Developmental services: regional centers: data compilation.

Under the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, the State Department of Developmental Services is required to contract with regional centers to provide services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities. Existing law requires the department and regional centers to annually collaborate to compile specified data relating to purchase of service authorization, utilization, and expenditure by each regional center. Existing law requires the department to establish and maintain a transparency portal on its Internet Web site that allows consumers, families, advocates, and others to access provider and regional center information and requires posted information on this portal to include certain audits, reviews, and reports. This bill would require the department to ensure that the regional centers collect, analyze, and report the specified data using uniform methodology and procedures that allow for comparisons across regional centers. The bill would require each regional center, commencing December 31, 2014, and each December 31 thereafter, to develop and post on its Internet Web site an annual report relating to whether the data indicates specified disparities and, if applicable, the regional center's recommendations and plans to reduce those disparities. This bill would require the department's transparency portal to include the regional centers' annual reports developed and posted by the regional centers pursuant to these provisions. This bill would state that it is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to require the department to provide biannual updates regarding the department's progress in meeting the data compilation requirements.