Preparing for Life After Graduation? Steps to Take During the Fall Months

In New Jersey, students with disabilities are entitled to receive special education and related services until the end of the school year in which he or she turns 21. While some people choose to graduate before age 21, it is important to understand the transition and prepare in advance for it. We’re happy to offer this series of articles to help you understand what to do over the course of someone’s final year of school so that the transition to adult services is a smooth one.

The Community Living Education Project is here to help individuals and families understand community living and put it into practice. Community living is not just where a person lives, but how they live. The transition to adult services is a great time to begin building a person-centered life in one’s community.

CLEP team members are available to assist individuals and families in determining what that looks like and how to put it into practice. Our website has extensive educational resources, including on Transitioning to Adult Services. So whether you’re looking to just become more informed or need more individualized assistance, we’re here to help.

Fall Transition Planning

The air is crisp and back-to-school season has arrived. While June may seem a long way off, it is important to begin preparing now so the transition to adult services is as smooth and stress-free as possible. 

A good place to start is educating yourself about Transition Planning. Planning for Adult Life is a great resource for webinars. New Jersey’s Division of Developmental Disabilities also has an Office of Transition to Adult Life and Employment. Sign up for a welcome session with them and make sure you subscribe to their emails. 

If it hasn’t been done already, the soon-to-be graduate should apply for Medicaid eligibility on the nj.gov website. You’ll also want to apply for New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) eligibility by contacting the DDD Community Services Office closest to where you live or downloading the DDD Eligibility Application online. All adult services through DDD are funded through Medicaid.

In addition, if your son or daughter did not apply for SSI (Supplemental Security Income) at age 18 that should be done now.  In order to receive services from DDD, the person must have received at least one SSI check. If your student applied for SSI at age 18, you automatically qualify for Medicaid in NJ.  These three steps are critical to do as soon as possible so there is time to address any unexpected delays.

Making sure these steps are taken care of will put your soon-to-be-graduate on a good track for graduation. There are more items to check off in the winter and spring months, so we'll be publishing two additional articles to help guide you through the steps. Check back in January and March!