At a state vocational-rehabilitation agency or comparable disability-employment organization, you administer a vocational-rehabilitation program — overseeing counselors, supporting clients with disabilities through employment, managing regulatory compliance, and engaging with employer partners.
Program administration anchors the calendar — sitting with senior counselors on case decisions, engaging with federal RSA funding and reporting, leading employer-partnership development, and managing the operational layer of vocational-rehab service delivery. Client outcomes (employment placements, retention), regulatory compliance, and program-performance metrics shape the visible measures.
Where it gets demanding is the federal-state structure of vocational rehabilitation — programs operate under the federal Rehabilitation Act with RSA oversight, and the administrator navigates federal accountability alongside state operational realities. Variance across employers is wide: state DOR agencies, federally-funded VR programs, and nonprofit vocational-rehab providers run with different funding and accountability structures.
The role tends to fit folks who carry disability-services credentials, public-administration fluency, and the political instincts that federally-funded program leadership requires. CRC, MRC, or comparable vocational-rehabilitation credentials anchor advancement. The trade-off is the federal-reporting overhead of vocational rehabilitation and the modest pay typical of public-sector disability services.
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Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
It's your career.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Social Services roles →At a state vocational-rehabilitation agency or comparable disability-employment organization, you administer a vocational-rehabilitation program — overseeing counselors, supporting clients with disabilities through employment, managing regulatory compliance, and engaging with employer partners.
Median pay for a Vocational Rehabilitation Administrator is about $78K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $50K to $130K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Judgment and Decision Making, Management of Personnel Resources, and Time Management.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 6.4% through 2034, with roughly 195,490 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Rehabilitation Director, Rehabilitation Specialist, and Rehabilitation Engineer.
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