OCRA ANNUAL REPORT
(July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
I.	INTRODUCTION
II.	PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES
A.	Services are provided in a manner that maximizes staff and operational resources.
1) Advocacy Reports.
2) Analysis of Consumers Served.
3) Analysis of Consumers Assisted with Moving to a Less Restrictive Living Arrangement.
4) Outreach/Trainings.
B.	Issues and complaints are resolved expeditiously and at the lowest level of appropriate intervention.
C.	Collaborative and harmonious working relationships are fostered.
1) Memorandums of Understanding.
2) Meeting with Association of Regional Center Agencies (ARCA).
D.	Consumers and families are satisfied with the services provided.
1) Consumer Satisfaction Survey.
2) Letters of Appreciation.
3) Cases will be handled in a timely manner.
E.	The provision of clients’ rights advocacy services is coordinated in consultation with the DDS contract manager, stakeholder organizations, and persons with developmental disabilities and their families representing California’s multi-cultural diversity.
F.	Self-advocacy training is provided for consumers and families at least twice in each fiscal year.
III. TITLE 17 COMPLAINTS
IV. DENIAL OF CLIENTS’ RIGHTS
V. CONSUMER GRIEVANCES
VI. COLLECTION OF ATTORNEYS FEES
VII. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENHANCEMENT OF SERVICES
VIII. CONCLUSION

EXHIBIT LIST
EXHIBIT A OCRA Staff Roster
EXHIBIT B OCRA Statistics
EXHIBIT C Advocacy Report January 2017 – June 30, 2017
EXHIBIT D Outreach and Training Report
EXHIBIT E Report by Service Type
EXHIBIT F Memorandum of Understanding
EXHIBIT G Consumer Satisfaction Surveys
EXHIBIT H OCRA Advisory Committee and Meeting Minutes
EXHIBIT I Self-Advocacy Trainings
EXHIBIT J Title 17 Complaints
EXHIBIT K Denial of Rights
EXHIBIT L Consumer Grievance Report
EXHIBIT M Annual Attorney Fees Report

(Under Separate Cover)
OCRA SELF-ADVOCACY TRAINING EVALUATION BINDER

I.	INTRODUCTION

Disability Rights California provides state-wide clients’ rights advocacy services for regional center consumers, under a multi-year contract with the Department of Developmental Services (DDS), through the Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy (OCRA).  The contract was renewed effective July 1, 2016, for a 5-year period ending June 30, 2021.  OCRA is in the second year of this five year contract.  This annual report covers July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018.   

During the past year, OCRA resolved 10,322 issues for 7,010 consumers, which represents an increase from last year in clients served (6,644 last year) and a slight decrease in issues handled (10,538 last year).  This means OCRA reached more clients and that fewer clients had more than one issue.  OCRA staff continue to achieve positive results for clients with a variety of legal issues as evidenced in the attached statistics and Advocacy Report.  OCRA also participated in 502 trainings during the last fiscal year, presenting to approximately 15,258 people.  See section II.A.4 for details. 

OCRA operates offices throughout the state, which are staffed by at least one Clients’ Rights Advocate (CRA) and one Assistant Clients’ Rights Advocate (ACRA).  Our staff are accessible and strive to understand the needs of the local community.  During the past fiscal year, OCRA hired a second “floating CRA” to provide extra support to offices that are busier or have a CRA on leave.  OCRA hired new CRAs and ACRAs for consumers of several regional centers.  OCRA also now has a team of four community integration CRAs with one Supervising CRA and one Assistant CRA.  A list of the current staff and office locations is attached as Exhibit A.   

At the end of this review period, Disability Rights California was awarded a federal grant to conduct reviews of representative payees for the Social Security Administration.  This program will start August 1, 2018.  

All OCRA offices operate under the same core advocacy principles and standards.  Staff in each individual office remain flexible to meet the needs of the local regional center’s consumers.  For example, staff may hold office hours inside different regional center locations to be accessible to consumers and regional center staff at those locations.  Other staff travel to different locations to meet with consumer family member groups in remote locations.  OCRA staff listen and learn about the needs of regional center client communities and try to meet those unique needs.

II.	PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES 

Disability Rights California’s contract with DDS requires performance objectives as established in Exhibit A, Page 14, Paragraph M, of the contract.  Each of the specific required outcomes is discussed in the following Sections A through F.  The contract does not set specific numbers for the performance outcomes. 

