California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 954

Introduced by Assembly Member Maienschein

February 22, 2013

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

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 954, as introduced, Maienschein. Developmental services: habilitation.

Existing law provides that an adult who receives services for the developmentally disabled must be provided habilitation services, which include services provided under the Supported Employment Program, when he or she satisfies specified eligibility requirements. Existing law provides that, if a consumer is referred for vocational rehabilitation services and is placed on a waiting list for certain reasons, the regional renter must authorize appropriate services for the consumer until services can be provided by the vocational rehabilitation program. Existing law requires the interim program provider to be paid a fee of $360 or $720, as specified, to provide these interim services.

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 the interim program providers to $400 and $800, respectively.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated 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 begin delete thirty dollars and eighty-two cents ($30.82). end delete begin insert thirty-four
dollars and twenty-four cents ($34.24). end insert

(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 begin delete thirty dollars and
eighty-two cents ($30.82), end delete begin insert thirty-four dollars and twenty-four cents
($34.24), end insert 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 begin delete three-hundred-sixty-dollar ($360) end delete begin insert four hundred dollar
($400) end insert 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)  begin delete A seven-hundred-twenty-dollar ($720) end delete begin insert An eight hundred
dollar ($800) end insert 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)  begin delete A seven-hundred-twenty-dollar ($720) end delete begin insert An eight hundred
dollar ($800) end insert 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.