Tag: dds directive

El Arc de California’s Community Advocacy Initiative Drives New Statewide Transparency Measures

Over the past year, from January 2025 through February 2026, the El Arc de California team and its statewide network of advocates expanded advocacy training, outreach, and community engagement for families across California. This work focused on empowering parents and caregivers of children and youth with developmental disabilities—ensuring families have the knowledge, tools, and support needed to advocate for the services their children need to thrive. This work was made possible in part through support from The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health.

Throughout the year, El Arc de California prioritized increasing access to advocacy education—particularly for Spanish-speaking families who often face barriers to participating in policy conversations. In September 2025, the team launched a bilingual Advocacy Academy webinar series to help families understand their rights, navigate services, and engage confidently in advocacy. Each session was offered in Spanish with English and ASL interpretation, with recordings available for continued learning. The series reached more than 600 registered participants, with an average of 150 attendees joining live per session—demonstrating strong statewide demand for accessible, culturally responsive advocacy training.

Through bilingual newsletters, targeted email outreach, social media, and partnerships with community organizations, El Arc de California reached thousands of families across the state and welcomed many parents into advocacy spaces for the first time. Families gained practical tools to actively participate in Individual Program Plan (IPP) meetings, communicate with decision-makers, and advocate for critical services. This level of engagement highlights the importance of building accessible pathways for families to step into leadership roles within their communities.

In April, El Arc de California convened a statewide gathering of more than 50 organizations as part of the El Arc leadership coalition. Together, participants worked to develop a unified message around services and supports for Latino children with developmental disabilities and to advance equity across California’s developmental services system. This effort focused on strengthening the capacity of Latino community leaders to communicate effectively, mobilize families, and drive collective action. As part of this initiative, a digital advocacy toolbox is being developed with shared resources—including letters to legislators, media templates, social media content, and outreach materials—to support coordinated advocacy efforts statewide. This work contributed to a statewide campaign that gathered more than 1,700 signatures in support of AB 1220 (Arambula).

Building on this momentum, the El Arc de California advocacy network played a central role in advancing AB 1220, legislation sponsored by the organization to increase transparency and accountability in California’s developmental services system. Parents and advocates who participated in trainings elevated the urgent need for clearer documentation when services are denied or delayed. Families shared their lived experiences, engaged directly with policymakers, and organized within their communities to push for systemic change.

Although AB 1220 did not ultimately pass, the collective advocacy behind it led to a significant outcome. At the end of 2025, the California Department of Developmental Services issued a statewide directive requiring regional centers to track and publicly report data on service denials, disagreements, and notices of action.
Learn more: https://thearcca.org/from-advocacy-to-action-dds-will-now-track-and-report-service-denials/

This directive marks a historic step toward transparency and accountability—creating, for the first time, a statewide mechanism to understand patterns of service denials and strengthen families’ ability to advocate effectively. It reflects the power of sustained, community-driven advocacy.

In December, the Latino Disability Leadership Summit provided an opportunity to bring together coalition leaders, parents, and self-advocates to reflect on this work and the progress achieved. The summit served as a moment to recognize the journey from training and organizing to policy impact, while also setting a shared vision for the next phase of advocacy focused on advancing equity and improving access to services for Latino children and families across California.

Across all of this work, one theme remained clear: when families are informed, connected, and supported, they become powerful advocates for change. This year strengthened a growing network of parents and community leaders who are not only navigating systems—but actively shaping them.

The Arc de California extends its appreciation to community members who participated, shared their stories, and took action throughout the year, continuing to move this work forward.

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.

Everything You Need to Know About The Government Shutdown from DDS

Today is the sixth day of the U.S. federal government shut down. Pay has been suspended for roughly 2 million federal workers, with approximately 750,000 ordered not to work and others, such as troops and air traffic control workers, are required to work without compensation until a budget deal is reached.

The federal government provides significant funding to support individuals with developmental disabilities and families, through multiple programs. As of October 1, 2025, federal funding has lapsed. State funding for the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) programs already has been approved through June 30, 2026. In an effort to keep you informed of potential impacts, shared what the lapse in federal funding could mean:

  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments will continue, although customer service at the Social Security Administration could be impacted. SSI is not impacted by the federal shutdown. SSI is a vital program for many people in California, including individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
  • Medicaid, called Medi-Cal in California, is funded by the State through June 30, 2026, and by the federal government through the end of December 2025. This year, 37 percent of the funding for developmental disabilities services comes through Medi-Cal. While we do not anticipate immediate disruptions, a prolonged shutdown lasting past December 2025 could affect the availability of federal funds.
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, called CalFresh in California, October 2025 monthly benefits would be unaffected, according to guidance provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. The California Department of Social Services continues to track developments at the federal level and assess potential next steps.
  • Federal agencies must have plans in place for operating without a federal budget. Based upon various laws, it is likely that many federal employees will not be working and will not be paid, so access to information, technical assistance, or other communications with the public may be limited during the shutdown.
  • “Essential” employees, as defined in each federal agency’s plans, will continue to work and be paid. Defense and law enforcement agencies often continue their work. Many Medicare employees are expected to continue working. Many Medicaid employees are expected to continue working too, at least through December 31. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to continue its oversight of drugs and devices. The public can expect less help and slower help from other federal agencies during a federal government shutdown.

We hope this information is helpful. We will share new information with you as it becomes available.

Transportation and Remote Services are Extended to 2025, as Described in Important DDS Directives

Welcome news was received on November 30 when the California Department of Developmental Services published two directives to all 21 regional centers that will make services and supports more accessible for Californians with developmental disabilities and their families.

The first directive extends remote delivery of services, which became an option during the pandemic and continues to be an important option as a result of staffing shortages and health & safety concerns. This Directive provides consumers the ability to continue to voluntarily choose remote delivery of the following services through June 30, 2025:

    • Day programs
    • Look-a-like day programs
    • Independent living services
    • Behavioral therapy services
    • Clinical assessment activities for Lanterman Act eligibility

The second directive authorizes providers of transportation services to use a monthly reimbursement rate, with the goal of making transportation more available to consumers during current staffing shortages.

Individuals and families wishing to receive the above services should contact their regional center.

Important Directive on Regional Center Transportation Service Rates Issued by DDS

On January 6, 2023, California’s Department of Developmental Services (DDS) published a directive to all regional centers acknowledging the impact of staffing shortages on transportation services, and therefore authorizing providers of transportation services to use a monthly reimbursement rate for the provision of transportation services to individuals effective January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023.  Each provider will be allowed to utilize a unique monthly reimbursement rate calculated based on their monthly average reimbursement prior to the pandemic, minus fuel expenses.

The Department encourages transportation providers, regional centers and stakeholders to continue to network and evaluate new ways to meet the transportation needs of individuals.

The directive can be found HERE.

The accompanying enclosure can be found HERE.

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