A Guide to California’s Regional Center Services System

At Golden Gate Regional Center, we believe that every person deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential to live, work, love, play, and thrive in their chosen communities. Our staff provide person-centered services to help you identify what is important to you, and to support how you want to live your life. GGRC serves individuals who are eligible for regional center services from birth to the end of life, by connecting them to community services.

When using GGRC services, you will be assigned a social worker who will learn about your hopes, dreams, and support needs and then will connect you with supportive community services designed to help you achieve your goals and aspirations. GGRC funds many, many services, and some services are available to you from other sources in the community.

We know that learning about services and navigating many different service systems can be difficult and confusing. The following information packet explains more about California Developmental Disability Services and Regional Center Services. In this packet, you can find information on applying Lanterman Services (ages 3 and older), what to expect when using regional center services, helpful resources in your community, and more.

This information packet talks about how to get regional center services. It should be helpful for:

• People applying for regional center services
• Individuals served by a regional center
• Parents/guardians
• Other caregivers

The goal is to help you understand how to access services and supports. This includes information about:

• The law
• The regional center system
• Services available from the regional center and the community
• Rights and eligibility for services

The packet is divided into 10 sections. You can read them one by one or just the part that’s most helpful to you.

1. The Lanterman Act: Understand the law, values, and principles for providing services and supports.
2. Eligibility For Services: Understand who can get help, and what qualifies as a developmental disability.
3. Applying for Services and Supports: Learn the initial steps in applying for services from the regional center.
4. Preparing for your First Regional Center Meeting: Gather needed papers and information for the intake process.
5. The Individual Program Plan (IPP): Learn about creating and using the Individual Program Plan, tailoring support to people’s wants and needs.
6. Accessing Services: Once the IPP is agreed on, learn how to get, and use services.
7. Changing Services Throughout Your Life: Understand how services can change over time and how you need different supports.
8. Resolving Disagreements: Learn about the process for solving disagreements and using the appeal process.
9. Additional Resources and Supports: Advocacy and support organizations, agencies and programs that may help you.
10. Commonly Used Terms: Definitions of terms used throughout this document.

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More information about applying for regional center services can be obtained through contacting us by phone at 1-888-339-3305, emailing us at intake@ggrc.org or on our Apply for Services page. We are grateful for this opportunity to partner with you and support you!

There are more language translations available on the DDS website.