Interested in Providing Supported Employment through OVR?

Supported Employment in Kentucky begins with the Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR). To provide SE, you must become a vendor with OVR as a Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP). The application process will require the following:

1. Vendor Application: This is a general application for doing business with OVR.
2. Vendor Agreement: Terms that approved vendors must sign and adhere to annually to continue providing services.
3. CRP Manual: Includes the attachments required for the Vendor Application and Agreement forms for the CRP application process.
4. Vendor Manual: Provides additional information on doing business with OVR.
5. Secretary of State’s Office: If based in Kentucky, vendors must be in good standing.
6. Kentucky Tax Registration: You must apply/register for a Sales and Use or a Consumer’s Use tax account. All vendors, whether out of state, for-profit, or non-profit, must hold an account with the Department of Revenue by statute.
7. A Vendor Self-Service (VSS) Account: Register for a VSS account once items 1-5 are complete. You’ll enter your financial information and receive your vendor number. You’ll need the vendor number during the final stages of the application process.

Vendor Application

• Check CRP Services on page 2.
• On page 3, no specific “certification or license” is required for Supported Employment.
• Check Supported Employment Services, then Traditional Supported Employment, on page 4.
• Individual Placement & Support (IPS) provision of service requires additional approvals from the Division of Behavioral Health.
• Customized Supported Employment requires the Employment Specialist to earn additional certifications.
• The other questions are specific to the provision of Supported Employment. If you are unfamiliar with this service, some new vendors have found it helpful to attend the Supported Employment Core Training Series before completing the application.

Vendor Agreement

You can complete everything but the vendor number (which will be provided upon approval).

CRP Manual

• Page 1 lists 13 items to be included in your application packet, along with the Vendor Application and the Vendor Agreement. Include all items on the list that apply to you.
• If you or your staff have previously provided Supported Employment, you can include redacted examples for item 13 (Samples of Agency Documentation). If you’ve never provided Supported Employment, you can note that you don’t yet have examples.
• Information for Supported Employment begins on page 5. You can focus on this section of the Supported Employment manual.
  • Page 5: Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE)
  • Page 6: University of Kentucky Human Development Institute (UK-HDI). This should take you to the Supported Employment Core Training Series page. All those providing any phase of Supported Employment must attend. The training is offered by UK-HDI’s Supported Employment Training Project. The training is free and held via Zoom.
  • Page 7: Competitive Integrative Employment (CIE) (scroll to item #9). Learn more about CIE.

Vendor Manual

You are applying to be a CRP. This manual refers you to the CRP Manual for a complete list of application materials.

Kentucky Tax Registration

• A vendor must have a Sales and Use (if the business sells products subject to Sales and Use tax) or a Consumer’s Use tax account (for vendors that do not sell products).
• To obtain the correct status, complete sections A, B, C, D (if applicable), and E (for Sales and Use) or H (for consumer use), then sign and submit to OVRVendors@ky.gov, or submit online as indicated.

Submit all application documents in a single email to OVRVendors@ky.gov. Upon final approval, you must submit the CRP Memorandum of Agreement before authorizations can be granted.

If you have questions about the provision of Supported Employment, please contact the Supported Employment Training Project Director, Katie Wolf Whaley, at kwolf@uky.edu or 859-218-5960. This information is shared as a courtesy by the Kentucky Supported Employment Training Project. Please direct all specific vendor questions to OVRVendors@ky.gov. Please note that the vendor application process is subject to change.