White the implementation of the Self Determination Program (California’s SB486) is still contingent on federal approval of matching funds, the following is the latest to come down the pike regarding the status of the approval of the Self-Determination Program’s Home and Community- Based Services (HCBS) Waiver application for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), as well as a few additional implementation activities and updates, or, to put it simply, what’s new with the Self Determination Program and where it stands as of now.
What’s the status of the Self Determination Program as of now?
As required by law and to secure federal funding necessary to implement the Self Determination Program, the HCBS submitted its waiver application to the CMS on December 31, 2014. Since then, and after a series of follow-up questions and discussions between the Department of Health Care Services and the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, the CMS is currently reviewing the final draft of the plan.
What’s new is that on May 1st, the “CMS stated their conceptual agreement with the plan” per the Department of Developmental Services. Which means that it is anticipated the CMS will soon provide direction to move forward with the Waiver application. When that happens, the revised Waiver will be formally resubmitted to the CMS. And once again, the CMS will have 90 days to take action: approve, deny, or request additional information.
In a nutshell, the process is still in the works but it seems to be headed in the right direction.
What’s new and what does it mean for you?
A few changes have been made to the Self Determination Program during the process of having it approved, two of which address the involvement of its stakeholders in the implementation of the program:
Local Volunteer Advisory Committees
To ensure effective implementation of the Self Determination Program and facilitate the sharing of best practices and training materials, each regional center must establish a Local Volunteer Advisory Committee. Members of these committees are appointed by the regional center and the Regional Office of the State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD). Each Local Volunteer Committee will establish their local advisory committee and hold their first meeting no later than July 15.
Self Determination Program Enrollment Process
As previously decided, the Self Determination Program roll-out would start with the limited number of 2,500 consumers in its first three years. To guide the selection of these initial 2,500 consumers, the following steps have been identified as necessary for a fair and equitable process:
- Outreach: To assist with the provision of widespread outreach and awareness of the Self Determination Program, the DDS is developing an informational video that features consumers and families currently in the Self Determination pilot project as well as those who are interested in the SDP. The informational video, which will be available in multiple languages, will be completed in the summer of 2015.
- Information: Prior to being considered for enrollment, to inform consumers and families about the Self Determination Program, its opportunities and increased responsibilities, interested consumers and families will be required to participate in an informational/pre-enrollment meeting covering topics identified by the DDS, including information regarding the principles of self-determination, the role of the financial management services provider and the development of an individual budget.
- Selection: Regional centers will forward to the DDS the names of those who have participated in an informational/pre-enrollment meeting and are interested in participating in the Self Determination Program. To ensure the SDP is available on an equitable basis, the number of participants in each regional center will be based on the relative percentage of total consumers served by all regional centers, minus the remaining self-determination pilot project participants. The Department will then randomly select the participants based on demographic factors within each regional center such as age, gender, ethnicity and disability diagnosis. Consumers not initially selected will remain on the interest list for potential future openings.
If you or someone you know is interested in enrolling in the upcoming Self Determination Program, contact your local regional center to let them know you are interested in participating in the informational/pre-enrollment meeting.
We will continue to update this site with the latest about the Self Determination Program as well as in-depth explanations of its components. Please subscribe to our email updates to stay apprised of the latest news.
Source: State of California Department of Developmental Services (www.dds.ca.gov). If you have questions about this or any other content on this site, please contact us.
June 10, 2015
