Delaware Division of Vocational Rehabilitation: Pre-ETS, Referrals, and What Transition Families Should Know

Your child's IEP team just mentioned "DVR" at a transition meeting, and you're wondering what that actually means for your family. Delaware's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation sits inside the Department of Labor and exists for one purpose: helping people with disabilities get and keep competitive jobs. For transition-age students, DVR runs two parallel tracks — Pre-Employment Transition Services for students still in school, and formal adult vocational rehabilitation for those approaching graduation.

What Pre-Employment Transition Services Cover

Pre-ETS is available to any Delaware student with a disability between ages 14 and 21 who is enrolled in school. It is distinct from formal adult DVR services and should be initiated through the school/DVR referral process. Under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, DVR must provide five core services:

• Job exploration counseling — career interest inventories, workplace visits, informational interviews
• Work-based learning experiences — internships, job shadowing, school-based enterprises
• Counseling on postsecondary opportunities — college visits, technical training program information
• Workplace readiness training — soft skills, time management, professional communication
• Self-advocacy instruction — understanding rights, requesting accommodations, communicating needs

Delaware contracts with community providers like ServiceSource and Rise Mid-Atlantic to deliver Pre-ETS in schools and community settings across all three counties. Summer Pre-ETS programs run annually through DVR — registration typically closes in late spring, so families should ask their transition coordinator about deadlines during the spring IEP meeting.

The critical detail: Pre-ETS is exempt from DVR's Order of Selection. Even when adult VR services have a waitlist because of limited funding, in-school youth can still access Pre-ETS without interruption.

When to Submit a Formal DVR Referral

Pre-ETS and formal DVR services are different things. Pre-ETS is a school-based introduction. Formal DVR opens the door to individualized services — vocational assessments, job development, assistive technology, job coaching, and supported employment placements.

The recommended referral timeline is during the student's junior year, roughly two years before expected graduation. Delaware's DVR accepts electronic referrals through the Department of Labor website. The referral packet typically includes:

• The student's most recent IEP with transition goals
• Psychological or psychoeducational evaluation reports
• Medical documentation of the disability
• Any vocational assessments already completed through school

After referral, a DVR counselor determines eligibility. Once eligible, the counselor and student develop an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) within 90 days. The IPE spells out the employment goal, what services DVR will fund, and each party's responsibilities.

Order of Selection and What It Means for Your Family

When DVR's budget can't serve everyone who's eligible, federal law requires them to implement an Order of Selection. This system ranks applicants by disability severity — people with the most significant disabilities get priority.

If your child is placed in a lower-priority category, they could end up on a waiting list for adult services even after eligibility is confirmed. Two things to know:

1. Pre-ETS continues regardless. The waitlist only affects individualized adult VR services.
2. Families have the right to request a written copy of the priority determination and can ask for reconsideration if they believe the severity was underassessed.

Connecting DVR to the IEP

DVR involvement should be documented in the transition section of the IEP. When a DVR counselor attends the IEP meeting — which Delaware encourages starting in the junior year — their planned services become part of the transition plan. This creates accountability: if the school is responsible for the referral and it doesn't happen, the family has documentation showing the agreed-upon timeline was missed.

Ask for three things at the IEP meeting where DVR is discussed:

1. A specific referral date written into the IEP
2. The name of the assigned DVR counselor (or a commitment to provide one)
3. Prior Written Notice if the school declines to facilitate the referral

The Delaware IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes a DVR and DDDS Application Tracker worksheet that maps each referral step to a timeline, so nothing falls through during the handoff from school to adult services.

What DVR Does Not Cover

DVR is an employment agency. It does not provide residential services, Medicaid waivers, or long-term disability support. Students who need those services must apply separately to the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDDS) and through the Delaware ASSIST Medicaid portal. For ESSE participants, long-term follow-along funding transfers from school and DVR resources to DDDS after the school-based phase through programs like ESSE.

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