Developmental disabilities alone shall not constitute sufficient justification for judicial commitment. Instead, persons with developmental disabilities shall receive services pursuant to this division. Persons who constitute a danger to themselves or others may be judicially committed pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 6500) of Chapter 2 of Part 2 of Division 6 if evidence of such danger is proven in court.

Persons with developmental disabilities may be released from developmental centers for provisional placement, with parental consent in the case of a minor or with the consent of an adult person with developmental disabilities or with the consent of the guardian or conservator of the person with developmental disabilities, not to exceed twelve months, and shall be referred to a regional center for services pursuant to this division. Any person placed pursuant to this section shall have an automatic right of return to the developmental center during the period of

provisional placement.

The State Department of Developmental Services, the State Department of Health Care Services, and the State Department of State Hospitals shall jointly develop and implement a statewide program for encouraging the establishment of sufficient numbers and types of living arrangements, both in communities and state hospitals, as necessary to meet the needs of persons served by those departments. The departments shall consult with the following organizations in the development of procedures pursuant to this section:

and cooperation between system participants.

possible, the department shall utilize existing training tools and expertise.

may be procured either by the department or by a regional center that has obtained prior approval by the department. Each regional center and its contractors shall retain the training record of employees in their respective personnel files. Regional centers shall annually inform the department of the percentage of its contractors and regional center personnel, identified by job classification, who successfully have completed the training. A list and description of trainings procured by the department, or a regional center with approval by the department, shall be posted on the department’s internet website.

implicit bias training to the extent they are able to, in the absence of a state appropriation.

existing curriculum to implement enhanced direct service professional training that promotes services that are person centered and culturally and linguistically sensitive, and that improve outcomes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

consider consumer preference, the type and amount of services or supports and staffing needed to meet the consumer’s individual program plan, and the consumer’s individualized choices and their unique health, safety, and other needs. Consumers chosen for the pilot project shall represent diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, ages, and urban and rural regions of the state.

service providers and regional centers.

As used in this division:

(ii) Receptive and expressive language.

(iii) Learning.

(iv) Mobility.

(B) To be provisionally eligible, a child is not required to have one of the developmental disabilities listed in paragraph (1).

the California Early Intervention Services Act (Title 14 (commencing with Section 95000) of the Government Code) but has not been found to have a developmental disability as defined in paragraph (1) or to be provisionally eligible as defined in paragraph (2), the regional center shall assess the child at least 90 days prior to the date that they turn three years of age for purposes of determining their eligibility for regional center

services under this section. If the regional center determines the child is not

eligible, the regional center shall give adequate notice pursuant to Section 4701.

alleviation of a developmental disability or toward the social, personal, physical, or economic habilitation or rehabilitation of an individual with a developmental disability, or toward the achievement and maintenance of an independent, productive, and normal life. The determination of which services and supports are necessary for each consumer shall be made through the individual program plan process. The determination shall be made on the basis of the needs and preferences of the consumer or, when appropriate, the consumer’s family, and shall include consideration of a range of service options proposed by individual program plan participants, the effectiveness of each option in meeting the goals stated in the individual program plan, and the cost-effectiveness of each option. Services and supports listed in the individual program plan may include, but are not limited to, diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, personal care, daycare, domiciliary care, special living arrangements, physical, occupational, and

speech therapy, training, education, supported and sheltered employment, mental health services, recreation, counseling of the individual with a developmental disability and of the individual’s family, protective and other social and sociolegal services, information and referral services, follow-along services, adaptive equipment and supplies, advocacy assistance, including self-advocacy training, facilitation and peer advocates, assessment, assistance in locating a home, childcare, behavior training and behavior modification programs, camping, community integration services, community support, daily living skills training, emergency and crisis intervention, facilitating circles of support, habilitation, homemaker services, infant stimulation programs, paid roommates, paid neighbors, respite, short-term out-of-home care, social skills training, specialized medical and dental care, telehealth services and supports, as described in Section 2290.5 of the Business and Professions Code, supported living

arrangements, technical and financial assistance, travel training, training for parents of children with developmental disabilities, training for parents with developmental disabilities, vouchers, and transportation services necessary to ensure delivery of services to persons with developmental disabilities. This subdivision does not expand or authorize a new or different service or support for any consumer unless that service or support is contained in the consumer’s individual program plan.

federal law.

experiences, promote autonomy and community involvement, and assist the individual in establishing and maintaining natural supports. A circle of support generally includes a plurality of members who neither provide nor receive services or supports for persons with developmental disabilities and who do not receive payment for participation in the circle of support.

reside together.

conservator of an adult consumer, or the authorized representative, including those appointed pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 4541, and including a minor’s, dependent’s, or ward’s court-appointed developmental services decisionmaker appointed pursuant to Section 319, 361, or 726.

