AB 2510: Dental care for people with developmental disabilities.

Session Year: 2023-2024
House: Assembly

Current Status:

Failed

(2024-05-16: In committee: Held under submission.)

Introduced

First Committee Review

First Chamber

Second Committee Review

Second Chamber

Enacted

Version:

Existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, requires the State Department of Developmental Services to contract with regional centers to provide services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities disabilities, including intellectual disabilities and other conditions, and their families. Under existing law, the regional centers purchase needed services and supports for individuals with developmental disabilities through approved service providers, or arrange for their provision through other publicly funded agencies. The services and supports to be provided to a regional center consumer are contained in an individual program plan (IPP), which is developed by the planning team according to specified procedures. Existing

Existing law defines services and supports for persons with developmental disabilities to mean specialized services and supports or special adaptations of generic services and supports directed toward the alleviation of a developmental disability or toward the social, personal, physical, or economic habilitation or rehabilitation of an individual with a developmental disability, or toward the achievement and maintenance of an independent, productive, and normal life. Under existing law, specialized medical and dental care are included within that definition. Under existing law, the determination of which services and supports are necessary for each consumer are made through the IPP process.

This bill would require the State Department of Developmental Services to contract with California Northstate University (CNU), no later than _____, to establish a statewide program centered in the states regional centers, to improve the provision of dental care services to people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and specifically to prevent or reduce the need for developmental services consumers to receive dental treatment using sedation and general anesthesia. The bill would require the program to establish an Oral Health for People with Disabilities Technical Assistance Center, headquartered at CNU. The

This bill would require the department, by July 1, 2026, to enter into a contract with a dental school or college in the state that meets certain criteria relating to public status, accreditation, and a demonstrated record of working with regional centers, for the purpose of establishing a statewide program centered in the states regional centers. The bill would require that the contract expire on June 30, 2031. Under the bill, the program would be established to improve the provision of dental care services to people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and specifically to prevent or reduce the need for developmental services consumers to receive dental treatment using sedation and general anesthesia.

The bill would require the dental school or college to establish an Oral Health for People with Disabilities Technical Assistance Center. The bill would require the center, among other responsibilities, to provide practical experience, systems development, and expertise in relevant subject areas, to train, monitor, and provide support for regional center and oral health personnel, and to collect and analyze program data with the support of participating regional centers and oral health providers. The bill would require the department to submit an annual report of the collected data to the Legislature. The bill also would specify regional center duties, including identifying consumers who can benefit from the program, and establishing vendor agreements with interested oral health professionals. Duties

Under the bill, duties of the department would include providing guidance and establishing protocols to support the program, and establish establishing procedures for regional center directors for participation in the program and allowing aggregation and publication by the center of deidentified results data, as specified.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute to facilitate timely, safe, and adequate dental care for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Discussed in Hearing