Respite

California Code of Regulations Title 17
Respite is a vendored service through state regional centers and is overseen by the Department of Developmental Services, under CCR Title 17, Sections 56780 – 56802.

Service Definition –
In-home respite services means the intermittent or regularly scheduled temporary non-medical care and supervision provided in the client’s own home, for a regional center client who resides with a family member. These services are designed to do all of the following:

  • Assist family members in maintaining the client at home.
  • Provide appropriate care and supervision to ensure the client’s safety in the absence of family members.
  • Relieve family members from the constantly demanding responsibility of caring for the client.
  • Attend to the client’s basic self-help needs and other activities of daily living including interaction, socialization, and continuation of usual daily routines which would ordinarily be performed by the family members.

 

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES
FAMILY COST PARTICIPATION PROGRAM GUIDE (Updated July 2016)
Welfare and Institutions Code Section 4783 implemented the Family Cost Participation Program (FCPP) on January 1, 2005. This law requires some families to share in the cost of Respite, Day Care, and Camping services. No other services are affected.

Only families that meet the following conditions are identified for FCPP participation:

  • Children are ages 0 through 17 years old;
  • Children live at home;
  • Children are not Medi-Cal eligible; and
  • Family income is at or above 400% of the Federal Poverty Level Guidelines based upon family

The share of cost for these services is called “family cost participation” (FCP). The Regional Center will pay a portion of the total cost for the service to the service provider and the family will pay the FCP amount directly to the service provider. The Respite, Day Care, or Camping service providers cannot charge the family a higher rate for the service than the rate paid by the Regional Center.

The Regional Center in your area will provide answers to questions about how the law impacts you specifically and help you to determine your family’s cost participation amount.

If there is more than one minor child living in the parents’ home, or in a 24-hour out-of-home placement, who are not Medi-Cal eligible, and receiving services and supports paid for by the Regional Center, the family’s cost participation amount is adjusted as follows:

  • For two children, ages 0 through 17, the rate will be reduced by 25 percent for each child living at home for Respite, Day Care, and Camping services.
  • For three children, ages 0 through 17, the rate will be reduced by 50 percent for each child living at home for Respite, Day Care, and Camping
  • For four children, ages 0 through 17, the rate will be reduced by 75 percent for each child living at home for Respite, Day Care, and Camping services.

 For More than four children, ages 0 through 17, the family will not be required to participate in the program for Respite, Day Care, and Camping services.

What To Expect From Your Regional Center
Your Regional Center will:

  • notify you if you qualify under the FCPP
  • notify you of the amounts you must pay based on the attached
  • ask you to provide proof of your gross annual income within ten (10) working days from the date you sign your child up to receive the service.
  • advise you of your family cost participation amount within ten (10) working days of the receipt of your completed paperwork.

Things Parents Must Do: 
You will need to verify your gross annual income for the Regional Center. This proof of income can include:

  • Copies of your W-2 Wage Earners Statement, or
  • Your payroll stubs, or
  • A copy of last year’s State income tax return, or other records, and
  • Proof of all your other income

You must give this information to the Regional Center within ten (10) working days from the date that you sign the completed IPP or IFSP. If you do not provide this income information to the Regional Center, you may have to pay the maximum share of cost amount (100%) for the cost of the service(s).

You must also:

  • Notify the Regional Center when your family income changes so your cost participation amount may be
  • Notify the Regional Center when the size of your family changes as this may affect the amount of your cost
  • Pay your cost participation amount directly to the Respite, Day Care, and/or Camping service

Family Cost Participation Assessment:
Your family cost participation is the amount you must pay for services. The family cost participation is figured on a sliding scale from ten (10) percent to 100 percent, based on the number of persons living in the family home and your family’s income. Your family’s income must be at 400 percent or more of the Federal Poverty Level Guidelines. Please see the attached Family Cost Participation Assessment Schedule for more information.

You have 30 days from the date you are notified of your cost participation amount to ask for a review of the rate. As allowed by California Code of Regulations Section 50265, the Regional Center’s Executive Director may adjust the level of cost participation.

Respite, Inc. does not participate in the FCPP direct agency pay. The hours per month authorized by TCRC after an FPCC assessment are the hours Respite, Inc. can pay a worker. Any care of an eligible client exceeding the authorized number of hours becomes private pay childcare (not respite) between the family and the provider.