UPDATED GOODS AND SERVICES

In alignment with the key principles of the Self-Determination Program (SDP), participants have the authority to control an individual budget to purchase needed services and supports to achieve their Individual Program Plan (IPP) goals. The purpose of this correspondence is to provide an update to the Department’s guidance of January 13, 2022 regarding goods and services in the SDP by adding Coordinated Family Services (CFS) onto Enclosure B as a service to be funded outside of the SDP participant’s budget. As such, Enclosure B and the Self-Determination Program Individual Budget Calculation and Certification Tool have been updated.

Deciding if a Cost may be Included in the SDP Budget

Before including any good or service in an individual budget or SDP spending plan, the planning team must first be clear about how the good or service addresses an identified need or goal in the IPP. Enclosure A provides detailed information about how the participant and the planning team can determine if a good or service addresses a need or goal in the IPP.

As noted in the Department of Developmental Services’ January 11, 2019 directive regarding the individual budget and spending plan, SDP funds can only be used for goods and services that:

  • Have been approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

  • Are not available through other funding sources (e.g., Medi-Cal, In-Home Supportive Services, schools, etc.).

However, in some cases consumers may require additional goods and services outside of what is funded by the individual budget to support their IPP. Enclosure B provides guidance on goods and services that can be funded by the individual budget in the spending plan, as well as what will be handled outside of the individual budget.

Determining Service Designation (Participant-Directed Goods and Services)

The SDP allows for a service type defined as “Participant-Directed Goods and Services.” Enclosure C contains a flow chart intended to help the planning team determine when a good or service can be funded through Participant-Directed Goods and Services, Service Code 333.