An Act to direct the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, in collaboration with the Department of Education, to develop a plan to expand the Postsecondary Education Rehabilitation Transition Program.
HB996 directs the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), working with the Department of Education, to develop a plan to expand Virginia’s Postsecondary Education Rehabilitation Transition (PERT) Program. The plan is intended to increase the number of students helped as they move from high school into postsecondary options, with an emphasis on clear transition guidance and stronger connections to programs that support work-based learning, day programs, and independence and life-skills development.
The bill requires DARS to consult with community services boards, public schools, postsecondary program representatives, students, guardians, and other stakeholders. The plan must identify ways to give local community services boards more resources, create public online materials explaining the transition process and points of contact, and build an online dashboard that compares postsecondary program options and describes the supports, expectations, skills taught, and other relevant standards for each program.
The bill does not directly change eligibility rules or create a new entitlement; instead, it requires state agencies to produce a planning framework for expanding an existing transition program. Its practical effect is to shape future administration of the PERT Program by directing DARS and the Department of Education to coordinate outreach, resource development, and program comparison tools for students with disabilities or other transition needs moving from secondary school into postsecondary settings. It also signals potential increased support for local community services boards and greater public access to transition information.
The available record shows no recorded committee debate or roll-call vote details, but the bill’s enactment as Chapter 721 indicates it was ultimately approved. The measure appears to have been framed positively as a planning and coordination effort to improve transition services for students and families, with an emphasis on access, clarity, and better matching students to appropriate postsecondary programs.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided transcripts or vote history. Based on the bill text, any concerns would likely center on implementation burdens for DARS, the Department of Education, and local community services boards, including the resources needed to build and maintain the online dashboard and public guidance materials, as well as the scope of data and program information to be collected and published.