(A) Self-care.

(B) Receptive and

expressive language.

(C) Learning.

(D) Mobility.

(E) Self-direction.

(F) Capacity for independent living.

(G) Economic self-sufficiency.

demonstrated commitment of the regional center in establishing or expanding the service or support.

providers and advocates, as appropriate.

All information and records obtained in the course of providing intake, assessment, and services under Division 4.1 (commencing with Section 4400), Division 4.5 (commencing with Section 4500), Division 6 (commencing with Section 6000), or Division 7 (commencing with Section 7100) to persons with developmental disabilities shall be confidential. Information and records obtained in the course of providing similar services to either voluntary or involuntary recipients before 1969 shall also be confidential. Information and records shall be disclosed only in any of the following cases:

As a condition of doing research concerning persons with developmental disabilities who have received services from ____ (fill in the facility, agency, or person), I, ____, agree to obtain the prior informed consent of persons who have received services to the maximum degree possible as determined by the appropriate institutional review board or boards for protection of human subjects reviewing my research, or the person’s parent, guardian, or conservator, and I further agree not to divulge any information obtained in the course of the research to

unauthorized persons, and not to publish or otherwise make public any information regarding persons who have received services so those persons who received services are identifiable.

I recognize that the unauthorized release of confidential information may make me subject to a civil action under provisions of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

this code.

information and records sought to be disclosed shall be relevant to the prevention, identification, management, or treatment of an abused child and the child’s parents pursuant to Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 18950) of Part 6 of Division 9.

are peace officers who are employed by, or who are authorized representatives of, the State Department of Social Services, as necessary to the performance of their duties to inspect, license, and investigate health facilities and community care facilities, and to ensure that the standards of care and services provided in these facilities are adequate and appropriate and to ascertain compliance with the rules and regulations to which the facility is subject. The confidential information shall remain confidential except for purposes of inspection, licensing, or investigation pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 1250) and Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 1500) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code, or a criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding in relation thereto. The confidential information may be used by the State Department of Public Health or the State Department of Social Services in a criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding. The confidential information shall be available

only to the judge or hearing officer and to the parties to the case. Names that are confidential shall be listed in attachments separate to the general pleadings. The confidential information shall be sealed after the conclusion of the criminal, civil, or administrative hearings, and shall not subsequently be released except in accordance with this subdivision. If the confidential information does not result in a criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding, it shall be sealed after the State Department of Public Health or the State Department of Social Services decides that no further action will be taken in the matter of suspected licensing violations. Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, confidential information in the possession of the State Department of Public Health or the State Department of Social Services shall not contain the name of the person with a developmental disability.

professionals in the fields of mental health and developmental disabilities pursuant to state law, when the Director of Developmental Services has reasonable cause to believe that there has occurred a violation of a law subject to the jurisdiction of a board and the records are relevant to the violation. The information shall be sealed after a decision is reached in the matter of the suspected violation, and shall not subsequently be released except in accordance with this subdivision. Confidential information in the possession of the board shall not contain the name of the person with a developmental disability.

patient or the circumstances of the patient’s treatment unless relevant to the crime involved.

or Section 15630 of this code for the purposes of either a mandated or voluntary report or when those agencies request information in the course of conducting their investigation.

client’s individual program plan shall be deemed to comply with the notice requirement of this paragraph.

(A) All information and records that the appointing authority relied upon in issuing the notice of adverse action.

(B) All other information and records that are relevant to the adverse action, or that would constitute relevant evidence as defined in Section 210 of the Evidence Code.

(C) The information described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) may be released only if both of the following conditions are met:

(ii) The appointing authority, the person against whom the adverse action has been taken, and the person’s representative, if any, have entered into a stipulation that

does all of the following:

(I) Prohibits the parties from disclosing or using the information or records for any purpose other than the proceedings for which the information or records were requested or provided.

