Transition Services for Students

High school students with disabilities that affect their ability to plan and prepare for work may apply for transition services through our vocational rehabilitation program.

Types of Services Available
Services are custom-tailored for individual students. They include helping students to set employment goals and identify the steps and services necessary for achieving their goals. Students' written plans might call for on-the-job training or for degree programs at two- or four-year technical school or college.

Common services might include interest and ability testing, informational interviewing or career exploration services. Other services include payment for materials and equipment, assistive technology, job placement, and job-seeking skills training.

VRS staff work with each student and their IEP team to create an individualized employment plan that helps students make informed choices about their job goals and identifies which services are needed and who will provide them. 

Students may decide to develop plans on their own or with the help of someone of their choosing. But it is important to know that our vocational rehabilitation services staff must approve these plans prior to purchasing services.

When to Apply for Services
The best time to seek a referral for services is usually about two years before high school graduation, typically near the beginning of the student's junior year. Students with disabilities who are planning to leave school before graduation or who have already dropped out may seek an immediate referral to the school's vocational rehabilitation counselor.

Start with a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor
Vocational rehabilitation counselors are assigned to every high school in Minnesota. They help students find full-time work in the regular labor market and earn the same wages and benefits for the position as any other worker.

Select from the links below to find the counselor that comes to your school

• Find the VRS counselor that comes to your school
• Contact a Rehabilitation Services Regional Area Manager

Eligibility for Services
In order to qualify services, students must meet certain eligibility criteria. They include:

• Documentation of a physical or mental condition that causes a substantial impediment to employment.
• Evidence that the individual requires vocational rehabilitation services in order to prepare for, secure, obtain or retain employment
• The presumption that the individual is able to benefit from vocational rehabilitation services.

Documentation of a disability is usually obtained from the student's school assessment or from a medical/psychological provider's statement or records. If the student is not able to provide this documentation, the high school's vocational rehabilitation counselor will obtain it with written consent.

Cost of Services
There is no charge for counseling, job placement and several other services. For some purchased services, a sliding fee schedule based on family income may apply. A family whose income is higher than the guidelines may be asked to pay part or all of the cost.

For More Information
Contact Alyssa Klein at 651.259.7359 or at Alyssa.Klein@state.mn.us.