Wrapping Up and Starting Again

Sam gets some job support services from an agency that's located about forty-five minutes away from where we live. How we got connected with these folks is a long story, but the relevant part, for now, is that these services through this branch of this agency has been provided through Sam's school. The reason this is relevant right now is that in about a month and a half, Sam turns twenty-two. And the day before Sam turns twenty-two, all school services stop.

With this in mind (as it has been for close to nineteen years now), meetings are now back on the agenda (as if they've ever stopped). 

Last Friday, we had a meeting with the local branch of this particular service agency. The forty-five minute away branch doesn't normally come to this area, but they have been for reasons involving the school. But when the school's involvement stops, so does theirs.

So we met last Friday in what we hope will be a hand off of services from the forty-five minute away branch - to the local branch. That's the hope.

The meeting went well enough but the other piece of this is getting the details worked out  - or at least underway - with another, last IEP meeting. Currently, this final meeting is scheduled for early February. This meeting should include all of the regular players, including the school, folks from this support agency (both branches, near and far) and, critically, DDS.

DDS, it is my understanding, takes over the role of the school in providing these types of services for someone like Sam, after someone like Sam turns twenty-two. What is also my understanding is that what DDS is able to provide is likely to be on a more (financially) limited basis. Anyway, DDS basically becomes the contractor who subcontracts services out to, in this case, hopefully, this local branch of the service agency we just met with.

What this will look like and how this will work, I'm not really sure.

I'll be lucky if I come away with a better understanding of all of this after Sam's final IEP meeting which, as I mentioned, is in early February.

But another part of this is SSI (naturally). Last I talked to SSI, about a month ago, I happened to mention that in a couple of months, Sam would no longer be a student. The helpful SSI person told me to be sure to call them when this happens because it triggers various things - one of which is something called a "Technical Redetermination". A Technical Redetermination is, I guess, a reevaluation of Sam's case.

All of this matters because much of what Sam receives for assistance from other agencies is based on his SSI status. If you're a long time reader (and you're probably not) you might recall that dealing with SSI was never for financial reasons. It was always about getting support services for Sam.

Anyway, if this SSI status changes, it likely affects everything else. If at all and how profoundly, only time will tell.

P.S. This, by the way, is what I mean by "gears".