(a) There is created a Department of Rehabilitation Services. The Department of Social Services shall provide administrative support services to the Department of Rehabilitation Services until the Department of Rehabilitation Services requests cessation of such services, or until June 30, 2013, whichever is earlier. The Department of Rehabilitation Services shall be responsible for providing the following: (1) Services to persons who are deaf or hard of hearing; (2) services for persons who are blind or visually impaired; and (3) rehabilitation services in accordance with the provisions of the general statutes concerning the Department of Rehabilitation Services. The Department of Rehabilitation Services shall constitute a successor authority to the Bureau of Rehabilitative Services in accordance with the provisions of sections 4-38d, 4-38e and 4-39.

(b) The department head shall be the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services, who shall be appointed by the Governor in accordance with the provisions of sections 4-5 to 4-8, inclusive, and shall have the powers and duties described in said sections. The Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services shall appoint such persons as may be necessary to administer the provisions of public act 11-44* and the Commissioner of Administrative Services shall fix the compensation of such persons in accordance with the provisions of section 4-40. The Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services may create such sections within the Department of Rehabilitation Services as will facilitate such administration, including a disability determinations section for which one hundred per cent federal funds may be accepted for the operation of such section in conformity with applicable state and federal regulations. The Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to implement the purposes of the department as established by statute.

(c) The Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services shall, annually, in accordance with section 4-60, submit to the Governor a report in electronic format on the activities of the Department of Rehabilitation Services relating to services provided by the department to persons who (1) are blind or visually impaired, (2) are deaf or hard of hearing, or (3) receive vocational rehabilitation services. The report shall include the data the department provides to the federal government that relates to the evaluation standards and performance indicators for the vocational rehabilitation services program. The commissioner shall submit the report in electronic format, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies.

(P.A. 11-44, S. 1; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, S. 28; P.A. 13-7, S. 5; P.A. 16-66, S. 50; P.A. 17-202, S. 62; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2, S. 97, 731.)

*Note: Public act 11-44 is entitled “An Act Concerning the Bureau of Rehabilitative Services and Implementation of Provisions of the Budget Concerning Human Services and Public Health”. (See Reference Table captioned “Public Acts of 2011” in Volume 16 of the General Statutes of Connecticut, revised to January 1, 2017, which lists the sections amended, created or repealed by the act.)

History: P.A. 11-44 effective July 1, 2011; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing provision re creation of Bureau of Rehabilitative Services within Department of Social Services for administrative purposes with provisions re creation of Department of Rehabilitation Services and re Department of Social Services providing administrative support services to Department of Rehabilitation Services, and adding provision re successor authority, amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “director of the Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” with “Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services” and made conforming changes, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 13-7 amended Subsec. (a) to make technical changes, amended Subsec. (b) to add provision allowing Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services to adopt regulations and to make technical changes and added Subsec. (c) re commissioner to submit annual report, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 16-66 added Subsec. (d) re Department of Rehabilitation Services as successor department to Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities with respect to investigations of allegations of abuse or neglect, effective May 27, 2016; P.A. 17-202 amended Subsec. (a)(1) by replacing “the deaf and hearing impaired” with “persons who are deaf or hard of hearing”, amended Subsec. (a)(2) by replacing “the blind and” with “persons who are blind or”, and amended Subsec. (c) by replacing former Subdivs. (1) to (3) re individuals to whom services are provided by the department with “persons with disabilities”; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “the deaf and hearing impaired” with “persons who are deaf or hard of hearing” in Subdiv. (1), and replaced “the blind and visually impaired” with “persons who are blind or visually impaired” in Subdiv. (2), amended Subsec. (c) by replacing “individuals” with “persons”, and replacing “hearing impaired” with “hard of hearing” in Subdiv. (2), deleted Subsec. (d) re Department of Rehabilitation Services to constitute successor to Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, and repealed P.A. 17-202, S. 62, effective October 31, 2017.