Maryland Transition Planning Checklist: Age 14 to Exit Timeline

The Problem With Doing Things in the Wrong Order

Maryland's transition system involves at least four separate agencies — the school system, DORS, DDA, and SSA — each with its own eligibility rules, application windows, and deadlines. None of them coordinate with each other automatically. An IEP "agency linkage" is a referral to authorize communication, not an enrollment. A DDA eligibility letter doesn't guarantee funding. A DORS Pre-ETS enrollment doesn't carry over into adult vocational rehabilitation.

Missing one deadline can cascade. If the DDA waiver application isn't submitted by June 30 of the exit year, the student loses GTYI priority funding and lands on the standard waiting list — potentially years long. That's the kind of consequence a checklist exists to prevent.

Age 14: The Formal Start

• [ ] Verify the IEP includes a completed transition plan with measurable postsecondary goals in employment, education/training, and independent living
• [ ] Confirm the student was invited to and participated in the IEP meeting
• [ ] Select the graduation pathway: standard diploma (22 credits, MCAP assessments, 75 service learning hours) or Certificate of Program Completion
• [ ] Submit the DDA Application for Eligibility to begin the developmental disability determination
• [ ] Submit the online Request DORS Services form to enroll in Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)
• [ ] Start a transition file: compile all IEPs, medical records, psychological evaluations, and school assessments in one location

Ages 15-16: Building Skills and Connections

• [ ] Confirm DORS Pre-ETS is active — the student should be receiving job exploration counseling, workplace readiness training, or work-based learning
• [ ] Obtain a Maryland State ID card from the MVA
• [ ] Attend local transition fairs to meet adult service providers
• [ ] Track service learning hours if on the standard diploma track
• [ ] Explore the Maryland ABLE account as a savings vehicle; up to $100,000 is disregarded for SSI resource purposes
• [ ] Ensure the IEP annual review updates transition goals based on new assessment data

Age 17: Legal and Vocational Preparation

• [ ] Receive the school system's mandatory written notice about the transfer of educational rights at age 18 (due at least one year before the birthday)
• [ ] Evaluate decision-making options: supported decision-making agreement (SDM), power of attorney, or guardianship petition
• [ ] If guardianship is the right path, begin gathering the required medical certificates — two physician certificates, or one physician certificate and one psychologist certificate — and prepare the circuit court petition
• [ ] If SDM is the right path, draft the agreement to comply with Estates & Trusts Section 18-107
• [ ] Submit a formal referral for DORS Student Employment/Vocational Rehabilitation services (fall of next-to-last school year recommended)
• [ ] Verify DORS Order of Selection category assignment — if placed on a waiting list, confirm Pre-ETS continues

Age 18: The Majority Pivot

• [ ] Put the chosen decision-making structure (SDM, POA, or guardianship) in place
• [ ] Apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) through the Social Security Administration — parental income deeming ends at 18
• [ ] Apply for Maryland Medical Assistance (Medicaid)
• [ ] Update the DDA on the student's eligibility status and waiting list priority
• [ ] Register for Selective Service (required for all males, including those with disabilities — failure to register can affect federal financial aid)
• [ ] Register to vote (optional but important for civic inclusion)

Ages 19-20: The Provider Audit

• [ ] Coordinate with the DDA Coordinator of Community Services (CCS) on adult service options
• [ ] Research, contact, and visit at least 3-4 community rehabilitation providers or adult day programs
• [ ] Evaluate providers on staff-to-client ratios, transportation, community integration approach, and self-direction options
• [ ] If pursuing postsecondary education, contact the college's Disability Support Services office — the student must independently self-disclose and request accommodations
• [ ] Verify that DORS vocational rehabilitation services are active or the student's category has moved off the waiting list
• [ ] Finalize any special needs trust arrangements

Age 21: Exit Year

• [ ] Confirm the graduation pathway and timing with the IEP team
• [ ] Complete and submit the DDA waiver application packet to the regional office by the June 30 deadline
• [ ] Ensure GTYI eligibility documentation is included in the waiver packet
• [ ] Hold the final IEP meeting — obtain the Maryland Summary of Performance (SOP) and Maryland Exit Document
• [ ] Transition healthcare from pediatric to adult providers
• [ ] Activate the selected adult service provider — funded services must begin within one year of school exit or GTYI funding lapses

The Checklist Isn't the Plan

A checklist tells you what to do. It doesn't tell you how to coordinate the DDA application with the DORS referral, or how to write postsecondary goals that match the adult services you're applying for, or what to do when the school pushes for a diploma and you know your child needs another year.

The Maryland IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide builds the full coordination system around this timeline — connecting each milestone to the agency responsible, the forms required, and the fallback when something stalls. The checklist above is the skeleton. The guide is the muscle.

See more Maryland guides →