Joining the Self-Determination Program is a big, empowering step — and like any new process, it's easier when you know what's coming. This guide walks 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.
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. Attending doesn't commit you to anything.
Once you choose to participate, you'll go through a person-centered planning 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.
Don't rush this step. What lands in your plan is what your budget gets built around.
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.
This is worth understanding, because it's where people are most often surprised. If you were authorized for services you didn't fully use, your budget may come in lower than you expected. Ask your service coordinator to walk you through the numbers, and ask questions if something looks wrong.
With a budget in hand, you'll create a spending plan laying out the specific services and supports you intend to purchase, how often, and what each will cost. A few rules govern it:
Your regional center certifies the plan against these rules before services begin.
Every SDP participant is required to use a Financial Management Service (FMS). The FMS pays your providers, tracks your spending against your approved plan, keeps the records, and handles the billing.
You'll also choose a model, which determines how much of the employer role you take on:
Ask any FMS you're considering which models they actually offer today. TrueCare currently offers Bill Payer, with Co-Employer and Sole Employer coming soon.
With your FMS chosen, you'll complete onboarding: setting up your account, registering the providers you've chosen, and submitting documents. Your providers register too — and depending on what they do, they may need a business license, a professional licence, or a DDS background check before they can be paid. Start this early; it's the step that most often delays a first payment.
At TrueCare, our onboarding portal keeps it in one place: you complete tasks, upload documents, and track progress without wondering where things stand.
Once you're onboarded, your services can begin. From there your provider invoices, you approve, we check it against your spending plan, and we pay — while you get statements showing exactly where your budget stands.
Three things, most often:
Getting started with us takes four steps: fill out our interest form, book a consultation, complete onboarding through our portal, and let us handle the money. We're with you from your very first question to every payment issued — and when you call, a person answers.
Take the stress out of managing your services. You choose your providers; we handle the bills, the budget, and the paperwork—so you can focus on what matters most.