(II) Requires the employee and the employee’s legal representative to return to the appointing authority all records provided to them under this subdivision, including, but not limited to, all records and documents or copies thereof that are no longer in the possession of the employee or the employee’s legal representative because they were from a source containing confidential information protected by this section, and all copies of those records and documents, within 10 days of the date that the adverse action becomes final, except for the actual records and documents submitted to the administrative tribunal as a component of an appeal from the adverse action.

(III) Requires the parties to submit the stipulation to the administrative tribunal with jurisdiction over the adverse action at the earliest possible opportunity.

fails to answer within the time specified in Section 19575 of the Government Code, or, after filing an answer, withdraws the appeal, or, upon exhaustion of the administrative appeal or of the judicial review remedies as otherwise provided by law.

the confidentiality of any information provided to it by the State Department of Developmental Services to the same extent as if the State Department of Social Services had directly acquired that information.

(aa) To authorized personnel who are employed by the California Victim Compensation Board for the purposes of verifying the identity and eligibility of individuals claiming compensation pursuant to the Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program described in Chapter 1.6 (commencing with Section 24210) of Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code. The California Victim Compensation Board shall maintain the confidentiality of any information or records received from the department in accordance with Part 160 (commencing with Section 160.101) and Part 164 (commencing with Section 164.102) of Subchapter C of Subtitle A of Title 45 of the Code of

Federal Regulations and this section. Public disclosure of aggregated claimant information or the annual report required under subdivision (b) of Section 24211 of the Health and Safety Code is not a violation of this section.

Upon request of a family member of a resident of a state hospital, community care facility, or health facility, or other person designated by the resident, the facility shall give such family member or the designee notification of the resident’s presence in the facility, the transfer, the diagnosis, the prognosis, the medications prescribed, the side effects of medications prescribed, if any, the progress of the resident, and the serious illness of the resident, if, after notification of the resident that such information is requested, the resident authorizes such disclosure. If, when initially informed of the request for notification, the resident is unable

to authorize the release of such information, notation of the attempt shall be made into the resident’s treatment record, and daily efforts shall be made to secure the resident’s consent or refusal of such authorization. However, if a request for information is made by the spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the resident and the resident is unable to authorize the release of such information, such requester shall be given notification of the resident’s presence in the facility, except to the extent prohibited by federal law. Upon request of a family member of a resident or the designee, the facility shall notify such family member or designee of the release or death of the resident. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require photocopying of the resident’s medical records in order to satisfy its provisions.

Signed consent forms by a person with a developmental disability or, where appropriate, the parent, guardian, or conservator, for release of any information to which such person consents under the provision of Sections 11878 or 11879 of the Health and Safety Code, or subdivision (a) or (d) of Section 4514 shall be obtained for each separate use with the use specified, the information to be released, the name of the agency or individual to whom information will be released indicated on the form and the name of the responsible individual who has authorization to release information specified. Any use of this form shall be noted in the file of the person with

developmental disabilities. Persons who sign consent forms shall be given a copy of the consent forms signed.

When any disclosure of information or records is made as authorized by the provisions of subdivision (a), (d), or (q) of Section 4514 or Section 4514.5, the physician in charge of the person with a developmental disability or the professional in charge of the facility shall promptly cause to be entered into the person’s medical record the date and circumstances under which such disclosure was made, the names and relationships to the person, if any, of individuals or agencies to whom such disclosure was made, and the specific information disclosed.

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit the compilation and publication of statistical data for use by government or researchers and standards set by the Director of Developmental Services.

Any person may bring an action against an individual who has willfully and knowingly released confidential information or records concerning him or her in violation of the provisions of this chapter, or of Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 11860) of Part 3 of Division 10.5 of the Health and Safety Code, for the greater of the following amounts:

Any person may, in accordance

with the provisions of Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 525) of Title 7 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, bring an action to enjoin the release of confidential information or records in violation of the provisions of this chapter, and may in the same action seek damages as provided in this section.

It is not a prerequisite to an action under this section that the plaintiff suffer or be threatened with actual damages.

