Report 2021-107 Recommendation 9 Responses

Report 2021-107: Department of Developmental Services: It Has Not Ensured That Regional Centers Have the Necessary Resources to Effectively Serve Californians With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (Release Date: June 2022)

Recommendation #9 To: Developmental Services, Department of

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.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From March 2025

DDS continues to engage in overall information technology modernization efforts, including leveraging new solutions that provide greater accessibility and insight in the services to the community. These are called the San Diego Information System (SANDIS) and the Uniform Fiscal System (UFS), respectively. Their replacement is called "LOIS"—the Life Outcomes Improvement System. LOIS will provide individuals and families with direct access to their information, upcoming schedules, and communication with their regional centers as well as self-service functions for service providers. This new system will provide regional centers and DDS with a modern system to support individuals, families, and service providers with automation of routine tasks, better reporting capabilities, and more functionalities that currently are manual workarounds or vary by regional center. On March 3, 2025, the Department of Health Care Services, on behalf of DDS, submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services a funding request for enhanced Federal Financial Participation to move the project forward. Engagement with regional centers, service providers, and individuals and families will continue in the first half of 2025 to further refine LOIS requirements, which then will be reflected in state and federal project approval documents prior to a Request for Proposals (RFP) process.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From June 2024

The California Department of Technology (CDT) has approved DDS' Stage 2 Alternatives Analysis packet. The packet included the project charter, financial analysis workbook, mid-level requirements and all project plans combining the consumer electronic records management system (CERMS) project and the uniform fiscal system modernization (UFSM) project.

DDS' project team continues to move forward with Stage 3, Solution Analysis for CERMS and UFSM and will work with CDT to assemble the full procurement packet and obtain approval from CMS. DDS anticipates publishing the primary solicitation by 1/31/2025.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending

1-Year Agency Response

DDS is continuing the development of the consumer electronic records management system (CERMS). DDS has begun and will continue to meet with stakeholders, including the Developmental Services Task Force (DS Task Force) and applicable DS Task Force workgroups. Stakeholder input will inform design decisions and we anticipate that CERMS will have the ability to generate the information needed to review and analyze consumer access to services.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending

6-Month Agency Response

DDS is continuing the development of the consumer electronic record management system (CERMS). DDS has begun and will continue to meet with stakeholders, including the Developmental Services Task Force (DS Task Force) and applicable DS Task Force workgroups. Stakeholder input will inform design decisions and we anticipate that CERMS will have the ability to generate the information needed to review and analyze consumer access to services.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

DDS is continuing the development of the consumer electronic record management system (CERMS). DDS will meet with stakeholders, including the Developmental Services Task Force (DS Task Force) and applicable DS Task Force workgroups. Stakeholder input will inform design decisions and we anticipate that CERMS will have the ability to generate the information needed to review and analyze consumer access to services.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2021-107

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.