Time and money for vocational rehabilitation of clients with mild, moderate, and severe mental retardation.

Mildly, moderately, and severely mentally retarded vocational rehabilitation clients comprised a random national sample of 600 clients. One-half of the sample had been closed (services completed) "rehabilitated", and half had been closed "nonrehabilitated." Variables selected for analyses were time in referral, training, and rehabilitation process; dollars in evaluation, facilities, all services, and earnings. Rehabilitated clients tended to require more time in referral, less moneys for extended evaluation and rehabilitation facilities, and earned more per week than the nonrehabilitated clients. Severely mentally retarded clients required more time in training and higher costs for extended evaluation, rehabilitation facilities, and all services than the moderately or mildly retarded groups. A consistent interaction across five variables indicated that the greatest amounts of service in time and money went to the nonrehabilitated severely retarded group.