Report 2021-107 Recommendations

To ensure that regional centers can better meet the required caseload ratios for all consumer groups, DDS should work with the regional centers, the Association of Regional Center Agencies (ARCA), and other state entities as necessary to update the core staffing formula to align with actual regional center staffing costs by June 2023.

To ensure that regional centers can better meet the required caseload ratios for all consumer groups, DDS should review and update as necessary the core staffing formula annually to ensure the continued adequacy of regional centers' salaries.

To ensure that regional centers conduct vendor monitoring as state law requires, DDS should, by October 2022, provide an initial training to all regional centers about the statutory requirements for vendor monitoring. This training should include the information the regional centers must assess as part of their quality and qualification reviews for each type of vendor, as well as best practices for ensuring that they complete all required reviews.

To ensure that regional centers conduct vendor monitoring as state law requires, DDS should, by October 2022, develop a policy to provide ongoing vendor monitoring training to all regional centers.

To ensure that regional centers conduct vendor monitoring as state law requires, DDS should, by January 2023, identify best practices among regional centers for tracking their quality reviews to ensure that they are completed as frequently as state law requires.

To ensure that regional centers conduct vendor monitoring as state law requires, DDS should then develop guidelines for all regional centers to follow to ensure that they complete all required quality reviews.

By January 2023, evaluate its processes for monitoring regional centers' performance of quality and biennial reviews to ensure that its processes are sufficient for identifying regional centers' noncompliance.

To ensure that consumers have convenient access to services, DDS should establish standards for measuring consumers' access to services by January 2023.

To ensure that consumers have convenient access to services, DDS should should continue to develop its new system for consumer records and ensure that the new system has the capability to allow regional centers to enter specific data elements that will enable them to assess the convenience of consumers' access to services using the established standards.

To ensure that regional centers provide statutorily required information to consumers about how to file a consumer rights complaint, DDS should, by January 2023, require all regional centers to include in their individual program plan document a written acknowledgement that staff discussed the complaint process with the consumer.

To ensure that regional centers provide statutorily required information to consumers about how to file a consumer rights complaint, DDS should, by January 2023, to determine whether regional centers are complying with state law, review all the written information that regional centers provide to consumers and the regional centers' procedures for providing this complaint process information to consumers.

To ensure that regional centers complete complaint investigations by the statutory deadline, DDS should issue guidance to the regional centers by September 2022 clarifying that state law does not allow extensions in complaint investigations.

To ensure that regional centers complete complaint investigations by the statutory deadline, DDS should, by January 2023, develop and issue best practices for the regional centers to follow when conducting a complaint investigation.

To ensure that its staff continue to complete appeal investigations by the statutory deadline, DDS should update its existing appeal investigations policies to reflect its new process by September 2022.

To ensure that the regional centers are completing timely eligibility determinations, DDS should, by September 2022, issue guidance to the regional centers on when to begin measuring the start of the 120-day time frame.

To ensure that the regional centers are completing timely eligibility determinations, DDS should, by September 2022, revise its monitoring process so that it accurately measures the length of time an applicant must wait for a regional center to complete an eligibility determination.