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Starting with Self-Determination
SDP basics, orientation, the IF role, and written Person-Centered Planning.
Planning & the IPP
Participation, partial agreement, follow-up meetings, written decisions, and access.
Individual Budget & Spending Plan
How the budget and Spending Plan differ, who develops them, and when numbers need review.
FMS
What FMS does, how the three models differ, and what to do when setup stalls.
Providers & workers
Vendorization, qualifications, onboarding, authorizations, and payment readiness.
When something is not moving
Finding the blocker when an approved or planned support still has not become real service.
Access & communication
AAC, interpreters, processing time, and keeping the participant’s communication distinct.
Rights, records & disagreement
Disagreement, appeals, records, and what happens when only part of a plan is disputed.
Answers
Open a question to read the answer. “Related” links go to another Hero page; “Official source” links go to the relevant public source.
These answers are a starting point, not an individual eligibility or funding decision. For overlapping implementation barriers, see From Approval to Actual Support. For official materials, see SDP Resources. Verify current controlling authority when it matters.
Starting with Self-Determination
What is SDP?
SDP is a voluntary way for eligible regional-center consumers to receive and direct services and supports. It uses a person-centered IPP, an individual budget, a Spending Plan, and an FMS so the participant has more control over who provides support and how it is arranged.
Official source: DDS — Self-Determination Program · WIC §4685.8
Is it voluntary?
Yes. Participation in SDP is fully voluntary. A person may choose SDP, remain in the traditional service system, or leave SDP. Current law also requires transition planning when a participant leaves so there is no gap in needed services and supports.
Official source: WIC §4685.8
Do I need an Independent Facilitator?
No. An Independent Facilitator is optional. A participant may choose an IF, or may use the regional-center service coordinator for the functions the law assigns to an IF when the participant does not elect to use one.
Official source: DDS — Independent Facilitators · WIC §4685.8
What happens after orientation?
For people newly entering SDP, the required orientation comes before SDP transition supports and enrollment. The transition then usually moves through the person-centered IPP process, individual budget, Spending Plan, FMS selection and enrollment, and provider or worker setup until the agreed supports can actually begin.
Official source: DDS — SDP Orientation
Is a written Person-Centered Plan required?
No. DDS states that a separate written Person-Centered Plan is optional. The IPP is required. A separate PCP can still be useful when the participant wants a fuller planning process before or alongside the IPP.
Official source: DDS — SDP Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to complete orientation?
Yes, before newly enrolling in SDP. WIC §4685.8 requires an SDP orientation before enrollment. Effective April 1, 2026, the updated orientation has two required two-hour parts, Part A before Part B. People who completed an SDP orientation before April 1, 2026, or who were already enrolled in SDP, do not have to retake the updated orientation.
Official source: WIC §4685.8 · DDS D-2026-SDP-002
Which orientation counts?
For people completing orientation on or after April 1, 2026, DDS identifies SCDD as the only approved statewide provider. Both required parts must be completed for the new orientation requirement. An SDP orientation completed before April 1, 2026 remains valid under DDS D-2026-SDP-002; those people are not required to retake the updated orientation.
Official source: DDS D-2026-SDP-002 · DDS — SDP Orientation
What if I completed an older orientation?
If you completed an SDP orientation before April 1, 2026, DDS says you do not have to retake the updated two-part orientation, although you may take it voluntarily. Keep the completion record or certificate because orientation completion is one part of the enrollment record; budget, Spending Plan, FMS, and implementation steps still have to be completed as applicable.
Official source: DDS D-2026-SDP-002 · SCDD — SDP Orientation
Can I request accessibility support for orientation?
Yes. SCDD provides the statewide orientation virtually, includes closed captioning and English/ASL materials, and provides a contact path for orientation access needs. Ask for the disability or communication access needed to participate meaningfully rather than treating attendance alone as access.
Official source: SCDD — SDP Orientation · DDS D-2026-SDP-002
Can I request language access for orientation?
Yes. The current statewide orientation is offered in English and Spanish on a regular schedule, and SCDD provides a request process for additional languages including Arabic, Armenian, ASL, Chinese, Farsi, Hmong, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Request the preferred language early enough for the orientation team to arrange the available pathway.
Official source: SCDD — SDP Orientation · DDS D-2026-SDP-002
What is an Initial Person-Centered Plan?
An Initial Person-Centered Plan is an optional pre-enrollment planning product that a person who has completed SDP orientation may request. DDS describes it as a plan about what the person wants life to be like in the future, based on strengths, capabilities, preferences, lifestyle, and culture, and it may inform the IPP. It does not replace the statutory IPP.
