GROUP SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT...Another type of employment is through Favarh’s Contract Services...

GROUP SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT

The Solution to your Workforce Needs

Favarh satisfies the labor needs of businesses by drawing from our pool of

enthusiastic, dedicated, and determined individuals. We can augment

your current staff to help make you more productive without the hiring pro-

cess while you do good works in your community.

We are able to provide: A team of four able-bodied and hard working client workers.

A job coach that is with our team at all times at no cost to you.

Partner with Favarh in Providing Employment

Manufacturing/Packaging - product assembly, packaging, sorting, polishing & more

Warehouse/Logistics - fronting shelves, sweeping floors, and overall facility cleanliness

Restaurant - silverware rolling, food prep, bussing tables and janitorial

Retail - stocking shelves, bagging, packaging and cart retrieval

Janitorial - cleaning, sweeping, mopping, rest-room cleaning, garbage disposal

A Staffing Solution That Makes Good Business Sense Our folks stay on our payroll and there is no cost to the company for the job coach.

The job coach coordinates our team and is the link between our crew and your team.

No up-front fee for doing this – wages for our four workers are the only cost to you.

Often less costly than other alternatives. One hourly rate pays for our entire team.

We provide you with a certificate of insurance, worker’s comp. and liability.

About Favarh

Favarh is a non-profit organization serving several hundred individuals with developmen-

tal disabilities and their families throughout the Farmington Valley and beyond. We are

The Arc of the Farmington Valley Inc., a local chapter of the Arc, the world’s largest com-

munity-based organization for people with intellectual, physical and developmental disa-

bilities.

Our mission is “To Help Each Person Achieve His or Her

Personal Best” as we encourage and support a greater level of

independence and personal satisfaction for each person we serve.

PROVIDED BY

For additional information or to

discuss your specific needs, please contact:

Bill Neagus, Business Developer,

at 860-693-6662 x 120 or [email protected]

225 Commerce Drive | PO Box 1099 | Canton, CT 06019

Please visit us online: www.favarh.org

Scan this QR code to see more

about our mission and our clients!

225 Commerce Drive, Canton, CT 06019 860.693.6662

THE FACTS

About Group Supported Employment

Who, what and where!

Group Supported Employment (GSE) involves four people with intellectual or

developmental disabilities being assigned to a company where they perform complex

and repetitious tasks. These dedicated individuals are supported by a job coach who

always accompanies them to the job site.

A significant benefit for the employers is that the GSE crew allows the employers to

assign their more highly educated and skilled workers to more intricate, problem-

solving tasks rather than performing the repetitious jobs.

GSE crews are highly reliable and under the direction of the job coach they always

perform their tasks efficiently and effectively.

The absentee level for members of GSE crews is low, but on the occasion when one is

sick or has an appointment, a substitute crew member is sent to fill the slot and keep

production levels high.

People with intellectual or developmental disabilities bring strong levels of energy and

enthusiasm to the job that is infectious.

GSE crews become part of the company family, proud of their work and the company.

Types of job sites where people with intellectual or developmental disabilities

particularly thrive are manufacturing, laundry services, warehouses, hotels and/or

healthcare facilities, offices (where they do scanning and other support tasks), and

restaurants (where they do minor food prep, dishwashing, box assembly and

silverware rolling).

The role of the job coach!

Job coaches are staff members of Favarh – The Arc of the Farmington Valley and they

always accompany the GSE crews.

The job coach is responsible for training the members of the GSE crew as well as

keeping them on task.

The workload of company supervisors DOES NOT INCREASE because of the

introduction of a GSE crew. This is because the job coach trains and manages the

crew.


The job coach is the liaison between the company and the GSE crew.

If for some reason the crew’s production level slows, the job coach works to increase

the level. This can and sometimes does involve in the job coach jumping in and

performing the assigned repetitious tasks. Employers therefore get a fifth crew

member at no additional cost.

There is no cost to the employer for the job coach. The coach’s wages and benefits are

paid by Favarh.

Favarh frequently sends an additional job coach to a job site so that coaches can be

cross trained. The second, cross-trained coach can then act as a substitute coach in

the event the permanent coach is absent. Again, the company’s production level is

maintained.

Each job coach goes through specialized training to manage people with intellectual or

developmental disabilities. They know every member of the GSE crew well and are

aware of their health or dietary issues, if any.

The job coaches transport the crew members to and from the job site.

The cost-effectiveness!

Favarh begins the GSE process with a 30-day trial period. This allows the GSE crew

members to master the repetitious tasks to which they are assigned. It also allows the

employers the ability to assess whether the crew can integrate well into the company.

