SB 638 — Developmental services: funding.

Summary

The Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act requires the State Department of Developmental Services to contract with regional centers to provide services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities. Under existing law, the regional centers purchase needed services for individuals with developmental disabilities through approved service providers or arrange for those services through other publicly funded agencies. This bill would require the department to submit a plan to the Legislature by August 1, 2016, to ensure the sustainability, quality, and transparency of community-based services for individuals with developmental disabilities. The bill would require the department to regularly consult with stakeholders in developing the plan and would require the plan to address specified topics, including, among others, recommendations for a comprehensive approach to funding regional center operations in a sustainable and transparent manner that enables regional centers to deliver high-quality services to consumers. Existing law requires that contracts or agreements between regional centers and service providers in which the rates between the regional center and the service provider are determined through negotiations to ensure that not more than 15% of regional center funds be spent on administrative costs, as described. This bill would instead provide that the percentage of the funds that may be spent on administrative costs varies depending on the total value, annually, of the payments received by a service provider from all regional centers. Existing law establishes specified rates to be paid to certain service providers and the rates to be paid for certain developmental services. Existing law requires that rates to be paid to other developmental service providers either be set by the department or negotiated between the regional center and the service provider. Existing law prohibits certain provider rate increases, but authorizes increases to those rates as necessary to adjust employee wages to meet the state minimum wage law. This bill would increase the rates established by existing law, as specified, and would require an increase to the rates set by the department and the rates negotiated between regional centers and service providers, as specified. The bill would also require the department, when setting rates for community care facilities serving people with developmental disabilities, to ensure that the rates permit the viability of those facilities by establishing different rates for each facility size, as determined by the number of beds available, that reflect reasonable differences in the cost structure of facilities with differing numbers of beds. The bill would require the department to adopt emergency regulations implementing that provision by July 1, 2016. Existing law requires each regional center to submit, on or before August 1 of each year, to the department and the State Council on Developmental Disabilities a program budget plan for the subsequent budget year. Existing law provides that, to the extent feasible, all funds appropriated for developmental disabilities programs be allocated to those programs by August 1 of each year and designates the department as the agency responsible for the processing, audit, and payment of funds made available to regional centers. This bill would require the department to increase the funding paid to a regional center for the regional center's operating budget, beginning July 1, 2015, by 10% above the amount the regional center otherwise would have received under the department's core staffing formula, and, beginning July 1, 2016, by 10% above the amount the regional center otherwise would have received under the department's core staffing formula, plus a percentage equal to the percentage of any increase in the California Consumer Price Index since July 1, 2015. The bill would also require the department to increase the funding provided to a regional center to enable the regional center and the regional center's purchase-of-service vendors to fund certain costs related to minimum wage requirements.

Bill Text

• Amended 04/21/15 - Amended Senate Current pdf April 21, 2015
• Introduced 02/27/15 - Introduced pdf February 27, 2015
• SB638 View text html

Action History

1. February 01, 2016

   Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

2. May 28, 2015

   May 28 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

3. May 23, 2015

   Set for hearing May 28.

4. May 11, 2015

   May 11 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

5. May 01, 2015

   Set for hearing May 11.

6. April 29, 2015

   From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 0. Page 817.) (April 28). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

7. April 21, 2015

   From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HUMAN S.

8. March 27, 2015

   Set for hearing April 28.

9. March 12, 2015

   Referred to Com. on HUMAN S.

10. March 02, 2015

    Read first time.

11. March 02, 2015

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after April 1.

12. February 27, 2015

    Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Sponsors

• Mark Stone · Primary

Votes

Subjects