Beginning January 1, 2018, there will no longer be a cap on Regional Center respite services.
Background Information:
What is Respite?
Respite is a service that allows parents and guardians who care for a child or adult with a developmental disability to receive assistance in providing care. In most cases, a respite provider comes to the family home to provide care and supervision for the person with the developmental disability. This is called in-home respite. Respite care can happen on a regular basis, or “as needed.” Like all services funded by the Regional Center, respite, should be documented in the Consumer’s Individual Program Plan (IPP) or the Individual Family Services Plan (IFSP).
Respite Caps
In 2009 there was a large-scale budgetary reduction. As part of this law, there was a limit on respite hours. Welfare and Institutions Code Section 4686.5, created some limits of 90 hours of in-home respite per quarter (or 30 hours per month) and 21-days of out-of-home respite. Additional hours could only be granted if the Consumer/family was granted an exemption. These “exemptions” were based on a demonstrated need for additional respite.
New Law
Beginning January 1, 2018, Regional Centers, will no longer be limited to the cap of 30 hours a month of respite. Respite will be given on a needs basis.
How to Request Additional Hours
To request additional respite hours you should speak to your Service Coordinator and request an IPP/IFSP meeting to discuss the need for additional respite hours. It is always good to follow up a verbal request with a written request by email, letter, or fax. At the meeting, be prepared to explain why additional respite is needed. A good way to do this is to prepare a monthly calendar of everything the client does and when and how the respite will be used.
Please contact me if you would like to discuss this process further.
Add Comment