HireAbility Vermont: Pre-ETS, VR Referrals, and What Families Need to Know

What HireAbility Vermont Actually Does

HireAbility Vermont is the state's vocational rehabilitation agency, formerly known as Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. It serves as the primary gateway for employment support for youth and adults with disabilities across the state.

For transition-age students — roughly ages 14 through 21 — HireAbility operates two distinct service tracks that families frequently confuse. The first is Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), which does not require a formal VR case. The second is a formal vocational rehabilitation (VR) case, which involves a counselor, eligibility screening, and an Individualized Plan for Employment.

Understanding which track your student needs, and when to move between them, prevents the single most common delay families hit: waiting months for a formal VR case when Pre-ETS was available all along.

Pre-Employment Transition Services: The Five Core Domains

Pre-ETS is available to any student with a disability aged 14 to 21, regardless of whether they have an open VR case. Under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Pre-ETS covers five domains:

• Job exploration counseling — career interest inventories, labor market information, workplace tours
• Work-based learning experiences — paid and unpaid internships, job shadowing, on-the-job training through HireAbility's Earn-and-Learn program (available starting at age 16)
• Counseling on postsecondary education — understanding college disability services, trade programs, and dual enrollment
• Workplace readiness training — punctuality, communication, following multi-step instructions, self-advocacy on the job
• Self-advocacy instruction — understanding disability rights in employment, requesting accommodations, communicating support needs

The Vermont Agency for Education and HireAbility coordinate Pre-ETS delivery through regional Core Transition Teams. These teams pair school-based work-based learning coordinators with HireAbility transition counselors so services align with the student's IEP transition goals.

To access Pre-ETS, the school's transition coordinator or the family contacts HireAbility directly. Pre-ETS does not require opening a formal vocational rehabilitation case; ask HireAbility what documentation is needed to confirm the student's disability.

When to Open a Formal VR Case

Pre-ETS is designed for exploration and skill-building. When a student needs individualized, intensive employment support — job placement, employer negotiation, assistive technology for work, or ongoing job coaching — the family should open a formal VR case with HireAbility.

The typical referral timeline looks like this:

1. Age 14–15: Start Pre-ETS exploration (no formal case needed)
2. Age 16: IEP transition plan becomes mandatory. The IEP team should formally invite a HireAbility transition counselor to the annual meeting
3. Age 16–17: If the student's employment goals require more than Pre-ETS, submit a formal VR referral
4. Age 17+: The assigned VR counselor and student develop an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) that coordinates with the IEP's transition goals

The referral itself can come from the student, the family, the school, or another agency. Once the referral is received, HireAbility determines eligibility — which requires documentation that the student has a physical or mental impairment that creates a barrier to employment and that VR services are needed to prepare for or obtain employment.

Getting HireAbility Into the IEP Meeting

Federal law requires that transition-age students' IEP teams include representatives from agencies likely to provide or pay for transition services. In Vermont, that almost always means HireAbility.

The catch: the school needs parental consent (or the adult student's consent after age 18) to invite outside agencies. Without that consent, HireAbility won't be at the table, and the IEP team writes employment goals without input from the agency that will actually deliver the services.

Before the next IEP meeting, give written consent for the school to invite a HireAbility counselor. Confirm the counselor received the invitation. If the counselor can't attend in person, request that they participate by phone or submit written input on available services.

VSAC Partnership and Additional Programs

Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) partners with HireAbility to deliver Pre-ETS in certain regions. VSAC's outreach counselors work directly in high schools to connect students with both career exploration and postsecondary education planning.

Beyond Pre-ETS, HireAbility also connects families with Certified Work Incentive Counselors (CWICs). A CWIC analyzes how earned income will affect the student's Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid benefits — a calculation that matters enormously for students entering paid employment through the Earn-and-Learn program or competitive jobs.

What HireAbility Does Not Cover

HireAbility is an employment-focused agency. It does not manage residential placements, independent living supports, adult day programs, or Medicaid waiver services. Those fall under the Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living (DAIL) and its network of Designated Agencies.

Families who need both employment supports and broader adult services will work with HireAbility for the employment track and apply separately through the Public Consulting Group (PCG) for developmental services eligibility. The two systems run in parallel, not sequentially — start both processes early.

Putting It Together

HireAbility Vermont is the single most underused resource in the transition toolkit. Pre-ETS does not require a formal VR case. Getting a HireAbility counselor into the IEP meeting starting at age 16 ensures that employment goals are realistic, funded, and connected to actual programming.

If your student is approaching transition age and you haven't connected with HireAbility yet, the Vermont IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide walks through the referral process step by step and includes tracking worksheets for Pre-ETS activities and VR counselor contacts.

See more Vermont guides →