Golden Gate Regional Center (GGRC)
Golden Gate Regional Center (GGRC) is one of 21 private, nonprofit organizations contracted by the State of California to coordinate with developmental disabilities services and families. GGRC serves people who lives in San Francisco, Marin, or San Mateo counties.
In California, the regional system was created to assist persons with developmental disabilities and their families in locating and developing services that meet their needs. Regional Centers also offer Early Start services for infants from birth through thirty-six months of age.
Who is eligible for Early Start Services?
Under the Early Start Program an infant or toddler is eligible for early intervention services through the regional center if the individual is between birth up to thirty-six months of age and meet one of the following criteria:
- Is an infant or toddler (up to 36 months of age) who has a development delay?
- Is infant to toddler (up to 36 months of age) for whom there are established risk conditions that could lead to a development delay?
- Is an infant or toddler (up to 36 months of age) at high risk of having a development disability due to a combination of biomedical factors?
Who is Eligible for Lanterman Services?
According to the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Service Act, a person is eligible for regional center services if individual has a disability which meets all the following categories:
- The disability is due to intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, or conditions found to be closely related to intellectual disability or to require treatment like that required for individuals with intellectual disability, but no include other conditions that are solely physical in nature.
- The disability began before the age of 18.
- The disability is likely to continue indefinitely.
- The disability is substantially disabling for the individual.
Regional Center Services
By law, GGRC can only purchase services and support that are necessary for the accomplishment of a goal (or goals) established in an individual's Individual Program Plan (IPP) or a family's Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). The types of services and supports that may be purchased include:
· In-home respite
· Out-of-home respite
· Residential care
· Parent training and behavior modification services
· Adult day services
· Transportation
· Adaptive equipment
· Supported living services
· Infant early intervention services
In purchasing these or any other services or supports, GGRC is required to:
· Identify the service or support (as mentioned above) in an individual's IPP or a family's IFSP.
· Verify that no other public or private monies are available to purchase the service or support.
· Verify that the budget provided to the agency by the Department of Development Service (DDS) is sufficient to meet the cost of the service or support.
· Authorize purchase of the service or support in writing prior to its actual purchase
· Purchase the service or support from an authorized regional center.
In addition to the above, the cost of certain regional center services and support (respite, for example) may be shared with the family for whom the service or support is being purchased.