A.	Services are provided in a manner that maximizes staff and operational resources. 

OCRA continues its tradition of serving many people with developmental disabilities.  OCRA handled 10,322 issues for regional center consumers during the past fiscal year.  OCRA successfully represented and educated people on many legal issues and helped to remedy systemic problems.  The statistics, attached as Exhibit B and discussed below, show the wide variety of issues and the many cases handled by OCRA staff.  The advocacy report, attached as Exhibit C, covers January through June 2018, and tells the actual stories of individual cases and the impact on consumers’ lives.
1) Advocacy Reports. 
OCRA’s client case work is best exemplified when advocates write stories about cases or outreaches with practical value and that demonstrate a good outcome or teach a lesson.  In an effort toward brevity, the stories are just a summary to reflect a sampling of the cases that OCRA handled.  A longer Advocacy Report is available upon request.  Cases for the first half of the fiscal year were summarized in the summer and fall 2017 Advocacy Report, which was previously submitted in the Semi-Annual Report.  The summaries from January 2018 through June 2018 are compiled and attached as Exhibit C.  The report uses fictional first names of clients to improve readability while maintaining confidentiality.

Advocacy stories show the extraordinary value and diversity of OCRA’s work.  Many cases reflect resolution of systemic problems through direct representation, involvement on committees, or the effective relationships OCRA has with regional center and other agencies.  The variety of cases and trainings OCRA staff provide are typically in response to the calls the office receive.  During this past reporting period, OCRA staff provided direct representation in a range of different problem areas such as public benefits, regional center services, community placement, and special education.  OCRA staff assisted a large number of clients in special education cases and achieved great results.  We highlight some recent special education cases here.  

Nathan Receives Special Education Services.

Nathan had been out of school and not receiving any educational services.  His mother contacted OCRA for help to get Nathan back in school and compensatory services for the services he missed from the school district.  OCRA represented Nathan at several Individualized Education Program (IEP) team meetings and negotiated with the school district.  The district finally made an offer, which met Nathan’s needs.  He will receive nursing services to cover his health needs throughout the day and ten minutes before and after school, behavioral intervention services in his home, language and speech services for 90 minutes per week, occupational therapy for 60 minutes per week, adaptive physical education for 30 minutes per week, music therapy for 120 minutes per week provided outside of the school day, assistive technology training for 600 minutes per year, and an Independent Educational Evaluation for occupational therapy.  Nathan will also receive 200 hours of compensatory education that can be used for specialized academic instruction, speech or occupational therapy, adapted physical education, or assistive technology. Nathan is now successfully back in school.

D’Shaun Gets An Appropriate School Placement.

D’Shaun was a first-grader placed in a classroom for children with severe autism.  Most of his peers still needed support to pair socks and recognize colors.  However, D’Shaun could read, add, and subtract nearly at grade level.  D’Shaun’s mother had repeatedly asked that he be moved into a less restrictive setting.  Her requests were ignored for most of the school year. OCRA attended D’Shaun’s next IEP meeting.  OCRA assisted D’Shaun’s mother with compiling and presenting work samples to show D’Shaun’s readiness for a less restrictive placement.  The district agreed to move D’Shaun into a less restrictive classroom setting and also developed a transition plan to support D’Shaun with the change.  

Alexander and 10 Other Students in His Classroom Receive 33 Hours Each of Individual Academic Tutoring. 

Alexander’s mother called OCRA for help because frequently there was no credentialed teacher in Alexander’s special day classroom.  She said she had spoken with the school principal and with other school district administrators about the problem, but they did nothing.  When OCRA called the district and spoke with a program specialist to discuss what was going on in Alexander’s classroom, she said she knew the problem, but there wasn’t anything the district could do because there just weren’t enough credentialed teachers available.  OCRA filed a Compliance Complaint with the California Department of Education (CDE) on Alexander’s behalf.  CDE found the district out of compliance and ordered 33 hours of compensatory 1:1 academic tutoring not only for Alexander, but also for each of the other ten students in that classroom.  

Student Gets Supports Needed to Prevent Change of Placement.

