BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 1191
                                                                  Page  1

          CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
          AB 1191 (Longville)
          As Amended July 10, 2001
          Majority vote
           
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          |ASSEMBLY:  |75-0 |(May 24, 2001)  |SENATE: |40-0 |(August 30,    |
          |           |     |                |        |     |2001)          |
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           Original Committee Reference:    HUM. S.  

           SUMMARY  :  Establishes a process for resolving disputes between  
          regional centers and local public agencies regarding which  
          agency is responsible for delivering or paying for a service  
          contained in an individualized family service plan (IFSP) or  
          individualized program plan (IPP) of a child, aged 0 - 5 years. 

           The Senate amendments  make a minor modification in the  
          notification that the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) is  
          required to give upon its resolution of a dispute. 

           EXISTING LAW  : 

          1)Establishes the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services  
            Act, under which the DDS contracts with 21 private non-profit  
            regional centers to provide case management services and  
            arrange for other services that meet the needs of individuals  
            with developmental disabilities.  Prohibits regional centers  
            from using funds to supplant the budget of any agency that has  
            a legal responsibility and is funded to provide services to  
            the general public, thereby establishing the regional center  
            as the payer of last resort for specific services. 

          2)Requires an IFSP to be developed for eligible children with  
            developmental delays, age 0 -36 months, delineating the  
            services to be provided to the child. Requires an IPP to be  
            developed for every eligible child over the age of 36 months,  
            identifying the services and supports to be purchased by the  
            regional center or obtained from other agencies.

           AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY  , this bill authorized regional centers  
          to initiate a dispute resolution process if a local agency fails  
          to provide a service for which the regional center believes the  
          agency is responsible. If the dispute is not resolved within 10  








                                                                  AB 1191
                                                                  Page  2

          days of a meeting between the regional center and the local  
          agency, each party is required to submit its contentions to OAH  
          for a final, binding determination. The dispute resolution  
          program sunsets December 31, 2004, unless it is extended by  
          future legislation.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Assembly Appropriations  
          Committee analysis, minor General Fund costs of approximately  
          $123,000 annually to pay for OAH services.

           COMMENTS  :  Responsibility for early intervention services for  
          children who are developmentally delayed or at risk of  
          developmental disability is shared by regional centers, local  
          school districts, and numerous county programs.  It is not  
          uncommon for disagreements to occur among these various agencies  
          regarding which is responsible for a particular service.  When  
          such disagreements arise, the result is that the child often  
          goes without the service until the agencies resolve their  
          differences or one of the agencies simply agrees to provide it.   
          This causes undue stress on families and interferes with the  
          provision of essential early intervention services.  This bill,  
          sponsored by the Association of Regional Center Agencies (ARCA),  
          is intended to ensure a speedy resolution of these disputes.
           

          Analysis Prepared by  :  Sherry Novick / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2247 



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