Predicting client employment outcomes from personal history, functional limitations, and rehabilitation services

This investigation assessed the predictability of two client employment outcomes from personal background information, counselor-rated functional limitations of the client, and rehabilitation services provided. The research sample consisted of more than 4,000 vocational rehabilitation (VR) clients representing five disability categories: orthopedic, chronic medical, psychiatric, mental retardation, and learning disabilities. The results of a hierarchical multiple regression analysis supported four conclusions: (a) Competitive employment at closure is more predictable and thus more amenable to improvement through the provision of VR services than salary, (b) rehabilitation counselors should use an estimate of case difficulty based on client personal history data in their service planning, (c) rehabilitation education programs should put more emphasis on training in job placement activities, and (d) rehabilitation counselors should evaluate clients' functional limitations during the diagnostic phase of the service delivery process.