AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 21, 2026

AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 13, 2026

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 22, 2025

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

96

Introduced by Assembly Member Bryan

February 20, 2025

An act to amend Sections 4435.1, 4642, and 4643 of, and to add Section 4643.1 Sections 827.16 and 4643.1 to, the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to developmental services.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, requires the State Department of Developmental Services (department) to contract with regional centers to provide services and supports to persons with developmental disabilities and their families.

Under existing law, a person believed to have a developmental disability, and a person believed to have a high risk of parenting an infant with a developmental disability, is eligible for initial intake and assessment services in the regional centers. Existing law requires that initial intake take place within 15 days following a request for assistance. Existing law, commencing January 1, 2025, requires a regional center, by the end of that 15-day period, to either determine if the individual is eligible for regional center services or determine if additional assessment is needed.

This bill would, for initial intakes involving a child welfare involved child or youth, as defined, require regional centers to facilitate a case conference within 15 working days following the initial request for assistance, as specified. The bill would prohibit the case conference requirement from resulting in any delay to the child welfare involved child’s or youth’s right to a timely intake, assessment, or eligibility determination. The bill would require the department and the State Department of Social Services to issue joint guidance to operationalize the case conference requirement by March 31, 2027. The bill would prohibit a determination not to provide additional assessment from being solely based on the age of the person when they received a diagnosis of a qualifying condition, as specified. The bill, commencing January 31, 2028, would require the department to annually post on its internet website specified data relating to initial intakes, including, among other data, the number of initial intakes, the timeliness of assessment and eligibility determinations, and the percentage of assessments resulting in eligibility by program.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 827.16 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

SECTION 1.SEC. 2.

Section 4435.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

4435.1.

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature 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 (Division 4.5 (commencing with Section 4500)), as specified in this section.

(b) (1) No later than June 30, 2024, the department shall establish common data definitions that shall be used to promote service access and equity in all regional center services and programs. No later than January 1, 2025, regional centers shall start recording the race and ethnicity and preferred language identified by each individual, subject to paragraph (4), at the time of initial intake, assessment, and the individual program plan meeting following the individual’s 18th birthday. Individuals have the right to update their demographic information at any time.

(2) The categories for race and ethnicity shall be based on the latest categories adopted by the United States Core Data for Interoperability set forth by the United States Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

(3) “Preferred language” means the language chosen by the applicant or individual, or, when appropriate, the individual’s parent, legal guardian or conservator, or authorized representative.

(4) This section does not compel an individual, their parent, their legal guardian or conservator, or their authorized representative to provide requested information regarding the race, ethnicity, or preferred language of any of those persons.

(5) The data requirements described in this subdivision shall be integrated with the Life Outcomes Improvement System (LOIS), as established pursuant to Section 4519.1.

(c) (1) No later than June 30, 2025, the department shall establish standardized processes, including standardized templates, for assessing a consumer’s need for respite services. Regional centers shall implement these standardized processes no later than January 1, 2026.

(2) The processes shall include a requirement that the regional center obtain information about respite needs from family members and, when appropriate, from other caregivers. The information obtained from these standardized processes shall be considered by the individual’s individual program planning team.

(3) Regional centers shall make any modifications to their purchase-of-service policies as necessary for implementation of this subdivision.

(d) No later than June 30, 2024, the department shall establish a standardized individual program plan template and standardized procedures, including frequency of meetings, that are consistent with person-centered services planning requirements. The template shall be integrated with LOIS. Regional centers shall implement the standardized individual program plan template and procedures no later than January 1, 2025.

(e) (1) No later than June 30, 2025, the department shall establish standardized vendorization procedures. These procedures may include, but are not limited to, standardized vendorization forms and requirements to streamline vendorization elements, including when services are provided through more than one regional center. Regional centers shall implement these standardized vendorization procedures and provide updated vendor lists to the department on a quarterly basis no later than January 1, 2026.

(2) No later than March 1, 2028, in consultation with stakeholders, the department shall issue guidance to regional centers on maintaining necessary quality assurance oversight of service providers, special incident reporting, provider directory structure, and rate controls while removing barriers to statewide accessibility of services, including ending the practice and process currently known as courtesy vendorization. Service providers shall give preference to providing services to individuals served by the service provider’s initially vendorizing regional center. This section does not require a regional center to refer individuals to any specific service provider provider.

(f) (1) No later than January 1, 2025, the department shall establish a standardized intake process consistent with the requirements and timelines specified in Section 4642.

(2) No later than June 30, 2025, and to the extent allowed by current data systems, regional centers shall report to the department, quarterly as described in paragraph (4), the number of assessments and the length of time that it took to determine eligibility.

(3) The department shall include all of the following information in LOIS:

(A) The number of individuals for whom intake was requested.

(B) The outcome of that intake, including whether an assessment was determined to be necessary.