Official source: DDS — Initial PCP and Pre-enrollment Transition Supports · DDS — SDP FAQ
What is Service Code 024?
Service Code 024 is the purchase-reimbursement code DDS uses for payment to a qualified non-vendored provider for an Initial Person-Centered Plan before SDP enrollment. The code does not by itself establish the authorized amount, scope, or deliverable; verify the current authorization and DDS guidance for the person’s actual arrangement.
Official source: DDS — Initial PCP and Pre-enrollment Transition Supports
What is General Self-Directed Supports?
General Self-Directed Supports are short-term pre-enrollment coaching and training supports available after SDP orientation and before enrollment. They are intended to help a potential participant and their family or representative successfully enroll, including planning and preparation for the transition. DDS allows the person to choose either a vendored provider or a qualified provider of their choice through Participant-Directed Services.
Official source: DDS — Initial PCP and Pre-enrollment Transition Supports
What is Service Code 099?
Service Code 099 is the service code DDS uses for General Self-Directed Supports before SDP enrollment. General SD Supports may be provided through a regional-center-vendored provider under code 099 or through Participant-Directed Services under code 099 with the PDS subcode. The authorization still controls the actual approved hours, period, and work.
Official source: DDS — Initial PCP and Pre-enrollment Transition Supports
What can transition support help me do?
General Self-Directed Supports can provide coaching and training needed to move from completed orientation toward SDP enrollment. In practice, this can include understanding the process, preparing the individual budget and Spending Plan work, identifying supports, choosing and coordinating with an FMS, and preparing providers or workers. The written authorization should identify the proposed transition work and estimated hours.
Official source: DDS — Initial PCP and Pre-enrollment Transition Supports
Who chooses the transition-support provider?
For General Self-Directed Supports, DDS says the person may choose to work with either a regional-center-vendored provider or a qualified provider of their choice through Participant-Directed Services. Provider choice does not eliminate qualification, authorization, or FMS requirements that apply to the selected pathway.
Official source: DDS — Initial PCP and Pre-enrollment Transition Supports
Is pre-enrollment support the same as post-enrollment Independent Facilitation?
No. Initial Person-Centered Planning and General Self-Directed Supports are pre-enrollment pathways. Independent Facilitation under WIC §4685.8 is a participant-selected role used within SDP after enrollment, with any IF cost paid from the participant’s individual budget. Keep the authorizations and billing lanes separate even when one professional may have experience in more than one role.
Official source: DDS — Initial PCP and Pre-enrollment Transition Supports · WIC §4685.8
Planning & the IPP
Who participates in the IPP?
The participant has the right to actively participate, and the IPP is prepared jointly through the planning-team process. Parents, a legal guardian, conservator, or authorized representative participate when appropriate. The participant’s needs, preferences, choices, and goals remain central.
Official source: WIC §4646
What if we agree on some things but not others?
You can agree to some parts of the IPP and disagree with others. California law says disagreement with specific components does not block implementation of the services and supports that were agreed to. The disagreement can be noted, and appeal rights apply to the disputed decision.
Official source: WIC §4646
Can I ask for another meeting?
Yes. If final agreement cannot be reached at an IPP meeting, the law requires a subsequent meeting within 15 days unless a later date is requested or agreed to. A separate request for an IPP review generally must be reviewed within 30 days, or within 7 days when needed for health and safety or to keep the person in their home.
Official source: WIC §4646 · WIC §4646.5
What should be written down after a decision?
At the end of an IPP meeting, the regional center must provide a written or electronic list of the agreed services and supports and, if known, the projected start date, frequency, duration, and provider. The IPP also should include approximate start dates and timelines for actions needed to begin services.
Official source: WIC §4646 · WIC §4646.5
What if communication or language access is not working?
Say what is not working and what the participant needs in order to participate. During the IPP process, the regional center must communicate in the preferred language and provide required alternative communication services. Access should make participation possible, not merely make the person present.
Official source: WIC §4646
Individual Budget & Spending Plan
What is the difference between the budget and the Spending Plan?
The individual budget is the amount of regional-center purchase-of-service funding available to the participant to implement the IPP. The Spending Plan is the participant’s plan for how that money will be used, including the specific goods, services, supports, and costs. The Spending Plan cannot exceed the individual budget and is attached to the IPP.
Official source: WIC §4685.8
Who develops the Spending Plan?
