Nick Needs Individual News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

>> bye tina >> can i give you a hug? would that be ok? goodbye. >> alright, eric i'll see you, man. >> reporter: eric gets on the school bus for the very last time, headed toward an uncertain future. while eric's transition was deliberately unceremonious, nick's is much more of a celebration. >> we're going to graduation? >> yeah, yeah >> yeah, yeah, yeah. >> reporter: although nick hasn't been in a regular classroom for most of his life, he's participating in the school district's graduation ceremony at his parents' request. his teacher holly stovall along with his sister tasha support him as...

Federal law says they must have something called a "transition plan" created by their school district. it's supposed to be a set of measurable goals designed to prepare young people for adult life. but nick's mom lenore hasn't received anything. so she and her husband mike call the school superintendent to complain. >> i have no transition plan. and the clock is ticking. which is why i said to you, i'm fearful that we're just delaying and delaying here and nickolas's needs are not being met. dateline found nick's case is not unique. according to our analysis of the most recent u.s. department ...

They lost when they turned 21. nick has had an especially bumpy road. after depending solely on his mom for months, he finally got help in the form of a state funded program that sends aides to his home. then, his family had to break up in order to keep his services. and last october, another change. he abruptly loses some of his services again. >> our experience when he graduated was falling off a cliff. i said to my husband this was the equivalent of getting pushed off a cliff. >> reporter: here's why, new york state agencies put new conditions on how government funding can be used to pay fo...

That's about three dollars? >> right. >> reporter: nick donates the money he makes to the charity "make a wish" >> he had make-a-wish a number of years ago. and that was life-changing for him. >> oh thank you so much! >> not everybody works a paying job, but that doesn't mean they don't contribute to their community. >> for all your hard work. >> and right now we're teaching him how to do that with something a simple as collecting bottles and passing the money on to charity. >> reporter: for eric, the period of isolation and stagnation he went through after leaving the rebecca school is coming...

>> at this point under the law, no. >> reporter: what's more, lewis says states split their medicaid dollars between the poor and people with disabilities. she says it all adds up to a system that can't take that much weight. >> i think that the programs are overstressed with the numbers. i mean it's why we see wait lists. >> reporter: is that the bottom line, we just don't have the budgets? >> we have not addressed the need for long-term services and support in this country. >> reporter: and lewis says she understands fighting for the resources that do exist is hard on families. she says the ...