Laws & Regulations

What you need to know

First identify the actual decision and the authority that governs it. Then check the participant’s IPP, written notices, and other case-specific records. A local practice does not override controlling law.

• For FMS questions, identify which organization is responsible.
• For complaints under the current process or the new DDS grievance process beginning February 1, 2027, check which procedure applies; these processes are not interchangeable.
• If a service is denied, reduced, or disputed, promptly check written notice, appeal deadlines, and any applicable continuation rights.

Regional-center and SDP questions can involve several layers of authority. Hero does not treat statutes, regulations, DDS materials, case records, regional-center policy, and local practice as if they all carry the same weight.

Where the answer may come from

When a rule matters, Hero checks the sources in this order:

1. Federal Medicaid, HCBS, and waiver requirements, when they apply.
2. California statutes and regulations.
3. DDS directives and program guidelines that are mandatory within their authority and scope.
4. Statewide DDS guidance, FAQs, forms, and explanatory materials.
5. The participant's case-specific record, including the IPP, written agreements, notices, authorizations, budget documents, and Spending Plan.
6. Regional-center written policy.
7. Local practice.

A lower-level policy or local practice does not override controlling authority above it. The question is not only what a source says, but whether it is current, binding for this issue, and supported by the facts.

SDP adds its own requirements

SDP does not replace the IPP. It adds requirements involving participant direction, the individual budget, Spending Plan, FMS, providers and workers, and implementation.

For an SDP question, Hero checks the current law and DDS authority that applies to that issue rather than assuming an older handout or local practice still controls.

A separate written Person-Centered Plan is optional under current DDS guidance. The IPP remains required and is developed through a person-centered process.

Who oversees SDP FMS vendors?

DDS issued and distributed Directive D-2026-Self-Determination Program-003 on October 14, 2026. It establishes statewide standards for SDP FMS vendors. San Diego Regional Center is responsible for FMS vendorization and vendor-level monitoring and enforcement; transfers of existing vendorization are phased, not automatic on the issuance date.

The participant's regional center still monitors individual billing, addresses individual payment matters, and reimburses approved services purchased. Each FMS has its own obligations for enrollment, accessible communication, budget information, payments, transfers, and grievances. An FMS's internal grievance procedure is separate from the new statewide DDS process described below.

Distributed DDS directive (PDF, 8 pages) · Attachment A (PDF, 27 pages) · Plain-language FMS summary · DDS official directive and attachments B, C, D · DDS official directives archive. DDS's official directive page was verified October 16, 2026; the local PDF downloads above remain available as copies.

When Title 17 applies

Title 17 matters, but it is not one universal rulebook for every regional-center question. It matters when a question is actually governed by a DDS regulation. Different regulations address different subjects, so a rule written for one service, provider type, setting, eligibility issue, or process should not automatically be applied to another.

Then check the participant's record

The participant's own record matters after the controlling authority is identified.

The IPP, written agreements, notices, authorizations, Spending Plan, budget documents, and related records can establish what was requested, agreed to, denied, authorized, or still left unresolved.

For many service questions, the IPP is the central case-specific record. It does not replace controlling law, but it connects person-centered planning to agreed services, responsibilities, approximate start dates, and implementation.

Planning & IPP Q&A →

Regional center implementation

Regional centers publish policies, procedures, forms, tools, and participant guidance. Those materials can matter locally, but they do not automatically create statewide requirements or override controlling authority.

Alta California Regional Center

Hero may identify current Board policies, written implementation policies, participant tools, and procedures where they are relevant. Alta's Person-Centered Thinking policy is regional-center written policy / local governance policy, not statewide law. It can document Alta's own adopted commitments without turning every inconsistency into a legal violation.

Regional Center of the East Bay

Hero may identify current RCEB participant tools, SDP guidance, Spending Plan materials, person-centered-practice materials, and local processes. When an RCEB document conflicts with current statewide authority, the conflict should be identified rather than averaged.

Regional-center profiles should classify the source, explain what it says, and identify when statewide authority controls. They should not teach “this is how SDP works” based on one center's workflow.

