4580. (Added by Stats. 2024, Ch. 47, Sec. 5.)

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) More than 460,000 Californians who have intellectual and developmental disabilities are currently served at the State Department of Developmental Services’ 21 regional centers. Since 2019, the number of Californians served by the state’s developmental services system has grown by 31 percent, with significant growth among young people of color under 22 years of age who have an autism diagnosis.

(2) The experiences and outcomes of Californians served by the state’s developmental services system impact not only people with disabilities, but also their families and local communities.

(3) California is the only state in the nation that provides developmental services and supports as an entitlement, with an intentional focus on home- and community-based services.

(4) Over the last decade, California and the federal government have prioritized the inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their communities, while avoiding institutional settings.

(5) Individuals receiving services through California’s developmental services system are often deeply connected to other health and social systems. Across the state, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families rely on services provided through multiple state and local entities, including, but not limited to, the State Department of Developmental Services, the State Department of Health Care Services, the California Department of Aging, the State Department of Social Services, the Department of Rehabilitation, and the State Department of Education.

(6) Multiple entities have issued reports identifying opportunities for improving consumer experiences and the provision of developmental services, including the California State Auditor’s Office in 2021 and the Little Hoover Commission in 2023.

(7) These reports and other research studies have identified the following:

(A) There are wide racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities in the access to services provided in the developmental services system, as measured by purchase of service spending.

(B) Consumer experiences vary significantly across the 21 regional centers, reflecting variation in policies and processes across the regional centers.

(C) There are challenges faced by individuals and families navigating programs or systems that provide “generic” services and that are required to be accessed by consumers before receiving funded services through a regional center.

(D) For several years, staffing models have led to many regional centers assigning more consumers to each service coordinator than authorized by statutory staffing requirements, which has limited the abilities of service coordinators to assist individuals and families in accessing services.

(8) The Secretary of California Health and Human Services appointed members of the Master Plan for Developmental Services Committee for a one-year term, with the intent that they collectively deliver a master plan by March of 2025.

(9) In 2024, the California Health and Human Services Agency will engage in outreach activities such as roundtable discussions and focus groups in communities across the state to learn about the lived experiences of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, and system partners.