{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-163.470","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 163.470","heading":"Office for Vocational Rehabilitation responsible for services for the","body":"blind and visually impaired.\n(1) The  executive director shall be appointed by the secretary of the Education\nand Labor Cabinet pursuant to KRS 12.050.\n(2) The  office shall be the state agency responsible for all rehabilitation services\nfor the blind and  the visually impaired and  other services as deemed\nnecessary. The office shall be the agency authorized to expend all state and\nfederal funds designated for rehabilitation services for the blind and visually\nimpaired. The Office of the Secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet is\nauthorized as the state agency to receive all state and federal funds and gifts\nand bequests for the benefit of rehabilitation services for the blind and visually\nimpaired. The State Treasurer is designated as the custodian of all funds and\nshall make disbursements for rehabilitation purposes upon certification by the\nexecutive director.\n(3) The  office shall establish and implement policies and procedures for the\ncarrying out of the program of services for the blind.\n(4) At the close of each biennium, the office shall prepare a financial report and\npresent it to the secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet and to the\nGovernor. The biennial report shall be published. The biennial report shall also\ncontain a precise review of the work of the office and contain necessary\nsuggestions for improvement.\n(5) The  office shall coordinate its functions with other appropriate public and\nprivate agencies.\n(6) The office shall perform all other duties as required of it by law.\n(7) The executive director shall hire personnel as necessary to carry out the work\nof the office and the provisions of KRS 163.450 to 163.470. Preference shall be\ngiven to hiring qualified blind persons.\n(8) The  Office of Vocational Rehabilitation shall provide intake and rehabilitation\ncounseling services; distribute or sell technical educational and other aids to\nthe blind; provide educational materials such as recorded texts, braille or\nlarge-type texts, or such other materials as may be deemed  necessary for the\neducation of the blind; research into the development of new technical aids for\nthe blind, mobility training, work evaluation, personal adjustment, independent\nliving, and other services as needed for blind adults, and services for the blind\nwho  have other disabilities; and promote employment of the blind in public and\nprivate sectors.\n(9) There shall be established under the authority of the office, to be directed by a\ndirector appointed by the secretary pursuant to KRS  12.050, the Division of\nKentucky Business Enterprise. This division shall manage  and supervise the\nVending Facilities Program and license qualified blind persons as vendors. In\nconnection therewith, the office shall be authorized to own or lease vending\nequipment for the operation of vending facilities in federal, state, private, and\nother buildings. The set-aside charges levied shall comply with the existing\nfederal regulations as specified in 34 CFR  395.9. One  (1) or more facility\nplacement agents shall be employed to locate and establish additional vending\nfacilities. The office shall make such surveys as may be deemed  necessary to\ndetermine the vending facility opportunities for blind vendors in state buildings\nor on other property owned, leased, or otherwise occupied by the state\ngovernment  and shall install vending facilities in suitable locations on such\nproperty for the use of the blind. All of the net income from vending machines\nwhich are on the same property as a vending facility shall be paid to the blind\nvendor of the vending facility. Whenever  there exists a conflict of interest\nbetween  state agencies seeking to vend merchandise on the same  state\nproperty, the agencies shall negotiate a fair agreement which shall protect the\ninterest of both from unreasonable competition. The  agreement shall be\nsubmitted to the custodial authority having jurisdiction over the property for\napproval. Provided, however, that in all situations the blind vendor shall be\npermitted to vend all items of merchandise customarily sold at similar vending\nfacilities.\n(10) The  office, at all times, shall be authorized to provide industrial evaluation,\ntraining, and employment. The office shall provide staff services which shall\ninclude staff development and training, program development and evaluation,\nand other staff services as may be deemed necessary.\n(11) The  provisions of any other statute notwithstanding, the executive director is\nauthorized to use receipt of funds from the Social Security reimbursement\nprogram for a direct service delivery staff incentive program. Incentives may be\nawarded  if case service costs are reimbursed for job placement of Social\nSecurity or Supplemental Security Income recipients at the Substantial Gainful\nActivity (SGA) level for nine (9) months pursuant to 42 U.S.C. sec. 422 and\nunder  those conditions and  criteria as  are established by  the federal\nreimbursement program.","path":["KRS Chapter 163"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=52390","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:13Z","sha256":"0fba61f99197420676dee619d3ce01dd595f5e64d6582e67f1d663fdb12a1a54","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-163.460","next":"us-ky/krs-163.475"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}