When sources do not match

An old handout, a current statute, a DDS FAQ, a local procedure, and the participant's record can point in different directions. Hero checks:

• which source is current;
• what legal or program authority it carries;
• what facts and situations it actually applies to; and
• whether a newer or more specific source changed the answer.

Sometimes the correct answer is: I need to verify this before I tell you.

Current individual-rights complaint process — through January 31, 2027

For an individual-rights complaint under WIC §4731, a person or representative may submit DDS Form DS 255 or a signed and dated letter to the director of the regional center or state-operated facility involved. Complaints filed before February 1, 2027 continue under the former §4731 process even if their review extends beyond that date. Questions about eligibility, services, or the amount of services belong in the separate Lanterman appeals process; check its deadlines promptly.

DDS — current individual-rights complaint instructions

Starting February 1, 2027: new DDS grievance process

For grievances filed on or after February 1, 2027, DDS will receive submissions online, orally, or in writing and refer qualifying matters to a regional center or state-operated facility for review. Concerns may involve individual rights, person-centered planning, or applicable Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) setting requirements. DDS and regional centers must offer reasonable help with filing. Filing on another person's behalf requires the applicable legal authority or prior written consent; service-provider conflicts of interest are restricted.

The grievant must receive free access to the grievance case file within three business days after DDS referral. A written resolution plan is due within 60 calendar days after that referral, with a limited extension of up to 14 days under specified conditions. A dissatisfied grievant may request DDS review within 15 calendar days after receiving the plan; DDS must respond within 21 days of the review request. Retaliation for filing or assisting with a grievance is prohibited.

Service and eligibility appeals remain separate. Filing a grievance does not protect an appeal deadline or itself provide aid paid pending. An FMS vendor's own complaint process also follows separate rules. Complaints filed before February 1, 2027 remain under the former WIC §4731 process. Read the DDS grievance and current complaint guidance and WIC §4890, §4891, and §4893.

Official starting points

FMS official publication verified October 16, 2026; grievance sources reviewed October 14, 2026; other official links last checked October 3, 2026.

• Approved SDP §1915(c) waiver CA.1166.R02.00 — CMS approval September 2, 2026; effective July 1, 2026. Federal waiver authority for SDP participants, subject to scope and eligibility.
• DDS D-2026-Equity-001 — May 12, 2026 regional-center Language Access and Cultural Competency program requirements, not a substitute for individualized language-access analysis.
• CMS — Home & Community-Based Services 1915(c) — federal HCBS waiver framework and person-centered service-plan requirements.
• WIC §4512 — key Lanterman Act definitions.
• WIC §4646 — IPP development, participation, agreement, language access, and implementation of agreed portions.
• WIC §4646.5 — IPP content, services and supports, providers, approximate start dates, timelines, and review.
• WIC §4685.8 — California's Self-Determination Program.
• WIC §4728 — copies of regional-center records.
• WIC §4726 — regional-center records access.
• WIC §4689 — Supported Living Services.
• WIC §4688.22 — social recreation, camping, and nonmedical therapies.
• WIC §4659 — generic resources and specified medical/dental interim-payment rules.
• WIC §4646.4 — generic resources, family responsibility, extraordinary disability-related care/support, and access factors.
• DDS Laws & Regulations — current DDS links for the Lanterman Act and Title 17.
• DDS Directives — current directives, program guidelines, guidance documents, and correspondence, identified by type.
• DDS Self-Determination Directives — current and archived SDP directives by topic and date.
• DDS Appeals Information — current eligibility and service appeals information.

Need a practical answer?

Use Frequent Q&A for IPP, budget, Spending Plan, FMS, provider, access, records, implementation, or disagreement questions. Use SDP Resources when you need an SDP-specific official page, training, organization, or tool.

This page is a map. Its purpose is to help distinguish current law, regulation, binding DDS authority, statewide guidance, the participant's own governing record, regional-center written policy, and local practice—not to make participants and families become legal researchers.