Purchase of Supports and/or Services – 10101

SERVICE POLICY GUIDELINES

PURCHASE OF SUPPORTS AND/OR SERVICES

Tri-Counties Regional Center is committed to assisting individuals with developmental disabilities and their families in securing those supports and services which will maximize opportunities and choices for living, learning, working, and pursuing recreational activities in their community.

Tri-Counties Regional Center will purchase supports and/or services for individuals which:

• Prevent developmental disabilities or minimize the effects of a developmental delay or disability;
• Protect the health and safety of individuals with developmental disabilities;
• Prevent or minimize the institutionalization and dislocation of individuals with developmental disabilities from family and community;
• Enable individuals with developmental disabilities to approximate the pattern of everyday living of non-disabled persons of a similar age;
• Lead to more independent, productive and normal lives in their community; and,
• Prevent significant regression of the individual’s functioning level.

In accordance with the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, supports and services may be purchased for an individual only under the following circumstances:

• When he/she has special needs associated with a developmental disability or a condition determined by the planning team to present a significant developmental delay that may lead to developing a developmental disability;
• When the individual is a minor and the needs are beyond those parental responsibilities normally associated with raising or providing for a minor in his/her own home;
• When it has been determined by the individual’s planning team, through the person centered planning process, that such supports and services are necessary to accomplish all, or any part, of a person’s Individual Program Plan;
• When such supports and services are identified in the Individual Program Plan and are linked to one or more outcomes for the person;
• After public resources, as well as other sources of funding, including health insurance, available to the individual, have been used to the fullest extent possible to implement and/or coordinate the supports and services identified by the planning team;
• From a provider of supports and services who is vendored or contracted with Tri-Counties Regional Center to provide such supports and services and who adheres to the quality standards set forth by Tri-Counties Regional Center, the Department of Developmental Services, and California regulations relating to the provision of supports and services;
• When the rate to be paid is in accordance with the rates established by the Department of Developmental Services or by contract with Tri-Counties Regional Center;
• When, unless otherwise specified, the regional center has approved and authorized the support and/or service prior to the purchase date; and,
• When the request is for a continuation or renewal of a purchased support or service, such continuation or renewal will be contingent upon individual/family satisfaction and upon reasonable progress in having achieved the outcome(s) stated in the Individual Program Plan.

Tri-Counties Regional Center will authorize funding for supports and/or services for eligible individuals without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, citizenship, gender, age, or condition of physical or mental disability.

Tri-Counties Regional Center will not authorize use of purchase of service funds for any support and/or service available through any other resource. This includes all public and/or private resources available to the person served and their family.

The Planning Team, through the Individual Program Planning process, will specify the types and amounts of supports and/or services to be purchased by the regional center. Tri-Counties Regional Center will not authorize or continue authorization of funding for any support and/or service that is not documented on the person’s Individual Program Plan.

Authorization of funding for specific supports and/or services will be continued when the individual, or when appropriate the individual’s family or other legal representative, and the regional center service coordinator or representative agree that reasonable progress has been made toward objectives for which the service provider is responsible.

Tri-Counties Regional Center will not authorize funding for any form of program therapies, drugs, or special services considered by recognized professionals to be experimental and/or potentially harmful to the individual. The expected outcome from the purchase of any support and/or service must be both clinically and fiscally an effective use of public funds.

Disagreements between the individual, or when appropriate the individual’s family or other legal representative, and the regional center representative will be resolved through the Fair Hearing process.

Exception Policy:
Tri-Counties Regional Center recognizes that some individual needs are so unique that they may not be addressed in this Service Policy and may require an exception. Such requests for an exception to a Service Policy will be made through the Planning Team Process.

Approvals:

• 2013 01 22: DDS
• 2012 10 06: TCADD Board