California. The request shall include details regarding all options considered and an explanation of why these options cannot meet the consumer’s needs. The department shall authorize for no more than six months the purchase of out-of-state services when the director determines the proposed service or an appropriate alternative, as determined by the director, is not available from resources and facilities within the state. Any extension beyond six months shall be based on a new and complete comprehensive assessment of the consumer’s needs, review of available options, and determination that the consumer’s needs cannot be met in California. An extension shall not exceed six months. For the purposes of this section, the department shall be considered a service agency under Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 4700).

purchase of any service outside the state unless authorized by the director or the director’s designee.

it for the purchase of services for residents of this state and administrative costs incurred in providing services in the border areas of a state adjacent to California when the purchase is approved by the regional center director.

study’s findings and recommendations to the Legislature. Among other things, the study recommended all of the following:

impact analysis indicated that full implementation of these rate models would cost an additional one billion one hundred million dollars ($1,100,000,000) from the General Fund, or one billion eight hundred million dollars ($1,800,000,000) of total funds, in the 2019–20 fiscal year.

quality and provision of services and supports to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

(B) Commencing January 1, 2023, and continuing through December 31, 2024, the department shall adjust rates to equal one-half of the difference between rates in effect March 31, 2022, and the fully funded rate model for each provider, and additional funding shall be available for the quality incentive program described in subdivision (e).

consumers.

(ii) Commencing January 1, 2023, a provider shall not spend a smaller percentage of the rate increase on direct care staff wages and benefit costs than the corresponding percentage included for direct care staff wages and benefit costs in the rate models for each specific service.

(iii) A provider granted a rate increase pursuant to this section shall maintain documentation, subject to audit by the department or regional center, that the portion of the rate increase identified in this subparagraph was used to increase wages, salaries, or benefits of eligible staff members spending a minimum of 75 percent of their time providing direct services to consumers at least at the same percentage as provided in the rate models.

(iv) For the purpose of this subparagraph, “direct services” are services, supports,

care, supervision, or assistance provided by staff directly to a consumer to address the consumer’s needs, as identified in the individual program plan, and includes staff’s participation in training and other activities directly related to providing services to consumers, as well as program preparation functions as defined in Section 54302 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations.

(C) (i) Commencing January 1, 2025, the department shall implement the fully funded rate models. The fully funded rate models shall be implemented using two payment components, a base rate equaling 90 percent of the rate

model, and a quality incentive payment, equaling up to 10 percent of the rate model, to be implemented through the quality incentive program described in subdivision (e).

(ii) Notwithstanding any other law, commencing July 1, 2024, the rate models shall be updated to account for the current and any subsequent changes to the statewide minimum wage, as established by Section 1182.12 of the Labor Code, or other relevant statute.

pursuant to paragraph (1).

(ii) Provide documents, which may include, but are not limited to, updates, concept papers, interim reports, proposals, and performance and quality measures and benchmarks, and revisions to these materials, to the Legislature and post these materials on an internet website for public comment at least 30 days, as required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, prior to submitting a request for federal funding.

(iii) Seek input from subject matter experts to understand options for

outcomes-based system structures using person-centered planning and alternative payment models.

(B) (i) On or before April 1, 2022, proposed quality measures or benchmarks, or both, shall be provided to the Legislature and posted for public comment, as described in subparagraph (A). After the department has considered public comments and modified the proposed quality measures or benchmarks, or both, as needed, the measures or benchmarks, or both, shall be finalized and implemented in the 2022–23 fiscal year.

(ii) On or before April 1 of any subsequent year in which the department proposes new or revised quality measures or benchmarks, or both, the proposed measures or benchmarks, or both, shall be provided to the Legislature and posted for public comment, as described in subparagraph (A). After the department has considered public comments and modified the

proposed quality measures or benchmarks, or both, as needed, the measures or benchmarks, or both, shall be finalized and implemented in the upcoming fiscal year.

(C) Beginning in the 2024–25 fiscal year, there will be opportunity for eligible providers to earn full quality incentive payments through one or more measures.

(D) Beginning in the 2026–27 fiscal year, a provider shall be compliant with electronic visit verification, home- and community-based services rules, and applicable annual fiscal reviews and audit requirements as a condition of eligibility for the quality incentive program.

quality measures or benchmarks, or both, developed pursuant to paragraph (1). The department shall issue written directives to define the way quality incentive payments will be made to service providers based on quality measures or benchmarks, or both, developed and implemented under this subdivision.

incentive payment percentages are determined and the providers are informed of their payments.