The company pays 50 percent of the prevailing wage for the tasks during this trial

period. For instance, if the prevailing wage for able-bodied workers doing assembly

and packaging in manufacturing is $11 an hour, each member of the GSE crew is paid

$5.50 an hour.

Favarh determines the prevailing wage by asking three companies that do the task for

their average wage, adding those three figures together and then dividing by three.

If the GSE crew meets the company’s expectations and the company decides to enter

into a longer-term contract with Favarh, Favarh will perform time studies that measure

the production of each GSE crew member.


The most an individual crew member can be paid is minimum wage. Frequently two

members of a GSE crew have minimum-wage hourly pay rates while the two remaining

crew members are paid at a lower hourly rate. The pay rates are determined through

a series of time studies that measures the productivity of each crew member.

The hourly wage rates of the crew members are legally capped at minimum wage due

to a special certificate awarded to Favarh by the U.S. Department of Labor. The

purpose of the certificate is to make GSE employment more cost effective for

companies, opening up work opportunities for people with intellectual or

developmental disabilities.

Again, because of the time studies, which are mandated by the U.S. Department of

Labor, the longer-term GSE contracts will likely call for increases in the hourly rates

paid during the trial period. However, the hourly rates will never exceed minimum

wage.

The GSE crew is technically on Favarh’s payroll. The company pays Favarh and Favarh

pays each crew member.

There are no benefits paid to the crew members by the employers.

Favarh carries the crew members’ workers’ compensation and liability insurance and

provides copies of the insurance certificates to the employers.

A win-win!

GSE is a win-win for the employers as well as the people with intellectual and

developmental disabilities.

The employers win by getting four dedicated workers who bring enthusiasm and

energy to the workforce in a cost-effective manner.

The employers get these dedicated workers for a fraction of the cost of their existing

workforce, while assigning their more skilled and highly paid workers to do more

intricate, problem-solving work.

The people with disabilities win because they are able to earn money with dignity while

experiencing personal and social growth to lead the lives they want to lead.

CONTACT:

Bill Neagus

Business Developer

Favarh – The Arc of the Farmington Valley

225 Commerce Drive

Canton, CT 06019

860.693.6662, ext. 120

[email protected]


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

About Group Supported Employment

Q1.) Do the members of a Group Supported Employment crew always remain the same?

A1.) Favarh makes every effort to keep the same job crew assigned to a job site.

We have an excellent track record of matching the individual clients with the job

site and the assigned tasks, but occasionally we need to move a client to a different

opportunity. In those instances, we will always replace that client with someone

who is just as good if not better.

Also, if a crew member becomes ill or goes on vacation, that crew member is

temporarily replaced by another Favarh client. This is often a temporary situation,

though, and when the original crew member returns following his/her recovery or

from vacation, the original crew member can resume his/her place on the crew.

Q2.) Is the employer locked into a crew of four or more people with intellectual or

developmental disabilities, or is a smaller group of just two possible?

A2.) The minimum number of members of a Group Supported Employment crew is

four, while the maximum is six. The great majority of crews include just four

members.

Q3.) What happens if the employer doesn’t have the need for a crew of four people or the

room for five, which would include the job coach?

A3.) Favarh has two other types of employment services.

One is for independent or competitive employment. This enables a single

person to work directly for the employer with three-to-five hours a week of

support from Favarh staff. Some single/competitive employees placed by

Favarh have been known to work for years, even decades for their employers.

Another type of employment is through Favarh’s Contract Services unit. This

is where a company contracts with Favarh to have tasks like secure document

shredding, direct-mail stuffing and preparation, or assembly of parts

performed onsite at Favarh’s headquarters in Canton, CT.


Q4.) What are the differences between Group Supported Employment and the other two

employment services?

A4.) With Group Supported Employment the crew members are on Favarh’s

payroll. That is, the employers pay Favarh for crew members’ hourly wages

and Favarh then pays the crew members directly. This means that the cost of

their workers’ compensation and liability insurance is borne by Favarh,

buttressing the cost-effective nature of Group Supported Employment for the

employer. In addition, the hourly wage rates of the crew members are legally

capped at minimum wage, another cost advantage. Also, with Group

Supported Employment a job coach always accompanies the crew. This

enables them to train and manage the crew members, significantly reducing

the need for supervision by the employers’ existing staffs.

With independent employment the single employee fills the labor need of an

employer if there isn’t enough work or enough physical room to support a

group of four. However, the cost of workers’ compensation, liability insurance

and other benefits are borne by the employer, not by Favarh. Also, the single

employee is on the employers’ payroll, not Favarh’s. This means their hourly

wages are not capped and they must be paid at the same rates as any other

existing employee performing the same tasks. Finally, the job coach is

assigned to the single employee in a one-to-one situation for just three-to-

five hours a week. Arrangements can be made, at a cost, to have the job coach

on call, but otherwise the continued training and management of the single

employee is the responsibility of the employer.

