MADISON – Today, the Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) approved the Department of Workforce Development’s (DWD) Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) request for additional funding to end DVR’s waitlist for new participants with disabilities to receive individualized career services. The approval of DWD’s 13.10 request provides DVR with General Purpose Revenue in the amount of $600,000 in state fiscal year (SFY) 2026, and $6,400,000 in SFY 2027.

DVR administers the federal Rehabilitation Act program, under which it provides individualized services to eligible people with disabilities who want to work, offers training and technical assistance to employers regarding disability employment issues, and actively engages with roughly 19,000 individuals when there is sufficient funding to assist all eligible participants.

“Unfortunately, because the Legislature did not approve investments that were requested in the last state budget, the Department of Workforce Development has had a waitlist in effect for six months for Wisconsinites with disabilities to receive career services through DVR. While we’ve been able to support existing program participants, all new applicants have been forced to wait for services, leaving over 7,600 Wisconsinites with disabilities currently on the waitlist to receive career services,” said DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek.

“Today, we will be able to begin moving people off the waitlist. We’re grateful the Joint Committee on Finance recognized the critical role that our team plays in supporting Wisconsinites with disabilities to achieve their career goals, and approved this supplemental funding to ensure we can continue to carry out our mission to support all Wisconsinites with disabilities to engage in our state’s workforce.”

Governor Evers proposed sufficient funding for DVR in his last budget to avoid a waitlist and continue providing services for all Wisconsinites with disabilities who wanted to participate in vocational rehabilitation services through DWD. However, because of budget negotiations, funding fell short of what is needed to meet rising demand and increasing costs, forcing the implementation of a waitlist in December 2025. As of today, there are 7,610 consumers on the waitlist. In addition, approximately 1,000 new individuals are found eligible for services and added to the waitlist each month.

Starting today, DVR will begin activating individuals from the waitlist with a goal to eliminate the waitlist by June 30, 2027. DVR will first serve all individuals in Category 1, those with the most significant needs, on the waitlist. Then DVR will serve all individuals in Category 2, those with significant needs, and finally all other individuals in Category 3, until all individuals on the waitlist are served and new eligible individuals are not placed on a waitlist.

An individual’s waitlist category is based upon how the disability affects the ability to function within certain areas. DVR looks at seven areas to determine a waitlist category including mobility, communication, self-care, self-direction, interpersonal skills, work tolerance, and work skills.

“This is an incredible victory that will have an immediate benefit for individuals with disabilities who have been waiting for support from DVR, but we’re not out of the woods yet,” said Sec. Pechacek. “The funding approved by the Joint Committee on Finance will move us towards our goal to close the waitlist by the end of June 2027. That amount will not sustain our work in the next biennium. We look forward to working with our state legislators and the next governor to secure sufficient funding in 2028 and beyond to avoid the need to reactivate a waitlist in the future.”

DVR services are funded through a federal formula grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Agency (RSA). Federal law requires that the state of Wisconsin share in the cost of providing these services: Federal RSA funds 78.7% and the state must fund 21.3% of the program costs.