CHAPTER 6.5. Developmental Services Workforce Stabilization [4699. - 4699.7.]

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC 6.5.
in effect

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 4699. Section 4699.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) The State Department of Developmental Services estimates that about 120,000 direct support professionals and about 5,500 regional center service coordinators served approximately 370,000 consumers in fiscal year 2021–22. (b) Workforce capacity among direct support professionals and regional center service coordinators is a growing concern in the developmental services system. (c) Based on annual projected regional center caseload growth and assumptions about direct support professional turnover, the developmental services system is projected to need approximately 33,000 direct support professionals and 2,700 regional center service coordinators over the next five years. (d) To be responsive to California’s changing demographics, the department should support regional centers and service providers in undertaking a purposeful approach to recruiting and hiring workers from diverse communities and explore technological advancements as a complement to workers who provide direct services.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 4699.2. Section 4699.2.

(a) The department shall establish, and regional centers shall administer in coordination with service providers, a program to provide training stipends to direct support professionals. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature to enhance the quality of services received by consumers, improve direct support professional retention, and increase interest among direct support professionals in skills development and continuous learning opportunities by offering stipends for the completion of training courses. (c) A regional center shall provide up to two five-hundred-dollar ($500) training stipends to a direct support professional who completes training and development courses as specified by the department. (d) Each training stipend shall be paid no later than three months after the conclusion of a training requirement. (e) A portion of the program funding shall be used to compensate service providers an amount, in the form of a fee, as necessary to cover the reasonable costs to administer the program in coordination with regional centers, as determined by the department. (f) Service providers and regional centers shall track participation and shall report to the department on a quarterly basis, commencing on January 31, 2023, on cumulative and reporting-period data about the number of participants, the administration of the fee pursuant to subdivision (e), the selection of training and development courses, and turnover information among participants. (g) Training and development courses shall commence no later than November 1, 2022. A program participant may enroll in a training and development course on a later date.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 4699.3. Section 4699.3.

(a) The department shall establish, and regional centers shall administer, an entry-level training and internship program for individuals interested in becoming direct support professionals, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature to enhance the quality of services received by consumers and increase the hiring and retention of direct support professionals through the creation of a training and internship program that demonstrates the career opportunities available to individuals interested in becoming direct support professionals, while providing them with the skills that they need to deliver high-quality services to consumers. (c) The training and internship program shall do all of the following: (1) Contract with outside agencies for recruitment outreach. (2) Offer three-month internships that provide entry-level training and practical work experience for participants. (3) Outline the wage and employments costs for paid internships up to 30 hours per week, to collectively cover participant wages and service provider costs. (4) Focus on populations that reflect the state’s diverse population and that do not traditionally have a pathway toward jobs in the developmental services field. (5) Establish an entry point to the continuum of developmental services workforce development, including the training described in Section 4511.5. (6) Create opportunities for postinternship permanent employment with service providers and allow for a five-hundred-dollar ($500) retention stipend after six months of continuous employment and another five-hundred-dollar ($500) stipend after one year of continuous employment. (d) Regional centers shall track participation and report to the department on a quarterly basis on cumulative and reporting-period data about the number of participants, the number of participants hired, and the number of six-month and one-year employment stipends provided. (e) Internships shall be available no later than June 1, 2023. A program participant may enroll in an internship on a later date.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 4699.4. Section 4699.4.

(a) The department shall establish, and regional centers shall administer, a tuition reimbursement program for regional center employees who seek a degree or certification in a health or human services-related field. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature to enhance regional center services received by consumers, increase subject matter expertise and career advancement options at regional centers, and improve employee retention rates at regional centers by offering tuition reimbursement for eligible regional center employees. (c) Each qualifying participant shall be eligible to receive up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000) annually for up to three years. (d) In exchange for tuition reimbursement, participants shall be required to work at the regional center for no less than one year for each year of tuition reimbursement following completion of their degree or certification. An employee may transfer to another regional center to complete this requirement. The funding regional center shall notify the department within 30 days after a request from an employee to transfer to another regional center to complete this requirement. The receiving regional center is responsible for reporting the information required in subdivision (g). (e) By September 1, 2022, the department shall publish eligibility requirements for regional center staff participation. These requirements shall include information about which regional center staff are eligible, which academic programs or types of academic programs are eligible, minimum application requirements, concurrent regional center work requirements, and postgraduation regional center work requirements. In addition, the department shall describe the terms of the program, including repayment or partial repayment requirements for individuals who do not complete their degree or certification or do not complete the concurrent or postgraduation work requirements. (f) Tuition reimbursement shall be available for the 2022–23 through 2024–25 fiscal years. (g) Regional centers shall report to the department on an annual basis, commencing on April 1, 2023, and thereafter on January 1 of each year until January 1, 2026, on data about the program, including number and demographics of applicants and participants and their regional center position, degree and field sought, and how long they were employed by the regional center after completing their degree or certification.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 4699.5. Section 4699.5.

(a) The department shall seek input from stakeholders throughout the implementation of this chapter. (b) Stakeholders may include, but are not limited to, any of the following: (1) Consumers and families across different geographic regions of the state and from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, and diverse consumer age groups and disabilities. (2) Regional center representatives, including executive-level staff, administrative staff, and service coordinators. (3) Service providers representing a diverse range of service types and models and including executive staff and direct support professionals. (c) The department may utilize one of its existing stakeholder groups if it meets the criteria described in this section to conduct this consultation.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 4699.6. Section 4699.6.

(a) The department shall report to the Legislature at quarterly briefings for legislative staff about the progress on the programs described in this chapter. Reporting shall include summaries of the relevant data collected by service providers and regional centers. (b) The department shall submit a report to the Legislature, in accordance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, no later than January 10, 2026, evaluating the success of the programs described in this chapter. As applicable, the report shall include, but not be limited to, information about all of the following: (1) Summary information about each program, including statistics on participation and program completion, participant demographics, and participation by regional center and type of service provider. (2) Number of new hires at service providers and regional centers. (3) Employee retention and turnover rates at service providers and regional centers overall and among the program participant population, including available baseline rates prior to implementation of the programs and rates following completion of the programs. (4) Consumer and family satisfaction and other measures of consumer outcomes.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 4699.7. Section 4699.7.

(a) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the department may implement, interpret, or make specific, the provisions of this chapter by means of written directives or similar instructions through June 30, 2025. (b) Contracts to procure services to implement this chapter shall be exempt from the requirements contained in the Public Contract Code and the State Administrative Manual and from approval by the Department of General Services.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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