When is spending a way to save? That is what’s in store with Self-Determination

Linda Andron-Ostrow, Executive Director

A riddle. When is spending every dime that you have a way to save for the future?

As California moves to implement its Self-Determination Law this strange axiom will become a mantra. Self-Determination simply means that persons with a disability receiving services from the regional center, will have a large range of choice to design programs and services that they mesh with the goals that are developed in their person-centered plans and implemented by their individual program plans. 

So how will this money be determined? How will you or your family member get the budget that you can use to spend on these services? Here’s the secret. It will be determined by how much you spend in allocated funds in years previous. The keyword here is SPEND. 

When you are authorized for a service by regional center the money is encumbered. It is the intention that you will utilize all of this money in the way it was allocated. Individualize budget under Self-Determination will, in fact, will be determined by the amount of money that you actually spend, not what is allocated.

So what does that mean for now…

1. If you are in a day program, participate every day that the program is open and you are not running a high fever

2. If you have been allocated respite services, make sure you go on that weekly date night or spend special time with the siblings

3 if you and your children participate in the social skills.program, make sure that you don’t schedule other activities that conflict

4 if you have in-home parent training in behavior management make you use every hour of support that has been deemed appropriate

In other words spend every dime that was allocated so that when The time comes for you to be able to determine your own future or assist a family member in doing so you will have the maximum amount of dollars to pursue your dreams. 

While the early phase of implementation of this will only effect a small number of clients and consumers, by the year 2018 this right will belong to all who choose to take this journey.

And in the meanwhile, you will assist your regional centers with their own budgets by spending the dollars they allocate for services to you and your family.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about Self-Determination and how it will effect you, feel free to contact me at [email protected]