1. (a) “Comparable Services and Benefits” means services and benefits, including accommodations or auxiliary aids and services, that are:

   1. (1) Provided or paid for, in whole or in part, by other Federal, State, or local public agencies, by health insurance, or by employee benefits;
   2. (2) Available to the individual at the time needed to ensure the progress of the individual toward achieving the employment outcome in the individual's Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE); and
   3. (3) Commensurate to the services that the individual would otherwise receive from the Department.

2. (b) For the purposes of this definition--

   1. (1) Comparable services and benefits do not include awards and scholarships based on merit.
   2. (2) A Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS) issued to an individual with a disability by the Social Security Administration (SSA) does not constitute a comparable service and benefit.
   3. (3) A “ticket” issued to an individual with a disability under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (TWWIIA) (42 USC 1320b-19) is considered a comparable service and benefit under the vocational rehabilitation program to the extent that a ticket holder is receiving services from another entity that is serving as that individual's employment network.
   4. (4) If the individual initially chooses the Department as its employment network under TWWIIA or otherwise transfers his or her ticket to the Department, the ticket would not be considered a comparable service and benefit.

Note: Authority cited: Sections 19006 and 19016, Welfare and Institutions Code. Reference: 29 USC 721; 34 CFR Sections 361.5 and 361.53; and Sections 19011 and 19150, Welfare and Institutions Code.

History

1. New section filed 3-4-2004; operative 4-3-2004 (Register 2004, No. 10).

2. Amendment of subsection (a) and Note filed 2-17-2023; operative 2-17-2023 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4(b)(3) (Register 2023, No. 7).