2023-01-25 SGPRC Board Meeting (Full Video)
Channel: Aligra, Inc.
Date: 2023-02-13

We have been advised by the First Amendment Coalition (www.FirstAmendmentCoalition.org) that this video recording may be posted for public review in accordance with the Bagley-Keene Act.

Parent Advocate Carl Argila chastised the San Gabriel Pomona Regional Center Board of Directors during public comments for not previously mentioning the active class action lawsuit against them alleging failures to serve deaf clients. He asked the board to provide monthly updates on the matter.  

Argila followed up previous requests for San Gabriel Pomona Regional Center Executive Director Jason Weller to terminate the regional center’s conservatorship over his son. Argila initiated this request in 2021, before Weller’s hiring in 2022, and expressed disappointment toward Weller’s inability to follow up on that, as well as the request to rescind the previous executive director’s notice of action to refuse the hiring of a deaf-service coordinator. Weller acknowledged the comments and said he will make note of them. 

Regarding the overall state of the Self Determination Program, Weller said the regional centers have done a good job enrolling people into SDP, “but in the statewide discussions, the numbers still seem on the lower side.” 

“The regional center addressed the big policy change in the form of centralization,” said Daniela Santana about SGPRC’s covid-hindered program with 98 current enrollees. “We took that model from [the East Los Angeles Regional Center],” and that “several [regional centers] are choosing to centralize, and everybody is just trying to make things better, quite frankly. We have definitely improved. You see it with the numbers. But the fact of the matter is we continue to struggle for various reasons. Some of them include the fact that our [Financial Management Services] are lacking. We’ve lost some.”

Jeanette Cabrerea hopes enrollments increase as current barriers weaken through increased training methods. The SDP pilot program received 850 inquiries for enrollment prior to the pandemic. 

“They are understaffed,” Cabrerea said. “This causes delays in transitioning participants into SDP. This also causes delays in hiring SDP participant provides,” and “participants are having a difficult time acclimating to their role as the SDP employer. Also, some of our participants are challenged by not having a device available to them, or not having the skill level to download certain documents. They’re not able to utilize DocuSign. All these create barriers in transitioning individuals. Because of these barriers you may see the numbers drop. Previously we were enrolling anywhere from five to ten individuals per month, and now we might see that drop until we can adjust and support our FMS providers.”

Cabrerea said training FMS funds will be used to create training opportunities, such as a session on Feb 27, a waiting room that serves as a support group for SDP participants, a future technology training session, and instructional videos.

Susan Stroebel said families at a recent neurology clinic said they themselves are best qualified to write the plans and needed training to be able to do so. 
Dara Mikesell, SGPRC Chief Financial Officer, reported $14 million in 2023 expenditures with $30 million remaining, and that 60 new service coordinators will be hired this year in order to decrease caseloads.  

Luisa Garza, SGPRC Director of Client Services, said the signed policy from 2005 requiring vendors to be insured for items like commercial liability, workers comp, and sexual abuse cannot be found, and requested an updated version of the policy be signed and available.  Weller asked to make sure the policy is as modernized as possible prior to committee presentations. 

The Coordinated Family Support program now requires service provision to include language appropriateness and cultural awareness, said Wendy Lai during the Advisory Committee for Individuals Served report.  Lai also shared that appeal processes must also include language appropriateness and cultural awareness.   

The inability for vendors to hire new qualified employees persists despite statewide efforts to promote working for individuals with disabilities. The new group of young adults expected to transition from public education to adult services in May could be impacted by a waiting list for services. 

“It is a scary situation for vendors who can’t find employees,” Stroebel said, repeating concerns from her December report. “The good news is there is some really excellent training available to vendors,” through grants, but that “the attendance isn’t what we were hoping for.”  

Board of Directors President Gisele Ragusa agreed with the recommendation to reach out to younger populations in high schools and community colleges, and said she will help with coordinated efforts to promote and create jobs fairs.