The participant develops the Spending Plan under WIC §4685.8(c)(7). It identifies the costs of goods, services, and supports needed to implement the IPP, stays within the individual budget, and is attached to the IPP. The regional center has defined certification responsibilities. DDS's November 25, 2025 directive explains the certification criteria and related implementation requirements.
Official source: WIC §4685.8 · DDS — Initial Budgets & Spending Plans
What can change a budget?
An individual budget is generally calculated no more than once in a 12-month period. Under AB 143 and current DDS direction, the IPP team may adjust it up or down when the participant's needs, circumstances, or resources change and the adjustment would have occurred regardless of SDP participation. The initial-budget calculation and Spending Plan certification follow additional rules described in the current DDS directive.
Official source: WIC §4685.8 · DDS — Initial Budgets & Spending Plans
What if the numbers do not match the participant’s actual situation?
Do not force the Spending Plan to paper over a budget problem. Compare the IPP needs, budget calculation, rates, Spending Plan, and authorizations. If circumstances, needs, or resources have changed—or the calculation does not reflect the supports needed to implement the IPP—request review and ask the regional center to explain the calculation and next step in writing.
Official source: WIC §4685.8 · DDS — Initial Budgets & Spending Plans
What is the IBCCT?
The Individual Budget Calculation and Certification Tool (IBCCT) is a DDS implementation tool used by regional centers to calculate and document an SDP individual budget. It helps show how the budget was calculated; it is not a substitute for the individual budget itself, the IPP, or the underlying authorizations and records.
Official source: DDS — Resources and Tools · WIC §4685.8
Is the IBCCT the same as the individual budget?
No. The IBCCT is the calculation/certification tool. The individual budget is the amount of regional-center purchase-of-service funding available to the participant for services and supports needed to implement the IPP. When the numbers do not line up, compare the tool to the budget document, IPP, authorizations, dates, and any agreed adjustments.
Official source: DDS — Resources and Tools · WIC §4685.8
What records should support the budget calculation?
Check the records that establish the calculation inputs: the most recently available 12 months of purchase-of-service authorizations, the IPP and agreed needs, services identified by the IPP team that were not previously authorized when the current methodology requires them to be added, services funded outside the SDP budget, one-time expenses, and any adjustment based on a change in needs, circumstances, or resources. Do not treat the final number by itself as proof that every input was correct.
Official source: DDS D-2025-SDP-003 · DDS — SDP FAQ
What if my current needs are not reflected in recent authorizations?
Do not assume the recent authorization history ends the inquiry. Under the current initial-budget methodology, the IPP team may need to add needed services that were not previously included in a purchase-of-service authorization, and DDS specifically requires discussion of unmet needs for people with no or low recent authorizations. The participant-specific IPP record still matters.
Official source: DDS D-2025-SDP-003 · DDS — SDP FAQ
What if the budget amount changes during planning?
Ask what changed and why. Current DDS guidance says an individual budget may be adjusted up or down when the IPP team identifies a change in the participant’s needs, circumstances, or resources and the adjustment would have occurred regardless of SDP participation. The reason for the adjustment should be traceable to the current record rather than appearing as an unexplained number change.
Official source: DDS D-2025-SDP-003 · DDS — SDP FAQ
What if I disagree with the budget?
A budget disagreement does not erase the participant’s IPP and appeal rights. Ask the team to identify the disputed calculation or adjustment in writing, preserve what is agreed, and use the current DDS appeals information if a regional-center decision remains disputed. At annual rollover, DDS also has specific continuity guidance so a delayed or disputed next-year budget should not simply be treated as an automatic zero-funding event.
Official source: DDS — SDP FAQ · DDS — Continuing the Individual Budget and Spending Plan · DDS — Appeals Information Packet
Is the Spending Plan the same as the IPP?
No. The IPP is the person-centered planning agreement describing goals, needs, decisions, services, and supports. The Spending Plan is the participant-developed plan for using the individual budget to purchase the goods, services, and supports needed to implement the IPP. The Spending Plan is attached to the IPP, but it does not replace it.
Official source: WIC §4685.8 · DDS — SDP FAQ
Can the regional center rewrite my Spending Plan?
The participant develops the Spending Plan. The regional center has a certification role; current DDS direction identifies what must be certified, including that the goods and services address IPP goals, are not available through generic services, and are eligible for federal financial participation. If the regional center believes a change is required, identify the exact certification issue and distinguish a technical correction from a substantive disagreement rather than silently substituting a different participant plan.
