Report 2014-118 Recommendation Responses
Report 2014-118: California Department of Developmental Services: Its Process for Assessing Fees Paid by Parents of Children Living in Residential Facilities Is Woefully Inefficient and Inconsistent (Release Date: January 2015)
Recommendation for Legislative Action
To help ensure that fees under Developmental Services' Parental Fee Program are fair, the Legislature should require that the department's initial fee assessments, redeterminations, and its appeal-related evaluations be based upon the same information, and should require that parents have the opportunity to challenge Developmental Services' previous calculations for accuracy and completeness on appeal, and that any adjusted fee should be based on the approved fee schedule and not simply on the judgment of department staff. Before enacting this legislation, state lawmakers should verify that Developmental Services has reviewed and revised its initial fee assessment and redetermination process to clarify what expenses will be considered when determining whether parents qualify for fee reductions.
Description of Legislative Action
AB 564 (Chapter 500, Statutes of 2015), effective July 1, 2016: 1) calculates monthly parental fees based on a percentage of the parents' annual income and authorizes a credit of the equivalent of one day of the monthly parental fee for each day a child spends six or more consecutive hours in a 24-hour period on a home visit; 2) prohibits a monthly parental fee from exceeding the maximum monthly cost of caring for a child or the cost of services provided, whichever is less; and 3) requires, for parents of children placed in 24-hour out-of-home care prior to July 1, 2016, the monthly parental fee to be calculated at the time of the parents' annual fee recalculation or within 60 days of a parental request for review by the department and receipt of the family's completed family financial statement.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: March 2016
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Legislation Enacted
Description of Legislative Action
Assembly Bill 564 (Chapter 500, Statutes of 2015), effective July 1, 2016, calculates the monthly parental fee based on a percentage of the parents' annual income and authorizes a credit of the equivalent of one day of the monthly parental fee for each day a child spends six or more consecutive hours in a 24-hour period on a home visit. Appeals of a parental fee may be made only to dispute the family income used and the denial or amount of credit. Further, for parents of children placed in 24-hour out-of-home care prior to July 1, 2016, the monthly parental fee is required to be calculated at the time of the parents' annual fee recalculation or with 60 days of a parental request for review by the Department of Developmental Services and receipt of the family's completed family financial statement.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: January 2016