Waivers
What are California's HCBS waivers?
- HCBS Waiver for the Developmentally Disabled (HCBS-DD Waiver)
- California's 1915(c) Medicaid waiver funding regional-center services in homes and communities as the alternative to intermediate-care facilities — roughly $3 billion in federal funding flows through it. Available to Medi-Cal-eligible regional-center consumers meeting the facility level of care; the current renewal took effect January 1, 2023.
- Self-Determination Program (SDP)
- A statewide option (open to all eligible regional-center consumers since July 1, 2021) giving participants an individual budget tied to their Individual Program Plan, with freedom to choose services, staff, and supports. Enrollment runs through the person's regional center.
- Regional-center system (Lanterman Act)
- California's defining structure: 21 community-based nonprofit regional centers under contract with the Department of Developmental Services handle assessment, eligibility, case management, and purchase of services in each person's Individual Program Plan — an entitlement model no other state uses.
- California is an entitlement state for developmental services: the Lanterman Act (Welfare & Institutions Code §§4501–4502) obligates the state to serve eligible people with developmental disabilities, so there is no capped-slot IDD waiver waitlist of the kind most states run. Entitlement does not mean instant delivery of every service — capacity and provider availability still shape real timelines.
- National waitlist statistics need care here: KFF's multi-state waiting-list figures do not break out California's IDD entitlement, so headline numbers about state waiver waitlists should not be attributed to California's developmental-services system.
Agencies
Who runs services in California?
- California Department of Developmental Services (DDS)
- Oversees services for Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities — the regional-center system, the DD Waiver, and the Self-Determination Program.
- California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)
- The state Medicaid (Medi-Cal) agency administering the waiver authorities, including the HCBS-DD Waiver and SDP.
- Regional-center directory (DDS)
- The live directory of all 21 regional centers with counties served and contacts — the actual front door for families.
Aging parents
Caring for an aging parent in California
- In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS)
- Medi-Cal's in-home program, “in-home assistance to eligible aged, blind, and disabled individuals as an alternative to out-of-home care”. A county social worker interviews the person at home and authorizes the hours for each service. The recipient then hires their own individual provider and is that provider's employer — “it is your responsibility to hire, train, supervise, and fire this individual” — while the state issues all provider payments. Apply at the county IHSS office on form SOC 295. CDSS — In-Home Supportive Services (as of 2026-09)
- Caregiver Resource Centers (11, every county)
- Eleven independent non-profits funded by the California Department of Aging that together “serve every county in California”: uniform caregiver assessment, family consultation and care navigation, respite funding, short-term counselling with licensed counsellors, support groups, caregiver training, and legal and financial consultation with elder-law attorneys. The centres state their support is free. California Caregiver Resource Centers — About (as of 2026-09)
- Paid Family Leave (EDD)
- Partial wage replacement while you care for a seriously ill family member: “up to 8 weeks in a 12-month period”, with a weekly benefit from $50 to a maximum of $1,765. It pays benefits but does not protect the job — EDD points to FMLA or the California Family Rights Act for that. EDD — Paid Family Leave (as of 2026-09)
School
What's specific about IEPs in California?
- California Education Code §56344 requires the assessment to be completed and the IEP developed within 60 days of parental consent to the assessment plan (school breaks longer than five schooldays don't count against the clock).
- Special education is coordinated regionally through SELPAs — Special Education Local Plan Areas — with 100+ listed in the state's directory.
Common questions
Common questions about care in California
- Is there a waitlist for California's IDD waiver?
- Not a capped-slot waitlist of the kind most states run: under the Lanterman Act, developmental services are an entitlement delivered through 21 regional centers. Entitlement is not the same as instant delivery — capacity and provider availability still shape real timelines.
- Where do I start for services for my child in California?
- At your regional center — the DDS directory lists all 21 with the counties they serve. The regional center handles eligibility, case management and the Individual Program Plan; Medi-Cal eligibility is a separate application.
- Can I be paid to care for my parent in California?
- In-Home Supportive Services is the route to ask about. If your parent qualifies, a county social worker authorizes their monthly hours and your parent hires and supervises their own individual provider, whom the state pays directly; who may enrol as a provider is set by the county IHSS office and the provider-enrolment process. Separately, EDD's Paid Family Leave replaces part of your own wages for up to eight weeks while you care for a seriously ill family member.
- How long does a California school have to complete an IEP?
- Sixty days from the parent's consent to the assessment plan, under Education Code §56344. School breaks longer than five schooldays do not count against the clock.
Sources: DHCS Medi-Cal waivers (HCBS-DD) (as of 2026-07) · DDS Self-Determination Program (as of 2026-07) · DDS regional centers (as of 2026-07) · WIC §4501 (Lanterman entitlement) (as of 2026-07) · Ed Code §56344 (60-day timeline) (as of 2026-07). General information, not legal or benefits advice.