Located in:
- Program-Specific Requirements for Vocational Rehabilitation (Combined or General)
The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan [13] must include the following descriptions and estimates, as required by section 101(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by title IV of WIOA:
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[13] Sec. 102(b)(2)(D)(iii) of WIOA
d. 2. C. Roles and responsibilities, including financial responsibilities, of each agency, including provisions for determining State lead agencies and qualified personnel responsible for transition services;
Current Narrative:
The agreement describes the role of the State Board of Education to ensure that local education agencies engage students with disabilities and their families in transition planning when it is a mandated part of the IEP process. In addition, ISBE will encourage school districts to annually submit summary transition goals and services to the local Transition Planning Committee (TPC). The agreement describes the role of DRS to include providing consultation and technical assistance to assist educational agencies in planning for pre-employment transition services and individualized transition services facilitating the transition of students from school to post-school activities and ensure that local DRS staff participate in IEP meetings where transition planning occurs. The agreement also addresses the financial responsibilities of each party.
The ISBE-DRS agreement specifies the following roles for each party:
ISBE Role. ISBE shall ensure that local education agencies (LEA) (i.e., school districts) engage students with disabilities and their families in transition planning when it is a mandated part of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process.
DHS-DRS Role. The Division of Rehabilitation Services within DHS (DHS-DRS) shall provide consultation and technical assistance, which may be provided using alternative means (e.g., video conferences and conference calls) to assist LEAs in planning for the transition of students from school to post-school activities, including pre-employment transition services and other vocational rehabilitation services. DHS-DRS staff will participate in transition planning with LEA personnel to facilitate the development and implementation of the IEPs for students with disabilities in accordance with VR program regulations in 34 CFR 361.22(b)(2). In addition, DHS-DRS shall establish and collaborate with local TPCs to outreach to and identify students with disabilities in need of pre-employment transition services and transition services as early as possible in the transition planning process. DRS and the local TPCs will also plan for the availability of community services for students with disabilities before and after exiting secondary education.
The financial responsibilities or each party are defined in the agreement as follows:
A) ISBE shall have responsibility for the management and oversight of federal education funding within the State. ISBE shall not provide compensation to DHS-DRS under this Agreement.
B) DHS-DRS shall have responsibility for the management and oversight of State and Federal vocational rehabilitation funds under Title I of the Rehabilitation Act and supported employment funds under Title VI of the Rehabilitation Act.
Service responsibilities of the parties are outlined in the agreement as follows:
A) ISBE shall have responsibility for providing outreach, guidance and coordination to LEAs regarding the provision of transition services, including pre-employment transition services; special education and related services under IDEA.
B) DHS-DRS shall have the responsibility for the provision of pre-employment transition services, transition services and vocational rehabilitation (VR) services to facilitate the transition students with disabilities from the receipt of education services, including pre-employment transition services, in school, to the receipt of VR services under the VR program (Section 101(a)(11)(D) of the Rehabilitation Act and 34 CFR 361.22(a)(1)), both directly and through cooperative agreements with local educational agencies.
Personnel responsibilities of the parties are specified as follows:
A) School Personnel. ISBE shall be responsible for determining the qualifications for teachers and other education personnel who provide special education services and other transition services to students with disabilities.
B) Rehabilitation Personnel. DHS-DRS shall be responsible for determining the qualifications of rehabilitation counselors, including school personnel and those providing pre-employment transition services to students, and transition services to students and youth with disabilities.