SD #7: Understanding the role of your DDS Transition Coordinator and navigating the Individual Transition Plan process

After you receive the determination letter from the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) stating that your child is found eligible for adult services under their program, the next step is to meet with your DDS Transition Coordinator. In this blog post, we will outline the Transition Coordinator’s role from the age of eligibility until aging out and how the Individual Transition Plan is developed.  

Soon after we received our letter from DDS stating that L was found eligible for adult services upon completion of school, we were next assigned a DDS 688 Transition Coordinator.

What is the role of the DDS 688 Transition Coordinator?  : The primary role of the 688 Transition Coordinator is to act as the liaison between the student/family, the school, and DDS while the student is still enrolled in the public school system. Because the 688 Referral was completed, DDS has the student’s anticipated graduation date in their system, thus knowing when the student will be aging out and will need funding for their adult services. To find out who your area office 688 Transition Coordinator is, you can look it up on this website:  https://areaofficelocator.dds.state.ma.us/Home/LookupByCity

As the liaison, the 688 Transition Coordinator:

-Will visit the student’s program and meet with the team to get to know the student and what setting they are currently in.

-Attend IEP meetings to learn more about the student, including the transition goals that the student is currently working on and what the “next steps” will be

-Assist the team in identifying future supports: This is where you will talk more with the coordinator about the difference in the adult service models and what programs for CBDS are in your catchment area.

-The 688 Transition Service Coordinator will also write up the Individual Transition Plan, which is submitted to DDS, giving them the heads up about what adult service program the student wishes to attend upon completion of school

-Overall, help the team and provide support during this time of transition

What is the Individual Transition Plan?

The Individual Transition Plan is a document created by the 688 Transition Coordinator in conjunction with the student, family, and any team members on the student’s transition team.

From the MA DESE Chapter 688 Referral website “…….”Individual Transition Plan (ITP), which contains a description of the student’s disability-related needs which will require support after exiting school, the agency or entity responsible for the provision of such services, the location at which such services will be provided, and the expected duration for the provision of services. According to the Chapter 688 law, ITPs must be developed no later than six months before the date the student exits school.”

For L, we worked closely with his DDS 688 Transition Coordinator beginning 1- year upon aging out of the school system. We had a transition conversation with her in October of 2022, where we received a list of those CBDS programs in our catchment area to visit. We spoke with her while we set up our two visits to agencies that were allowing tours, and we also talked with her about the Self-Directed programming model. She attended his IEP meeting in January 2023, and we continued to talk with her more as we had questions specific to the Self-Directed programming model. We had our Individual Transition Plan meeting in May/June with L, myself, and L’s transition teacher.

What does the Individual Transition Plan look like?

Forget what you know about IEPs; the ITP is a very basic outline of what the student will be transitioning to. At first, I was worried when we received the copy in the mail, but then I was told that the purpose of this form was to document the general plan. Once L was set up in his program, we met with his DDS Support Broker and created his Individual Service Plan (more on this in future posts), which is a more in-depth document.

Different topic areas are noted in the ITP, including if funds are available for those services, who the responsible agency will be, and the date the supports are needed. The following information was part of L’s ITP; yours may be different depending on your child’s needs:

-Description of support needs and adult service, Transportation, Service Coordination, Family Support, Recreation, and current residential and vocational status

What do you do once you receive the Individual Transition Plan?

When you receive the plan, you will also receive a plan approval sheet that needs to be signed and submitted to the address listed. The sheet indicates whether you are accepting or rejecting the ITP. If you are rejecting the ITP, the letter also lists who you can reach out to (within 90 days of the date of the ITP) to discuss the rejected items or if you would like to have the ITP reconsidered.

One thing that should be noted is that in small print at the bottom of the plan approval form, they write, “I understand that Chapter 688 is NOT a continuation of Chapter 766 (Special Education Law) and is not a guarantee of adult services. Chapter 688 is a planning process which bridges Special Education Services by developing an ITP. Services listed on the ITP may be contingent.”  This is an important point to remember: adult services are an eligibility service but not an entitlement service. So, even if your child is eligible for adult services, they are not entitled to attend a specific program or a specific funding amount.

What happens next?

After your child has transitioned into their adult service program, you will be assigned someone either from the adult service program to be the case manager for your child, OR, if you are doing self-directed services, you will be assigned a DDS Support Broker. Those individuals will work with you to create the Individual Service Plan (ISP), and we will review that form in more detail in future posts.

Call to Action:  Check out this ” Important Transition Information Every Family Should Know” handout from DDS. This booklet details the application process for DDS and the various programs that DDS offers in the adult world. This was last published in June 2020  https://www.mass.gov/doc/transition-information-fact-sheets-english/download

You can also look up where your DDS office is located and the staff that are available to help you during this transition period and beyond:  https://areaofficelocator.dds.state.ma.us/Home/LookupByCity

Until next time,

Cheryl