Dominic is a young child with behaviors that his teachers couldn’t manage without calling his mother to come pick him up.  He is non-verbal, on the autism spectrum, and has an intellectual disability.  He had a difficult year at school.  When his mother contacted us, he’d gone from a full school day at the start of the year to attending school for just two hours per day.  She said this was not by her choice - the school had simply reduced his hours to what they said they could handle.  His behavior was so disruptive that when they kept him there longer, the school called her to take him home.  Dominic walks and waits at a bus stop to get to school despite his limited mobility.  This made mornings even harder on him.  His classroom environment was not adjusted for his sensory needs, and he did not have appropriate space or tools to feel safe and reduce his stimulation.  His mother had been denied requests for accommodations and had heard from the school that Dominic may need a more restrictive placement.  Dominic’s mother wanted assistance with developing his IEP.  OCRA attended the IEP meeting and successfully advocated for a 1:1 aide, door-to-door transportation, counseling services, a behavioral assessment to develop a plan, and immediate changes and accommodations to his classroom.  
2) Analysis of Consumers Served. 
OCRA handled 10,322 cases from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018.  Exhibit B contains the complete compilation of data for the fiscal year. 
The data has been compiled by: 

1. Age 
2. County 
3. Disability 
4. Ethnicity
5. Race 
6. Gender 
7. Living Arrangement 
8. Type of Problem (Problem Codes) 
9. Service Type

The reports included here are in non-table format so they are accessible to individuals who use screen-readers.  Although the data is still contained in grids, each row of the table is self-explanatory as read from left to right and does not require the navigational reference of a table header row for context.

Consistent with previous years, the largest number of consumers OCRA served by age during this time period, 2,900 out of 7,010, were individuals in the 4-to-17 years-old age group.  41.3 percent of OCRA’s clients are in this age group.  The next largest was the 23-40 age group with 1612 people served, similar numbers to last year.  OCRA served 937 people in the 51-years and over age group, which is a significant increase from last year and previous years.  This increase is likely due to OCRA’s review of comprehensive assessments from people moving out of developmental centers.  OCRA staff have also been representing these consumers as they face barriers to moving out of the developmental centers.  

For those cases where gender is recorded, OCRA has traditionally served more males than females, with 66.1 percent of the consumers served being male and 34.8 percent being female in this reporting period.  These numbers are similar to the percentage served by regional centers, according to the DDS Fact Book, 15th Edition.  As of January 2017, regional centers served 64.6 percent male compared to 35.4 percent female.  Each year, the gender imbalance widens, as both OCRA and regional centers increase the numbers of males served and decrease the numbers of females served.  The Fact Book attributes the growing gender imbalance, largely, to the growing Autism population, which is over 80 percent male.  

Statistics on the ethnicity of consumers served for the year show OCRA’s continuing commitment and success in reaching underserved communities.  For example, approximately 39.3 percent of consumers served by OCRA identified as Hispanic/Latino.  This is a percentage higher than last year, and higher than the 37.8 percent of regional center consumers identified as Hispanic/Latino in January 2017, taken from the DDS Fact Book, 15th Edition.  This is reported under “ethnicity.”

African-American and Asian consumer data is under the report for “race” in this annual report.  Approximately 9.8 percent of consumers served by OCRA identify as African-American.  This is a percentage higher than last year, and higher than the 8.9 percent of regional center consumers according to the current Fact Book.  Asian consumers make up 6.6 percent of regional center consumers, but a higher 7.8 percent of consumers served by OCRA.  OCRA is pleased with this success after many OCRA offices have chosen the African-American and Asian communities as their population to target with outreach.  OCRA’s goal is to successfully serve all underserved communities, is especially important as we continue to carefully review the Purchase of Service (POS) Data collected by regional centers under Welfare & Institutions Code Section 4519.5.  OCRA staff attended local stakeholder meetings, joined local committees, and held internal discussions to further study and impact possible changes to reduce disparities again this year.

The percentage of consumers residing in the parental or other family home remains by far the largest number of service requests for consumers served by OCRA, with 7,412 service requests showing consumers living in the family home or 71.8 percent of the cases handled.  The next largest group served is those living independently, with 1,052 service requests or 10.1 percent with this living arrangement.  This is a decrease from last year, in which over 10.9 percent of consumers served by OCRA lived independently.

This year, OCRA again served more consumers whose living arrangement was developmental center than in previous years.  OCRA assisted in 514 cases where the consumer’s living arrangement was developmental center, or 5 percent of OCRA’s service requests, compared to last year’s 446 cases.  OCRA staff continue to receive and review comprehensive assessments and attend IPP meetings for consumers residing in developmental centers.  OCRA staff also become and stay involved with most consumers admitted into the developmental centers’ acute crisis units.  This number will decrease as the developmental centers close and OCRA receives fewer comprehensive assessments.

3) Analysis of Consumers Assisted with Moving to a Less Restrictive Living Arrangement. 

