Disability Rights California (DRC) releases a new report, “Evaluation of Limitations of Subminimum Wage Employment Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.”

This report summarizes Disability Rights California’s evaluation of the implementation of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).1 The WIOA is landmark legislation which reformed the public workforce system and increased access to services for people with disabilities seeking competitive integrated employment (CIE). The WIOA sets forth limitations on the use of subminimum wage employment for people with disabilities. It also provides protections for youth, age 16 to 22, to prevent young people from being transitioned from school directly to segregated, subminimum wage settings.

In this report, Disability Rights California evaluated California’s implementation of the limitations on the use of subminimum wage employment,2 over three program years3, for:

1. adults currently working in subminimum wage employment and
2. youth at risk of subminimum wage employment.

Overall, we concluded that, while the California Vocational Rehabilitation Program, Department of Rehabilitation (DOR), generally complied with the federal requirements of WIOA, these efforts had little impact in addressing the needs of Californians at risk of, or currently working in, subminimum wage employment.

Read our Press Release