Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Council Annual Report: Fiscal Year 2006

PaRC Standards of Expectations

Revised

• If you are interested in becoming a PaRC member please review the standards below that members have developed.

Active Participation:

In order to fulfill its federal requirements, the Rehabilitation Council must have active participation by its members. Active participation is defined as:

• Attend all four (4) of the scheduled full Council meetings in any fiscal year. Severe weather and personal emergencies are understandable exceptions.
• Participate on at least one standing committee or ad-hoc committee during the fiscal year.
• Respond to action items during or between Council meetings. Examples may include, but are not limited to:
  • Review of support documents for meeting action items.
  • Review and return of surveys, draft documents, etc. when requested.
• Attend Office of Vocational Rehabilitation public meetings, State Board meetings, Consumer Advisory Committee meetings, etc. when feasible.

Represent the Rehabilitation Council in Meeting and Work Groups:

Although members represent diverse constituencies and points of view, it is important for the Rehabilitation Council to speak as a single entity in meetings and work groups. The Council recognizes that individuals may also wish to convey additional opinions or information during discussions. In order to assure consistency without restricting members actions, the following guidelines were adopted on April 14, 1999:

If a Rehabilitation Council member is serving on a rehabilitation related work group, committee or is giving testimony as a designated and official spokesperson of Council, the following guidelines will apply:

• The Council member shall state that s/he is representing the Rehabilitation Council.
• The Council member shall state the Council's official position on the subject being discussed if one exists or is known. If the Council's official position is unknown or has not been developed, the Council representative shall indicate that s/he will request the Council's office to forward the position or ask the Council to review the subject and render an official position if one is needed.
• The Council member may have a different, personal opinion on the subject being discussed. If this is so, the Council member should state that it is a personal opinion and not the official position of PA-Rehabilitation Council.
• The Council member shall not commit financial support and/or other resources of the Council to any non-RC committee, workgroup, function, etc., without the previous authorization of PA-Rehabilitation Council.
• In order to receive reimbursement for expenses occurred while acting as a designated Council spokesperson, the member shall follow established procedures for obtaining reimbursement.

These objectives are meant solely to improve and expedite the accomplishments of the Rehabilitation Council, so as to better the lives of persons with disabilities. Your cooperation and time are appreciated.

If you are interested in becoming a member and can meet the expectations, please complete the Appointment Request Form (o view and print the form, you will need Adobe® Acrobat® Reader software) and return to: Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Council Office, 1902 Market Street, Camp Hill PA 17011

When the Appointment Request Form has been received in the office the PaRC members will review. If recommended, the paperwork will be forwarded to the Governor's Office. The Governor appoints all members.