Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Combined or General)

Interagency Agreement with the California Department of Education

Under the WIOA, the IDEA and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 require State Educational Agencies (SEA) and VR agencies to plan and coordinate transition services, as well as pre-employment transition services (CDOR Student Services) for students with disabilities through a formal interagency agreement. In October 2018, CDOR signed an updated interagency agreement with the CDE to facilitate collaboration and shared responsibilities to increase opportunities for successful transition to adult life and employment for all students with disabilities. VR services may be provided to students with disabilities and youth with disabilities; CDOR student services may only be provided to students with disabilities.

The purpose of the agreement is to create a coordinated system of educational and VR services, including CDOR Student Services, for students with disabilities to facilitate a smooth transition from secondary education to post-secondary employment-related activities and competitive integrated employment. For the purposes of this agreement, interagency cooperation and collaboration for transition planning and services will be focused on students with disabilities who are enrolled in secondary school programs and are potentially eligible or eligible for services from  CDOR. This includes students with disabilities who are served under the IDEA, regardless of where services are provided, and students with disabilities served in general secondary instructional programs and who are not served under IDEA.

I. Consultation and Technical Assistance

The CDOR will provide consultation and technical assistance to assist LEAs in planning for the transition of students with disabilities from school to post-school activities, including CDOR Student Services and other VR services. Technical assistance may be provided through teleconference calls, in-person presentations/meetings, or through informational material. 

The CDE will provide CDOR with informational material for CDOR staff on mandated secondary transition planning under IDEA for students who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

Additionally, statewide and local joint trainings with topics addressing DOR Student Services and transition services will be made available to special education teachers, administrators, parents, and students by CDOR and CDE. Other training opportunities will be presented to agencies (e.g. County Mental Health programs, AJCCs, Employment Development Department, and Department of Developmental Services) that could individually or collectively share in the responsibility for providing transition-related services to youth and students with disabilities.

The CDOR has established a core series of training curriculum designed for local CDOR and LEA staff. Expert consultants in their respective fields provide training modules that include:

• CDOR Student Services Work Based Learning Experiences.
• CDOR Student Services Workplace Readiness Training.
• CDOR Student Services Instruction in Self-Advocacy.
• Job Development, Placement and Retention.
• Benefits Planning and Management.
• Transition Age Youth.
• Collaboration and Building Partnerships for Successful Employment.

II. Transition and DOR Student Services Planning

Collaborative Transition Planning and Development for Individualized Program Plans – IEP and IPE

A student’s IEP will include appropriate measurable postsecondary goals based upon age appropriate transition assessments related to training, education, employment, and, where appropriate, independent living skills and the transition services (including courses of study) needed to assist the student in reaching those goals.

The CDE will encourage LEAs to invite DOR staff to IEP meetings and other team meetings, to the extent appropriate and with the consent of the parent or adult child, so the DOR can provide information, technical assistance, and information and referral as needed for eligible or potentially eligible students with disabilities.

The CDOR staff will attend IEP meetings, when invited, to actively participate in the planning and development of CDOR Student Services and transition services for the individual student.

For each eligible secondary student with a disability who applies for VR services, CDOR will develop an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) before the student leaves the school system or within 90 days of eligibility determination, whichever occurs first.

The LEA and CDOR will use a collaborative team process to develop the transition services section of the IEP and the IPE for the transitioning student.

III. Outreach

Procedures for Outreach and Identification of Students with Disabilities

To enhance outreach and identification of students with disabilities that need CDOR Student Services and transition services by VR and education, local CDOR districts and LEAs will work together to develop policies and/or procedures to ensure access to these services. The CDOR outreach procedures to students will include sharing information on the VR program, eligibility requirements, application procedures, and the scope of services that may be provided to eligible individuals.

IV. Coordination

State Level Coordination

The CDOR and the CDE are responsible for providing leadership and monitoring to local CDOR offices and LEAs, respectively, to facilitate the development of cooperative programs for secondary students, memorandums of understandings, and identification of students with disabilities who are either potentially eligible or eligible for the VR program. The CDOR and CDE staff will work cooperatively with other state programs and agencies to ensure that CDOR students/consumers have access to the resources available through the workforce development system.

State and local staffs from each agency will work together to plan and implement evaluation activities, including individual accountability measures, for shared students/consumers. These activities should address program effectiveness, consumer satisfaction, longitudinal outcomes, cooperative research and pilot projects, and other joint efforts to document and improve the effectiveness of transition services.

Local Level Coordination

Each local administrator, or designee, will be responsible for the coordination of transition-related activities both within his or her own agency and with other agencies. This will serve a variety of purposes, including, but not limited to coordination of resource information, outreach, program information dissemination, research and evaluation, including student follow-up studies and, facilitating annual meetings of interagency personnel who serve secondary students with disabilities for the provision of CDOR Student Services and transition services.

The LEAs and CDOR districts will utilize the following resources to assist in local coordination activities:

• School Contact List - The CDOR has developed a school contact list to identify school liaisons for each secondary school district in California. The school contact list consists of over 500 secondary school districts. It serves a variety of purposes, such as the coordination of resource information, outreach, and program information dissemination.
• Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) - The CDOR and CDE recommend and encourage the development of local MOUs between the CDOR and LEA. These MOUs will serve to facilitate and coordinate CDOR Student Services and transition services for secondary students with disabilities. State technical assistance will be provided to form such agreements. MOUs are also encouraged between the CDOR and Charter Schools. The CDOR developed a MOU template to encourage collaboration with Learn4Life Charter Schools. Through this MOU, the parties define participating sites and how they will create a coordinated system of education and VR, including referrals for services for students with disabilities
• Local Partnership Agreements - Collaborations may also include Local Partnership Agreements encouraged by CDE, CDOR, and the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) as an initiative of the CIE Blueprint to provide opportunities to students with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities.

MOUs with Local Education Agencies

The CDOR established partnerships between several LEAs and CDOR districts to initiate a local Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The CDOR shared with LEAs the CDOR/CDE Interagency Agreement and Appendix A, as well as three newly developed resources: the Collaboration Worksheet, CDOR School Contact List, and a CDOR Student Services flyer. In particular, the departments created the Collaboration Worksheet to complement Appendix A from the Interagency Agreement. It aims to support the development of strategies that will work best in the LEA/CDOR district. Topics include but are not limited to referral to CDOR Student Services, student access, and other key processes – understanding that different areas will have different resources and needs.

LEA-CDOR Local Interagency Agreement Template

The CDOR and CDE shared with LEAs Appendix A of the interagency agreement to be used as a template for developing local agreements. The LEAs and CDOR districts will use this template to help facilitate the integration and coordination of transition services and CDOR Student Services for students with disabilities who are enrolled in secondary education and are eligible, or potentially eligible, to receive vocational rehabilitation (VR) services. Specifically, the intent of the agreement is to:

• Define the responsibilities of LEAs and CDOR districts. 
• Provide for efficient and effective utilization of resources.
• Minimize duplication.
• Provide a foundation for continuous, effective working relationships between LEAs and CDOR districts.

Each local administrator, or designee, will be responsible for the coordination of transition-related activities both within his or her own agency and with other agencies.

Refer to Description (d)(1) – Coordination with Education Officials, specifically the paragraphs titled “Consultation, Technical Assistance and Community of Practice” and “Regional Training and Technical Assistance Curriculum”.