Can I Continue Services For Rcoc After 3 Years Old?

California is fortunate to have a unique system that provides services and supports to people with developmental disabilities. There are many unlike legislative statutes that govern service delivery and may be difficult to navigate for individuals and families who are new to California or to the regional center system.

Below are some ofttimes asked questions about the regional center arrangement. If you lot have boosted questions, delight do not hesitate to contact RCOC at info@nullrcocdd.com.

What is the California Department of Developmental Services?

The Section of Developmental Services (DDS) is a department within the California Health and Human Services Bureau dedicated to providing services and supports to people with developmental disabilities.

Some services are provided through country-operated developmental centers and community facilities. However, the overwhelming majority of Californians with developmental disabilities are served in their communities by private, nonprofit regional centers such as the Regional Center of Orange County.

Boosted information about the Department, its contractual human relationship with regional centers, and the laws and regulations that govern the developmental services system tin can be found on their website.

What are regional centers?

Regional centers are private, independent non-profit corporations – each one covering a unlike geographic expanse – contracted by the State of California through the Section of Developmental Services to coordinate lifelong services and supports for people with developmental disabilities and their families. Regional centers also help back up individuals with developmental disabilities and their families by identifying local resource and other community-based services to best fit the individual's needs.

Established more than 40 years agone by the landmark Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Human action, the regional center system links those with developmental disabilities with services and supports they demand to live safely and with dignity in the customs. At that place are currently 21 regional centers in California with RCOC serving over 20,000 people with developmental disabilities and their families.

Who is eligible for services through the regional centers?

The California Legislature crafted the specific criteria that decide whether or not a person is eligible for Regional Center services. Existence diagnosed with a developmental disability is non, solely, enough to authorize. The following is from the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) website:

Lanterman Deed services — To be eligible for services, a person must accept a disability that begins before the person's 18th birthday, be expected to continue indefinitely, and present a substantial disability as defined in SECTION 4512 of the CALIFORNIA WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE. Eligibility is established through diagnosis and assessment performed past regional centers.
Early on Commencement services – Infants and toddlers (age 0 to 36 months) who are at risk of having developmental disabilities or who have a developmental filibuster may as well qualify for services. The criteria for determining the eligibility of infants and toddlers is specified in SECTION 95014 of the CALIFORNIA Government CODE. In addition, individuals at risk of having a child with a developmental disability may exist eligible for genetic diagnosis, counseling, and other prevention services. For data about these services, see Early on Beginning.

What is a developmental disability?

A developmental inability is divers as a disability that is attributable to whatsoever of the following conditions:

Intellectual disability
Cerebral palsy
Epilepsy
Autism
Disabling conditions found to be closely related to intellectual/cerebral disability or to crave treatment similar to that required for individuals with intellectual disabilities

(This definition does non include any handicapping condition that is solely psychiatric, solely a learning disability or solely physical in nature.)

In add-on to the above, the disability must:

Originate before age 18
Be probable to proceed indefinitely
Constitute a "substantial disability" for the individual as divers past Title 17, Section 54001 of the California Lawmaking of Regulations. Boosted details regarding how a substantial disability is defined tin be found in ARCA's Clinical Recommendations for Defining Substantial Inability.

How does a person apply for services through RCOC?

To inquire well-nigh applying for services, simply call RCOC's Intake and Assessment Section at (714) 796-5354 or send an email to intake@naughtrcocdd.com. RCOC'south intake staff will assistance yous by walking through the awarding/referral and work with you to run into what data RCOC will need you to submit to brainstorm the intake process.

Parents, guardians, and conservators, or an adult with a developmental disability that was diagnosed before age 18 may initiate the application procedure. A professional, such as a pediatrician, or other interested political party may also do and so, but only with permission from the individual or family.

What is Assessment?

Cess is the term used to describe the process for determining whether a person is eligible for services through the regional center and conducted by the RCOC's Intake and Assessment Department staff. This process involves regional center professional staff obtaining information from the client, the client's parents and other family members, advocates, and service providers. The goal is to gain equally much information every bit possible to assist families in agreement the nature of their situation and to determine whether a person meets the standards for eligibility that the state sets for services to exist funded by regional centers.

If the person is eligible for services, the information gained during an cess is used to help in developing an Individual Programme Programme (IPP).

What is an Private Plan Program (IPP) and what is an IFSP (Individual Family Service Plan)?

Based on hopes and dreams for the future also as an assessment of the person'south needs, preferences, and life choices, the INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM Programme (or IPP) states specific objectives to develop competencies and achieve personal goals in all aspects of the person's life, including community participation, housing, work, schoolhouse and leisure time.

When children with developmental disabilities live with their families, the plan is called an INDIVIDUAL Family unit SERVICE Programme (or IFSP) and includes a special section describing those services and supports necessary to maintain the kid at home.

In all cases, the person with a developmental disability, parents, the service coordinator, and a broad circle of relatives and friends are engaged members of the Planning Squad that creates the plan using person-centered planning.

What is service coordination?

Service coordination is another term for "example management." This service is provided by an employee of the regional center who often has a background in social work. Service coordination is the commencement and near primal of the services that individuals and families receive through regional centers. Information technology is the means through which needs are identified, and specific resources for meeting those needs explored and accessed – all with the goal of ensuring that the person with disabilities receives the necessary supports to live safely and with dignity in the customs.

What are "generic resource," and why practice regional centers refer people to them?

Some supports and services are provided to the individuals RCOC serves by public agencies mandated to serve the general public, or through community organizations – these are oftentimes referred to equally "generic resources." One case would exist the public schools, which are required to provide educational services to all children, including those with developmental disabilities. Another instance would be Medi-Cal (called CalOptima in Orange County) and Medicare, which provide healthcare to the poor and elderly, including many of those regional centers serve.

The Lanterman Act names regional centers the "payor of last resort" and specifically mandates them to exhaust all other possible sources of funding and needed services – including generic resources and private medical insurance — before information technology spends regional center dollars to purchase services on behalf of people with developmental disabilities and their families.

What is the cost for services?

There is no accuse for assessment services or for service coordination provided to those served by the regional center. There is besides no accuse for most of the other services and supports individuals and families receive. However, certain services are subject to Family unit Price Participation, which is a sliding scale based on a family's ability to pay. Too, parents of children nether 18 whose adjusted gross family income is at or above 400% of the federal poverty level, are assessed an Annual Family unit Program Fee of $150 or $200, depending on their income.

How does the regional center make up one's mind what services it will and will not pay for?

The Lanterman Act and related laws passed by the California Legislature determine what regional centers tin can and cannot pay for on behalf of those it serves. In general, regional centers can only purchase services and supports that are necessary to reach the goals in the person's Individual Program Program (IPP) and they are prohibited from funding experimental therapies.

In add-on, regional center boards of directors create policies called Buy of Service (POS) Guidelines that service coordinators follow when authorizing service requests.