State vocational rehabilitation services (VR)

The Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services awarded $11.184 million to the Department of Human Services South Dakota on October 1, 2025, under the Rehabilitation Services Vocational Rehabilitation Grants to States program (CFDA 84.126) for the period October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. The award funds employment-focused vocational rehabilitation services including vocational assessments, career counseling, job training, and workplace accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Performance occurs in Pierre, South Dakota. The Department of Human Services functions as the state administering agency for the formula grant, distributing federal funds to subordinate Area Agencies on Aging, nonprofit organizations, and community-based service providers as required by Rehabilitation Act frameworks. The program requires the state to operate comprehensive, coordinated, and accountable programs of vocational rehabilitation consistent with an approved VR services portion of South Dakota's Unified or Combined State Plan under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.