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AB 617

Developmental services: personal care or assistance and in-home respite services.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Tina McKinnor

AB 617 requires vendored developmental‑services providers to be licensed as home care organizations and workers to be on the home care aide registry.

In committee: Held under submission.
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Bill Summary · AB 617

AB 617 (McKinnor) — Summary (Introduced Feb 13, 2025; Held under submission)

Purpose

AB 617 amends California law to (1) close a regulatory gap that has exempted certain regional-center–vendored providers of personal care/personal assistance and in‑home respite from home‑care licensing and registry requirements, and (2) strengthen the Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) / No Wrong Door system by creating a statewide respite referral registry and a consumer‑directed employer program for Medi‑Cal consumers.

Key provisions

  • Home care licensure and registry

    • Requires that, prior to providing personal care or personal assistance services or in‑home respite to consumers served under the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act (Lanterman Act), any organization vendored or contracted through a regional center or the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to provide those specific services must:
    • Be licensed as a home care organization under the Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act (administered by the Department of Social Services); and
    • Ensure that individuals they employ to deliver those services are listed on the home care aide registry (as specified).
    • Removes the narrow exemption that previously allowed many vendored/contracted developmental‑services providers (when >50% of their home‑care recipients were persons with developmental disabilities) to fall outside home‑care licensure — but preserves other existing exemptions unrelated to personal care/respiteservices.
    • Notes that violations are treated as misdemeanors, thereby expanding the scope of an existing criminal provision.

  • No Wrong Door / ADRC changes

    • Clarifies that the Aging and Disability Resource Connection Advisory Committee must use the staff of the California Department of Aging.
    • Requires the No Wrong Door System, no later than December 31, 2027, to:
    • Establish a statewide respite referral registry that connects Medi‑Cal consumers with culturally competent, prescreened respite providers; and
    • Create and implement a consumer‑directed employer program to assist operation of that statewide respite referral system.

Who is affected

  • Regional centers and organizations vendored/contracted by DDS to provide personal care, personal assistance, or in‑home respite services.
  • Individual care workers employed by those organizations (must be on the home care aide registry).
  • Medi‑Cal consumers seeking respite and their caregivers (access to a statewide prescreened respite registry).
  • State agencies: Department of Social Services (licensure/registry oversight), Department of Developmental Services, California Department of Aging (ADRC / No Wrong Door implementation).

Potential impacts

  • Compliance costs and administrative burden for vendored/contracted organizations to obtain home care organization licensure and to ensure staff registry listing.
  • Greater regulatory oversight of in‑home supports for persons with developmental disabilities; potential enforcement risk because noncompliance may be a misdemeanor.
  • Improved statewide access to vetted respite providers for Medi‑Cal consumers and a new consumer‑directed employer mechanism intended to support family caregivers and consumer choice.

Fiscal / procedural notes

  • Referred to fiscal review (filed with fiscal committee); no appropriation is attached.
  • The bill text amends Health and Safety Code section 1796.14.
  • The bill is recorded as imposing a state‑mandated local program by expanding misdemeanor scope, but includes language that no state reimbursement is required for a specified reason.
  • Legislative status (selected): introduced Feb 13, 2025; multiple committee referrals and amendments; most recent action — Assembly Human Services committee: held under submission (May 23, 2025).

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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