1. Self-Determination What is it? Is it Right for Me?
State Council on Developmental Disabilities, San Bernardino Office
Presenter: Shannon Meehan

2. Huge Change to Law NEW OLD Provide brief description of Lanterman Act
Has changed many times
This is the biggest change in recent years

3. A New Option Regular RC Services Self-Determination
Creates a new option for getting services
It is voluntary
People who choose this option will have more control and more responsibility.

4. ? Regular RC Services Talk through diagram You want a service dog
You have a meeting with RC
They ultimately make the decision if they will pay for it or not.

5. You Decide Self-Determination In SD
You are given a budget – will talk more about it later
You set your own priorities
You divide up your budget to pay for the things most important to you

6. The Five Principles 5
Of Self-Determination

7. Principle 1: FREEDOM
For You to make CHOICES

8. Principle 2: AUTHORITY
Over DECISIONS and MONEY

9. Support from people who help you get what you need
Principle 3: SUPPORT
Support from people who help you get what you need

10. Principle 4: RESPONSIBILITY
Highlight this one – very important for people to understand!
You are responsible, not others

11. Principle 5: CONFIRMATION
Give feedback to make the system better for everyone.
You make the system work better

12. Who is Eligible? Eligible for Regional Center services
At least 3 years old
Living at home or in the community

13. Not eligible if…
You live at a Developmental Center or Intermediate Care Facility (ICF)
*Unless there is a plan to discharge within 6 months*
If you are in the process of moving out- then you may be eligible.

14. Important parts of SDP You and Your Team Your Budget Your Plan
Your Supports and Services
We will go through each of these in more detail. These are the key parts of making self-determination work for you.

15. YOU Make Decisions Have Authority Take Responsibility Your Team
You have a team that helps you with your plan. You are the leader of the team.
You have the freedom and responsibility to make all of the decisions about your plan and how your budget will be spent.

16. Your Team: The Facilitator
Helps You
Sort out your plan & goals
Find services
OPTIONAL *Family, Friend, RC/CSC, or paid Independent Facilitator
The facilitator:
Helps develop your Plan
Helps plan and maintain the budget
Helps develop a network of support
Helps find providers, negotiates rates, hours of service, and write contracts
Makes sure providers live up to their agreements
Helps mediate issues with providers
Helps the person and supporters to abide by the principles of Self-Determination.
*You pay for the facilitator out of your budget. But you don’t have to hire a facilitator. It’s up to you.
If you don’t hire a facilitator, your service coordinator, family or friend can help you.

17. Your Team: Financial Management Service (FMS)
*REQUIRED*
Paid for out of Budget
Pays bills for your plan
Does background checks
Ensures eligibility to work, NO criminal record
Maintains financial records and reports
The Fiscal Management Service:
Required to be used by all SD participants
Hired by you
Paid for out of your budget
Holds and manages your money but does not make budget decisions
Makes payments to service providers
Does the criminal record checks on people you want to hire
Keeps all financial records and reports

18. Other Members Your Regional Center Service Coordinator
Family or Friends
Anyone else you want to help you!

19. = Your SDP Budget Your Budget $$ Spent on your services for the
last 12 Months
At first, your budget is equal to the amount of money the RC spent on you in the last 12 months.
Re-determined each year; can be changed if your needs change
You decide how it’s spent; designate “chunks” of money for service categories
Budget pays for FMS and Facilitator

20. Your Plan SHOULD INCLUDE: What you need Hopes and dreams
Everything you need to make your goals a reality
Suggestions for working out a good plan
Think about everything important to you
Prepare for your meeting (see below); set your priorities
Ask for help if you need it
Lead the meeting or ask an ally to help you lead it
Don’t leave anything out
Recommend using a good tool such as the Individual Program Plan Resource Manual – get from RC or DDS

21. Your Plan: Big to Small My Big Plans How to get there The Details
Ask someone to be the note taker; ask your RCSC to bring Post-it Poster paper and write everything on it.
Talk about your big ideas and plans first
Figure out what you need to do to get there
Identify what stands in the way and what you need to help you solve those issues
Include details like what steps need to be done, who will do them and by when.
Review it to make sure you haven’t missed anything

22. Your Plan: Assign Money
Assign money for each part of the plan
$5,000 for employment
$8,000 for supported living
$800 for exercise equipment
*ONLY AN EXAMPLE*
Decide how much money is needed to implement each part of your plan.