Contract services are paid on a piece-rate basis. The tasks are performed

exclusively at Favarh’s headquarters. They are particularly good for projects

that can be transported to Favarh and/or are too routine or time consuming

for a company’s existing staff.

Q5.) What are the hours that a Group Supported Employment crew works?

A5.) Group Supported Employment crews typically work a four, five, six or seven-

hour day, depending on the needs of the employer. The typical work day is 10 a.m.-

to-2 p.m., but this can be and frequently is adjusted to as early as 8 a.m. or 9 a.m.

and as late as 3 p.m.

Q6.) Does the crew work Monday through Friday?

A6.) Yes, the crews only work Mondays through Fridays.


Q7.) Is it necessary that the crews work five-days a week, or can they work fewer days than

that?

A7.) The ideal is to have crews work all five business days. However, some

employers don’t have the need to have the crews working on a daily basis. In those

instances the crew may just work at a job site four days, three days, two days or

even just one day a week.

Q8.) Does the crew work in the evening or on weekends?

A8.) No, due to staffing and transportation issues the crews do not typically work

evenings or weekends.

Q9.) Do the crew members bring their own lunch to the job site?

A9.) Yes, they will bring their own lunch. Because one of the goals of Favarh is to

promote the socialization of its clients with other members of the community, the

crew members tend to eat in the company’s break room or cafeteria with the

existing employees.

Q10.) Can the employer buy the crew members lunch or include them in company parties?

A10.) Including the crew members to participate in company parties is very

welcomed. It demonstrates how the crew has become part of the “company family.”

Nevertheless, whenever food is offered the company supervisor should first

communicate with the job coach, the liaison between the crew and the company.

This is because some crew members may have strict dietary restrictions that the

job coach will know about, but others do not.

Q11.) How does the crew get transported to the job-site?

A11.) The crew members arrive at Favarh’s headquarters in the morning. Their job

coaches then transport them to their job sites in one of Favarh’s vans, then return

them to Favarh at the end of the workday. They then wait there for their

transportation to their families’ homes, their apartments or their group homes. In

some cases the members of the crew live nearby the job site. In those cases their

job coaches pick them up directly from and return them directly to their homes


Q12.) How long are the contracts between the employer and Favarh?

A12.) The initial contract between the employer and Favarh is for a trial-period of

30 days. This gives the crew members time to learn their assigned tasks and it

enables the employer to decide whether the crews are integrating well with the

company. The hourly wage rates for the crew members during this 30-day period is

set at 50 percent of prevailing wage of a particular task. So if the prevailing wage

is $10 an hour, the crew members are paid $5 an hour.

If the crews meet or exceeds the expectations of the employer and the employer

decides to enter into a long-term contract, under U.S. Department of Labor

requirements the crew members are then time studied by Favarh staff to measure

their production. Their hourly rates are determined by the time studies, but the

rates will never exceed minimum wage. Once those rates are identified a contract

is developed. Typically, these contracts are renewed every January 1st and June 30th.

If the first long-term contract is entered into after March, that contract will

terminate on the following December 31st. After that, the contract will continue to

be an every six-month situation.

Q13.) Is there a clause that allows an employer to terminate the contract?

A13.) Yes, a clause in the contract allows either party – the employer or Favarh – to

terminate the contract with a 30-day written notice.

Q14.) What would be the annualized cost of using a Group Supported Employment crew?

A14.) That would be determined on a case-by-case basis. In other words it depends.

While the most a crew member can be paid is minimum wage, that doesn’t mean all

four crew members are paid that much. Typically the highest producers on a crew

are paid minimum wage while the lower producers are paid somewhat less. It’s not

unusual to have two crew members being paid minimum wage, while another might

earn say $8 an hour and another who earns $6 an hour. It is all dependent on the

time studies that measure their production.

Other factors related to the annualized cost are whether the crew works five days a

week, two, three or even just one day a week; and whether they work four hours or

six hours a day.


Q15.) Why are the hourly wages capped at minimum wage?

A15.) The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded Favarh a special certificate that

legally caps the crew members’ wages at minimum wage. The intent is to make

hiring people with intellectual or developmental disabilities more cost effective for

employers, providing more work opportunities for our clients so that they can

socialize with the community at large, earn money with dignity and live the lives

they want to lead.

Q16.) Is it possible to do a trial period to see whether the crew can actually perform the

assigned tasks?

