct me if I’m wrong Mr. Bowdry, that there was one-time COVID dollars that were spent on permanent staff. Is that true or not true?”

Bowdry responded, “Yes, I do believe that is true.” More of Bowdry’s testimony can be heard here.

“We were disappointed in the short timeline members were given to make a hard decision about ERI and Article 17 is one of the more complex sections of our contract, so it does take a bit of explaining for people to understand,” explained Dunaway.

MAPE’s VRS Meet and Confer team held a training and provided answers to FAQs to help members understand their rights and continues to support workers left to do more with less in the aftermath.