Indiana Pre-ETS Services: Eligibility, the Five Core Areas, and How to Get Started

Pre-Employment Transition Services are one of the most useful — and most underused — programs available to Indiana students with disabilities. They're free, they don't require a formal Vocational Rehabilitation application, and they're available starting at age 14. Most families never hear about them until it's almost too late to benefit.

Who Is Eligible

Any student aged 14 to 22 who has an IEP or a 504 plan qualifies for Pre-ETS. That's it. There's no separate application process, no income test, and no eligibility determination through the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services. The student just needs to be enrolled in a secondary or postsecondary educational program and have an active IEP or Section 504 plan.

This low barrier is by design. Pre-ETS is explicitly structured as an introductory, exploratory service — a bridge to help students build work readiness before they're old enough or ready for individualized VR services.

The Five Core Service Areas

Indiana Pre-ETS providers deliver support across five federally defined areas:

Job exploration counseling. Career interest inventories, labor market research, informational interviews with employers, and exposure to different industries. The goal is helping the student identify realistic employment directions based on their strengths and preferences.

Work-based learning experiences. Job shadowing, community-based internships, and on-site workplace experiences. For students on an Alternate Diploma or Certificate of Completion track, these are documented in the required Transition Portfolio and should be integrated into the Transition IEP's course of study.

Counseling on postsecondary opportunities. Guidance on college, technical training, apprenticeships, and other educational pathways. This includes understanding how disability accommodations work in postsecondary settings (where the legal framework shifts from IDEA to Section 504 and the ADA).

Workplace readiness training. Practical skills for functioning in a work environment — communication, time management, professional behavior, understanding paychecks and benefits, and navigating workplace social dynamics.

Self-advocacy instruction. Teaching students to understand their own disability, communicate their needs, request accommodations, and make informed decisions. This becomes especially important as the transfer of rights at age 18 gives the student legal decision-making authority.

How to Access Pre-ETS

Pre-ETS is delivered by state-contracted community rehabilitation organizations, not by the school itself. The school's role is coordination — connecting the student with a local Pre-ETS provider and integrating the services into the school day or transition programming.

If the school hasn't brought up Pre-ETS by the student's first transition CCC meeting at age 14, the family can request it directly. Ask the school's transition coordinator which Pre-ETS providers operate in your district. You can also contact your local Indiana VR office and ask for a Pre-ETS referral — the VR office can connect you with contracted providers even without a formal VR application.

The key is starting early. Pre-ETS work-based learning experiences build the employment history and skills documentation that students need for their Transition Portfolio, their eventual VR Individualized Plan for Employment, and their postsecondary applications.

The Indiana IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes a Pre-ETS and VR sequencing timeline that shows exactly when to start each service and how they connect to the broader transition plan.

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