§ 4418.25 (operative October 1, 2026)

(a) The department shall establish policies and procedures for the development of an annual community resource development plan in coordination with regional centers. In accordance with Section 4679, the department’s policies and procedures shall address statewide priorities, plan requirements, the development of community resources, services, and supports for individuals transitioning from restrictive settings as described in subdivision (c), and the need for services and supports of individuals living in the community.

(b) (1) To reduce reliance on state-operated mental health facilities, including institutions for mental disease, as described in Part 5 (commencing with Section 5900) of Division 5, for which federal funding is not available, and out-of-state placements, the department shall establish a statewide specialized resource service that does all of the following:

(A) Tracks the availability of specialty residential beds and services.

(B) Tracks the availability of specialty clinical services.

(C) Coordinates the need for specialty services and supports in conjunction with regional centers.

(D) Identifies, subject to federal reimbursement, services, supports, mental health services and supports, and residential options, including, but not limited to, supported living services, family home agencies, family teaching homes, and independent living services, that can be made available to individuals residing in the community, when no other community resource has been identified or is available.

(2) Regional centers shall provide the department with information about all specialty resources developed with the use of community resource development plan funds and shall make these resources available to other regional centers.

(c) (1) The community resource development plan shall provide for dedicated funding for comprehensive assessments of individuals transitioning from restrictive settings, including Porterville Developmental Center, Canyon Springs Community Facility, and institutions for mental disease, and for identified costs of moving individuals to the community.

(2) An assessment shall include input from the regional center, the individual, and, if appropriate, the individual’s family, legal guardian, conservator, or authorized representative, and shall identify the types of community-based services, supports, mental health services and supports, and residential options, including, but not limited to, supported living services, family home agencies, family teaching homes, and independent living services, available to the individual that would enable the individual to move to a community setting.

(d) An assessment completed pursuant to the requirements of this section, including any updates, shall be provided to all of the following:

(1) The individual program planning team and clients’ rights advocate for the regional center or state-operated facility.

(2) For individuals with court commitments for placement, to the superior court with jurisdiction over the individual’s placement, including the individual’s attorney of record and other parties known to the regional center. For judicial proceedings pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 6500) of Chapter 2 of Part 2 of Division 6, the comprehensive assessment shall be included in the regional center’s written report required by Section 6504.5. For all other proceedings, the regional center shall provide the comprehensive assessment to the court and parties to the case at least 14 days in advance of regularly scheduled judicial review. This clause shall not apply to individuals committed pursuant to Section 1370.1 of the Penal Code.

(3) For individuals residing at a state-operated facility, the clients’ rights advocate for that facility as described in Sections 4433 and 4433.5.

(e) A regional center shall provide at least 30 days’ notice of any individual program plan meeting that will include discussion of an individual’s comprehensive assessment, or any updates to that assessment, to the clients’ rights advocates for that regional center and for any other applicable state-operated facility. Notice shall be provided as soon as practicable following the completion of the comprehensive assessment or update and include the time, date, and location of the meeting. A clients’ rights advocate may participate in the meeting unless the individual objects on their own behalf.

(f) Funding allocated to a regional center for purposes of developing a community resource development plan pursuant to this section shall be subject to Section 4679 and the regional center contract.

(g) (1) By no later than April 1 of each year, the department shall update the Legislature on the department’s efforts to serve individuals with complex service needs, following the application of deidentification guidelines for privacy protection. The update shall include, but not be limited to, information regarding all of the following:

(A) Progress in reducing reliance on mental health facilities ineligible for federal Medicaid funding, institutions for mental disease, and out-of-state placements, including information on the utilization of those facilities. The department shall include, by regional center, all of the following information, appropriately deidentified to protect the privacy of individuals, for these facilities:

(i) The age, race, and ethnicity of individuals placed in the facilities described in subparagraph (A) and the total number of placements.

(ii) The total number of admissions.

(iii) The reasons for admission by category, including, but not limited to, incompetent-to-stand-trial commitments, commitments made pursuant to Section 6500, crisis stabilization, and the lack of appropriate community placement.

(iv) The lengths of stay of individuals.

(v) The types of facilities.

(vi) The funding source for the placements.

(B) Information on the utilization of facilities serving individuals with complex service needs that utilize delayed egress devices and secured perimeters pursuant to Section 1267.75 or 1531.15 of the Health and Safety Code, including the number of admissions, reasons for admission, and the lengths of stay of individuals, including those individuals who have transitioned to less restrictive living arrangements during the prior year.

(2) The department shall publish the update on its internet website.

(h) This section, or any changes made to this section after October 1, 2026, shall not be deemed to alter or waive any department or regional center agreement, promissory note, deed of trust, letter, approval or other documents that concern community placement plan programs or community resource development plan programs or related funding that were or are in effect or pending as of October 1, 2026.

(i) This section shall become operative on October 1, 2026.

(Repealed (in Sec. 1) and added by Stats. 2026, Ch. 253, Sec. 2. (AB 175) Effective September 18, 2026. Operative October 1, 2026, by its own provisions.)