Page 11 - FamilyGuidetoTransitionServices-English

Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA)

he Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) was signed into
T effect in 2014 and the regulations were issued in 2016. WIOA provides
for Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) to students with disabilities
who are eligible or potentially eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
services; these begin during the school year that a student turns 14 years old.
There are five activities available under Pre-ETS:

 Job exploration counseling
 Work-based learning experiences, which may include in-school or
community-based opportunities
 Counseling on opportunities for enrollment in comprehensive
transition or postsecondary educational programs
 Workplace readiness training to develop social skills and independent
living
 Instruction in self-advocacy, including peer mentoring
After exiting school, if a youth with disabilities chooses to be placed in a
setting that pays subminimum wage, there must be documentation that they
received appropriate Pre-ETS or transition services under IDEA for the
placement to be allowed by WIOA.
The Pre-ETS that are provided by DVRS to a student who is eligible for
special education need to be coordinated with other transition services
provided by the school district and others, since Pre-ETS are not meant to
replace the transition services in a student’s IEP, but rather to enhance them.
Each local education agency (LEA) needs to collaborate with DVRS to ensure
that the provision of Pre-ETS is
complementary to the transition
services being provided.
The IEP team must also consider
the need for consultation from
other agencies beginning when
the student turns 14, or younger
if appropriate.

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