Connecticut IEP Transition Planning Checklist and Timeline

The Timeline That Governs Everything

Connecticut's transition planning timeline runs from age 14 to age 22 — eight years of sequential steps where missing one deadline can cascade into losing services, benefits, or program access. The federal standard starts transition at 16; Connecticut's two-year head start gives families more runway, but only if they use it.

This checklist isn't aspirational. Each item corresponds to a legal requirement, an agency deadline, or a strategic window that closes if you miss it. The consequences of falling behind range from delayed services to permanent loss of eligibility.

Ages 13-14: The Transition Trigger

The annual IEP review following your child's 13th birthday should address transition, ensuring the transition-active IEP is fully in place by age 14. If the school hasn't raised transition planning at this meeting, request it in writing — the district is legally required to include it.

Checklist items:

• Attend PPT meeting where transition is first discussed; ensure student is invited
• Review the Postsecondary Outcome Goal Statements (PSOGS) written for education, employment, and (if applicable) independent living
• Confirm that a multi-year Course of Study has been drafted connecting classes to the PSOGS
• Verify that initial transition assessments have been conducted (interest inventories, self-determination scales)
• Begin discussing the diploma vs. certificate pathway decision with the PPT

Age 15: Assessment and Skill Building

This year focuses on deepening the assessment base and beginning to connect school instruction to real-world skills.

Checklist items:

• Confirm that transition assessments are updated annually, not recycled from the previous year
• Review the Connecticut Core Transition Skills Resource Chart with the PPT; identify priority skill areas
• Evaluate whether the student's course sequence aligns with their stated postsecondary interests
• Begin conversations about the diploma pathway — is the student on track for the 25-credit requirement (class of 2027 onward)?
• Explore whether the student should participate in school-based career exploration activities

Age 16: Agency Referrals Begin

At 16, the transition plan expands beyond the school building. This is where external agencies enter the picture, and delays here compound for years.

Checklist items:

• Initiate BRS Level Up referral. The Bureau of Rehabilitation Services provides Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) to students aged 16-22 with an IEP, 504 plan, or documented disability. Services include job exploration counseling, work-based learning, counseling on postsecondary education, workplace readiness training, and self-advocacy instruction
• Begin DDS eligibility intake (if the student has an intellectual disability or Prader-Willi syndrome). Submit the DDS Central Eligibility packet — this process takes months and shouldn't wait until graduation
• Sign necessary release forms for school-to-agency information sharing
• Pursue community-based work experiences: job shadows, situational assessments, or volunteer work in integrated settings
• Update PSOGS based on new assessment data and the student's evolving interests

Age 17: Critical Legal Decisions

This is the year of legal notifications and structural choices that shape everything that follows.

Checklist items:

• Receive the Transfer of Rights notification. Connecticut law requires the district to notify the student and parents, on or before the 17th birthday, that all educational rights will transfer to the student at 18
• Decide whether the student will pursue guardianship, supported decision-making, or educational power of attorney before the 18th birthday. If guardianship is the path, begin the probate court petition process up to 180 days before the student turns 18
• Evaluate the deferral option. If the student is on track to meet graduation requirements but has unmet transition goals, discuss transition-only services with the PPT. The student can walk at graduation while deferring the physical diploma to preserve FAPE eligibility
• Identify specific 18-22 transition programs (PTPs or TVSPs) the student may attend after the diploma track is complete
• Verify that DDS eligibility determination is complete or actively in process

Age 18: The Legal Threshold

The student legally becomes an adult. The support framework shifts fundamentally.

Checklist items:

• Apply for SSI. At 18, the Social Security Administration evaluates the student on their own income and assets, no longer counting parental resources. The individual asset limit is $2,000
• Enroll in HUSKY C Medicaid through connect.ct.gov. This is non-negotiable for students who need DDS-funded adult day or employment services — DDS waivers are Medicaid-funded and require active HUSKY C enrollment. The individual asset limit is $1,600, unless the student is working and enrolled in the Medicaid for Employees with Disabilities (SO5) program, which allows higher limits
• Open an ABLE CT account if the student will receive SSI or Medicaid — savings in an ABLE account don't count against SSI or Medicaid asset limits. The base contribution limit is $20,000 annually, with an ABLE to Work option for additional contributions
• Register for Selective Service (required for male students regardless of disability)
• Support voter registration if the student is interested
• Verify that the transfer of educational rights has occurred and the student (or their guardian/supported decision-maker) is now the authorized decision-maker for the IEP

Ages 18-21: Transition Programming

During the extended eligibility period, the focus shifts to community-based skill development.

Checklist items:

• Confirm enrollment in an appropriate 18-22 transition program (PTP or TVSP)
• Maintain HUSKY C Medicaid and SSI eligibility — monitor assets and income against the limits
• Complete annual DDS Level of Need assessments and individual plan reviews as scheduled
• In the final year of transition services, work with BRS to transition from Level Up (Pre-ETS) to the full vocational rehabilitation program and develop an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE)
• Begin exploring adult day programs, supported employment providers, or college disability services that will pick up when school services end

Age 21-22: The Final Year

Under Public Act 23-137, FAPE eligibility terminates at the end of the school year (June 30) in which the student turns 22.

Checklist items:

• Obtain the Summary of Performance (SOP) from the school — review it carefully and request revisions before it's finalized
• Assemble a complete records packet: last three IEPs, all transition assessments, vocational evaluations, academic transcript, triennial psychoeducational evaluation, therapy evaluations, and the finalized SOP
• Verify that adult agency placements (DDS waiver services, BRS employment supports, or college disability accommodations) are confirmed and start dates are scheduled
• For students with summer birthdays (July-September): evaluate whether to decline the extended FAPE eligibility in writing if a DDS plan has an identified provider and confirmed start date

The Connecticut IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide provides this timeline in printable format with space for tracking each action item, along with agency contact information, form templates, and benefit threshold reference tables.

See more Connecticut guides →