GVRA monthly newsletter, 2014 June

Transition May 2014
Georgia's Economic

Recovery & Growth MUST include
Employment for

At RWS

Citizens

with Disabilities GVRA is good for business.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

A new nonprofit has been establish Legislature, the University System

by Georgia Regents Health to

of Georgia Board of Regents, and

continue medical services at the

the Board of Directors of

hospitals at Roosevelt Warm

GRHealth.

Springs, marking the one of the final

steps in the transition of the

The hospitals' staff, or

hospitals from the Georgia

approximately 182 full- and

Vocational Rehabilitation Agency to part-time employees, will

GRHealth. The nonprofit is Roosevelt maintain their current positions in

Warm Springs Rehabilitation &

Warm Springs, Ga., but will

Specialty Hospitals.

become employees of the new non

-profit corporation.

GRHealth assumed management of

the rehabilitation and acute-care

All employees will be paid for

services at Roosevelt Warm Springs accrued annual leave prior to the

in June 2013, in conjunction with transition and new benefits will

GVRA.

become effective on the

individual's first day of

"This is a great, sustainable

employment with Roosevelt Warm

partnership," said GVRA Executive Springs Rehabilitation & Specialty

Director Greg Schmieg. "This allows Hospitals.

GVRA to continue our vocational

efforts at Warm Springs while at the "Our employees are what make us

same time ensuring that the quality so successful in our mission," said

care that the hospitals provide is

RWS Executive Director Bill

maintained for decades to come." Bulloch. "We appreciate the

service of the hospital staff and

The new entity will become

know that they will continue their

operational July 1, pending approval good work under GRHealth."

from Gov. Nathan Deal, the Georgia

Greg's Greetings

"Love What You Do"
It's hard for me not to write articles about the big picture kind of stuff. You know, the themes of what I consider important for our agency. I usually try to connect the theme to either the season of the year, or a particular challenge, or things that I hear around the state.
I also try to pick themes that inspire me, although I realize that sometimes I may be an audience of one. So this month, I could not find the right theme to do this article about...at least until Friday evening.
I was driving home Friday evening when Bill Bulloch at Roosevelt Warm Springs called me to tell me about a vocational student whom he was hiring to work at Warm Springs on Monday. Bill shared with me the horrific story of this young man's life and in spite of that, what a great young man he was. Then he told me about the young man's VR Counselor, and how hard she had worked to help this young man. Bill shared with me that he was so impressed with everything the VR Counselor had done, and in many cases, had gone way above and beyond on behalf of

this young man. Bill asked me if I would call the VR Counselor to express our thanks, which I did. So Friday evening, I spoke with the VR Counselor for about 15 minutes while she was on her way home.
We talked mostly about the young man, and she kept saying that's why she loves what she does. She thanked me for calling her, which was so ironic because she was the one who needed to be thanked.
I relate that story because when I hear stories like this one, I am reminded about the individuals out there who do their job because they just love it. I believe that there are a lot of you who do your job, just like the VR Counselor in my story, because you love it. It really has nothing to do with the budget situation, the challenges of a new agency, the lack of advancement and pay increases to some degree, none of that matters to you.
You simply do your job because you love what you do. So to that VR Counselor, and all the others out there today who do your job because you love it, I am truly grateful. Thank you.

Remembering Charles Ingram

Georgia Industries for the Blind employee Charles Ingram recently passed away, and all of GVRA mourn his passing.

"We are all is saddened by the loss of Charles Ingram. He was a joy to work with," said GIB Director Kevin Kelley. "Charles was truly concerned about GIB, his work and his co-workers. He was a great person and he will be missed."
Continued on page 8
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GIB Repped at Policy Forum

The 2014 National Industries for the Blind Luis was in the inaugural class of advocates

(NIB)/National Association for the

last year and this year presented

Employment of People Who Are Blind

Congressman Austin Scott with the

(NAEPB) included attendees from GIB and AbilityOne Champion Award.

GVRA. All activities surrounded this year's

theme: "Safeguarding Employment

The "advocates" for Leadership and

Opportunities for People Who Are Blind". Employment program targets qualified,

high-potential employees of NIB associated

The attendees included GIB's CEO Kevin agencies that are blind and interested in

Kelley, GIB's Public Relations Coordinator learning more about the public policy process

Luis Narimatsu and GVRA's External

and communicating the NIB message to

Affairs Director, Kevin Harris. During their legislators.

time, they participated in the NAEPB

board and business meetings, participated The advocates are selected through a

in the forums and panel discussions .

competitive process, have approval from their

agency CEO and serve a two-year term.

During their at the Capitol, they met with

members and key staff from Georgia's

They must be available to participate in

Congressional delegation. One of the

webinars and travel to Washington, DC . The

highlights of the forum included a

Advocates will be tasked with duties in

luncheon featuring keynote speaker Mara support of the public policy team and in

Liasson.

return will receive training and attend any

formal public policy event as a guest of NIB.

