The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) is a program that provides services to help people with disabilities obtain the job skills and other resources they may need to get a job, keep a job, and develop a career.

We assist people with a broad range of disabilities, such as;

 

Low vision or blindness Deafness or other auditory conditions Mental/emotional problems Orthopedic impairments Head injury Spinal cord injury Renal disease Diabetes Epilepsy Learning disability Etc.

 

What Services Do We Provide?

Services might include any combination of the following:

Vocational guidance and career counseling Restoration (physical/mental) Vocational and other training services Rehabilitation technology, including assistive technology services, assistive technology devices, and rehabilitation engineering equipment Personal assistance services such as personal attendant, interpreter, reader and scribe

 

There is a financial needs test at OVR, so you may be required to contribute to the cost of some services.

 

Who is Eligible for Services?

To be eligible for vocational rehabilitation services, an individual must:

 

• Have a physical or mental disability; and
• Have a problem getting or keeping a job because of the disability; and
• Need VR services to help prepare for, get, and/or keep a job; and
• Have a legal status to allow employment in the Unites States and Insular Areas, including CNMI.

 

Individuals with disabilities who want to get employed or keep their employment must first complete the OVR application form to determine eligibility. The OVR counselor has within 60 days to determine eligibility after the completed application is received.

 

What is the ILOB Program

The Independent Living Older Blind Program is made available through Federal grants to support services for individuals age 55 or older, whose severe visual impairment makes competitive employment difficult to obtain, but for whom  independent living goals are feasible.

 

• A person who has a significant disability (physical or mental impairment with one or more functional limitation)
• The corrected visual acuity in the better eye must fall:

20/70-200    Low Vision

20/200-400  Blindness

• Must be 55 years old or older on the date of application

 

 

Here are some job search websites for the CNMI.

 

Commonwealth Development Authority

Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation

Commonwealth Ports Authority

Commonwealth Utilities Corporation

Department of Labor 

Northern Marianas College

Northern Marianas Housing Corporation

Office of Personnel Management

Office of the Public Auditor

Public School System

 

The Social Security Administration Ticket to Work Program

The Ticket to Work and Self Sufficiency program was created to give Social Security disability beneficiaries an avenue to regain financial independence through work.

Organizations selected to participate in the Ticket prgram are required to provide employment support services that afford Ticket Holders the opportunity and support to prepare for, obtain and retain career ladder jobs that will enable them to leave and remain off of cash benefits.

Learn about the Ticket to Work Program here.