ARTICLE 10B. VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION FACILITIES.

§18-10B-1. Definitions.

As used in this article:

(1) "Vocational rehabilitation facility" means a facility which is operated for the primary purpose of providing vocational rehabilitation services to, or gainful employment for, handicapped individuals, or, for providing evaluation and work adjustment services for disadvantaged individuals, and which provides singly or in combination one or more of the following services for handicapped individuals: (a) Comprehensive rehabilitation services which shall include, under one management, medical, psychological, social, and vocational services; (b) testing, fitting, or training in the use of prosthetic and orthopedic devices; (c) provocational conditioning or recreational therapy; (d) physical and occupational therapy; (e) therapy for speech and hearing pathology; (f) psychological and social services; (g) evaluation; (h) personal and work adjustment; (i) vocational training (in combination with other rehabilitation services); (j) evaluation or control of special disabilities; and (k) extended employment for the severely handicapped who cannot be readily absorbed in the competitive labor market; but all medical and related health services must be prescribed by, or under the formal supervision of, persons licensed to practice medicine or surgery in the state.

(2) "Workshop" means a particular type of vocational rehabilitation facility where any manufacture or handiwork is carried on and which is operated by a public agency or by a private corporation or association, no part of the net earnings of which inures or may lawfully inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, or by a cooperative, for the primary purpose of providing remunerative employment to disabled persons (a) as an interim step in the rehabilitation process for those who cannot be readily absorbed in the competitive labor market; or (b) during such time as employment opportunities for them in the competitive labor market do not exist; or (c) for providing vocational evaluation and work adjustment services for disadvantaged persons.

(3) "Cooperative" means an association, or membership corporation, whose membership is limited to disabled individuals and which is organized and operated on a cooperative basis for the exclusive benefit of its members and, by its charter or bylaws, is required to divide any profits, realized from the operation of workshops operated by it and not reinvested in such workshops, among its disabled members actually working therein.

(4) "Nonprofit institution" means a corporation or association no part of the net earnings of which inures, or may lawfully inure, to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

(5) "State board,""division," and "director" shall have the same meaning as in article ten-a of this code.

§18-10B-2. Establishment of state vocational rehabilitation facilities.

The state board, through the division, is authorized and empowered to establish, operate, and maintain vocational rehabilitation facilities: Provided, That to establish vocational rehabilitation facilities includes the acquisition by purchase, lease, gift, or otherwise, of necessary lands, and the construction, expansion, remodeling, or alteration and equipment of necessary buildings; or, for any particular facility, the making of contracts and agreements with any state, county, or municipal agency, or nonprofit institution providing for the equipment, operation or maintenance by the state board, through the division, of any facility of such agency or institution in accordance with, and for the purpose of this article: Provided further, That notwithstanding any other provisions of law, the state board, through the division, shall, itself, properly operate, maintain, repair, and manage and control the fiscal affairs of vocational rehabilitation facilities established pursuant to this section: Provided further, That the state board, through the division, is authorized and empowered to make and enter into all contracts and agreements necessary and incidental to the performance of its powers and duties under this section, in connection with which it is also authorized and empowered to cooperate with other agencies of the state.

§18-10B-2a. Advance payment to facilities.

Notwithstanding section ten, article three, chapter twelve of this code, the director of the division of vocational rehabilitation is authorized to make advance payments to public and private nonprofit sheltered workshops when it has been determined by the director after serious consideration to be necessary for the initiation or continuation of such workshops. Such advance payments shall be for a period no greater than ninety days in advance of rendition or continuation of rehabilitation services provided by the public or private nonprofit sheltered workshop.

§18-10B-3. Establishment of local vocational rehabilitation facilities.

Counties and municipalities in accordance with rules, regulations and standards made and adopted by the director, individually or jointly with any one or more such counties or municipalities are authorized and empowered to establish, operate, and maintain necessary vocational rehabilitation facilities for disabled persons: Provided, That to establish vocational rehabilitation facilities includes the acquisition by purchase, lease, gift, or otherwise, of necessary lands, and the construction, expansion, remodeling, or alteration and equipment of necessary buildings.