(C) The length of time that it took to complete the assessment.

(D) The number of notices of action sent pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 4642.

(4) Regional centers shall report the data described in this subdivision to the department on a quarterly basis, based on the criteria specified in paragraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, of subdivision (a) of Section 4519.5, and any additional data metrics developed pursuant to Section 4643.1. The department shall annually post on its internet website annual statewide intake data collected, by regional center and on a statewide-aggregate basis, inclusive of intake data regarding child welfare involved children or youth, pursuant to Section 4643.1.

(g) (1) The department shall develop the standardized processes specified in this section with input from stakeholders, including individuals and their families, who reflect the demographic diversity of California, to the extent practicable. In developing the standardized processes specified in this section, the department shall address barriers that may impact access to services.

(2) By January 30, 2027, the department shall consult with the State Department of Social Services and obtain input from tribes, individuals with lived experience, and child welfare stakeholders to ensure consideration of child welfare involved children or youth, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 4642, in the development of the standardized intake processes required pursuant to subdivision (f), including, but not limited to, circumstances for which expedited intake processes would be required.

(h) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the department may implement, interpret, or make specific this section through written directives until regulations are effective.

(i) As part of its quarterly updates to the Legislature pursuant to Section 4474.17, the department shall provide information on the status of implementation of this section.

SEC. 2.SEC. 3.

Section 4642 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

4642.

(a) (1) Any person believed to have a developmental disability, and any person believed to have a high risk of parenting an infant with a developmental disability, shall be eligible for initial intake and assessment services in the regional centers. In addition, any infant having a high risk of becoming developmentally disabled may be eligible for initial intake and assessment services in the regional centers. For purposes of this section, “high-risk infant” means a child less than 36 months of age whose genetic, medical, or environmental history is predictive of a substantially greater risk for developmental disability than that for the general population. The department, in consultation with the State Department of Public Health, shall develop specific risk and service criteria for the high-risk infant program on or before July 1, 1983. These criteria may be modified in subsequent years based on analysis of actual clinical experience.

(2) (A) Initial intake shall be performed within 15 working days following request for assistance. Initial intake shall include, but need not be limited to, information and advice about the nature and availability of services provided by the regional center and by other agencies in the community, including guardianship, conservatorship, income maintenance, mental health, housing, education, work activity and vocational training, medical, dental, recreational, and other services or programs that may be useful to persons with developmental disabilities or their families.

(B) Initial intake shall also include a decision to provide the assessment specified in Section 4643.

(C) A decision not to provide the assessment specified in Section 4643 shall not be based solely on the age of the person when they received a diagnosis of a qualifying condition, as long as the qualifying condition originated before the person was 18 years of age.

(D) (i) For an initial intake involving a child welfare involved child or youth, regional centers shall facilitate a case conference within 15 working days following the initial request for assistance to include the county child welfare services agency, probation department, or tribal consortium, as applicable, and, if appropriate, the person’s parents, legal guardian or conservator, Indian custodian, or authorized representative.

(ii) The case conference shall clarify the consents, legal and judicial determinations, and documentation required, discuss health and safety concerns and status of child welfare or probation case, as applicable, whether any of the circumstances necessitating an expedited assessment under paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 4643 are present, and review the roles and requirements of each party based on the person-centered needs of the child welfare involved child or youth.

(iii) The case conference requirement shall not result in any delay to the child welfare involved child’s or youth’s right to a timely intake, assessment, or eligibility determination under this section or Section 4643.

(iv) By March 31, 2027, the department and the State Department of Social Services shall issue joint guidance to operationalize the case conference requirement described in this subparagraph.

(v) For a child welfare involved child or youth, when there is a lack of documentation provided, including, but not limited to, school, medical, or court records, the regional center shall work with the county child welfare services agency, probation department, or tribal consortium, as applicable, and, if appropriate, the person’s parents, legal guardian or conservator, Indian custodian, or authorized representative to facilitate obtaining appropriate consents to release information and conduct necessary assessments, identify the sources and location of documents, and coordinate access to needed documentation, or directly procure other records which may be available and accessible and within the regional center’s authority.

(vi) As the department develops standardized processes as specified in subdivision (f) of Section 4435.1, the department shall consult with the State Department of Social Services and other Children and Youth System of Care partners and other community and representative organizations, as applicable, to develop joint guidance to align existing intake processes, roles, and responsibilities for child welfare involved child or youth.

(3) Commencing on January 1, 2025, the regional center shall take the following actions by the end of the 15-day initial intake period described in paragraph (2):

(A) Either of the following actions:

(i) Determine if the individual is eligible or provisionally eligible for regional center services.

(ii) Determine if the regional center will initiate the assessment specified in Section 4643.

(B) Inform the individual requesting intake of the regional center’s action.

