This legislation, signed into law in 2022, expands the eligibility terms of the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship Program to include Kentucky students with intellectual disabilities enrolled in comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs (CTPs).

The Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship was established to help Kentuckians who have not yet earned an associate’s degree afford an industry-recognized certificate or diploma, and this bill opens the scholarship program to Kentucky students in CTPs as well. Students with intellectual disabilities who apply for a Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship to support their education must be at a CTP that provides them with affordable access to meaningful credentials to prepare for competitive integrated employment. Students with intellectual disabilities enrolled in a CTP can apply for the scholarship if they have received either a traditional or alternative high school diploma. Students may not receive a Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship for more than nine academic terms within three academic years. The Kentucky Office of Education and Workforce Statistics will prepare a report with other state agencies on students who receive scholarship, including students with intellectual disabilities in CTPs. The program will be funded by the Kentucky state treasury and unused scholarship funds will be kept to support students in future academic years.