A16.) Yes, the initial contract between the employer and Favarh is for a trial-period

of 30 days. This gives the crew members time to learn their assigned tasks and it

enables the employer to decide whether the crews are integrating well with the

company. The hourly wage rates for the crew members during this 30-day period is

set at 50 percent of prevailing wage. So if the prevailing wage is $10 an hour, the

crew members are paid $5 an hour.

Q17.) How strong are members of the crew? Can they lift heavy objects of perhaps 30 or 40

pounds?

A17.) The crew members are typically as strong as anyone else in the general

population. Again, it comes down to matching the client with the assigned task. If

Favarh knows that the tasks will involve lifting heavy objects we will make sure the

crew is composed of members who can lift them without difficulty.

Q18.) What are the ages of the members of the crew?

A18.) The crew members can range between age 21 to their late 50s.


Q19.) What does the acronym, Favarh, stand for?

A19.) When it was founded in 1958 the acronym stood for Farmington Valley ARC

and was shown in uppercase letters – FAVARH. However, since then it has become

the brand name of the agency – the name it is well known as – although it is no

longer written in uppercase letters. While the brand name of the agency is Favarh,

the legal name is The Arc of the Farmington Valley.

Q20.) What is the difference between intellectual and developmental disabilities?

A20.) Developmental disabilities are those that a person is either born with or

develops by age 18. People with developmental disabilities frequently have high

intelligence. An example is someone with autism who is very intelligent, but may

have some sort of social or processing disability.

Intellectual disabilities are those that result from some sort of accident or injury

after age 18. An example would be someone with a traumatic brain injury resulting

from an auto accident.

Q21.) How does Favarh itself get paid for its services?

Q21.) Favarh’s primary funding source is the Connecticut Department of

Developmental Services (DDS). However, Favarh also has a robust fundraising

program. Included in this are two major annual fundraising events, the Annual Gala

that is scheduled every November and the Annual Golf Tournament in June.

CONTACT:

Bill Neagus

Business Developer


225 Commerce Drive

Canton, CT 06019

860.693.6662, ext. 120

[email protected]

4/20/2015

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The Cost-Effective Alternative HR Solution HIRING THE INTELLECTUALLY OR DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

Group Supported Employment

Crew of four, sometimes five dedicated individuals assigned to a job site

They perform complex and repetitive tasks

Once the intellectually or developmentally disabled workers are taught how to do a task, they become valuable assets to their employers

This allows more highly skilled/educated and more highly paid employees to do more intricate tasks

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Types of tasks

Assembly & packaging

Sorting, polishing

Laundry services – washing, drying, folding, ironing, steaming

Retail/warehouses – stocking/fronting shelves, dissembling boxes

Basic food prep, rolling silverware, assembling pizza boxes

Cost effective

Favarh has a special certificate from the state Department of Labor allows us to cap client wages at $9.15 per hour

Job coach – essentially a fifth crew member – is paid by Favarh, not the employer

Job coach is the liaison between the crew and the employer

Clients stay on our payroll

Any workers’ comp, etc., is carried by Favarh, not the employer

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The process

First, identify the repetitive task(s) the crew would perform

Determine a prevailing wage for each task

Conduct a 30-45 day trial period while the crew learns the task(s) and the employer assesses the crew’s integration into the company

Hourly rate for each client set at half the prevailing wage during the trial period

At the end of the trial period the clients are timed to determine how well they perform the task(s) compared to an able-bodied person

Long-term contract is agreed on, with the hourly rates based on the time studies. However, the highest rate possible for each client is minimum wage

Energy, enthusiasm

The crew “light up the room every day with their energy and their enthusiasm … We all feel lucky to have them as part of the Rowley family.”

Bill Joyce

Personnel and Accounting Manager

Rowley Spring & Stamping

Bristol

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Gets the job done

“Using our crew to do the repetitive aspects of our operation isn’t just cost effective; it gets the job done in a way that boosts everyone’s spirits.”

Mike Kijak

Plant Manager

Legrand Wiremold

West Hartford

It says a lot …

“Look at your stainless steel fridge at home. It may have been made by a machine that has gone through the hands of our workers with developmental disabilities. This says a lot about their value as workers.”

Annette Doyle

Manager of Assembly

Trumpf

Farmington

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Better use of existing staff

“It has allowed us to better utilize our existing staff on more intricate work. It means we don’t have to hire temp workers to do the more routine, repetitive work.”

Heather Gombos

Vice President of Operations

Microcare

New Britain

What do we need now?

MORE JOB LEADS!

JOB LEADS

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Contact

Bill Neagus

Business Developer


225 Commerce Drive

Canton, CT 06019

860.693.6662 extension 120

[email protected]

Questions?

GROUP SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT...Another type of employment is through Favarh’s Contract Services...

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