$11 million in federal funding secured for career services for Wisconsinites with disabilities

WISCONSIN – Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD), announced this week that over $11 million from the U.S. Department of Education has been secured to support DWD’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), enabling the department to serve all eligible participants without the need to restart a waitlist through federal fiscal year 2027, reducing barriers for Wisconsinites with disabilities across the state.

Evers proposed sufficient funding for DVR in his 2025-27 Executive Budget to avoid a waitlist and continue providing services for all Wisconsinites with disabilities who wanted to participate in vocational rehabilitation services through DWD. However, the finance committee voted against the governor’s proposal and instead provided less than what was needed to meet rising demand and increasing costs, forcing the implementation of a waitlist in December 2025.

DVR was unable to provide services to new participants for six months, leaving roughly 7,600 Wisconsinites on the waitlist as of June 2, when the state budget committee — the Joint Committee on Finance — approved DVR’s request for additional state funding to end the waitlist. DVR has made critical progress toward reducing the number of participants waiting for services with a goal to eliminate the waitlist by June 30, 2027.

“Wisconsin is leading the way when it comes to bolstering the workforce and pushing the boundaries of a growing 21st-century economy, and a big part of that success includes connecting folks of all abilities to rewarding careers and job opportunities,” said Evers. “Securing this funding is a big win for our state, and I want to thank the dedicated folks who fought hard to see this budget shortfall righted, worked to do the right thing, and helped ensure folks across the state will receive the services they need.”

DVR administers the federally funded vocational rehabilitation program, which provides individualized services to eligible people with disabilities who want to work and offers training and technical assistance to employers regarding disability employment issues.

DVR actively engages with about 19,000 individuals when there is sufficient funding to assist all eligible participants. Due in part to DVR’s work, in 2024, Wisconsin saw a record number of individuals with disabilities in the workforce at over 189,000 workers.

“Our team at DVR plays a critical role in supporting Wisconsinites with disabilities to achieve their career goals,” said DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek. “The funding that DVR received will ensure we can continue to support all Wisconsinites on their career journeys uninterrupted. Even with this welcome news, DWD will continue to work with our partners to share the essential work our DVR team does to ensure we receive sufficient funding in the years to come.”

DWD requests reallotment funding, or federal funds unused by other state vocational rehabilitation programs, based on the need for additional federal funding to meet the demand for services.

In 2026, DWD requested $23.5 million in reallotment to prevent a federal shortfall and was awarded $11.05 million. Federal law requires that the state of Wisconsin share in the cost of providing services. Since the Joint Committee on Finance approved the additional $6.4 million in base funding on June 2, DVR has sufficient state funds to meet participant demand and the state match requirements.

With this additional $11 million from the U.S. Department of Education, DWD has sufficient federal funds to meet demand for services through Oct. 1, 2027, based on current projections.