What is the Regional Center?

Regional centers are nonprofit private agencies created by the Lanterman act in California in 1969 and that contract with the Department of Developmental Services to provide or coordinate services and supports for individuals with developmental disabilities. The purpose of the services and support or, in short, to support individuals with developmental disabilities which “enable them to make decisions and choices about how, and with whom, they want to live their lives; achieve the highest self-sufficiency possible; and lead productive, independent and satisfying lives.” (ELARC website/about us)

The disabilities that qualify for regional center services include the five qualifying diagnostic categories.

1.    Lanterman (on‐going) eligibility applies to individuals age 3 and older, if:

2.    They have a documented developmental disability, attributable to

·         Intellectual Disability

·         Cerebral Palsy

·         Epilepsy

·         Autism

·         and the “Fifth Category” – disabling conditions found to be closely related to an intellectual disability or to require treatment similar to that required for individuals with an intellectual disability (this includes all your “syndromes” like Prader Willis, Downs, Rhetts as well as other conditions.

3.    The developmental disability originated prior to age 18.

4.    The prognosis is expected to continue indefinitely.

5.    The developmental disability constitutes a substantial disability for that individual.

6.    The developmental disability, as noted above, shall not be solely psychiatric, solely a learning disability, or solely physical in nature.  

Welfare and Institutions Code §4512(a) 17 California Code of Regulations §54000

This requirement is cut and dry, either an individual has been given, or would assess with, a qualifying diagnosis or not (although there is lots of variability for individuals with, or qualify to be diagnosed with, level 1 autism. That’s a whole other discussion.)

In addition to having a diagnosis of a qualifying disability, and individual must also have functional deficits that reach the level of being “significantly” impacted in order to qualify for regional center eligibility. For those under the age of 18 there are five areas and for those over the age of 18 there are two additional areas. These functional areas are communication, learning, self-care, mobility, and self-direction for all individuals, with the addition of independent living and economic self-sufficiency for those over 18 years of age. This is cut and dry also for those individuals who are more impacted by their disability. But for individuals who have spent a lifetime masking and trying to pass, with parents who are always strength based, and who have gone through systems who have minimized challenges (often to avoid providing services), presenting compelling justification for eligibility requires a deeper knowledge base to know what to provide and how to speak about the individual’s significant limitations.

Once found eligible, the individual has a choice between two funding structures – the traditional system and the Self Determination System. Initially, all clients, or consumers as the regional center calls its eligible individuals, start in the traditional system. See the list of resources for what services, in addition to case management, the regional center can provide. Not all these services are available for all consumers.

Once in the program the consumer can choose to transition into the Self Determination Program/SDP. This program provides more freedom to choose services, but it also requires that the consumer assumes more responsibility for identifying and managing these services.

The specific services available in either program are dictated by the age, and disability-related needs, and goals of each consumer. In addition, the regional center is the “payer of last resort” and so all other “generic” resources must be used first. These include the special education system, IHSS, private health insurance, Department of Rehab, and other resources. So the regional center will assess what these other agencies can support before funding a service.

There is much more to the regional center system – Individual Program Plans/IPPs meetings and documents, goals, documenting denials from generic resources, timelines, Notice of Action, mediations and in the Self Determination Program there is a whole other system that includes person centered planning, budgets, spending plans, independent facilitators, financial management services, and more. But just like anything else – once you learn how what it all means and how it all works together it all it becomes much easier to navigate.

To make the system more manageable throughout the state, the regional centers have 21 individual agencies with offices throughout California to provide a local resource to help find and access the many services available to individuals and their families. Depending on where you live in California, there is a regional center that will serve you if your child or loved one qualifies for services.