Issue #13: Record Keeping During the Transition Service Part V

Be prepared as you can in this phase of your student’s life and ensure the best possible transition and guarantee of services. This section will guide you through the types of records and information that parents will need to gather. Your assistance in helping students and parents gather this necessary information will facilitate the student’s transition to adulthood.

Importance of Keeping Records

During the transition process, it is extremely important that parents and students develop a record keeping system. This system should encompass four specific categories:

• Official documents (as well as Medical and Psychological reports)
• Financial documents
• Chronicle of information

The first category, official documents involve maintaining a file of a student’s written official documents. Examples include:

• all high school transcripts
• evaluation test results
• medical records
• letters of recommendation
• job coach reports
• on-the-job training reports
• professional comments
• schedules
• therapist reports
• IEPs
• transitional IEPs
• end-of-the-year reports

The second category, financial documents, includes:

• sources of income and assets (pension funds, interest income, etc.)
• Social Security and Medicare information
• investment income
• insurance information with policy numbers
• bank accounts
• location of safe deposit boxes
• copies of recent income tax returns
• liabilities: what is owed to whom and when payments are due
• credit card and charge account names and numbers
• property taxes
• location of personal items

Refer to the sections on Financial Concerns, Insurance Issues, and Estate Planning –for additional information on this important subject.

The third category involves an ongoing chronicle of information gathered as the result of:

• phone conversations with school or agency officials
• summary of meeting
• copies of letters written by parents
• copies of letters received
• brochures handed out by organizations

 

TRANSITION PLANNING TIMELINE

From an individual student perspective, the following is a series of events that may need to be considered during the student’s transition process. All items will not be applicable to all students. The list is provided to serve as an optional planning tool.

	Action	Suggested Age Range
____	Administer initial career/vocational assessment	12
____	Complete periodic career/vocational assessments	12-21
____	Develop a career plan.	12-21(any age) & update annually
____	Participate in strength-based person centered planning.	12-21(any age)
____	Develop skills in self-determination and self-advocacy	12-21
____	Notify parents that transition services will be incorporated into the IEP beginning at age 15	15 or earlier as appropriate
____	Introduce and discuss transition services	15 or earlier as appropriate
____	Assure that copies of work related documents are available: Social security card Birth certificate Obtain working papers (if appropriate) Obtain personal ID card	15 -17
____	Obtain parental consent so that the appropriate adult agency representatives can be involved	15-21
____	Develop post school outcomes with student	15 or earlier as appropriate
____	Develop transition component of IEP and annually thereafter review and update	15
____	Explore community leisure activities	12-21
____	Consider employment/volunteer experience	15-20
____	Consider the need for residential opportunities including completing applications, as appropriate	14-21
____	Visit supportive community agencies and organizations	14-21
____	Develop transportation/mobility strategies such as: Independent travel skills training Public or para-transit transportation Needs for travel attendant Obtaining a driver’s license	16-21
____	Consider guardianship or age of majority issues	16-18
____	Involve VESID/CBVH, as appropriate, within two years of school exit	16-21
____	Investigate post school opportunities (further educational, career and technical training, college, military, etc.)	16-18
____	Apply for college and other post school educational training programs	17-21
____	Investigate SSDI/SSI/Medicaid programs	12-18
____	Re-apply for SSI, as appropriate	18
____	Investigate work incentives	18
____	Review health insurance coverage; inform insurance company of son/daughter disability; and investigate rider of continued eligibility	18
____	Register for the draft	18
____	Register to vote	18

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