This is our second post in a series about changes to the law. We previously wrote about changes that will help make it easier for you to get services from your regional center so you can participate in social activities, go camping, and get non-medical therapies like art, music, and dance.

This post is about changes that will make it easier for you to participate in your IPP meetings and about new rules that your regional center will have to follow about scheduling in-person meetings with you.

The first thing you need to know is that you can have now your IPP meetings in person, by telephone, or using remote technologies like Zoom. It’s your choice.

The right to use remote technologies like Zoom for your IPP meeting started so that people could still participate in their IPPs during COVID. But this right was going to expire on June 30, 2024, and many people were being told that their next IPP would have to be in person.

We fought hard to preserve your right to choose how and where your IPPs take place. This is because while some people prefer to have their IPP meetings in person, others prefer remote technologies like Zoom because it makes it easier for people who don’t have access to regular transportation, reduces risks for people with health conditions, and increases access for caregivers who do not have the ability to take time off from work.

You can find this law in Welfare and Institutions Code section 4646(f)(1) or by clicking here.

The second thing you need to know is that your service coordinator or other regional center representative must meet with you in person at least once every 12 months.

For many people, nothing will change because they already see someone from their regional center at least once a year. But if you live at home with your family, it is possible that you may not have seen your service coordinator all year and your regional center will tell you that it needs to schedule an in-person meeting with you.

We have heard from people who are concerned about these new requirements.

For some people, they feel like this is a way for regional centers to conduct “wellness checks” for health and safety monitoring or compel individuals to cooperate with service plans they do not want or like. For other people, these requirements create anxiety and make families feel judged, especially those who live in poverty or may be struggling due to lack of adequate supports. We have also heard from parents who are afraid that regional centers may misinterpret poverty or struggle as neglect, abuse or bad parenting and take their children away.

Disability Rights California shared these concerns with lawmakers. In response, lawmakers did two things.

First, lawmakers made sure that these new in-person meetings or visits cannot be for just any reason. They are supposed to be for the purpose of helping you meet the goals in your IPP, improving access to your services, or helping build relationships between you and your service coordinator.

Second, lawmakers made sure that these new in-person meeting requirements will be reviewed no later than January 10, 2026, to make sure that they are not causing more harm than good.

If your regional center tells you that you need to be seen in person, you have rights.

• It is your choice about where this meeting will happen. It can be at your home, at the regional center, or any other location that is convenient for you.
• It is your choice about when this in-person meeting will happen. It can be during your IPP meeting if you want. But you can also ask for a separate meeting or visit if you prefer to have your IPP by remote electronic communications like by phone or Zoom.
• Your services cannot be reduced or delayed if the regional center is not able to schedule this meeting.

You can find this law in Welfare and Institutions Code section 4646(f)(2) or by clicking here.

For more details, check out our Rights Under the Lanterman Act publication, which we just updated to include this new information. You can find it in the chapter about IPP meetings.

We plan to monitor whether these new laws are being followed. If you have questions about these new laws or believe they are not being followed, please contact Disability Rights California at https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/get-help