Bureau of Rehabilitation Services in Connecticut

What BRS Does

The Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS) is Connecticut's vocational rehabilitation agency, operating under the Department of Aging and Disability Services. Its single mission: help individuals with disabilities prepare for, find, and keep employment.

BRS isn't a benefits program — it's a service provider. It funds assessments, training, job coaching, workplace accommodations, and support services that connect your young adult to competitive, integrated employment. For families navigating the age-18 transition, BRS is the bridge between school-based transition programs and real-world work.

The Order of Selection: Why It Matters

BRS operates under an Order of Selection policy because demand exceeds available funding. Not everyone who is eligible gets served immediately. Instead, BRS categorizes applicants by severity of disability and serves the highest-priority group first.

Priority Group 1: Individuals with the most significant disabilities — severe impairments in four or more functional capacity areas (mobility, communication, self-care, self-direction, interpersonal skills, work tolerance, and work skills) that require multiple services over an extended period. This group is currently open, meaning eligible individuals are accepted for services immediately.

Priority Group 2: Individuals with significant disabilities affecting 1 to 3 functional capacity areas. This group is currently closed — eligible individuals are placed on a waitlist until funding becomes available.

Priority Group 3: Individuals with less severe functional limitations. Also currently closed.

The SSI/SSDI shortcut: If your young adult receives SSI or SSDI, they automatically qualify for at least Priority Group 2. BRS is required to conduct an individual assessment to determine if their functional limitations actually qualify them for Priority Group 1. Given that most young adults receiving SSI have significant limitations across multiple domains, many qualify for PG1 — where services are immediate.

This is worth pressing: when you apply to BRS, explicitly reference SSI/SSDI receipt and request a Priority Group 1 determination. Don't accept a PG2 assignment without an individual assessment that evaluates all functional capacity areas.

Level Up: Pre-ETS for Students 16–22

Even if Priority Groups 2 and 3 are closed, Level Up (Pre-Employment Transition Services) is available to all students with disabilities aged 16 to 22, regardless of priority group status or waitlist position.

Level Up provides five core services:

1. Job exploration counseling — identifying interests, aptitudes, and career pathways through assessments and informational interviews
2. Work-based learning experiences — internships, job shadowing, and community-based work experiences
3. Counseling on enrollment in postsecondary education — guidance on college, vocational training, certificate programs, and apprenticeships
4. Workplace readiness training — soft skills, professional communication, workplace norms, and self-advocacy in employment settings
5. Self-advocacy instruction — teaching young adults to communicate their needs, request accommodations, and navigate workplace relationships

Level Up services are available while your young adult is still a student and can continue through age 22 while they remain eligible as a student. These services run parallel to the school district's IEP transition programming — they don't replace it, they supplement it.

To access Level Up: contact your regional BRS office directly or ask the school district's transition coordinator to initiate a referral. School PPT (Planning and Placement Team) meetings should include a BRS representative starting at age 16 to coordinate Level Up services with IEP transition goals.

Applying for Full BRS Services

When your young adult is ready for the full vocational rehabilitation process (beyond Pre-ETS), the application goes through the regional BRS office:

1. Submit an intake request — through the BRS online contact form at portal.ct.gov/ads/knowledge-base/articles/employment-services/for-job-seekers/how-to-start-your-journey-with-the-bureau-of-rehabilitation-services or by calling your regional office directly
2. Initial interview — a BRS counselor meets with the young adult to discuss employment goals, current barriers, and support needs
3. Eligibility determination — BRS evaluates whether the individual has a physical or mental impairment that constitutes a substantial impediment to employment and requires VR services. If they receive SSI or SSDI, eligibility is presumed and they automatically qualify for at least Priority Group 2.
4. Priority Group assignment — based on the functional capacity assessment
5. Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) — if the individual is in an open priority group, the BRS counselor and the young adult jointly develop a plan listing specific employment goals, the services to be provided, and the timeline

The IPE is the core document. It specifies what BRS will fund — and it can include:

• Vocational assessment and career planning
• Job placement and coaching services
• Assistive technology for the workplace
• Training program tuition (community college, vocational school, certificate programs)
• Transportation assistance to and from employment
• Supported employment (ongoing job coaching for individuals who need long-term workplace support)
• Benefits counseling — this one is underutilized but critical: a benefits counselor explains exactly how working will affect SSI, HUSKY C, and other benefits, so the young adult can make informed decisions about employment intensity

Coordinating BRS With Other Transition Activities

BRS services don't exist in isolation. During the 18-22 transition window, BRS should be running parallel to:

DDS eligibility and waiver planning. If your young adult qualifies for DDS, their case manager should coordinate with the BRS counselor. The Employment and Day Supports (EDS) waiver through DDS and BRS vocational services can work together — BRS provides the initial job development and placement, and the EDS waiver funds ongoing supported employment after BRS closes the case.

SSI work incentives. Before your young adult starts working, request benefits counseling through BRS. Understanding the SSI earned income exclusion (the first $85 of earnings plus half of remaining earnings are excluded), the Student Earned-Income Exclusion (up to $2,410/month for students under 22), and the relationship between earnings and HUSKY C/MED-Connect eligibility prevents families from avoiding employment out of benefits-loss fear.

School-based transition. BRS counselors should attend PPT meetings where transition goals are discussed. The school district's transition program and BRS's vocational services should align — not duplicate — so the young adult builds progressively toward employment rather than repeating assessments.

After BRS: The Handoff

BRS cases eventually close. After the individual achieves their employment goal and demonstrates stability (typically 90 days of successful employment), BRS considers the case successfully closed.

But for many young adults with significant disabilities, workplace support doesn't end after 90 days. This is where the DDS Employment and Day Supports (EDS) waiver becomes the long-term funding mechanism for ongoing job coaching, workplace accommodations, and employment support.

The cleanest transition: get EDS waiver funding secured before BRS closes the case. Your DDS case manager and BRS counselor should coordinate the handoff timing so there's no gap in workplace support.

The Connecticut SSI at 18 & Adult Disability Benefits Guide includes a multi-agency coordination timeline that maps BRS intake, DDS waiver applications, SSI work incentive thresholds, and school transition milestones into a single sequence.

See more Connecticut guides →