Laws require regional centers to notify OCRA about people living in restrictive settings such as Developmental Centers, IMDs, and MHRCs, and people whose community placements are at risk of failing.  Laws also require regional centers to send OCRA comprehensive assessments and meeting notifications for clients in restrictive settings.  Because of these requirements and the planned closure of the Developmental Centers, OCRA’s work has involved assisting clients in restrictive settings to move into the community and helping deflect clients from going into a more restrictive setting.  

OCRA staff make contact with the providers of the Enhanced Behavioral Support Homes (EBSHs) and Community Crisis Homes (CCHs) as they open and consumers begin to move in.  Staff have attended Individual Behavior Support team meetings to review consumers’ behavior plans to make sure clients’ rights are respected.  It is important to maintain a relationship with the administrators and staff of these homes who are now serving consumers formerly in restrictive settings, some for significant parts of their lives.

Assistance or representation in cases involving restrictive settings can include reviewing records, interviewing and developing a relationship with the consumer, attending a variety of meetings, negotiating through phone calls, drafting and filing documents for court, attending court dates, special education advocacy, and continuous advocacy for movement back to the community or additional services to be able to stay in the community.   

During this review period, OCRA staff reviewed 497 comprehensive assessments for consumers in developmental centers or IMDs, an increase from the 437 that OCRA staff reviewed last year.  

OCRA staff attended a variety of meetings – Individual Program Plan meetings, Semi-Annual Review meetings, Transition Planning Meetings, Transition Review Meetings, 5-day and 30-day meetings held after a consumer is placed in the community, deflection meetings, meet-and-greets between consumers and providers, Individual Education Program meetings, Individual Behavior Support Plan meetings for consumers in Enhanced Behavioral Support Homes, or other “special” meetings.  During this review period, OCRA staff attended 272 meetings on behalf of consumers in restrictive settings or at risk of losing their community placements.  This is an increase over the 236 meetings OCRA staff attended last year, and a broader variety of meetings, as we see more consumers move into the community.  OCRA staff have also attended seven court hearings for clients in restrictive settings during this review period.  The numbers of comprehensive assessments reviewed and meetings attended will decline as Sonoma Developmental Center closes, but OCRA will continue its involvement with clients in other restrictive settings such as Porterville and Fairview Developmental Centers, Canyon Springs, IMDs, EBSHs, CCHs, and homes with delayed egress and/or a secured perimeter.

Regional centers must notify OCRA when a client is referred for a 4418.7 assessment, which often results in an admission to the acute crisis unit at Fairview or Sonoma Developmental Center.  OCRA staff represent almost all consumers in the acute crisis unit from the time they are admitted (or before) to their meeting 30 days after they have moved into the community.  OCRA staff have also been involved in cases for whom a 4418.7 referral was made to the regional project for possible placement in a restrictive setting, but after a meeting, the client was able to remain in the community with additional or different services.  

OCRA has a team of four community integration CRAs, one Supervising CRA, and one Assistant CRA, to assist local CRAs with these often difficult cases.  The community integration CRAs have formed relationships with developmental center and IMD staff, public defenders, public guardians, family members, and other stakeholders to discuss systemic concerns with the developmental center closures and barriers to community placements.  These CRAs attend meetings and provide training to public defenders, public guardians, developmental center staff, and regional center staff about community integration laws and regulations.  They share their experience with different facilities and locations with other staff in an effort to address barriers and help individual clients in all parts of the state.
4) Outreach/Trainings. 
Outreach and Training serve two important purposes: 1) notifying people about the availability of OCRA assistance and 2) educating people about the law and their rights.  OCRA provides training on many issues to a wide variety of people.  Attendees include direct consumers, family members, regional center staff and vendors, and community members.  Training topics include but are not limited to, consumers’ rights, abuse and neglect issues, IHSS, Medi-Cal, regional center issues, special education, voting rights, SSI, rights in the community, alternatives to conservatorship, and self-determination.  

During the last fiscal year, OCRA presented 502 outreach trainings, reaching approximately 15,258 consumers, families, service providers, regional center staff, and community members.  This number represents a slight decrease in trainings from the previous outreach year (556) and a decrease in the number of people attending these trainings from last year’s 17,753.  This decrease is likely because of the Presidential election in the prior year and the numerous trainings OCRA staff conducted on voting rights.  OCRA continues to create and present new trainings for the disability community in English, Spanish, and other languages.  OCRA often uses publications from the DRC website as part of the training.  DRC translates all new self-help publications posted on our website into the California threshold languages. 