23. Put your Plan into Action
Hire Service Providers
Purchase what you need
Find resources
*Generic resources should ALWAYS be considered*
Finally, put your plan into action.

24. Put your Plan into Action: Get Help
Who can help find what you need?
Facilitator
RC Service Coordinator
Family and Friends
Anyone can help you put your plan into action. These are some ideas.

25. Put your Plan into Action: Interviews
You Interview people
You decide who you want to work with you
You can hire people directly to provide services for you. You interview and choose who you want.

26. Put Your Plan into Action: Background Check
Financial Management Services (FMS) confirms all staff you have selected are eligible to work
Before you can hire, the FMS will do a fingerprint background check to make sure the person doesn’t have a criminal record. You do not have to pay for this.
This can take a couple of days but sometimes longer.

27. Put Your Plan into Action:
Agree on a contract
Hire the staff you choose
Confirm selected staff with FMS
Start Services!
You and your new employee should make a contract. You can ask someone to help you write one up.

28. Example: Employment Regular Services: Supported Employment??
No. Only Workshop.
Let’s talk about some examples of how self-determination is different from regular services.
You might decide you want a regular job. The RC thinks you are not ready and need to start in a workshop instead.
YOU
RCSC

29. Example: Employment Self-Determination: Supported Employment!!
We will help!
Under self-determination, if you decide you want a regular job, then you set aside money for supports to help you get and keep a job.
YOU
Your Team

30. Example: Supported Living
Regular Services:
No. We have to use a vendor.
I want to hire my friend.
Under regular services, RCs have to use vendors to provide services.
YOU
RCSC

31. Example: Supported Living
Self-Determination:
I want to hire my friend.
Go for it!
In SD, you can hire whoever you want, as long as they can pass the criminal record check.
YOU
Your Team

32. When something goes wrong Regular Services
If you are unhappy with your services…
Regional Center is responsible
In regular services, if you don’t like something about your services, it is up to the RC to fix it.

33. When something goes wrong Self-Determination
If you are unhappy with your services…
It is up to YOU to fix it
Ask your team to help
In SD, it is up to you to fix it, with help from your team if you want it.

34. Five Questions to Ask Yourself
1. Do you have a complicated life?
Do you get lots of different types of services? Do you want to control how they all work together?

35. Five Questions to Ask Yourself
2. Have you had a lot of Denials, Conflicts with RC and/or Fair Hearings?
Does the RC say “no” to your requests? Do you disagree with them about what is best for you?

36. Five Questions to Ask Yourself
3. Have you lost services due to unmet needs, budget cuts, changes to the Lanterman Act?
Have you lost services you once had in the last few years?

37. Five Questions to Ask Yourself
4. Do you need services that are unique and not typically offered by Regional Centers?
Maybe you’ve always wanted to take a cooking class, join a model train club, or do ballroom dancing. RC can’t pay for these but SD can!

38. Five Questions to Ask Yourself
5. Do you want to get a good paying job, start a business, or get good work training?
Under SD, you could set aside money to help you start a business or get job training.

39. Are you READY to take on the RESPONSIBILITY??
And Finally…
Are you READY to take on the RESPONSIBILITY??
???
It is very important to remember that you are using tax payer money and you have to use it responsibly. You must also remember that if something goes wrong, you are responsible to resolve it.

40. Timeline Right now – Federal Waiver was approved – 2500 people
3 years – any eligible person may choose SDP
Monthly Self-Determination Advisory Committees meet

41. Local Advisory Committees
One for each Regional Center
Monitors the SD Program & makes recommendations
SCDD Regional Office and RC each appoints half
OCRA a member
Some advisory committees are already set but there are a few in LA that have been decided on yet. If you are interested, you can contact the Area Board for more information.

42. What to do now Have you attended SDP orientation?
Dear Regional Center,
I want to be considered for SDP and
I need a list of my last 12 months of RC services.
Yours Sincerely,
Have you attended SDP orientation?
Have you signed up for SDP?
Have you asked for a list of your last 12 months of Regional Center funded services?
*Will give you an idea of your annual budget for SDP.
IF NOT, you will have to wait until the pilot is completed to enroll.

43. Resources Disability Rights California:
Publication #F07701
The Center for Self-Determination
Senate Bill 468:
San Bernardino Office of SCDD:
The Autism Society of Los Angeles: