Developmental services: denials of services and notices of actions.

Assembly Member Arambula's Access to Disability Services Transparency Act mandates comprehensive documentation and reporting of service denials within California's regional center system for individuals with developmental disabilities. The legislation requires regional centers to record all service denials, notices of actions, and appeals in each consumer's individual program plan.

The bill establishes new data reporting requirements for the Department of Developmental Services and regional centers, including annual compilation of demographic information on service denials categorized by age, race, ethnicity, preferred language, and disability type. This data must be posted publicly in machine-readable format beginning December 2024, with regional centers required to maintain uniform reporting standards across all 21 facilities.

Regional centers must conduct public meetings within three months of data compilation to discuss findings with stakeholders, particularly focusing on underserved communities. The legislation mandates that these meetings be culturally and linguistically appropriate, with alternative communication services provided as needed. Centers must also provide consumers with their individual service data upon request, conducting discussions in the consumer's preferred language.

The Department of Developmental Services will aggregate and analyze the collected data, identifying trends in service disparities across geographic regions. Subject to available funding, grants will be allocated to regional centers and community organizations to implement recommendations for reducing inequities in service access and delivery. An independent evaluation of these equity promotion efforts must be completed by 2026, with interim reports due to the Legislature in January and May of that year.