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AB-1626 Developmental services: habilitation.(2013-2014)

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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2013–2014 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 1626

Introduced by Assembly Member Maienschein
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Atkins)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Chesbro, Salas, and Weber)

February 10, 2014

An act to amend Section 4860 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to developmental services.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 1626, as introduced, Maienschein. Developmental services: habilitation.
Existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, authorizes the State Department of Developmental Services to contract with regional centers to provide services and support to individuals with developmental disabilities. Existing law requires habilitation services to be provided to an adult who receives services for the developmentally disabled when he or she satisfies specified eligibility requirements. If a consumer is referred for vocational rehabilitation services and placed on a waiting list for certain reasons, the regional center is required to authorize appropriate services for the consumer until services can be provided by the vocational rehabilitation program. Existing law requires providers of individualized or group-supported employment services to be paid at an hourly rate of $30.82, and requires an interim program provider to be paid a fee of $360 or $720, as specified.
This bill would increase the hourly rate paid to providers of individualized and group-supported employment services to $34.24, and increase the fees paid to interim program providers to $400 and $800, respectively.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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


SECTION 1.

 Section 4860 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

4860.
 (a) (1) The hourly rate for supported employment services provided to consumers receiving individualized services shall be thirty dollars and eighty-two cents ($30.82). thirty-four dollars and twenty-four cents ($34.24).
(2) Job coach hours spent in travel to consumer worksites may be reimbursable for individualized services only when the job coach travels from the vendor’s headquarters to the consumer’s worksite or from one consumer’s worksite to another, and only when the travel is one way.
(b) The hourly rate for group services shall be thirty dollars and eighty-two cents ($30.82), thirty-four dollars and twenty-four cents ($34.24), regardless of the number of consumers served in the group. Consumers in a group shall be scheduled to start and end work at the same time, unless an exception that takes into consideration the consumer’s compensated work schedule is approved in advance by the regional center. The department, in consultation with stakeholders, shall adopt regulations to define the appropriate grounds for granting these exceptions. When the number of consumers in a supported employment placement group drops to fewer than the minimum required in subdivision (r) of Section 4851, the regional center may terminate funding for the group services in that group, unless, within 90 days, the program provider adds one or more regional centers, or Department of Rehabilitation-funded supported employment consumers to the group.
(c) Job coaching hours for group services shall be allocated on a prorated basis between a regional center and the Department of Rehabilitation when regional center and Department of Rehabilitation consumers are served in the same group.
(d) When Section 4855 applies, fees shall be authorized for the following:
(1) A three-hundred-sixty-dollar ($360) four-hundred-dollar ($400) fee shall be paid to the program provider upon intake of a consumer into a supported employment program. No fee shall be paid if that consumer completed a supported employment intake process with that same supported employment program within the previous 12 months.
(2) A seven-hundred-twenty-dollar ($720) An eight-hundred-dollar ($800) fee shall be paid upon placement of a consumer in an integrated job, except that no fee shall be paid if that consumer is placed with another consumer or consumers assigned to the same job coach during the same hours of employment.
(3) A seven-hundred-twenty-dollar ($720) An eight-hundred-dollar ($800) fee shall be paid after a 90-day retention of a consumer in a job, except that no fee shall be paid if that consumer has been placed with another consumer or consumers, assigned to the same job coach during the same hours of employment.
(e) Notwithstanding paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 4648, the regional center shall pay the supported employment program rates established by this section.