Arkansas Rehabilitation Services for High School Students with Disabilities

Arkansas Rehabilitation Services (ARS) is the state's vocational rehabilitation agency, and for students with disabilities approaching high school graduation, it is the primary bridge between school-based services and competitive employment. ARS operates on a dual-track system — Pre-Employment Transition Services for exploration, and formal Vocational Rehabilitation for individualized employment support.

Most families encounter ARS through the transition IEP process, when the school district invites an ARS counselor to the meeting. But ARS is a separate state agency with its own application process, eligibility requirements, and timelines. Understanding how those timelines intersect with the IEP calendar is what keeps the employment pipeline from breaking at graduation.

The ARS Case File Process

Formal VR moves through a structured, status-based sequence:

Status 00 (Referral): The student's demographics and referral details are entered into AWARE, the ARS case management system, to open an Electronic Case File.

Status 02 (Application): The student (or parent, if under 18) submits a formal VR application along with medical, psychological, and educational records. This is more than a referral — it commits ARS to evaluating the student within a defined timeline.

Status 10 (Eligibility Determination): The VR counselor must determine eligibility within 60 days of the application date. Eligibility requires three things: a documented physical or mental impairment, evidence that the impairment creates a substantial impediment to employment, and a determination that the individual requires and can benefit from VR services.

Status 12 (Individual Plan for Employment — IPE): Once eligible, the counselor and student must develop and sign the IPE within 90 days. The IPE is the VR equivalent of an IEP — it specifies the employment goal, the services ARS will provide (tuition, job coaching, assistive technology, supported employment), and the service providers involved.

Status 04 (Order of Selection — Deferred): If ARS is operating under an Order of Selection due to funding constraints, an eligible student may be placed on a deferred services list rather than moving to IPE development. If funding becomes available during the fiscal year, the student moves forward; if funding is not released by the end of the fiscal year, the case closes under Status 38.

Why the 60-Day and 90-Day Clocks Matter

Combined, the eligibility and IPE development windows can span up to 150 days from application to a signed IPE — about five months — assuming no delays, no Order of Selection deferral, and no missing documentation.

For a student graduating in May, a VR application submitted in January barely makes the eligibility determination by March. The IPE might not be signed until June — after the student has already left the school system.

This is why transition professionals recommend submitting the formal VR application at least two years before high school exit, or earlier if the student has already completed Pre-ETS. The goal is a signed IPE before senior year, so employment services are running while school-based supports are still active.

Inviting ARS to the IEP Meeting

The school district must obtain the student's consent (or parent's consent, for minors) before inviting ARS to an IEP meeting. Some districts do this routinely; others do not raise the topic unless a parent asks.

If ARS has not been invited to your child's transition IEP meeting by age 16, request it in writing. The ARS transition counselor brings information about Pre-ETS eligibility, work-based learning placements, and the formal VR application process — all of which should inform the postsecondary employment goals in the IEP.

The Arkansas IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes an ARS referral tracking worksheet and an IPE preparation checklist for families coordinating with the ARS transition counselor alongside the IEP team.

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