Massachusetts MassAbility Pre-Employment Transition Services for Students with Disabilities

What Is MassAbility?

MassAbility is the Massachusetts state agency responsible for vocational rehabilitation and employment services for people with disabilities. If you are searching for the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission or MRC, that is the same agency — it was officially renamed MassAbility in September 2024 under legislation signed by Governor Healey, reflecting a shift in framing from rehabilitation to capability and independence.

MassAbility operates two primary service tracks relevant to transition-age youth: Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) for students ages 14 through 21 (up to their 22nd birthday), and Career Services for adults seeking competitive integrated employment.

Pre-ETS: Starting at Age 14

Pre-Employment Transition Services are available to any Massachusetts student with a documented disability — an IEP, a 504 plan, or a clinical diagnosis — between the ages of 14 and 21 (up to their 22nd birthday). A student does not need to be found eligible for full vocational rehabilitation services to access Pre-ETS, which makes it one of the earliest and most accessible transition supports available.

Pre-ETS includes five core service areas mandated by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act:

• Job exploration counseling — assessments of interests, strengths, and career options
• Work-based learning experiences — internships, job shadowing, and community-based work trials
• Counseling on postsecondary education — guidance on college programs, trade schools, and inclusive enrollment options like MAICEI
• Workplace readiness training — soft skills, interview preparation, professional communication
• Self-advocacy instruction — teaching students to articulate their needs and request accommodations in workplace settings

How to Access Pre-ETS

There are two pathways:

School referral: The student's IEP team or transition coordinator can refer them directly to MassAbility. Many school districts have established relationships with their regional MassAbility office and make referrals routinely as part of transition planning.

Family self-referral: Families can contact their regional MassAbility office directly. You do not need the school's permission or involvement to request Pre-ETS services. This is particularly relevant for families who feel their district's transition programming is insufficient or who want services to begin before the school initiates a referral.

Pre-ETS services are free. They are funded through a combination of federal vocational rehabilitation dollars and state appropriations.

From Pre-ETS to Adult Career Services

When a student exits the school system — either through graduation or aging out at 22 — their Pre-ETS services end. To continue receiving vocational support, they must apply for MassAbility's adult Career Services program.

Career Services requires a formal eligibility determination, which is more involved than Pre-ETS access. The individual must have a documented disability that creates a barrier to competitive employment, and they must require vocational rehabilitation services to prepare for, obtain, or maintain a job.

Once eligible, Career Services can include job placement assistance, supported employment with a job coach, assistive technology for the workplace, and funding for vocational training programs.

Why Pre-ETS Matters for the Broader Transition

Pre-ETS is not just about employment preparation — it produces documentation that supports other applications in the transition process. Work-based learning reports, vocational assessments, and career counseling records strengthen DDS eligibility applications, SSI appeals (by demonstrating functional limitations in a work setting), and IEP transition plans.

Starting Pre-ETS at 14 rather than waiting until 18 or 20 builds a multi-year record of vocational capacity and support needs. That record becomes evidence across multiple systems.

The Massachusetts SSI at 18 & Adult Disability Benefits Guide integrates MassAbility referral timelines into the broader transition sequence — from age-14 Pre-ETS through Chapter 688 and into adult DDS and SSI coordination.

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