Minimum Wage – January 1, 2018

Rate Changes Due to the Minimum Wage Increase – January 1, 2018

Due to the enactment of Senate Bill (SB) 3, the California minimum wage will increase to $11.00 per hour, effective January 1, 2018, for employers with 26 or more employees, and to $10.50 per hour for employers with 25 or fewer employees. As a result, a number of regional center vendors may be eligible for a rate adjustment in order to pay employees the new minimum wage.

Which Providers/Services Are Eligible?

All providers of services with rates established in the following ways may be eligible for a rate adjustment:

  1. Rates set by the Department of Developmental Services (Department);
  2. Rates set by regional centers through negotiation.

How Will Rates Be Adjusted?

This depends on how the service rate was set initially.

Rates Set by the Department

  • Community-Based Day, In-Home Respite Agencies, and Work Activity Programs, may request a rate adjustment from the Department if any employee is paid less than the new minimum wage1.
  • Community Care Facilities – The updated Alternative Residential Model (ARM) rate schedule, effective January 1, 2018, can be found here. Providers with ARM rates do not need to submit rate adjustment requests.

Rates Set by Regional Centers through Negotiation

Rates for a variety of services are set through negotiation between providers and regional centers. Providers with rates set in this manner may negotiate a rate adjustment with the regional center, if applicable to the new minimum wage increase. Providers should contact their local regional center for more information on submitting rate adjustment requests.

1 In-Home Respite Agencies may be eligible for a rate adjustment if they pay respite workers in excess of the new minimum wage requirements in compliance with the wage enhancement authorized in Welfare and Institutions Code, Section 4690.2(b)(2).

Where Can I Get More Information?

You can contact your local regional center or review the letter from the Department to regional centers regarding the minimum wage increase.

OR

You can contact the Department of Developmental Services for questions at 916-654-1954.

Minimum Wage Rate Adjustment, Effective January 1, 2018 – Submitting Requests to the Department

Due to the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 3, minimum wage in California will increase from $10.50 to $11.00 per hour, effective January 1, 2018, for employers with 26 or more employees, and from $10.00 to $10.50 per hour for employers with 25 or fewer employees. Regional center vendors affected by this change may be eligible to receive a rate adjustment in order to pay employees the new minimum wage. This page contains information for applicable vendors on submitting rate adjustment requests to the Department.

Who May Qualify?

The process for requesting a rate adjustment described on this page is only applicable to the following types of programs and services: Community-Based Day Programs, In-Home Respite Agencies, and Work Activity Programs. Vendors of other types of services should review the page linked below for more information on rate adjustments due to the increased minimum wage.

Before You Begin

If you are a provider of the services identified above and you answer “Yes” to all questions below, this process applies to your program. If you answer “No” to all questions, visit the Rate Changes Due to the January 1, 2018, Minimum Wage Increase above for more information.

  1. Is your program vendored by a regional center to provide services under service codes 505, 510, 515, 520, 525, 805, 862 and/or 954?
  2. In-Home Respite Agencies:
    • Do you employ 26 or more employees and are you paying less than $11.00 per hour, or less than $11.81 per hour?

    OR

    • Do you employ 25 or less employees and are you paying less than $10.50 per hour, or less $11.31 per hour?

Instructions and Workbook

The workbooks below should be used by applicable vendors to submit rate adjustment requests to the Department. Detailed instructions are contained in the tabs that precede the worksheets. Due to the respite worker wage enhancement authorized in Welfare and Institutions Code 4690.2(b)(2), there are two workbooks. One is for vendors of Community-Based Day Programs and Work Activity Programs, and the other is for In-Home Respite Agencies, as specified below. Rate adjustment requests must be submitted no later than March 1, 2018. Any rate adjustments approved will be effective January 1, 2018.

For Community-Based Day Programs and Work Activity Programs

2018 Minimum Wage Rate Adjustment Request Workbook – Community-Based Day and Work Activity Programs EXCEL

For In-Home Respite Agencies

2018 Minimum Wage Rate Adjustment Request Workbook – In-Home Respite Agencies EXCEL

Current Minimum Wage

Mimimum Wage – January 1, 2019


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Last modified: April 29, 2023