The Department is continuing its work to develop a standardized in-home respite tool that all regional centers will use when a planning team determines a family needs in-home respite. When it is ready, all regional centers will adopt and use this tool consistently. This means people with similar needs and situations should receive a similar number of respite hours, no matter where they live.
Goals for the Respite Tool:
- Create a simple, easy to use tool that provides consistency statewide
- Reduce differences in authorizations among families with similar needs across the 21 regional centers
We continue to meet with various groups to provide updates on the development of the respite tool. During the recent 30-day public comment period, we received over 850 written comments. This input has influenced important changes to the tool. Together with our contractors, Burns & Associates and Human Services Research Institute, the tool has been revised in response to this feedback.
The revisions include:
- Simplifying language
- Reducing the amount of text in the tool
- Combining several sections of the tool
- Adjusting some response options and associated points
What’s next?
In the coming months, service coordinators will test the tool with families of individuals who are receiving respite services at the time of their regular Individual Program Plan or Individualized Family Service Plan. The testing will help determine the appropriate amount of respite hours that will be authorized when the tool is implemented. Importantly, the families’ authorized respite hours will be determined by the existing authorization process, and not by the new tool while it is being tested. Next steps will depend upon the success of the testing.
How we got here
In 2023, Senate Bill 138 required the Department to address inequities in how respite services are provided to caregivers. The law states that this effort is intended to “provide more statewide uniformity and consistency and promote equity in the administrative practices and services of regional centers, consistent with the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act.”
Finalizing the tool, educating individuals and families, and training regional center service coordinators will take time, but it will improve equity in how the needs of individuals is met.