September is the perfect time to reflect upon Valley Mountain Regional Center’s vision: Life with the power of choice and possibilities. We celebrated so many dedicated people these past few months and welcomed many new leaders into our community with good food, kindness and heart.  

On August 26th, VMRC hosted its 2024 All-Staff Gathering at the Bob Hope Theater in Stockton. The “Reaching for the Stars” event celebrated our dedicated long-serving staff, welcomed new staff and awarded special appreciation for staff who have shined so brightly. I was honored to share remarks about how these extraordinary humans have positively impacted VMRC. Each award recipient also received a beautiful original artwork by James “Kimo” Kamakaalohaama.

In Costa Mesa in August, the Association of Regional Center Agencies (ARCA) bid a fond farewell to Director Nancy Bargmann and Chief Deputy Brian Winfield of the Department of Developmental Services (DDS). We shared our appreciation for all of their years service to people with developmental disabilities and their families to ensure they have the choice and opportunities to lead inclusive lives. We recognized their leadership during the pandemic to prioritize and support all diverse communities, services providers and regional center staff statewide. We are forever grateful for their service, leadership and heart for our 450,000 consumers and families served in California. Nancy and Brian’s positive impact on our system is immeasurable. Mahalo nui loa Nancy & Brian!

In early August, I was delighted to welcome Dominique Mellion, Executive Director of Families United for Equity (F.U.E.) to VMRC. Director Mellion is a long-time service provider from the Bay Area who now serves San Joaquin County. I am grateful for our renewed connection and the opportunity to partner with F.U.E. in the coming months to conduct meaningful outreach and engagement with our African American community. E komo mai (welcome) to F.U.E.!

Gracias to Executive Director Elizabeth Gomez and the Integrated Community Collaborative (ICC) for supporting our first RONDO meet and greet with our Hispanic families and leaders in our Stockton Cohen Board Room. We listened, shared and enjoyed the delicious food and beautiful dancing.  

Acorns to Oak Trees

Tribal engagement is critical to our Native American Community and to our VMRC staff. We learn how to connect in culturally competent ways by listening and engaging respectfully. We appreciate Kyle Cox, Vice Chairman of Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians and VMRC Board Member for inviting our team and Season Goodpasture, Director of Acorns to Oak Trees to his native homelands. The Acorns clinical team traveled the long journey north from Pala Reservation to work with the VMRC team to conduct assessments and to provide educational opportunities for tribal families. It was a day to remember for all of us. We are thankful for Season and Kyle’s leadership to help VMRC reach tribal families.

This past week, I was delighted to be invited to watch the theater production of Sandy Asher’s Too Many Frogs at the Mountain Youth & Community Theater in Sonora – a tiny little theater with so much heart and love in every corner. Amazing actors with developmental disabilities lit up the stage. The sweet tale of Rabbit, Froggie and his great big family remind us that true friendship means giving and being kind to one another. How lucky I was to be photographed with so many talented actors and amazing producers. Bravo! 

Over the past 7 months, I have reconnected with VMRC’s vibrant diverse community of amazing self-advocates, caring families, dedicated staff, services providers, and community-based organizations. Listening and learning from each of you reaffirms my belief that the possibilities are endless when we come together to support people with disabilities to lead meaningful lives of their choosing. --Aloha, Leinani

Community Outreach & Engagement

2023 Cultural & Disability Fair Photos

Valley Mountain Regional Center

California Memorial Project

September 19, 2024

Valley Mountain Region Center staff gathered at the Bob Hope Theater in Stockton to celebrate, connect, and have fun! Over 460 VMRC staff lined the theater to first listen to diverse leaders, parents and caregivers share their unique experiences and inspiring stories. We sincerely thank Leticia and Tommy Florez (Parents and Early Start Speakers), Marisela Cruz (Parent and VMRC Board Member), Pam Chueh (Parent and Chief Equity Officer of Government Operations), Yvette Baptiste (Parent and East LA Family Resource Center), Season Goodpasture (Native Parent and Acorns to Oak Trees Executive Director) for sharing their voice and leadership.

The day was filled with terrific team building games with prizes led by our very own sparkling host Renee Williams’ and the jammin’ music of DJ Edwin Gaspar throughout the day. Wonderful to honor so many staff for their years of dedication and service at VMRC and to introduce new staff just joining us. The Rising Star Awards proved to be a meaningful way to honor staff who have been a sparkling light guiding our work every day. Glad VMRC Board President Alicia Schott joined in the festivities and fun. Thank you to the committee who helped with organizing and making this event happen. I am honored to be part of such a compassionate and dedicated community of people at Valley Mountain.

Children's Services

Meet VMRC’s I.D.E.A. Specialist – Devon Homme 

Devon Homme is VMRC’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I.D.E.A.) Specialist. She has 25 years of experience working with children with disabilities. She is passionate about her work and strives to bring about positive change with staff and community partner training and education, developing programs for Early Start children and empowering families.  

Devon has served as a Supervisor of Special Education, SELPA Director and college educator. Devon is tasked with helping to develop Early Start programs grounded in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles to ensure VMRC’s values of quality programs are evidenced-based. Devon leads multiple trainings for staff and community partners. She serves as the liaison between our agency and eight Special Education Local Planning Areas (SELPAs) and 60 Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to strengthen our collaborative working relationship. Devon holds a Master of Arts in Special Education, Educational Specialist Credential for those with Mild/Moderate Disabilities and Moderate/ Severe Disabilities, Multiple Subject Credential and Administrative Credential. She is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).   

