This policy update provides an overview of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program as it applies to youth with disabilities at the time of their transition from high school. The paper defines "disabled individual" and "substantial gainful work," outlines how income and resources are identified for determining…

This policy update discusses key aspects of the Job Training Reform Amendments of 1992 (Public Law 102-367) that have potential implications for transition services for individuals with disabilities. The discussion focuses on participant eligibility, criteria established for "hard-to-serve" individuals, support for training and…

This document explains how community work experience programs (CWEP) and publicly funded jobs (PFJ) can be used to help hard-to-serve welfare recipients meet the work requirements imposed by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The document begins with a brief overview of available options for helping hard-to-serve welfare…

This special report summarizes a larger report titled "Linkages in the Delivery and Financing of Special Education Services in New Jersey" by Henry A. Coleman et al. It describes a project which analyzed the linkage between the structure of state aid for special education and the identification, classification, and placement of students…

This digest summarizes the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA 97) with emphasis on changes in the new law. First, it highlights principal changes in the law. These changes include participation of children and youth with disabilities in state and districtwide assessment programs; the way in which…

The Family Support Act (FSA) of 1988 is the result of congressional efforts to restructure the nation's welfare system. This report examines the impact of the FSA on state programs that serve pregnant, parenting, and high-risk teenagers. The objective of FSA is to help families started by teen mothers and other welfare recipients make a transition…

The Family Support Act of 1988 is based on the assumption that education, training, work experience, and support are the way to reduce welfare dependence. The Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training program in the act requires participation of many welfare recipients in state job training programs. Comprehensive welfare reform programs in…

This document presents final regulations for the Assistance to States for Education of Children with Disabilities program under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA Part B) and the Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities under Part C of the Act. These regulations are needed to implement changes made…

Provisions of the Education Amendments of 1980 (P.L. 96-374) are described. Contents of the legislation are as follows: Title I--continuing education program and planning; Title II--college and research library assistance and library training and research; Title III--institutional aid; Title IV--student assistance; Title V--Teacher Corps and…

This paper discusses how states and jurisdictions define "developmental delay" and "at risk" in their definition of eligibility for services to infants and toddlers under Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It reviews the procedures and criteria used to determine developmental delay and outlines the…

This guide is intended to help parents understand how a child becomes eligible for special education and related services and how to use letter writing to effectively communicate with the school when necessary. Initial information is presented in question-and-answer format and covers parental rights, parental responsibilities, and using letters to…

This document uses a question-and-answer format in clarifying the meaning and use of the term "informed clinical opinion," which appears in the regulatory requirements for the implementation of Part H of the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments 1986 (Public Law 99-457) as an integral part of an eligibility determination. The paper…

The various parties interested in reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program are considering a number of issues related to the program's work requirements. The following policy questions have sparked particular debate: (1) the impact that allowing additional activities to count toward federal participation rates…

This document examines issues related to promoting education among teenage recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The document begins with background information about the provisions of recent federal legislation affecting TANF recipients under age 20. The following are among the 16 policy and management issues considered in…