(C) If the regional center determines that the individual is not eligible or provisionally eligible for regional center services, or that the regional center is not initiating the assessment specified in Section 4643, provide the individual requesting intake and, if appropriate, the individual’s parents, legal guardian or conservator, or authorized representative, with adequate notice as required by Section 4710.

(4) (A) The department shall create, with input from stakeholders, standardized information packets to be provided to any person seeking services from a regional center. There shall be one information packet related to services provided under the California Early Intervention Services Act and another information packet related to services provided under the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act. The information packets shall be translated to provide language access, as required by state and federal law, shall be available in alternative formats and alternative modes of communication, as required by federal law, and shall include, at a minimum, all of the following:

(i) An overview of the regional center system.

(ii) A resource guide for consumers and their families.

(iii) Consumer rights.

(iv) Contact information for the regional center, the department, the office of clients’ rights advocacy, and the protection and advocacy agency specified in Division 4.7 (commencing with Section 4900).

(B) Each regional center shall distribute the information packets at intake, upon transfer to receiving services under the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, and upon request. Each regional center shall begin distributing the information packets within 60 days following the department providing the information packets and issuing directives regarding the distribution of the information packets. In addition to, and not in lieu of, this requirement, each regional center shall post the full content of the most updated information packet on its internet website.

(b) A regional center shall communicate with the consumer and the consumer’s family pursuant to this section in their preferred language, including providing alternative communication services and alternative formats, as required by state and federal law.

(c) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

(1) “Child welfare involved child or youth” means any of the following:

(A) A child who has been removed from their home by a county child welfare services agency pursuant to Section 309.

(B) A child who is the subject of a juvenile court petition filed under Section 300 or Section 602, whether or not the child has been removed from their home.

(C) A dependent child of the court of an Indian tribe, consortium of tribes, or tribal organization who is the subject of a petition filed in the tribal court pursuant to the tribal court’s jurisdiction in accordance with the tribe’s law.

(D) A child who is the subject of a voluntary placement agreement, as defined in Section 11400.

(E) A nonminor dependent, as defined in Section 11400.

(2) “Request for assistance” means any inquiry from an individual, or a person acting on their behalf, on the individual’s possible eligibility to receive services or supports available or provided by the regional center based on a potential developmental concern or disability.

SEC. 3.SEC. 4.

Section 4643 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

4643.

(a) (1) If assessment is needed, the assessment shall be performed within 120 days following initial intake. Assessment shall be performed as soon as possible and in no event more than 60 days following initial intake under the following circumstances:

(A) When any delay would expose the client to unnecessary risk to their health and safety.

(B) When a delay would expose the client to significant further delay in mental or physical development.

(C) When the client would be at imminent risk of placement in a more restrictive environment.

(2) Assessment may include collection and review of available historical diagnostic data, provision or procurement of necessary tests and evaluations, and summarization of developmental levels and service needs and is conditional upon receipt of the release of information and consents for assessment.

(b) In determining if an individual meets the definition of developmental disability contained in subdivision (a) of Section 4512, the regional center may consider evaluations and tests, including, but not limited to, intelligence tests, adaptive functioning tests, neurological and neuropsychological tests, diagnostic tests performed by a physician, psychiatric tests, and other tests or evaluations that have been performed by, and are available from, other sources.

(c) At the time of assessment, the individual, or, where appropriate, the parents, legal guardian, conservator, or authorized representative, shall provide copies of any health benefit cards under which the consumer is eligible to receive health benefits, including, but not limited to, private health insurance, a health care service plan, Medi-Cal, Medicare, and TRICARE. If the individual, or where appropriate, the parents, legal guardians, conservators, or authorized representatives, have no such benefits, the regional center shall not use that fact to negatively impact the services that the individual may or may not receive from the regional center. A regional center shall not require an individual to use their health benefits before it conducts an assessment.

(d) A regional center shall communicate with the consumer and their family pursuant to this section in their native language, including providing alternative communication services, as required by Sections 11135 to 11139.7, inclusive, of the Government Code and implementing regulations.

SEC. 4.SEC. 5.

Section 4643.1 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

4643.1.

(a) Commencing January 31, 2028, the department shall annually post on its internet website statewide intake data pursuant to this section and subdivision (f) of Section 4435.1 to the extent allowed by current data systems, by regional center, and on a statewide-aggregate basis inclusive of intake data regarding child welfare involved children or youth.

(b) The public reporting requirements shall be developed in consultation with the community and representative organizations, including the State Department of Social Services and other Children and Youth System of Care partners, as applicable, and shall include, but not be limited to, the number of intakes, the timeliness of assessment and eligibility determinations, and the percentage of assessments resulting in eligibility by program. The public reporting requirements shall be disaggregated by demographic groups, including age, geography, and race.

(c) The extent and specificity of the data reporting required by this section shall keep pace with the capacity of the department’s data systems as they evolve.