Mara is a political analyst for Fox News and

national political correspondent for

This program is a great opportunity for

National Public Radio (NPR) and provided employees to learn to be effective advocates

attendees with an assessment of the

and to enhance their communication and

current federal landscape and potential relationship building skills.

implications of the 2014 election cycle.

The employee's agency benefits by having a

Currently, 93 agencies associated with

trained advocate working on behalf of our

NIB, in addition to consumer groups and mission and working directly with the NIB

business partners, engage NAEPB to

Public Policy Team.

maximize opportunities for people who are DAS

blind.

This program is a win-win for the employee,

the agency, and our community at large.

During the activities, GIB's own Luis

Narimatsu was recognized as being an

inaugural member of the NIB Advocates.

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GIB Goes to DC
Top Left: Congressman Collins represents Northeast Georgia's 9th Congressional District. He serves on the House Committees of Judiciary, Foreign Affairs and Oversight & Government Reform. Bottom Left: Congressman Tom Graves represents Georgia's 14 Congressional District and serves as Chairman of Georgia's Republican Congressional Delegation. He was selected as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, with seats on the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies as well as the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittees. Top Right: Congressman Bishop serves Southwest Georgia, including GIB's Bainbridge corporate headquarters. He is an Appropriations Committee and serves as the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies. Bottom Right: Congressman Austin Scott represents Georgia's Eighth Congressional District. He serves on the important House Armed Service Committee, with subcommittee assignments on Military Personnel, Readiness, and Oversight & Investigation.
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BEP Graduates

Congratulations to the recent graduates of the Business Enterprise Program's (BEP) training program!
Zachary Thomas-Macon Heather Lopez-Augusta Regina Scott-Atlanta Ami Refoua-Valdosta Depalma Strong-Fort Valley
Having successfully completed 10 weeks of on-the-job training and coursework and having passed the Serve Safe Certification as well as an end of the year final exam, all of these applicants are now eligible for the BEP bid process for facility vacancies statewide.

Many thanks to the BEP Training staff, Elizabeth McGarey and Diane Dailey for all their hard work. BEP would also like to thank to all the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselors who worked to ensure these candidates had what they needed during their training. Kudos to Kim Wagner and Priscilla Peters-Ward.
BEP Blind Vendor Training Mentors who assited in the successful completion of these candidates include: Louise Pearson (IRS), Wayne High (GDOL), Bob Matuszak (CDC), Zach Snow (GVRA-#2) and Tim Richardson (RBR-Atlanta).
Job well done everyone!

Photos From State Employee

Appreciation Week

The week of May 4th marked state employee appreciation week for all Georgia employees.
Governor Deal signed a proclamation noting it as such, and GVRA and all its programs planned special events throughout the week.
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DAS Employee of the Month

The employee of the month for Disability Adjudication Services was submitted by Lisa Asher, Quality Assurance Unit Supervisor, in the category of Customer Service.
Although Alean Levine has been in the Quality Assurance Unit a relatively short time, she has progressed quickly. She quickly learned to provide clear and accurate feedback on case reviews. Alean is now relied upon to review returns from the quality review offices in the Social Security Administration. She works independently and has excellent analytical ability. Alean has submitted successful Request for Program Consultations (RPC) as well as informal rebuttals.

This has saved the agency both time and money by reducing unnecessary development costs. Alean always displays the most professional demeanor. She is ready and willing to consult with adjudicative staff and the Medical Support Unit to provide guidance and assist on claims that are more difficult. Alean often makes corrections on claims herself in order to relieve overburdened operations staff.
Alean consistently produces quality work while maintaining a high level of productivity.
For outstanding customer service to internal and external customers, I nominate Alean Levine as employee of the month.

Get Office Supplies from GIB

When ordering or restocking office supplies,

folders are available in both letter and legal

remember GIB produces an assortment of folders size.

and report covers at its Bainbridge and Albany

Plants. Certain styles are available in an

Purchase quality products at an affordable

assortment of colors; light blue, royal blue, light price! Contact Lesia Walker or Tina Boyett @ 1

green, moss green, earth red, deep red, and

-800-605-7260. So think twice when ordering

yellow. Styles range from a manilla folder with no your office supplies and support one of the

fasteners up to a 3 divider, 8 part, 3" capacity file agency's divisions.

folder and almost anything in between. File

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Nurse of the Year at RWS

Patricia Flowers of LaGrange has won the Ruth she is great with them ... If she tells you she's

Massengale Nurse of the Year award at

going to do it, she does."