To provide assistance to individuals from traditionally underserved communities, each OCRA office develops a target outreach plan.  Each office targets at least six outreaches per year to a specific group of persons who are underrepresented in the office’s catchment area.  OCRA’s Jazmin Romero and Christine Hager served as the Outreach Coordinators this fiscal year.  They advise staff in implementation of their target outreach plans.  These are two-year plans based upon evaluating prior outreach plans’ results, new census data, and information from DDS regarding the ethnicity of consumers served by each regional center.  This fiscal year is the second year of a two-year cycle.  In June 2017, OCRA staff completed outreach plans for the next two years.  OCRA’s Debra Marcia served as Outreach Coordinator for the Asian community to improve our service to this community.  Several offices have identified the Asian community as their target for outreach.  A detailed report on outreach and training is included as Exhibit D.

B.	Issues and complaints are resolved expeditiously and at the lowest level of appropriate intervention. 

From July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018, OCRA resolved 10,322 issues for consumers.  Of those, all but 48 were resolved informally.  These numbers are consistent with previous years, in that 99 percent of all the matters that OCRA handled were resolved without using hearings or court.  Data showing this is attached as Exhibit E.
 
C.	Collaborative and harmonious working relationships are fostered. 

OCRA staff continue to collaborate with the local regional centers, stakeholders, and community members.  Some examples of collaboration include serving on regional center Diversity Committees, Behavioral Modification Review Committees, Risk Assessment Committees, County Coordinating Councils, Supported Life Training Planning Committees, State Hearings Division Stakeholder meetings, Fiesta Educativa, RCOC/OC Behavioral Health, Criminal Task Force, Healthcare Task Force, Adult Transition Task Force, Multi-Agency Advisory Board (MAAB) and many others.  

All CRAs are participating in meetings with their regional centers’ Self-Determination Program Local Advisory Committees. Many also provided trainings on self determination.

Many OCRA staff also provide training to regional center staff and vendors and meet regularly with regional center staff and community partners to share ideas and expertise on many subjects.  During this past fiscal year, OCRA staff have renewed the offer of training to regional centers that haven’t traditionally used OCRA as a training resource.  Most OCRA offices meet regularly with regional center managers to resolve systemic and individual client issues informally rather than through a hearing or complaint, when possible.  This philosophy of collaboration is not only required by Disability Rights California’s contract with DDS, but also recognizes that some of the most effective advocacy takes place because of interpersonal relationships and informal advocacy.  The success of this philosophy is demonstrated by the number of calls OCRA receives from varied sources, by its ability to resolve matters informally, and by its recognition as an excellent resource for people with developmental disabilities and their families.
1) Memorandums of Understanding. 
OCRA has established Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with each regional center that address that center’s individual needs, concerns, and method of operation.  Generally, MOUs are updated as needed, including when the law changes.  Meetings to review MOUs have been productive and positive.  OCRA has very good working relationships with almost all regional centers.  During this fiscal year, MOUs were updated at these regional centers: Eastern Los Angeles, Redwood Coast, East Bay, Orange County, San Andreas North Los Angeles County, Tri-Counties, Valley Mountain, and Westside.  Copies of all MOUs have been forwarded to DDS.  The status of each revised MOU is listed in Exhibit F. 

2) Meeting with Association of Regional Center Agencies (ARCA). 

ARCA and OCRA meet regularly to discuss various issues.  Katie Hornberger, OCRA Director, and Catherine Blakemore, DRC Executive Director met with ARCA twice during this fiscal year: February 13 and May 4.  ARCA and OCRA also serve on committees together and regularly phone and email each other to discuss issues that arise.
D.	Consumers and families are satisfied with the services provided. 
Disability Rights California recognizes the importance of consumer satisfaction.  OCRA is committed to serving consumers and family members in a manner and with results that ensure consumer and family satisfaction with the services provided.  Survey results show positive consumer satisfaction over the past fiscal year.  A member of the OCRA management team calls back all responders who request a call back, whether their responses were positive or negative.  An OCRA management team member also calls all responders who gave a negative response and their contact information.  In this way, we can remedy any concerns and provide additional support to consumers.
1) Consumer Satisfaction Survey. 
OCRA measures consumer satisfaction by a survey developed jointly by staff, the OCRA Consumer Advisory Committee, and DDS.  One thousand eight hundred and forty-six (1,846) surveys were mailed out.  Three hundred and eleven (311) people returned surveys.  This represents a 17 percent return rate.  This is higher than last fiscal year, which was 12 percent.  