Official source: DDS D-2025-SDP-003 · DDS — SDP FAQ
What information is needed for each service line?
DDS’s current spending-plan direction says the plan should identify the service or support, how often it will be purchased, the SDP service code, and the cost. The provider type or required qualifications also matter. DDS public guidance says the exact provider name does not have to be known when the Spending Plan is developed; the plan can identify the type of qualified provider instead.
Official source: DDS D-2025-SDP-003 · DDS — SDP FAQ
What process applies to a Spending Plan change?
First identify whether the change is a transfer of funds, a change in the service/support itself, a rate/cost update, or a correction to what the FMS loaded. Current DDS direction allows transfers between service codes and budget categories, but approval from the regional center or IPP team is required before the transfer. A finalized Spending Plan change also triggers the regional center’s timely-notification duty to the FMS.
Official source: DDS D-2025-SDP-003
How quickly should the FMS be notified after a finalized change?
DDS’s current directive states that the regional center must notify the participant’s FMS within three business days after the IPP team finalizes a change in the Spending Plan. This is a specific implementation deadline; it should not be generalized to every unrelated FMS or regional-center task.
Official source: DDS D-2025-SDP-003
What if the regional center certifies the Spending Plan but the FMS has not received it?
Certification and FMS receipt are separate implementation states. Ask the regional center when and how the certified plan and authorization were sent, ask the FMS whether it was received and loaded, and reconcile the exact version. DDS requires timely authorization to the FMS and a three-business-day notification after the IPP team finalizes a Spending Plan change.
Official source: DDS D-2025-SDP-003
FMS
What does an FMS do?
FMS helps administer the individual budget and Spending Plan. Depending on the model, this can include paying providers and employees, employment and tax functions, helping verify provider qualifications and background checks, and issuing expenditure reports. The FMS does not control the participant’s budget or Spending Plan.
Official source: DDS — SDP Frequently Asked Questions
How do I compare FMS options?
Compare the FMS model, which regional centers the FMS serves, who carries employer responsibilities, onboarding and payroll processes, reporting, language access, provider-payment workflow, and how the FMS communicates when something is missing. DDS publishes both an FMS contact list and a model-comparison chart.
Official source: DDS — FMS Contact List & Model Comparison
What is the difference between Bill Payer, Co-Employer, and Sole Employer?
Bill Payer is used for paying goods or services from businesses or providers. In Co-Employer, the participant shares specified employer responsibilities with the FMS. In Sole Employer, the participant is the direct employer while the FMS handles the fiscal and employment-administration functions assigned to it. The exact division of responsibilities is shown in DDS’s model-comparison chart.
Official source: DDS — FMS Model Comparison
What happens when FMS setup delays services?
First identify the exact missing step: a certified Spending Plan, authorization, employer paperwork, provider onboarding, background check, or another FMS requirement. WIC §4685.8(n) requires timely authorizations to the participant's FMS. DDS's November 25, 2025 directive states that the regional center must notify the FMS within three business days after the IPP team finalizes any change in the participant's Spending Plan. Confirm what the FMS actually received, what remains missing, who owns it, and what is necessary for services to start.
Official source: WIC §4685.8 · DDS — Initial Budgets & Spending Plans · DDS — FMS information
Is FMS part of the regional center?
No. The FMS is a separate provider selected for the participant’s SDP arrangement. The regional center authorizes and pays for the FMS and has its own program responsibilities, while the FMS performs the financial, payment, employment, qualification-verification, and reporting functions that apply to the chosen model.
Official source: DDS — SDP FAQ · WIC §4685.8
Is FMS selected by the participant?
Yes. DDS states that SDP participants are required to use an FMS provider of their choosing. The provider must meet DDS requirements and be vendored by a regional center. Choice still has to be workable in practice, so confirm current availability and whether the FMS can administer the participant’s intended services and employment model.
Official source: DDS — SDP FAQ · WIC §4685.8
Can the regional center choose my FMS for me?
The regional center can provide information about available FMS providers, but SDP preserves participant choice of an FMS provider that meets program requirements. If an option is unavailable or cannot administer the intended arrangement, document that practical constraint rather than treating it as authority for the regional center to substitute its own preference.
Official source: DDS — SDP FAQ · WIC §4685.8
What does the FMS verify?
Depending on the service and FMS model, the FMS may assist with verifying provider qualifications, required criminal background checks, employment-law and tax requirements, invoices/timesheets, and whether payment fits the authorized Spending Plan. Verification is not the same as deciding the participant’s IPP goals or independently deciding whether the person needs a service.
