Bill > S2223

This bill aims to improve the transition to adult services for individuals with disabilities by ensuring closer coordination between school-provided transition services and habilitative services offered by the Bureau of Transition Planning within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, requiring a representative from this bureau to attend Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings at least two years before a student graduates or turns twenty-two. It also clarifies the definition of "person with a disability" and "substantial impediment to employment" to be more inclusive, expands the scope of habilitative services to include independent living skills, housing preparation, postsecondary education, employment training, and self-advocacy, and mandates that the Bureau of Transition Planning provide assistance with work incentive programs for those receiving disability benefits. Furthermore, the bill establishes a pilot program for individuals with developmental disabilities who are turning 22 and do not have an intellectual disability, and requires annual reports from the Executive Office of Health and Human Services detailing the number of individuals referred for services, the number for whom services were not provided, and proposed federal Medicaid revenue strategies to fund adult services for transitioning students not eligible for state disability programs, with the Secretary of Health and Human Services tasked with amending relevant rules and regulations to implement these changes.