Of those responding to the questions, 90 percent of the respondents who answered the questions felt they were treated well by the staff.  One respondent wrote, “Fue muy amable la abogada con migo que le tome carrino (The attorney was very kind to me that I felt affection toward her).”  86 percent of the respondents believed their call was returned within two days.  One person wrote, “Hannah Liddell and Ada Hamer are helpful to me. Whenever I have questions to Hannah she responses to me right away.”  93 percent of the respondents reported that they understood the information they received, which is about the same as last year’s 94 percent.  One respondent said, “You always help us and give us the right solution to our problems. We understand our rights better and you always solve our problem. Thanks a lot!”

93 percent of respondents felt their Clients’ Rights Advocate listened to them.  One person wrote, “Arthur is very attention and listens well. He really knows his work and laws. Very friendly and helpful. Great to work with.”  86 percent of respondents felt they were helped with their question or problem.  One respondent wrote, “Debra was great patient and caring. She helped me resolve my issues and was a great advocate during my IPP.”  89 percent said they would ask their Clients’ Rights Advocate for help again.  One respondent said, “Este servicio que tienen es excepcional, Estoy muy agradecida por su ayuda. Se las volviera a pedir si lo necesitara. (The service you have is exceptional. I am very grateful for your help. I would ask for help again if I needed to.)”  See Exhibit G, which discusses the results of OCRA’s survey. 

From the overall survey results and the positive written comments, which were left uncorrected and reflect exactly what consumers and their families wrote, most consumers are satisfied with the services provided by OCRA.  The OCRA management team will meet to discuss ways to increase satisfaction.
2) Letters of Appreciation. 
OCRA consumers and family members often take the time to write letters of appreciation.  These kind words come in cards, letters, notes, and emails.  The time it took to send them represents the high value of the work performed by OCRA staff.  Below is just a sampling of the many letters received.  OCRA is providing the letters of appreciation with the wording from the originals, including any grammatical errors, unless otherwise indicated.  We have also edited client names.

	

March 23, 2018

Dear ___ and ___,
We would like to express our deep appreciation to both of you for providing us with sound, candid advice regarding our daughter ___ and the ___ Regional Center.  We are grateful of the information you provided to us via email as well as the time you took to speak with us over the phone, ___.  Your professionalism, thoroughness, and bedside manner have been very helpful to us as we continue to navigate this journey with ___...

God bless you all for helping people with disabilities as well as their families. Thank you so much.

1/18/18

In behalf of my family, we would like to say thank you for all the help, your time and effort, thanks to Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy (OCRA) boards and members…and a special thanks to you.  For helping my daughters ___, ___, myself and the rest of our family for the case IHSS.
God bless you all (smile) From Us.

God Bless you all for helping people with disabilities as well as their families.  Thank you so much.

Katie, 
A million thanks!  We so appreciate you, and your willingness to share your wisdom and talents. Regards, 
3) Cases will be handled in a timely manner.
Consumers and families contact OCRA because something has gone wrong for them.  Maybe they are losing a government benefit or their housing, or are facing another urgent situation.  OCRA staff should be responsive.  OCRA has, since its establishment, had a policy that all calls will be returned as soon as possible, but not later than the close of the next business day.  OCRA staff note this policy on the outgoing voicemail message that callers hear when reaching the office voicemail.  OCRA staff also note in the intake record if a client has a deadline or a timeline they must follow for their legal issue, such as a deadline to file an appeal.  By noting this in the intake, advocates advise clients of timelines, and can prioritize cases with a closer deadline.

OCRA also measures its performance in this area through its consumer satisfaction survey; see Exhibit G, discussed more above.  OCRA statistics show that 86 percent of all callers to OCRA received a call back within two days during the last fiscal year.  This percentage is lower than last year, so the OCRA management team will meet to discuss ways to increase this percentage.  OCRA uses Bilingual ACRAs for northern and southern California to assist with overflow intake and when staff are out of the office.  OCRA also uses temporary CRAs and ACRAs in offices with higher volume to ensure timely service.  OCRA uses two “floating CRAs” to help high volume offices around the state or offices with a vacancy that need to be staffed during the hiring process.  We are optimistic this statistic will improve as we ensure and monitor timely call-backs.

We are concerned that survey language may be confusing to responders. The calls are tracked through electronic call logs and the management team monitors these logs to ensure timely call backs. Although initial calls are returned in 2 days, callers may not receive all the needed advice within 2 days. Thus, the response rate may reflect the time it took to get the advice not the initial call back.
E.	The provision of clients’ rights advocacy services is coordinated in consultation with the DDS contract manager, stakeholder organizations, and persons with developmental disabilities and their families representing California’s multi-cultural diversity. 
OCRA works through the OCRA Advisory Committee to ensure this performance outcome is achieved.  Attached as Exhibit H is a list of the members of the Disability Rights California Board of Director’s OCRA Advisory Committee effective June 30, 2018. 

