Self Determination Program
September 2019
In previous blogs, I explained how the California
Regional Center System provides long-term medical expenses including personal
assistant services, durable medical equipment, long term therapies, and
maintenance drugs to people with developmental disabilities regardless of their
income or assets. Now the Regional Center System is implementing a Self
Determination Program (SDP). This program should be the model for providing
Independent Living Services to all people with disabilities in all states!
The Self Determination Program will enable
participants to have control of their annual Independent Living Services budget
and manage their own personal assistant services, as well as their educational,
vocational, and community involvement plans. Participants are required to use a
Financial Management Service (FMS) to perform financial matters. The FMS may be
used just to pay bills, or be a co-employer with the SDP participant, or be the
employer-of-record for the SDP participant's staff. The SDP participant is
required to create and maintain an annual Person-Centered Plan (PCP) where they
outline their goals and objectives and explain how their budget will be used to
achieve their plans. Participants may hire independent facilitators to help
them prepare and follow through with their projects and budgets. Participant's
Regional Center's caseworker will review plans and budget to help to ensure
they meet labor laws, SDP guidelines and that nothing has been omitted.
Currently, Denise and I get our personal assistant
services through Thrive Support Services. They have been great to work with.
They enable us to find, train, and manage our own attendants. We have created
our own Self Determination Program. It will be useful to have full control of
our budget and our attendants' schedule and not be constrained by some of the
rules a Supportive Living Services Provider must enforce. For example, our
attendants must clock in and out from within our house. I am hoping Thrive
Support Services will be our Financial Management Services Provider when SDP
starts.
To date, the Regional Center of the East Bay (RCEB)
has focused mainly on preparing participants on how to create PCPs. More
emphasis is needed on the financial and liability aspects. Participants that
use personal assistant services need to have guidelines regarding wages, fringe
benefits, training, time off, emergency services, insurance, etc.
Currently, many people with disabilities are
unemployed and live in poverty as a way of qualifying to receive healthcare and
long-term medical expenses they need to survive. Given that the government is
already paying these expenses, it is hypothesized that rolling out a Self Determination
Program to everyone that needs it may not incur more costs. If more people with
disabilities become employed, the taxes they pay may result in overall
cost-savings. Providing the Self Determination Program to people with mental
health disabilities may be one way of combating the homelessness crisis many
cities are facing, especially if independent facilitators and personal
assistants are available and well trained.
I have a great deal of hope that the Self
Determination Program is the next major accomplishment for the Disability
Movement. Let me know what you think. How can we promote this program?
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