January 2016

F E D E R A L P A R T N E R S I N T R A N S I T I O N

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The Federal Partners in Transition (FPT) workgroup presents What to Know About 

Youth Transition Services. This fact sheet was created to address the compatible 

outcome goals and policy priorities identified in The 2020 Youth Transition Plan: A 

Federal Interagency Strategy and provides a quick glance of available resources. 

Please click on the links to learn more about each fact.

General

1. What is meant by transition for youth with disabilities? The Federal Partners in 

Transition workgroup views transition as the period of time when adolescents are 

moving into adulthood and are often concerned with planning for postsecondary 

education, careers, health care, financial benefits, housing, and more. There is a 

particular need to provide continuity of service for youth from ages 14 or 16 to ages 

25 or 30 across both child and adult service systems. 

2. The transition from youth to adulthood is critical for every young person. This 

is particularly true for students and youth with disabilities. Ideally, during the 

transition years, youth acquire knowledge and learn skills they will need to maximize 

their independence and self-sufficiency in their communities. This process may 

involve accessing educational and employment opportunities including career and 

technical education, obtaining employment related services and supports, finding 

stable housing, and acquiring health insurance coverage, transitioning from pediatric 

to adult health care, financial aid, and other supports and services to assist in their 

future planning and development towards adulthood.

 

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Youth with disabilities is defined differently by various programs and systems, including the contributing 

agencies. Consequently, a standard definition is not used in this document.
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Education, Employment and Independent Living

3. Being connected to programs, services, activities, information, and supports 

helps to maximize youth success. Learning about education, competitive 

integrated employment, and disability-related programs and services, helps youth 

become aware of their options and make informed choices. Areas of importance 

include civil rights, community life, education, emergency preparedness, 

employment, benefits, work incentives, health, housing, technology, and 

transportation.

4. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act expands services to better 

support students and youth with disabilities in career development and 

transition planning. Title 1 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

(WIOA) authorizes the provision of career planning for eligible individuals.

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planning offers a person-centered approach to coordinate necessary support 

services before and after job placement. 

At least 20 percent of local Title I Youth formula funds must be used for work 

experiences including:

● Summer and year-round employment opportunities

● Pre-apprenticeships

● Internships and job shadowing

● On-the-job training.

Moreover, activities that help youth transition to postsecondary education and 

training are also explicitly included within the list of Title I Youth program elements.

Section 113 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by WIOA authorizes Vocational 

Rehabilitation agencies to use Federally reserved funds, and any funds made 

available to State, local, or private funding sources, to coordinate with local 

educational agencies to provide students with disabilities pre-employment transition 

services including the following required activities:

a. job exploration counseling; 

b. work-based learning experiences, which may include in-school or after school 

opportunities, or experience outside the traditional school setting (including 

internships), that is provided in an integrated environment to the maximum 

extent possible;

c. counseling on opportunities for enrollment in comprehensive transition or 

postsecondary educational programs at institutions of higher education;

d. workplace readiness training to develop social skills and independent living; 

and

e. instruction in self-advocacy, (including instruction in person-centered 

planning), which may include peer mentoring.

 

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Eligible individuals are defined by 29 U.S.C. §3164(c)(2). 
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5. Substantial, coordinated, well-designed services can improve transition 

outcomes. Extensive collaborative partnerships are needed to ensure a “continuum 

of services” across agency boundaries. FPT partners have several examples of 

interagency activities, collaborative projects, and coordinated services that impact

transition outcomes. These include the Social Security Administration’s Youth 

Transition Demonstration (2006-2012), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

Services Administration’s Health Transitions program and the Department of 

Education’s National Technical Assistance Center (NTAC) on Improving Transition 

to Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students with Disabilities. Given 

that no single agency can address all the transition needs of youth with disabilities, 

designing service delivery consistent with the Guideposts for Success and other 

similar frameworks can help to ensure that youth receive the services and supports 

they need to succeed.

6. Education and Training systems for preparing low-skilled youth with 

disabilities for marketable jobs can be complex and difficult to navigate.

Career pathways offer an efficient and customer-centered approach to training and 

education. This approach integrates the educational instruction, workforce 

development, and human and social services and supports that are linked to labor 

market trends and employer needs, leading to stackable credentials. 

Health Care

7. Health care transition, the purposeful, planned movement of youth from childcentered to adult-centered medical care, is important to success in all other 

aspects of transition. Because managing one’s health and wellness is critical to 

going to school, learning, and transitioning into employment, youth with disabilities 

with chronic health conditions, need to learn how to manage their health care 

transition. With support from family, health care providers, workforce professionals, 

and others, youth can gain self-care and decision-making skills to learn about their 

options for health insurance coverage to make sure they and their families stay 

healthy. 

8. A number of provisions in the Affordable Care Act expand access to health 

insurance coverage for youth with disabilities. The Affordable Care Act ensures 

that young people have quality, affordable health insurance choices, regardless of 

how their lives change. This is critical as youth frequently change or hold part-time or 

temporary jobs. Through the elimination of pre-existing condition exclusions, 

expansions of dependent coverage to age 26, Medicaid eligibility expansions, and 

subsidized private plans, new coverage opportunities are available. Youth, either by 

themselves or with their parents, can confidently purchase insurance coverage that 

includes essential health benefits, including mental health and substance use 

disorders services, prescription drugs, rehabilitative services and devices, preventive 

and wellness services, and chronic disease management.

9. Access to Medicaid can support successful transition for youth with 

disabilities and chronic health care needs. Medicaid is a joint Federal and State 

program that is partially funded by the Federal government and administered by 

States. Through various programmatic authorities, it provides States with 

opportunities to promote employment and successful community living for youth with 
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disabilities in transition. States also have the opportunity to promote employment 

and successful community living through the Medicaid Buy-In program, which 

permits States to allow higher income limits or no income limits for working 

individuals with disabilities, including youth with disabilities in transition. Forty-six 

States currently have Medicaid Buy-In programs.

Family and Professional Support 

10.Families and other caregivers play an important role in helping youth with 

disabilities envision their life as an adult. Transitioning into adulthood requires 

that youth with disabilities and their families thoughtfully plan for a future that is 

rooted in high expectations. Families can help ensure that these youth have access 

to services that facilitate a seamless transition process by supporting them in the 

development of their individualized education program (IEP), individualized plan for 

employment (IPE) and/or individualized learning plan (ILP). Although developing 

these youth-driven and strength-based plans requires significant time and support 

from families and other caring adults, research shows that they increase youth 

engagement which leads to positive outcomes. 

11.To equip youth with disabilities with the necessary skills to take charge of and 

manage their own transition plan, youth with disabilities need support from 

caring competent youth service professionals, including educators, workforce 

professionals, health care providers, and other providers. Research shows that 

high-quality professional development for youth service professionals to attain skills 

and knowledge through training or experience leads to better practices, improves 

program quality, and increases positive outcomes for youth with disabilities.

This document was created by the Federal Partners in Transition (FPT). FPT is a 

workgroup with representatives of several federal agencies, including the 

Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, the 

Department of Labor, and the Social Security Administration, which are involved in 

promoting inclusive service delivery for transitioning youth with disabilities from 

school into postsecondary education, the workforce, and independent living. 

Additional information about FPT’s shared vision, compatible outcomes goals, and 

policy priorities can be found in The 2020 Federal Youth Transition Plan: A Federal 

Interagency Strategy. The report is available at: http://youth.gov/featurearticle/federal-partners-transition.