Public members of the Advisory Committee are appointed by the Board of Directors.  In the selection process, the Board considers geographical diversity, both rural and urban and north and south, type of developmental disability represented, and ethnic background, in addition to the qualifications of the individual applicants. 

The OCRA Advisory Committee provides valuable insight to the OCRA staff.  At the meetings, members and OCRA staff discuss a wide variety of topics.  Board members become better self-advocates because of having served on the committee.  The committee has two new members as of this review period: Tammi Bradley and Rene Rodriguez.  Minutes for the meeting held on September 14, 2017, were provided with the Semi-Annual Report.  The minutes for the May 2, 2018 meeting are included as Exhibit H.  DDS staff is invited and encouraged to participate in the next meeting, which is set for Friday, September 14, 2018, in Manhattan Beach, CA.  
F.	Self-advocacy training is provided for consumers and families at least twice in each fiscal year. 
Welfare and Institutions Code, Section 4433(d)(5), requires that the contractor providing advocacy services for consumers of regional center services provide at least two self-advocacy trainings for consumers.  Disability Rights California’s contract with DDS mirrors this language.  OCRA strongly believes in the importance of self-advocacy and requires each of its 21 offices to provide at least one self-advocacy training for consumers per year, far exceeding the two mandated trainings.  Many offices provide more than one training per year.  This fiscal year, OCRA staff provided 63 self-advocacy trainings statewide, which is similar to the number provided last fiscal year.

Staff may present any of the approved self-advocacy trainings.  To date, OCRA has developed seven separate packets of information for OCRA staff to use in the mandated trainings in addition to the DDS Consumer Safety materials and the living arrangement options materials developed by DDS.  One of those seven is a new self-advocacy training that OCRA developed this review period, and DDS approved, called “Moving into the Community.”  Samples of the OCRA self-advocacy packets (all are in both English and Spanish), were provided separately in a binder marked OCRA Training Materials with the 2007-2008 Annual Report.  In past discussions with DDS’s Contract Manager, it was decided that OCRA should not submit duplicate training packets in this year’s annual report.  As always, OCRA welcomes comments from DDS on any training packets. 

OCRA must report in its Annual Report a sample of the self-advocacy training surveys.  OCRA has randomly selected consumer training satisfaction evaluations to include with this Annual Report.  Almost without exception, consumers are pleased with OCRA trainings.  A list of Self-Advocacy Trainings held last year is in Exhibit I.  

Here is a sampling of consumers’ comments on the self-advocacy training satisfaction evaluations.  OCRA is providing the comments with the wording from the originals, including any grammatical errors, unless otherwise indicated.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TRAINING
5. How did training meet your needs? 
Learned to call 911.
5. How did training meet your needs? 
I learned self-determination.
CLIENTS RIGHTS BINGO
Was the speaker interesting?  Yes.                                                                                                    
Comments: Everything was great!
5. How did training meet your needs? 
Simply, I could not ask for anything better.
5. How did training meet your needs? 
Learned that I can go home to visit sister.
FEELING SAFE BEING SAFE
5. How did this training meet your needs? 
Thinking about what to do in a disaster.
5. How did this training meet your needs? 
I could know what to do in an emergency.

SAFETY BINGO
2. Did the environement contribute to the learning experience? 
Yes.
Comments: You both are kind and present a safe space for expressions.
HANDS OFF MY MONEY
5. How did this training meet your needs? 
Keep my money safe.
III. TITLE 17 COMPLAINTS 
CCR, Title 17, Section 50540, sets forth a complaint procedure whereby a regional center consumer, or his or her authorized representative, who believes a right has been abused, punitively withheld or improperly or unreasonably denied, may file a complaint with the Clients’ Rights Advocate.  The Complaint process is similar to that established by Welfare & Institution Code, Section 4731. There were two Title 17 Complaints filed during the last fiscal year, as noted on Exhibit J. 
 IV. DENIAL OF CLIENTS’ RIGHTS 
CCR, Title 17, Section 50530, sets forth a procedure whereby a care provider may deny one of the basic rights of a consumer if there is a danger to self or others or a danger of property destruction caused by the actions of a consumer.  The Clients’ Rights Advocate must approve the denial and submit a quarterly report to DDS by the last day of each January, April, July, and October.  OCRA is including the reports concurrently with the contractual date to provide OCRA’s reports.  If this is not acceptable to DDS, OCRA will submit duplicate reports as requested. Attached as Exhibit K is the current log of Denials of Rights from the OCRA offices.
V. CONSUMER GRIEVANCES 
Exhibit A, Paragraph 12, of the contract between DDS and Disability Rights California requires OCRA to establish a grievance procedure and to inform all clients about the procedure.  DDS has approved the grievance procedure developed by OCRA.  The procedure is posted prominently in both English and Spanish at each office.  The grievance procedure is also available in Arabic, Armenian, Chinese (Simplified), Farsi, Hmong, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Laotian, Russian, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.  OCRA staff offer the grievance procedure in all letters to consumers or others who contact OCRA, when an office declines to provide the requested service to that person. 

