(a) The department shall implement a statewide Self-Determination Program. The Self-Determination Program shall be available in every regional center catchment area to provide participants and their families, within an individual budget, increased flexibility and choice, and greater control over decisions, resources, and needed and desired services and supports to implement their IPP. As of July 1, 2021, the program shall begin to be available on a voluntary basis to all regional center consumers who are eligible for the Self-Determination Program. (b) The department, in establishing the statewide program, shall do both of the following: (1) Set targets and benchmarks as set forth in paragraph (1) of subdivision (r). (2) Address all of the following: (A) Oversight of expenditure of self-determined funds and the achievement of participant outcomes over time. (B) Increased participant control over which services and supports best meet the participantâs needs and the IPP objectives. A participantâs unique support system may include the purchase of existing service offerings from service providers or local businesses, hiring their own support workers, or negotiating unique service arrangements with local community resources. (C) Comprehensive person-centered planning, including an individual budget and services that are outcome based. (D) Consumer and family training to ensure understanding of the principles of self-determination, the planning process, and the management of budgets, services, and staff. (E) Choice of independent facilitators, who meet standards and certification requirements established by the department, and who can assist with the functions specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (c). (F) Choice of financial management services providers who meet standards and certification requirements established by the department, and who can carry out the functions specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c). (G) Innovation that will more effectively allow participants to achieve their goals. (H) Long-term sustainability of the Self-Determination Program by doing all of the following: (i) Requiring IPP teams, when developing the individual budget, to determine the services, supports, and goods necessary for each consumer based on the needs and preferences of the consumer, and when appropriate the consumerâs family; the effectiveness of each option in meeting the goals specified in the IPP; the cost effectiveness of each option, as specified in subparagraph (D) of paragraph (6) of subdivision (a) of Section 4648; and the utilization of available generic services, as defined by the department. (ii) The department may review final individual budgets that are at or above a spending threshold determined by the department of all individual budgets and use information from its review in the aggregate to develop additional program guidance and verify compliance with federal and state laws and other requirements. (I) Reduce barriers to participation and improve equity in enrollment by establishing, with community input, no later than March 1, 2027, statewide standardized processes and procedures, including, but not limited to, timelines for these processes and procedures. Input from the community shall include, but not be limited to, consultation with the departmentâs Lived Experience Advisory Group, individuals and families, caregivers, advocates and associations, service providers, regional centers, the State Council on Developmental Disabilities Statewide SelfâDetermination Advisory Committee, and legislative staff and shall include adequate notice, or 45 days at a minimum, for the community to review and provide feedback on draft processes and procedures, with review and consideration by the department of feedback prior to finalization for the March 1, 2027, deadline. The standardized processes and procedures shall be consistently applied by regional centers. The standardized processes and procedures shall include,
‹ Prev All California sections Next ›
Lexace provides legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Statute text is provided for general information and may not reflect the most recent amendments; verify against the official state code.