Official source: DDS — SDP FAQ · WIC §4685.8
Can the FMS decide whether I need a service?
Not as the FMS’s independent role. Need and IPP outcomes are addressed through the person-centered IPP process; the participant then uses the Spending Plan to implement the IPP. The FMS administers financial/employment/payment functions and applicable verification requirements. If the FMS blocks payment, ask for the exact missing authorization, qualification, documentation, or rule rather than accepting a vague statement that the service is “not needed.”
Official source: DDS — SDP FAQ · WIC §4685.8
Providers & workers
Does a provider have to be vendored?
Usually no. In SDP, providers other than the FMS do not have to be vendored through the regional center. The FMS is the required vendored service. A participant may also use qualified non-vendored providers, local businesses, community resources, or hire workers, as allowed by the IPP and SDP rules.
Official source: DDS — SDP Frequently Asked Questions
What qualifications may apply?
It depends on the service and provider. A service may require a professional license, certification, background check, training, or other qualification. The FMS has responsibilities for helping verify applicable provider qualifications. Being non-vendored does not by itself mean a provider is unqualified.
Official source: DDS — SDP Frequently Asked Questions
Who handles onboarding?
The participant chooses the provider or worker. The FMS handles the financial or employment onboarding functions assigned to the selected FMS model and helps with required qualification or background-check steps. The regional center is responsible for the authorizations it must send. The exact division depends on the provider type and FMS model.
Official source: DDS — FMS information · DDS — Provider billing guide
What if a provider is ready but payment or authorization is not?
A provider being ready is not the same as the service being ready to bill. Identify the missing link: the agreed service, Spending Plan entry, regional-center authorization, FMS onboarding, required documentation, or start date. Keep those steps separate so a vague “pending” status does not hide the actual blocker.
Official source: WIC §4685.8 · DDS — Provider billing guide
What does “vendorized” actually mean?
Vendorization is the regional-center process that approves a provider to deliver specified traditional regional-center services under a vendor/service-code arrangement. It establishes provider status for that lane; it does not by itself prove that a particular participant needs the service, has an authorization, has completed FMS onboarding, or has actually received the service.
Official source: DDS — Provider Directory / Standardized Vendorization
Can a community business provide an SDP service?
Potentially, yes. DDS says SDP participants may use service providers or local businesses and, except for FMS, SDP service providers generally do not have to be traditionally vendored through the regional center. The provider still must meet the qualifications, licensing/certification, background-check, HCBS, employment, and other requirements that actually apply to the service.
Official source: DDS — SDP FAQ · WIC §4685.8
What is the difference between vendorization and FMS onboarding?
Vendorization is formal regional-center provider approval under the applicable vendor/service-code process. FMS onboarding is participant-specific administrative setup so an SDP worker or provider can be paid or employed under the participant’s FMS arrangement. For an enrolled SDP participant, a non-FMS provider generally is exempt from ordinary Title 17 vendorization, but still may need FMS onboarding and service-specific qualifications.
Official source: WIC §4685.8 · DDS — Provider Directory / Standardized Vendorization
When something is not moving
How do I tell where the process stopped?
Trace the sequence: decision → written record → authorization → FMS setup → provider or worker onboarding → start date → actual delivery. The first missing or contradictory handoff is usually the operational blocker. Name that step before deciding what to escalate.
What if something was approved but never started?
Ask for the written implementation status, the responsible person, and a concrete start date. California law requires the IPP to identify approximate scheduled start dates and timelines for actions needed to begin services. If the issue becomes a denial, reduction, or unresolved regional-center decision, appeal rights may apply.
Official source: WIC §4646.5 · DDS — Appeals Information Packet
What if records or explanations conflict?
Keep the documents separate. Compare the date, author, authority, and exact decision in the IPP, service agreement, Spending Plan, authorization, Notice of Action, and later emails. Ask for a written correction or clarification instead of allowing a later explanation to silently rewrite an agreed record.
Official source: WIC §4646
What if nobody seems to own the next step?
Ask for four things in writing: the next action, the person responsible, anything still needed from the participant, and the date the action will be completed. If the missing step belongs to the regional center, ask the service coordinator or responsible manager for the implementation status rather than accepting “someone else is working on it.”
What is a no-gap transition?
“No-gap transition” is a practical implementation goal, not a single statewide legal term that automatically answers every situation. The team should identify what current services must continue, what new SDP steps must be ready, and what authority applies to each handoff. For annual budget/Spending Plan rollover, DDS expressly directs regional centers to maintain continuity while the next-year budget and plan are completed.