Roosevelt Warm Springs (RWS). Cathy

Harbin, RWS Chief Nursing Officer, made the Flowers, an RN in the RWS Long-Term Acute

announcement during a reception on Tuesday, Care Hospital for the past four and a half years,

May 13. Staff members nominate other

expressed surprise at her selection. "I just try to

employees for the Massengale Award, and

treat people the way I would like to be treated,"

Harbin read from the nomination during the she said. Roosevelt Warm Springs has given a

reception:

nurse of the year award annually since 1982.

The other nominees for the award this year were

"Ms. Pat Flowers," Harbin said, "is one of the Kathy Eubanks, Glen Kersey, Jane Jaudon,

nicest nurses I have had the pleasure to work Michelle Boykin and Tim Smith. The winner is

with. She always has a smile and a positive determined by a vote of the RWS nursing staff.

attitude. When I've seen her with patients,

VR Client of the Month

James Strickland lives in beautiful bluffs of Pine would be fabricated to his John Deere 4040

Mountain where he runs a successful beef

tractor which eliminated the need to hoist

business. His herd of 80 cows requires feeding himself up into the tractor. Without the

and care on a daily basis. To overcome his

specialized custom welders at Custom Mobility

mobility limitations, it was necessary for UGA's in Athens, this would not have been possible.

AgraAbility (a federal program that specifically

works with farmers and ranchers) to partner The second piece of the AWT puzzle was the

with GVRA in order to effectively overcome the installation of automatic gate openers for the

barriers that limited his ability to care for his access points into the pasture. The gate

cows. James' capacity for extended endurance is openers were purchased from Gate Openers

limited by his cardiovascular disease and knee Incorporated located in Tallahassee, Fla.

health.

Throughout his life, James has worked in

To prevent job loss, two areas of the farm

agriculture, and he plans on farming with the

needed attention. One was the securing of the equipment purchased by VR as long as he is

animals and the other was the feeding of those able. These accommodations enhanced his

animals. With the help of AgrAbility and VR's capacity to perform the essential

own Assistive Work Technology (AWT) Specialist responsibilities for his farm operation.

Bill Barnes, VR was able to identify and

recommend multiple technologies to eliminate James is very appreciative of VR and all those

those barriers on the farm.

that helped him get back to work.

It was recommended that in order for Jim to continue on the farm, a custom mobility LIFT

Without VR, it wouldn't have been possible.

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Charles Ingram Continued

"From the very first day that we spoke on the phone, Charles was one of the nicest individuals I could have been blessed to work with. He was always kind and thoughtful to all that he came in contact with. I looked forward to our conversations because they were always so enlightening. I would never have imagined receiving that email on the morning of May 20th, 2014 telling me that he was gone. I still can't believe it.
The pain is strong but our friendship was stronger. Charles was always concerned about how I was. He didn't complain, he fished. He adored his family very much. We embraced each other because we all had lost someone special. We were family and friends for six years, but it seemed like a lifetime.
Rest in Paradise Charles & save a spot at the fishing hole for me," said friend and agency employee Shenique Raines.
Mr. Ingram was born October 15, 1951, in

Bainbridge, GA, the son of Charles Henry ("C.H.") Ingram and Bernice Faircloth Ingram.
He was a graduate of Bainbridge High School, Class of 1969, was a purchasing agent for the Georgia Industries for the Blind, and a member of Antioch Baptist Church. Hunting, fishing, and golfing were his favorite hobbies. He dearly loved his family.
Survivors include his wife, Sharon Hitson Ingram of Climax, GA; his children, Charles Wesley Ingram and his wife, Christy, of Tucker, GA, Sena Hitson Finklea and her husband, Jody, of Tallahassee, FL, Bill R. Hitson of Attapulgus, GA, and Le e D. Hitson of Bainbridge, GA; his siblings, Karl Ingram and his wife, Melba, of Brinson, GA and Susan Lambert and her husband, Dennis, of Climax, GA; and his grandchildren (who loved being with their Papa), Landen Ingram, Kolten Ingram, Alexis Hitson, Andrew Hamner, Ashton Sconyers, Caden Sconyers, Sharon-Clare Finklea, Decater Finklea, and Trason Finklea.

From VR Dir. Ed James

As we enter the summer season, we continue to Barker, our Fiscal Services Director, will lead the

move forward with enhancing the VR structure. VR Services Directors, RUMs and all other staff

as we move forward in assisting our clients to

We welcome Denine Woodson and Dale Arnold obtain/maintain employment.

as our Directors of Operations for the VR

Program. Denine will cover the west part of the I want to thank each staff person individually

state while Dale will cover the east part of the for your continued support as we enhance the

state.

lives of persons with disabilities each day.

We also welcome Kate Brady as the Special Populations Director and she will oversee the special population areas.
Carol Sumner will serve as my Administrative Assistant. These staff along with Ronnesia

My hope is that you will take some time to enjoy the summer with your family and friends. Ed James
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