Yearly Plan Renewal
What Happens Each Year
Once you’re enrolled in SDP, your plan is reviewed and renewed once a year. Renewal makes sure your supports still match your needs, your Spending Plan is working, and your budget reflects any changes in your life. Renewal generally involves four connected meetings or reviews, generally in this order:
1. Annual Person-Centered Plan (PCP) Meeting (Optional, but recommended)
This meeting revisits your strengths, needs, and goals for the year ahead. It typically covers:
- Updates to your communication, safety, sensory, medical, or behavioral needs
- New or changed daily routines
- Cultural or family expectations
- New supports you may need for the coming year
Who usually attends: you, your family or caregivers (optional), your Independent Facilitator, and your Regional Center Service Coordinator or Social Worker.
2. Annual Individual Program Plan (IPP) Meeting
At this meeting, your Service Coordinator documents your goals and support needs in your official Regional Center record. It should match your updated PCP — if something is missing, you can ask for it to be corrected.
- Review of PCP goals and supports
- Agreements about services for the coming year
- Confirmation of everyone’s roles
- Discussion of your current budget status
3. Annual Budget Renewal Meeting (Recommended)
This step may happen in a meeting or through an email. Your Regional Center prepares a calculation of your Individual Budget for the next 12 months.
- They should consider a review of last year’s services and spending.
- Any changes in your needs or routines
- Health and safety updates
- Confirmation of IHSS, insurance, school-first, staffing level, and behavioral services requirements
- Updated approved rates for traditional services in the year ahead
Your renewed budget is generally based on the amount that would have been authorized for your services if you weren’t in SDP, adjusted for any changes in your needs, circumstances, or resources. A Budget Certification Tool from the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) helps most Regional Centers calculate this amount. For the Budget Certification Tool, please view the “Budget Tools” tab on the DDS SDP Resources and Tools page.
If You Disagree with Your Renewed Budget
If you don’t agree with the budget total your Regional Center offers, you have the right to request a fair hearing before an administrative law judge under the Lanterman Act. During the hearing, you can contest the proposed amount and work to negotiate a budget that better fits your current needs.
4. Development of Your Spending Plan
After you have agreed to your new annual budget, you need to develop your spending plan for the next year. Your Independent Facilitator usually assists with this step. You should:
- Review of each service line item
- Confirm the hours of support needed, provider type, and cost
- Making sure each item connects to a PCP goal
- Confirm that cultural, sensory, or communication needs are addressed
You submit your spending plan to your regional center.
The Regional Center will review it to make sure that all the government regulations about the program are being followed.
After the Regional Center staff sign the spending plan, their approval is communicated to the FMS along with their authorization for spending according to the spending plan. Each FMS has deadlines for receiving the approval and funding authorizations.
Note that you may need to remind the regional center of your renewal date to ensure that the funds are available to be spent on the first day of your new SDP year.
A Typical Renewal Timeline
Every Regional Center schedules renewal slightly differently, but many families plan on a timeline like this, counting back from your renewal date. This table shows when and what happens during a common timeline.
| When | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 4 months or earlier, before renewal date | IPP / Budget meeting |
| 3 months before renewal date | Final budget confirmed |
| 2 months before renewal date | Spending Plan finalized |
| 1 month before renewal date | FMS loads your new authorized services into their system |
Starting the conversation with your Service Coordinator 3 to 4 months or earlier before your renewal date gives everyone time to meet, gather documents, and avoid a gap in services.
Before the IPP Meeting: Know Your Rights
- You can request an IPP meeting at any time (Welfare & Institutions Code §4646)
- The meeting must reflect your needs, not just available services (WIC §4646.5)
- Services must be provided in the least restrictive environment (WIC §4648)
- You can bring an advocate, attorney, or support person
- You can request a free interpreter
Before the IPP Meeting: Gather Documents
- Copy of your current or most recent IPP
- Notes or summaries from your last IPP meeting
- Any denial letters or notices from your Regional Center, if applicable
- School records, IEP, or transition plan, if applicable
- Medical or diagnostic reports supporting your service needs, if applicable
- Clinician or therapist letters endorsing specific services, if applicable
Before the IPP Meeting: Prepare Your Agenda
- Write down your top 3–5 SDP goals for the next year
- List specific services you’re requesting, with provider names if known
- Note any services that are expiring or need renewal
- Note any concerns, denials, or unresolved issues to raise
- Prepare written talking points or a one-page summary
At the IPP Meeting
- Take notes, or ask permission to record the meeting
- Ask for clarification on anything you don’t understand
- Ask that all agreed services be written into the IPP before you sign
- Ask for a copy of any forms or documents presented
- Ask for timelines for service authorization and provider referrals
After the IPP Meeting
- Don’t sign if the IPP doesn’t reflect what was agreed — you can ask for time to review it
- Review the signed IPP to confirm all agreed services are documented
- Send a follow-up email summarizing what was discussed and agreed
- Keep a copy of the signed IPP somewhere safe
- Follow up if authorizations or provider referrals don’t arrive within 30 days
- If a service is denied, ask for the denial in writing — you have 30 days to request a Fair Hearing
Requesting Changes Mid-Year
You don’t have to wait for your annual renewal if something changes. You can request a budget recertification if your needs shift significantly — for example, a new medical condition, loss of a caregiver, or a new safety need. You can also request a mid-year check-in anytime a worker leaves, your health changes, or your routine shifts in a major way.
See our Change Your Spending Plan page for how to request changes during the year →
Related Links
Move or Leave SDP
Overview
To move or leave the Self-Determination Program (SDP) in California, your action depends on whether you are moving to a new region or completely exiting the program.
If You Are Moving to a New Area
If you are moving within California, your SDP and budget will transfer to the new regional center that serves your new address.
- Notify your Service Coordinator: Tell your current coordinator as soon as possible, ideally 30 to 60 days before the move.
- Transfer your case: Your current regional center will send a transfer packet to the new center. Your Individual Program Plan (IPP) and budget will generally remain in effect at the same level until you meet with the new center to agree on a new plan.
- Moving out of state: SDP and regional center services are not available to non-Californians. You must cease these services if you permanently relocate outside of California.
If You Want to Leave SDP (Return to Traditional Services)
If you are currently in SDP but want to leave it and return to the traditional regional center system:
- Contact your SDP Coordinator: Reach out to your assigned Service Coordinator at your regional center to submit your request.
- Wait period: Once you voluntarily leave the SDP, you can return to the traditional system; however, you cannot return to the SDP for at least 12 months