Official source: DDS — Continuing the Individual Budget and Spending Plan · DDS — Appeals Information Packet
What if my SDP start date arrives before implementation is ready?
Do not treat the calendar date as proof that implementation is complete. Identify the exact missing state: certified plan, regional-center authorization, FMS receipt, employer paperwork, provider qualification/onboarding, staffing, or scheduling. Existing current services may have continuity or appeal protections; newly requested services require their own approval and implementation. The remedy depends on which step is actually missing.
Official source: DDS — Continuing the Individual Budget and Spending Plan · DDS D-2025-SDP-003 · DDS — Appeals Information Packet
Access & communication
Can I use AAC?
Yes. AAC is communication. The participant should be able to use the communication method that works for them, including AAC, typing, sign, visual supports, gestures, eye gaze, or supported communication. Speech does not outrank AAC.
Official source: WIC §4646
Can I ask for an interpreter?
Yes. During IPP planning, the regional center must communicate in the preferred language and provide required alternative communication services. DDS’s appeal process also provides for an interpreter when requested.
Official source: WIC §4646 · DDS — Appeals Information Packet
What if I need more processing time?
Ask for the pacing and processing time needed for the participant to understand information and respond. Active participation is not meaningful if the meeting moves faster than the participant can process. Put the access need in the meeting plan or record so it can be used consistently.
Official source: WIC §4646
How should participant communication be kept separate from someone else’s interpretation?
Label the layers clearly: the participant’s own words, AAC, choices, or signals; a supporter’s interpretation or report; a professional recommendation; and observed behavior. Support can be substantial without turning another person’s interpretation into the participant’s stated direction.
Rights, records & disagreement
What if I disagree with a decision?
Ask for the decision in writing and, when there is no agreement, the required Notice of Action. DDS’s current appeals process has strict deadlines: generally an appeal must be filed within 60 days of notification, and keeping current services during the appeal has an earlier deadline and additional timing requirements.
Official source: DDS — Appeals Information Packet
Where do I find current appeal information?
Use DDS’s Lanterman Act Appeals Information Packet as the current official starting point. It explains the Appeal Request, deadlines, informal meeting, mediation, hearing, aid paid pending, records access, interpreters, and where to get help.
Official source: DDS — Appeals Information Packet
How do I request records?
Ask the regional center for access to or copies of the records you want and identify the scope as clearly as you can. DDS’s current Appeals Information Packet states that a person has the right to access regional-center records and says access should be provided within three business days of the request.
Official source: DDS — Appeals Information Packet
What if only part of the plan is disputed?
The agreed parts can move forward. California law expressly says that disagreement with specific IPP components does not prohibit implementation of the services and supports that were agreed to.
Official source: WIC §4646
What is aid paid pending?
Aid paid pending is the protection that can keep current services in place while an appeal is pending when the appeal is filed on time. Under DDS’s current appeals materials, the request must be received or postmarked within 30 days after receipt of the NOA and before the proposed action takes effect. It protects current services; it does not automatically approve a newly requested service.
Official source: DDS — Appeals Information Packet
What deadlines matter?
DDS currently describes two key appeal deadlines. To seek aid paid pending for current services, the appeal generally must be received or postmarked within 30 days after receipt of the NOA and before the proposed action takes effect. The general deadline to file an appeal is 60 days after receipt of the NOA. Use the actual notice and current DDS packet rather than calculating from a remembered date.
Official source: DDS — Appeals Information Packet
What is changing with the grievance system?
DDS says a new simplified grievance process will begin February 1, 2027. Until January 31, 2027, the current WIC §4731 individual-rights complaint process remains available. The new grievance process is intended to cover concerns such as rights violations, person-centered planning, and certain HCBS-setting issues; it does not replace the Lanterman Act appeal process for eligibility or service decisions.
Official source: DDS — Consumer Rights and Grievance Process · DDS — Appeals Information Packet
What is the difference between an appeal and a grievance?
An appeal challenges a regional-center decision about eligibility or services and follows the Lanterman Act appeal process and deadlines. A grievance addresses a different kind of concern, such as rights, person-centered planning, or certain HCBS-setting issues. Use the factual predicate first: identify whether the problem is the decision itself, a rights/process concern, or an implementation failure before choosing the route.
Official source: DDS — Appeals Information Packet · DDS — Consumer Rights and Grievance Process