On October 23, 2019, OSEP published a letter to “Anonymous” about the provision of compensatory education, as part of a complaint resolution, after a family relocates to a new state. This informal guidance can be useful to highly mobile military families.
Continue reading “Compensatory Education and Relocating Families”Tag: PCS
Branch Resources with Handouts
Handouts can be branded with your Parent Center’s logo, contact information, edited for state specifics, etc. Download the handouts directly from each article in the website.
Relocation for Military Families-PCS
Extended Care Health Option (ECHO)
Medicaid: Referring Families to Supports and Services
Help for Grandparents and Other Temporary Caregivers
Post-High School Transition Resource for Military Families
Scholarships Financial Resources for Military and Non Military Youth with Disabilities
16 Financial Resources for Military Families
Help Military Families Prepare Their Child’s School for Deployment
Frequently Asked Questions-Answers from the Branch
Many parent center staff, even those who often work with military-connected families, contact the Branch team with questions about how things work in the military system.
Here are some examples of questions we’ve received—you may have similar questions. While you are free to contact us, many answers can be found in the resources on our website, such as the resources listed below. You can also find answers by going to branchta.org and entering the topic in the search area.
K-12 and Post-Secondary
- “A military family I’m helping is having difficulty getting their child’s records transferred-who can they talk to?”
- “The new school is insisting the student take an alternate exit exam due to her disability, which will prevent her from getting a regular diploma. The family is active duty military—is there anything to help?”
“Military Families, Welcome to Our State”
State-specific information about a state’s education system is essential for relocating military families, along with how and why to contact a parent center. Parent Center staff developed this resource in collaboration with the Branch!
Continue reading ““Military Families, Welcome to Our State””Key Topics on the minds of military families
Feature your parent center’s information, training and resources on these topics to reach and assist military families:
- State-specific Information
- Moving and your child’s IEP
- Community resources at your new duty station
Highlighting these three key areas using language familiar to military-connected families (“PCSing”) demonstrates your parent center’s knowledge of the issues they face.
Continue reading “Key Topics on the minds of military families”Alex’s Education Journey: Reflections & Tips by a Military Connected Youth with Disabilities
Alex is a young man who considers himself a “military brat”; he grew up in an Air Force family. He’s also one of the Branch’s military-connected consultants who help us with research, writing, and their lived experiences in the military community. Alex is an individual living with a disability which did not significantly affect his education.
Here is Alex’s education journey:
Continue reading “Alex’s Education Journey: Reflections & Tips by a Military Connected Youth with Disabilities”16 Financial Resources for Military Families-with Handout
Military families with whom you are working or who contact your parent center might find the resources in this article very helpful. Included in this article is a link to a parent-friendly handout with the same resources. Resources focus on national-level services available in every state. There are also resource-finders for some of the most common military family needs, especially as they are entering or leaving a community. Some are military-specific while others are open to civilian and military alike. Read online, or download the article and parent handout.
Continue reading “16 Financial Resources for Military Families-with Handout”
New Tools and Updates Plus Essentials for Your Military Family Toolkit
We know you store, save and have useful tools available for your work with families. Whether it’s bookmarks with folders labeled by topic or subject, saving resources in Word or Excel documents or printing some to easily share during your one-to-one support or at resource fairs, we’ve got you covered! In our back to school season it’s only logical we offer you new tools, essential resources and updates that you can look at today, save for another time and store for your work with military families. Continue reading “New Tools and Updates Plus Essentials for Your Military Family Toolkit”
Post-High School Transition Resource for Military Families-with handout
Military families move both in and out of states on a regular basis. Parent centers can offer families some of the following select resources gathered from the Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR), US Department of Labor, US Department of Education, Social Security Administration, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
NEW! We’ve added this for military families. Although it’s helpful to highly-mobile families with children of any age, it may be especially useful for transition-age youth whose families are new to a state.
Directory-University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs)
Each resource is nationwide and provides state-specific information. Parent centers can encourage military-connected youth and their families to research state and local agencies in advance of a move, locate and make contacts, and start achieving transition goals in their new location. At the end of this article, there is a handout for parents and youth you can brand with your parent center’s logo.
Employment
Employment Center at Installations (listed on installation websites under Morale, Welfare and Recreation)
List of Vocational Rehabilitation agencies by State – from the US Department of Labor
Federal Schedule A Hiring Authority Fact Sheet: Tips for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities Interested in Starting a Career with the Federal Government 84% of Federal jobs are located outside the greater Washington, DC area! The Schedule A Hiring Authority bypasses the traditional methods for getting a Federal job and allows individuals to apply for a Federal appointment through a noncompetitive process. If an individual meets the eligibility requirements for the appointment and the minimum position qualifications, he or she can be hired without competing with the general public.
careeronestop>Find Local Help -US Department of Labor. This extensive site is mobile-friendly.
- Interactive maps to State employment assistance services and their locations (can include local services)
- Youth Councils and Workforce Development Boards (also known as Workforce Investment Boards) which have listings for both local and State-level employment programs for youth and young adults under the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act (WIOA). Under WIOA, all funded programs must be fully accessible to individuals with disabilities and such individuals are entitled to reasonable accommodations and modifications to allow such individuals to fully participate in such programs. Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
- Training programs eligible under WIOA, which includes Vocational Rehabilitation state grant programs that assist individuals with disabilities in finding employment
- Employment Network Finder (for recipients of Social Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance). Free career counseling, job placement, ongoing support
- American Job Centers (over 2,000 of them!)
Other interesting links include the Apprenticeship Office Finder, and the Native American Program Finder.
Employment and training helpline at careeronestop:
1-877-US2-JOBS
(1-877-872-5627)
TTY: 1-877-889-5627
Bureau of Labor Statistics K-12 Student Resources: interactive tools for major metropolitan areas, regions and States on the economy and employment; designed for student use.
College
Education Center at Installations (listed on the installation website under Morale, Welfare and Recreation)
Community College finder (from careeronestop)
If the military-connected youth you’re assisting has intellectual disabilities or autism, Think College has nation-wide resources for youth who would like to attend college and their parents.
What’s Happening in Your State? Interactive map or table for learning about activities, policies, legislation, and contact information about postsecondary education for students with intellectual disability, by State. Includes links to relevant websites.
Find a College: interactive map with information on 265 college programs for students with intellectual disability by State, plus the How to Think College Guide to Conducting a College Search.
Government Benefit Agencies
Interactive Map of State Medicaid and CHIP Profiles (Medicaid.gov): Information includes a State’s Demonstrations and Waivers.
Social Security Office Locator by Zip Code
For Transition-Age Youth: Military Family Resource (add your parent center’s information!)
Resolve School Issues with the Interstate Compact-2 Parent Handouts
The Interstate Compact is an excellent tool for your work with military families. There are resources for parents that describe what the Interstate Compact is, and what it can be used for. These two handouts are for military parents who want to know what specific steps to take to start resolving issues by using the Compact, and what their next steps are if their first efforts don’t succeed. You’ll find them helpful too!
Continue reading “Resolve School Issues with the Interstate Compact-2 Parent Handouts”