From Advocacy to Action: DDS Will Now Track and Report Service Denials

Families across California have long raised concerns about service denials, notices of action, and disagreements during Individual Program Plan (IPP) meetings—often with little documentation or transparency to support informed advocacy.

In 2025, El Arc de California worked alongside Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula to advance AB 1220, legislation aimed at improving transparency by requiring service denials, notices of action, and appeals to be documented, tracked, and publicly reported. While AB 1220 did not pass out of the Legislature, the advocacy behind it sparked meaningful change.

On December 31, the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) issued a statewide directive requiring regional centers to begin collecting and reporting detailed data on service disagreements, denials, and notices of action that occur during IPP meetings—information that has never before been systematically tracked or made public. Starting with the 2026–27 fiscal year, this data will be compiled annually, with public reporting beginning in December 2027.

In this week’s Arc Beacon, Joe Perales, Director of El Arc de California, breaks down why this directive is a historic milestone for families, advocates, and the disability community—and how collective advocacy helped move the system forward, even without a bill becoming law.

Watch the full Arc Beacon video to learn why this win matters and what comes next.