During the past fiscal year, OCRA handled 10,322 matters.  There was one first-level grievance filed by a consumer’s family member.  That grievance did not proceed to the second or third level.  Information about the grievance has been submitted to DDS.  Attached as Exhibit L is a chart detailing the grievance filed against OCRA during this period. 
VI. COLLECTION OF ATTORNEYS FEES 
OCRA does not charge consumers, their families or advocates fees for services nor does OCRA seek to recover costs from these individuals. Clients’ Rights Advocates who are licensed to practice law in California, or Assistant, Associate, or unlicensed Clients’ Rights Advocates, all of whom work under the supervision of an attorney, can collect attorney’s fees and costs similar to those collected by private attorneys or advocates for special education cases or other cases where there are statutory attorney’s fees. OCRA collects fees only in special education cases or Writs of Mandamus. Fees and costs may be negotiated at mediation or can be received where an Administrative Law Judge has made a determination that the petitioner is the prevailing party.  Fees are collected from the opposing party, which is normally a school district. Costs include any expenses to the Petitioner or OCRA for suing, such as filing fees or costs of expert evaluations.  Neither Disability Rights California nor OCRA ever collect attorney’s fees from consumers.

No attorney’s fees were received during the annual reporting period.  See Exhibit M.
VII. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENHANCEMENT OF SERVICES 
The contract between DDS and Disability Rights California requires that annually Disability Rights California make recommendations to DDS on potential methods of enhancing the services that OCRA provides for regional center consumers. 

The support of DDS through the years has made it possible for OCRA to effectively and efficiently serve consumers.  However, the demand for OCRA services continues to increase along with the increased number of cases involving people living in restrictive settings.  OCRA must continue to look at providing additional staffing to better serve all clients, given the continuing increase in cases we handle each year.  For those individuals at IMDs and developmental centers, OCRA now has a team of four CRAs, one Supervising CRA, and one Assistant CRA to assist this special population.  With the closure of the developmental centers and the notification requirements for consumers living in other restrictive settings, this need will continue to grow and OCRA anticipates hiring more staff to assist this population.  

OCRA also recognizes the need to serve diverse communities with varying language needs, which means continuing to recruit and hire staff who speak diverse languages.  OCRA strives to provide the highest level of service possible, given our resources.  We can better do this with additional bilingual support and “floating” staff to provide coverage for vacancies and to provide support to enable staff can take on cases when we otherwise may not have had the resources.  OCRA also hopes to increase its disability diversity in staffing by finding qualified candidates for open positions who can bring unique, personal disability perspectives to the unit.  

Besides an increase in the number of clients served, OCRA staff also participate on more committees, such as the Self Determination Local Advisory Committees and Diversity Committees.  To ensure that we can continue to provide high quality services, we plan to hire at least one more additional CRA and bilingual ACRA to help busier offices and ensure the disability community is well-served by OCRA.  As such, OCRA would appreciate additional resources to increase staffing to meet these unique needs while continuing to provide the high level of service to consumers already living in the community and consumers who are in restrictive settings and hoping to transition into the community. 
VIII. CONCLUSION 
OCRA provides exceptional service to a growing number of people with developmental disabilities throughout the state.  OCRA handled 10,322 cases for 7,010 clients last year, an increase over the previous year in the number of clients served. Additionally, OCRA provided 502 trainings to approximately 15,258 consumers, family members, regional center staff and vendors, and interested community members - all while meeting each of its performance objectives.  OCRA looks forward to continuing to work with people with developmental disabilities and helping access the services and supports they need to live the most independent and productive lives in the least restrictive environment.  People with developmental disabilities have benefitted from OCRA’s legal assistance at no cost to them and it is an honor for OCRA to continue to provide.