Wyoming assessment of rehabilitation needs

Demographics of the DVR Caseload:
During State Fiscal Year 2006, the DVR caseload included 3,761 people. Males accounted for 1,982 of the total, while the remainder (1,779) were female (Table 15). Most clients were in the 21 to 39 age group (Table 16). Seventy-eight percent had at least a high school education at time of application for services (Table 17). Thirty-eight causes of disability were recorded. The most common cause was “depressive and other mood disorders” (Table 18). According to DVR records, the primary source of income at the time of intake included a wide range of public assistance programs, client earnings and family support (Table 19). Approximately, 22 percent of clients were receiving SSI or SSDI.

Table 15: Gender Distribution of DVR Caseload during SFY 2006 Source: Wyoming DVR
Caseload	Number
Female	1,779
Male	1,982
Total	3,761

Table 16: Age Distribution of DVR Caseload during SFY 2006, by Age at Intake, Compared to Census 2000 Data Source: United States Census and Wyoming DVR
	Number DVR Caseload	Percent DVR Caseload	Percent 2000 Census*
16 through 20	615	16.4	10.8
21 through 39	1,495	39.8	32.0
40 through 44	510	13.6	11.1
45 through 49	483	12.8	10.6
50 through 54	359	9.5	8.7
55 through 59	189	5.0	6.5
60 through 64	74	1.97	5.2
65 and over	29	.77	15.1
*Percent of total who are age 16 and older

Table 17: Level of Education at Intake for the DVR Caseload during SFY 2006 Source: Wyoming DVR
Level of Education at Intake	Number
No formal education	7
Elementary education (grades 1 to 8)	68
Secondary education, no high school diploma	633
Special education certificate of completion	109
High school graduate or equivalency certificate	1,758
Post-secondary education, no degree	655
Associate degree or Vocational/Technical Certificate	342
Bachelor’s degree	131
Master’s degree or higher	27

Table 18: Causes of Disability for those on DVR Caseload during SFY 2006 Source: Wyoming DVR (Note: Some individuals had more than one Cause of Disability)
Cause of Disability	Number	Percent
Accident/Injury (other than ABI or SCI)	597	15.87
Alcohol Abuse or Dependence	277	7.36
Amputations	299	7.95
Anxiety Disorders	367	9.76
Arthritis and Rheumatism	124	3.30
Asthma and other Allergies	67	1.78
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder	233	6.19
Autism	29	.77
Blood Disorders	8	.21
Cancer	8	.21
Cardiac and other Conditions of Circulatory System	98	2.60
Cerebral Palsy	48	1.28
Congenital Conditions or Birth Injury	132	3.51
Cystic Fibrosis	1	.03
Depressive and other Mood Disorders	1,007	26.77
Diabetes Mellitus	112	2.98
Digestive	33	.88
Drug Abuse or Dependence (other than alcohol)	300	7.98
Eating Disorders	23	.61
End-Stage Renal Disease and other Genitourinary Disorders	11	.29
Epilepsy	56	1.49
HIV and AIDS	0	0
Immune Deficiencies excluding HIV/AIDS	0	0
Mental Illness (not listed elsewhere)	149	3.96
Mental Retardation	278	7.39
Multiple Sclerosis	39	1.04
Muscular Dystrophy	15	.40
Parkinson’s Disease and other Neurological Disorders	14	.37
Personality Disorders	504	13.40
Physical Disorders/Conditions (not listed elsewhere)	488	12.97
Polio	3	.08
Respiratory Disorders other than Cystic Fibrosis or Asthma	51	1.36
Schizophrenia and other Psychotic Disorders	191	5.08
Specific Learning Disabilities	478	12.71
Spinal Cord Injury	287	7.63
Stroke	9	.24
Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)	233	6.19
Cause Unknown	147	3.91

Table 19: The Primary Source of Income for DVR Caseload during SFY 2006 Source: Wyoming DVR
Primary Income Source	Number
SSI Blind	7
SSI Aged	18
SSI Disabled	428
TANF (POWER)	2
General Assistance	14
SSDI	314
Veterans Disability	27
Unemployment Insurance	103
All other public support payments	31
Food Stamps	153
Client Income (earnings, interest, dividends, rent)	821
Family and Friends	1,115
Worker’s Compensation	205
Medicaid, medical assistance	7
Medicare	1
All other sources	259

A comparison of Vocational Rehabilitation caseload data to data from Census 2000 shows that patterns of service closely mirror the racial and ethnic diversity of the Wyoming population at large (Table 20). Notably, Wyoming DVR continues to serve American Indians in proportion to their representation in the state’s general population despite the presence of the two Native American vocational rehabilitation programs on the Wind River Reservation.

Table 20: Ethnicity of DVR Caseload during SFY 2006 Compared to Census 2000 Data for Wyoming Source: United States Census and Wyoming DVR
Race/Ethnic Affiliation	Number DVR Caseload	Percent DVR Caseload	Percent 2000 Census
American Indian or Alaskan Native	116	2.9%	2.3%
Asian/Pacific Islander	21	.5%	0.6%
Black, not of Hispanic Origin	65	1.6%	0.8%
Hispanic (of any race)	267	7.5%	6.4%
White, Not of Hispanic Origin	3,557	88.4%	92.1%
Note: Some columns do not total properly because some individuals list more than one race or ethnic group.

It is more difficult to determine if the DVR caseload mirrors the disability populations in the state, because reliable statewide estimates are not available for many types of disability. However, it would appear that some groups may be underserved. For example, there were approximately 1,386 11^th and 12^th grade special education students in the state during the 2005-2006 school year. Most of these were either 16 or 17 years old. During state Fiscal Year 2006, DVR served only 133 students in this age group (Table 21). DVR also served 247 eighteen year olds, some of whom may still have been in high school.

Table 21: Number of 11^th & 12^th Grade Students in Transition Served by DVR During SFY 2006 Source: Wyoming DVR and Wyoming Dept. of Education
Age	Number DVR Caseload	Number Special Ed. Students*
16	27	722
17	106	664
*Statewide numbers provided by WY Dept. of Education

Also, those with brain injury appear to be underserved. Rough estimates indicate that about 20 percent of the approximately 48,000 people with a disability in the state have a brain injury. Only about six percent of the DVR caseload consists of people with a brain injury (Table 18).

Other groups may be underserved but lack of reliable data makes analysis difficult. Some of these groups very likely would benefit from expanded services. For example, public input obtained for this assessment strongly indicated a need for improved services for those with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness.
Population Projections for Wyoming:
According to projections published by the Census Bureau, Wyoming’s overall population is expected to increase moderately from 493,782 in 2000 to 529,031 in 2025 (Figure 3). The 18 to 65 age group is expected to remain rather steady with a slight increase between now and 2010 (Table 22). More important than this modest change in the working age group is the projected dramatic increase in the elderly population. In 2000, approximately 11.7% (57,693) of Wyoming’s population was 65 and older. In 2025, it is estimated that 24.3% (128,605 people) will be 65 or older. This is important because an increasing elderly population will compete for services that promote and sustain independence.

Figure 3: Wyoming’s Projected Population through 2025 Source: 2000 Census