Can my child keep their current Regional Center services while transitioning to Self-Determination?

If you are in the process of transitioning from traditional Regional Center services to the Self-Determination Program, your child can keep their current services.

All of your child's traditional Regional Center services will continue until SDP is finalized. However, it is not usually a smooth road as you transition. There may be interruptions in services as the providers are onboarded with the FMS. You will likely start SDP with some services/providers not quite ready to start. So while technically services don’t stop, if the employees haven’t been cleared by DDS or finished their paperwork or the vendor has a delay in onboarding with the FMS, the services will be on pause while the FMS gets everything lined up.

You need all your SDP vendors to be onboarded with your FMS prior to your child's official SDP start date. Otherwise, you won't be able to pay them for services on the start date.

Getting started with SDP can take a while because of the number of coordinators available to support people in SDP. It’s getting harder as more people come through the pipeline and there is not enough Regional Center staff to support them. SDP is a relatively new program as well. It's constantly changing, and the staff is underpaid, so be patient as there are bumps in the road.

For more information about SDP, check out our article Frequently Asked Questions about the Self-Determination Program.