Getting Started in the Self-Determination Program: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Joining the Self-Determination Program is a big, empowering step—and like any new process, it's easier when you know what to expect. This guide walks through the main stages, from your first orientation to the day your services begin.

Every Regional Center handles some details a little differently, so always confirm specifics with your service coordinator. But in general, here's the path most participants follow.

Step 1: Attend an orientation

The journey usually begins with an SDP orientation offered through your Regional Center. Orientation explains how the program works, what self-direction involves, and the responsibilities that come with it.

Step 2: Create your person-centered plan

Once you choose to participate, you'll go through a person-centered planning (PCP) process. Your plan describes what's important to you and for you—your goals, your preferences, and the services and supports that will help you live the life you want. You can lead this yourself, with family, or with help from an independent facilitator.

Step 3: Develop your individual budget

Next comes your individual budget—the amount of funding you'll direct. In most cases, the starting point is the actual cost of the services you used through the Regional Center over the previous 12 months, not simply what was authorized on paper.

Step 4: Build and certify your spending plan

With a budget in hand, you'll create a spending plan that lays out the specific services and supports you intend to purchase, how often, and what each will cost. A few key rules:

  • Your spending plan total cannot exceed your individual budget.
  • The Regional Center certifies the plan to confirm the services address your goals, are eligible for federal funding, and aren't duplicating generic services already available elsewhere.

Step 5: Choose your Financial Management Service

Because every SDP participant is required to use a Financial Management Service (FMS), you'll select the FMS that will handle your payroll, taxes, vendor payments, and recordkeeping—and decide which model fits how involved you want to be as an employer.

Step 6: Get onboarded

With your FMS chosen, you'll complete onboarding: setting up your account, enrolling your workers and providers, and submitting documents. At TrueCare FMS, our dedicated onboarding portal makes this simple—you complete tasks, upload documents, and track progress in one place.

Step 7: Begin your services

Once you're onboarded, you can begin using your self-directed services right away. From there, your FMS takes care of billing, payments, taxes, and administrative tasks so you can focus on your goals.

A simpler way to start with TrueCare

Getting started with TrueCare FMS follows four easy steps: fill out our interest form, book a consultation to choose your model, complete onboarding through our portal, and let us handle the rest. We're with you from your very first question to every paycheck issued.