Devon consults on special education cases with case management and also encourages families to ask questions and advocate with your child’s IEP team. If you have special education questions for Devon, you may contact your service coordinator. 

In the last several years, Valley Mountain Regional Center (VMRC) has experienced significant growth in Early Start and Lanterman intake and eligibility referrals. To support this growth, VMRC has prioritized recruitment and increased the number of Intake Coordinators by 8 and added 5 staff to our Lanterman Intake team to improve timelines and experiences for families and individuals applying for services. The two tables illustrate VMRC's intake levels for the month of September. For more information about intake and eligibility, go to:

https://www.vmrc.net/how-to-apply-for-services-2/.

Community Services - HCBS

Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) were developed to offer support to individuals in community settings, as an alternative to institutional care. In 2014, new federal rules were released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), requiring homes and programs to meet new criteria. (DDS Website - HCBS Final Rule) 

Together with the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) and hundreds of our service providers, the VMRC Community Services team has worked to incorporate the values, philosophy, and standards of the HCBS Final Settings Rule which requires service providers to ensure individuals have access to their communities, choice, and autonomy over their lives. It also guarantees individual rights of privacy, dignity, respect, and freedom from coercion and restraint. VMRC conducted 321 residential, day program and group employment service provider onsite compliance evaluations. Each assessment consisted of a four-part process: 

1. An interview with the provider 
2. Interviews with individuals receiving services 
3. Review of policies and procedures; and  
4. Review of the physical site 

Onsite assessments can take more than 3 hours to complete with an average of 1.5 hours of follow up support. Our HCBS team completed 963 hours of onsite evaluations and 401 hours of follow-up support for vendors. Our team enjoyed meeting so many people receiving services in licensed care settings, Family Home Agency homes, day programs and employment programs. It was wonderful to meet individuals who were happy with their community-based services.  

We are thankful to our vendors for their commitment to learning and achieving full compliance with the HCBS Final Rule. I would also like to thank my team: Alondra Villagomez, Shannon Hernandez, Melinda Gonser, Deanna Fantulin, Evan Davis, Katie Murphy, Linda DeLaurenti, Chris Pilsbury, Erick Hernandez, and Wanda Johnson, for their incredible work and support in achieving these milestones for our agency. Our team has also received incredible support from our Community Services Management Team including Robert Fernandez, Katina Richison and Brian Bennett. While this has been incredibly challenging work, the positive impact on the lives of people we serve is invaluable! 



-Anna Sims, Senior Community Services Liaison 

What is Rate Reform?

Rate reform in California’s developmental services system means changing the way the state pays for services. The goal is to make sure that the payment system is fair, supports providing high-quality care, and that it helps people get the services they need. Rate reform work began in 2019 after the Legislature required the delivery of a rate study regarding how services are provided and paid statewide. Rate reform adjustments began in 2021-22 and the 2024-25 Budget Act set the full rate reform implementation date to January 1, 2025.

There are several programs and projects happening at DDS that are part of rate reform, including the Quality Incentive Program (QIP). Through QIP, providers can earn up to 10 percent of their rate based on the quality of the service(s) they provide. The QIP has several different measures, each related to different types of services. Measures are ways to evaluate the quality of services carried out by providers. The following areas for QIP measures were determined through the QIP’s public workgroup process: Prevention and Wellness; Employment; Informed Choice and Satisfaction; Workforce Capacity; Early Intervention; and Service Access.

A foundational measure, called the Provider Directory, has been added to the QIP. The Provider Directory will compile and provide accurate statewide information for the first time about service providers. Participation in the Provider Directory is the only QIP measure that will be used in 2024-25 and 2025-26 for establishing whether a provider will receive the quality incentive portion of the rate model. 

Rate Reform Update:

• Starting Wednesday, September 18, 2024, DDS will release a series of directives to regional centers on rate reform. Online trainings for general rate reform information and service specific areas are being scheduled and will begin at the end of September and continue through October.
• On September 26, 2024 DDS hosted a public general rate reform overview training for regional centers, providers and the public. For more information about upcoming trainings, review the “Meetings” section of the rate reform website. Recordings of the training will be posted on the same website. Office hours for regional centers will become available beginning in October 2024.

Provider Directory Update:

·      The Provider Directory is in the testing and validation phase. Thank you to service providers and regional centers for working with DDS and Protiviti on the now completed data collection and cleanup phase. Between July 15th and August 30th, nearly 28,000 records were collected and cleaned up with contacts made to providers by phone call, email, and nearly 5,000 survey entries.

·      The finalized data is currently being reviewed for upload into the Provider Directory. There is also testing of the portal functions. Once completed, the designated user will receive an invitation email to register for the portal and confirm all the information loaded is accurate. This will be accompanied by a messaging campaign that the Provider Directory is live and to expect the registration email. Once this step is completed, service providers will be eligible for the quality incentive portion of the rate, which is up to 10 percent of the rate model.

Any Questions?

• Rate Reform: ratesquestions@dds.ca.gov
• Quality Incentive Program: QIPquestions@dds.ca.gov
• Provider Directory: providerdirectory@dds.ca.gov.

Clinical Updates

Job Opportunities

VMRC is hiring a

Chief Financial Officer!

For more information, click on the link.

VMRC is hiring a

Director of Human Resources!

For more information, click on the link.

For all VMRC job opportunities Click Here

Self Advocacy Council 6 (SAC6)

State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD)