Analytics Provide Powerful Insights for Counselors and Leaders
I have written about data and analytics in a previous blog. Additional discussion is warranted. Your ability as a counselor, manager, or leader to use analytical information is essential to improve your practice or move forward your organization. We are in one of the most challenging times of recent memory for vocational rehabilitation. Vocational rehabilitation agencies rely on federal and state funding to meet the critical needs of people with disabilities in their states. In these uncertain times, information about organizational performance and the needs of the people we serve are the key to building the future of vocational rehabilitation. Bottom line – analytics prove the value of vocational rehabilitation services. Getting data out of your case management system becomes the key to successfully presenting your information.
Where do you begin? First, consider the built-in reporting features of your case management system. Quality case management software will offer both standardized reports and customizable queries. Ideally these reports will allow you to consider individual counselor performance, performance by region or supervisor, and statewide performance. Counselors can track participant progress, caseload resources, employment information, and timeliness. Supervisors can better understand caseload efficiency, service utilization and compliance. Regional managers can consider performance across offices, funding utilization, and performance of contractors. State directors can assess and report agency trends for compliance, expenditures, contract performance, federal reporting, legislative requests, and perhaps, most importantly, return on investment.
Real-time dashboards
Real-time dashboards serve as the most efficient way to view and analyze this information. Although many case management systems and the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) have dashboards, they are typically based on previously reported information in 911 reporting. Exceptional systems offer the ability to track these elements in real time. This allows decision-making to occur at the earliest stages rather than relying on lag information that may be three or more months old.
Real-time dashboards are incredibly valuable for day-to-day decision-making. When built into the workflow, they allow stakeholders to quickly access the data that’s most relevant to them, whether it’s tracking participant progress, managing service timelines, or monitoring funding usage. The key is designing dashboards that are role-specific and actionable. For example, a counselor may want to see timelines for plan development, while a supervisor may want to review comparative caseload expenditures across units. The flexibility of real-time data means decisions can be timely, responsive, and better aligned with the realities of service delivery.
Advanced options
Advanced analytics can be achieved in one of two ways. First, is the use of third-party analytics tools such as Power BI or Tableau. Vocational rehabilitation case systems usually allow system data to be analyzed by these tools. It is a matter of building the right queries. Tools like Power BI or Tableau make deeper analysis more accessible across different roles. These platforms let users track things like Pre-ETS coverage, service trends, or forecasting resource needs.
Second, is Application Programming Interface (API). This is a set of protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. APIs enable the integration of data, services, and functionalities from one application to another. APIs support real-time data exchanges between systems (e.g., VR ↔ financial, labor market), and help streamline automated reporting or data syncing.
Used together, APIs and tools such as Power BI or Tableau provide both flexibility and strategic insight for leaders shaping funding and compliance strategies. For example, a state VR director might use Power BI to track case movement and program outcomes while using an API to import wage data from the labor department to monitor real-world employment trends of participants.
By using either or both of these options, an agency leader can shape specific questions for their agency to arrive at specific decision points matching their needs. They also allow the agency to shape their message for funding and regulatory agencies. The picture you paint shows the value of your agency.
Counselor Decision Points
As a counselor, what information matters? Most agencies have specific performance standards established for their counselors. These can be as simple as timeliness (60-day eligibility decisions, 90-day plan development), successful closures, number of consumers, pre-employment transition services and expenditures, overall caseload expenditures, etc. All of this can be seen in dashboards and standardized reports.
However, other information can also be important such as employer success, performance of contractors, successful training opportunities, and wage/benefit information. Analytics can help counselors partner better with their consumers to offer quality training and employment information. For example, a counselor might notice a trend in higher wages associated with a particular community college program and recommend it more frequently to participants.
Manager Decision Points
As a supervisor, regional manager, or field chief, what information matters to you? An effective case management system with well-developed analytical reports can improve decisions made by local supervisors and regional managers. It can help managers provide better supervision and leadership to their teams.
Information such as most successful contractors, average costs per case in their area, concentration of referrals and applications, individual counselor success and needs, office or unit performance and expenditures, and regional trends can all be incredibly useful. For instance, a regional manager may detect that one area consistently exceeds its successful closure targets while maintaining lower per-case expenditures. This insight can lead to sharing best practices across offices and making smarter investment decisions.
Director Decision Points
As a director, what are the key decision points that allow you to make financial decisions, staffing decisions, contracting decisions, or programmatic decisions? What is the most important information to share with federal and state authorities? As a director, your first priority is your agency’s performance on the 911 report to RSA and the mandatory reporting elements on the 9169 for WIOA.
However, the data in these reports are essential for understanding agency trends in spending, service, contracting, and agency performance. This same data provides key analytical information you can share with stakeholders such as consumer organizations, state legislators, Congress and RSA. For example, a director might use analytics to demonstrate how new service models are improving competitive integrated employment outcomes among individuals with significant disabilities.
Common Challenges and Overcoming Them
While the value of analytics is clear, the path to implementation is not always easy. Many agencies struggle with common challenges: incomplete or inconsistent data entry, limited staff training in data interpretation, or an over-reliance on lagging indicators. Another challenge is access to skilled data analysts or staff with experience in platforms like Tableau or Power BI.
To overcome these challenges, agencies should prioritize data literacy training, build partnerships with state IT departments or universities, and adopt phased rollouts of dashboard tools to encourage adoption. Starting small with one or two key indicators can build trust and familiarity with the process.
Conclusion
In a world where every dollar counts and every service must demonstrate its impact, analytics are no longer a luxury — they are a necessity. Whether you’re a counselor refining your caseload strategy, a regional manager optimizing contractor performance, or a director making the case for legislative funding, the power of your data is the power of your voice.
The future of vocational rehabilitation will be shaped not only by our commitment to participants but by how well we can tell our story — with numbers, with outcomes, and with insight. When data is used with purpose, it becomes the bridge between today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities. Let us be stewards of that bridge.
*I want to thank my co-authors this week for assisting with the writing of this blog. They are Sandy Williams, Customer Support Manager at Alliance Enterprises and Ola Ehindero, Data Analyst II at Alliance. Sandy has more than 30 years’ experience at a state vocational rehabilitation agency operating their case management system before joining Alliance three years ago and Ola recently joined the team with extensive experience in analytics.
This blog was edited with the assistance of ChatGPT
