How to Apply for Pre-ETS Montana

What Pre-ETS Are and Why They Matter for Transition

Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) are one of the most underutilized resources available to Montana students with IEPs. Funded through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which requires states to dedicate at least 15% of federal vocational rehabilitation dollars to these services, Pre-ETS give students direct exposure to employment-related skills before they leave school.

Montana's Vocational Rehabilitation and Blind Services (VRBS) administers Pre-ETS through a network of Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRPs) across the state. The five core services:

1. Job exploration counseling — Career assessments, job shadowing, and informational interviews
2. Work-based learning experiences — Internships, short-term employment, and on-the-job training
3. Postsecondary education counseling — Guidance on college, trade schools, and certificate programs
4. Workplace readiness training — Soft skills, workplace communication, financial literacy, and time management
5. Self-advocacy instruction — Teaching students to articulate their needs, request accommodations, and navigate adult systems independently

These services are available to students aged 14 through 21 who have an IEP or 504 plan. They don't require a formal VRBS eligibility determination — Pre-ETS operate on a lower barrier to entry than standard vocational rehabilitation services.

How to Submit the Student Request Form

The process starts with the VRBS Student Request Form for Pre-Employment Transition Services. This form is available on the DPHHS Pre-ETS page at dphhs.mt.gov/detd/preets.

Here's what you need to complete it:

• Student's full legal name and date of birth
• Social Security Number — Required for federal funding verification. If the family is uncomfortable providing the SSN, contact VRBS directly to discuss alternatives, but be aware this may delay processing.
• School district name and the student's primary disability category as listed on the IEP
• Parent or guardian signature (if the student is under 18), or the student's own signature if they've reached the age of majority
• A clear statement of which Pre-ETS services the student is requesting — You can request one or all five

Submit the completed form to your regional VRBS office. Montana has offices in Billings, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, and Missoula, plus smaller outreach locations. The DPHHS website lists current addresses and contact information.

How to Get VR at the IEP Table

Inviting a VRBS counselor to your child's IEP meeting requires one specific step that districts sometimes skip: written parental consent.

Under federal special education law, school districts cannot invite outside agency representatives to an IEP meeting without active, written consent from the parent or adult student. This protects the student's privacy — but it also means the invitation doesn't happen automatically. Here's the sequence:

1. Request the consent form from the school. Ask the special education coordinator for the consent-to-invite form. If the district doesn't have a standard form, put your consent in a dated letter: "I consent to [district name] inviting a representative from Vocational Rehabilitation and Blind Services to [student name]'s IEP meeting."

2. Contact your regional VRBS Pre-ETS specialist directly. Don't rely on the school to make this connection. Call or email the VRBS office and let them know you want a counselor present at the upcoming IEP meeting. Provide the date, time, and location.

3. Ask the school to schedule around VRBS availability. IEP meetings are legally required to be at a mutually agreed time. If the VRBS counselor can't attend the date the school initially proposes, the school should adjust — or at minimum, arrange for the counselor to participate by phone.

4. Follow up in writing. If the school convenes the IEP meeting without the VRBS counselor after you've consented to the invitation, document it. Under IDEA, the district must make "reasonable efforts" to ensure agency participation when consent has been given.

What Happens After the Request Is Submitted

Once VRBS receives the Student Request Form, a Pre-ETS specialist will reach out to schedule an initial meeting. They'll assess the student's interests and match them with available CRP providers in the area.

In rural and frontier Montana counties, CRP availability is thinner. Some students may need to access services through virtual platforms or coordinate with traveling providers. The Pre-ETS specialist can help identify what's available in your region.

Pre-ETS services can run concurrently with IEP transition services. They don't replace what the school provides — they layer on top. A student might receive work-readiness instruction through the school while doing job shadowing through a CRP-delivered Pre-ETS program.

The Connection to Adult VR Services

Pre-ETS are a stepping stone, not the endpoint. When a student is ready for more intensive employment support — job placement, on-the-job coaching, long-term follow-along — they'll need to apply for standard VRBS vocational rehabilitation services. That requires a formal eligibility determination and the development of an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE).

Starting Pre-ETS early builds a documented history of the student's employment interests and abilities, which strengthens the eventual IPE. It also establishes a relationship with VRBS before the student exits school — which matters, because the handoff between school and adult services is where students most often fall through the cracks.

The Montana IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes an annotated walkthrough of the VRBS Student Request Form, sample consent-to-invite language, and a VRBS-to-DDP coordination timeline so families can manage both agency pipelines simultaneously.

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