§18-10B-4. Rules and regulations.

The director shall make and adopt rules, regulations, and standards for the establishment, operation and maintenance, government and control of vocational rehabilitation facilities established pursuant to this article, including such rules, regulations and standards as may be necessary for cooperation under and compliance with any existing or future federal statutes pertaining to grants-in-aid for vocational rehabilitation facilities.

§18-10B-5. Cooperation with federal government in vocational rehabilitation facility program.

The state board, through the division, is hereby designated the sole state agency to cooperate with the federal government in any federal program relating to the establishment, operation and maintenance of vocational rehabilitation facilities; and is hereby authorized and empowered to adopt and supervise the administration of such a statewide plan, or such statewide plans, for the establishment of vocational rehabilitation facility or workshop programs as may be necessary to comply with the requirements and conditions of federal law with respect to federal grants-in-aid for such purposes.

§18-10B-6. Cooperation with state department of health.

The state board, through the division, and the state department of health shall cooperate to assure coordination of the vocational rehabilitation facility program under this article with the hospital construction program provided for under chapter sixteen, article one, section fourteen of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended.

§18-10B-7. Personnel.

The director shall appoint in accordance with chapter eighteen, article ten-a, section five of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all personnel he deems necessary for the efficient and economical operation and maintenance of vocational rehabilitation facilities established, operated and maintained pursuant to section two of this article.

§18-10B-8. Advisory committee.

There shall be an advisory committee of not less than five and not more than ten members to serve as advisors and consultants to the director of the division. The committee shall meet at least twice each year and at the call of the director of the division. The members of the committee shall annually elect one of its members to serve as chairman.

The advisory committee shall be appointed by the director, by and with the advice and consent of the state board, and shall include among its members representatives of state and nongovernmental agencies concerned with the establishment, operation or utilization of vocational rehabilitation services and facilities, and at least one of the members shall be a person well versed in problems related to employment of the disabled.

The members shall serve for five-year terms, or until replaced, except that in the first year one fifth of the members shall be named for a one-year term, one fifth for a two-year term, one fifth for a three-year term, one fifth for a four-year term, and one fifth for a five-year term. Thereafter each member shall be appointed for five years or until his successor is appointed. In the case of a vacancy the appointee shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term.

Members of the advisory committee shall be eligible to succeed themselves. Members of the advisory committee shall serve without compensation but shall be entitled to reimbursement for all reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of the duties of their office.

§18-10B-9. Contracts for supplying goods and services; remuneration to client; vocational rehabilitation industries account.

Whereas, it is considered to be an essential part of any complete rehabilitation program to provide remunerative employment to severely handicapped or blind persons in order to prepare them to take their place in the competitive labor market, the division is hereby authorized to:

(a) Enter into contracts with any person, firm, corporation or association for the provision of goods and services by the division;

(b) Provide remuneration to the clients of the division from the proceeds of said contracts based upon standards established by the director of the division: Provided, however, That said clients so paid shall in no way be considered employees of the state for any purpose whatsoever. To effectuate the provisions of this section, there is hereby created a special revolving account in the office of the State Treasurer designated "vocational rehabilitation industries account." All moneys collected by the division from the sale or disposition of articles, products manufactured, and services provided by the clients of the division in accordance with the provisions of this article shall be deposited in said special account, and shall be used solely for the purchase of manufacturing supplies, equipment, machinery and materials used to carry out the purposes of this article, as well as for the payment of remuneration to the clients of the division who are utilized in the manufacture of said products or articles. The division may deposit into said account an initial amount which the director determines necessary to establish the program herein authorized and may deposit additional amounts in said account as from time to time may become necessary to continue said program. All funds so deposited shall be from moneys appropriated therefor, or which are made available by the federal government or other sources for such purposes.

§18-10B-10. Authorized rental of State Vocational Rehabilitation facilities.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, the Director may allow school groups and other youth or civic organizations or groups to use state vocational rehabilitation facilities and shall charge and collect a reasonable rent for the facilities: Provided, That all such rental revenue shall be used exclusively to defray the cost, maintenance and repair or replacement of the vocational rehabilitation facilities.