IEP Related Services in Oregon
What related services can be included in an IEP in Oregon?
Oregon IEPs must include a statement of related services needed to assist the child with a disability to benefit from special education (OAR 581-015-2200(1)(d); 34 CFR 300.34; ORS 343.035(15); ORS 343.151). Oregon Revised Statutes define related services as 'transportation and developmental, corrective and other supportive services' required to help students benefit from special education (ORS 343.035(15)). Enumerated related services under Oregon law include: speech-language pathology and audiology services, interpreting services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation (including therapeutic recreation), counseling services (including rehabilitation counseling), orientation and mobility services, medical services for diagnostic and evaluation purposes, school health services and school nurse services, social work services, parent counseling and training, assistive technology services, and early identification and assessment of disabilities (ORS 343.035(15)(a); 34 CFR 300.34). Assistive technology devices and services must be provided when required by the student's IEP (ORS 343.223; OAR 581-015-2800). Oregon operates an eight-region Education Service District (ESD) network through Regional Inclusive Services (RIS) that provides specialized related services—including Braille instruction, sign language, audiology, physical and occupational therapy, and assistive technology—for students with low-incidence disabilities such as visual impairment, deafblindness, ASD, orthopedic impairment, and TBI when local districts lack sufficient capacity (ORS 343.236; OAR 581-015-2545). Related services must be listed in the IEP with specificity as to frequency, location, duration, and start date (OAR 581-015-2200(1)(g); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(7)). School districts may contract with ESDs, other districts, state-approved private agencies, or public agencies to provide required related services (ORS 343.221). Oregon's Medicaid program covers certain IEP-related services provided by qualified school-based personnel, and ODE provides guidance on school-based Medicaid billing through the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).
What Oregon Requires
The IEP must include a statement of all related services needed for the child to benefit from special education, including transportation and other developmental, corrective, and supportive services (OAR 581-015-2200(1)(d); 34 CFR 300.34; ORS 343.035(15); ORS 343.151).
Related services must be specified in the IEP with frequency, location, duration, and start dates (OAR 581-015-2200(1)(g); 34 CFR 300.320(a)(4),(7)).
Assistive technology devices and services must be provided as part of the IEP when required (ORS 343.223; OAR 581-015-2800; 34 CFR 300.105).
For students with low-incidence disabilities, specialized related services may be provided through Oregon's Regional Inclusive Services (RIS) via the eight-region ESD network (ORS 343.236; OAR 581-015-2545).
Medical services are a related service only for diagnostic and evaluation purposes; medical treatment services beyond diagnosis and evaluation are not required (34 CFR 300.34(b)).
School districts may contract with ESDs, other districts, state-approved private agencies, or public agencies to provide required related services (ORS 343.221).
Oregon's Medicaid program allows school-based billing for IEP-related services provided by qualified personnel through the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) school-based health services program.
Key Timelines
Related services must be in effect at the beginning of each school year and as soon as possible after the IEP is developed (OAR 581-015-2220; 34 CFR 300.323(a)).
Related services must be reviewed and revised at least annually at the IEP Team meeting (OAR 581-015-2225(1); 34 CFR 300.324(b)).
Reevaluations every three years should reassess whether related services remain necessary and appropriate (OAR 581-015-2110; 34 CFR 300.303).
Sources
Related IEP Guides
IEP Services Explained: What Your Child Should Be Getting
Understand IEP related services — speech, OT, PT, counseling, and more. Learn direct vs. consultative models and what to do if services aren't delivered.
The IEP Says 30 Minutes of Speech. My Child Gets 15.
What to do when your child's IEP services aren't delivered as written — how to discover the gap, document it, and hold the school accountable.
Compensatory Services: What Your Child Is Owed When the School Falls Short
What compensatory services are, when your child is entitled to them, how to request them, and what to do when IEP services are missed.