If you or a loved one receives services through a California Regional Center, you have likely heard terms like “respite care,” “day care,” “adult day programs,” and “personal assistance” — sometimes used interchangeably, even though they are four distinct services with different purposes, eligibility triggers, and rules about who can provide them.
This post breaks down each one clearly so you can advocate effectively for the services that match your actual situation.
A note on baseline eligibility
All four services covered here are available only to individuals who are already eligible for Regional Center services under California's Lanterman Act.
To qualify, a person must have a developmental disability — such as autism, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, or epilepsy — that originated before age 18, is expected to continue indefinitely, and causes significant functional limitations in three or more major life areas (such as self-care, communication, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living, or economic self-sufficiency). Eligibility is determined through assessment by the Regional Center.
Respite Care
What It Is
Respite care provides non-medical care and supervision for a person with a developmental disability so that their primary unpaid caregiver — usually a family member — can take a break. It can be provided in the family home (in-home respite) or in a licensed residential facility (out-of-home respite). The service is not about the consumer’s skill development or daily task support. It is specifically designed to relieve the caregiver.
Who Is Eligible
The consumer must be a Regional Center client who lives with and is primarily cared for by an unpaid family caregiver. Because the service exists to give that caregiver relief, the presence of an active informal caregiver carrying the primary load is central to eligibility. The number of hours authorized varies based on the individual’s needs and is documented in their Individual Program Plan (IPP).
Who Can Be the Provider
Respite can be delivered by a vendored agency or, with proper setup, by a family member or trusted friend the family chooses. A parent or spouse is generally not permitted to be paid as the respite provider. A family member who wants to be paid must become a “Family Member Vendor” with the Regional Center, which involves completing a Home and Community-Based Services Provider Agreement and submitting billing using the Respite Services Billing Form DS 1811. Agency providers must be vendored with the Regional Center, comply with Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations, and obtain a Home Care Organization license from the California Department of Social Services if they employ home care aides.
Day Care (Specialized Child Care)
What It Is
This is not the same as an adult day program (covered in the next section). Day care, in the Regional Center context, refers to specialized supervision and care for children with developmental disabilities when their parent or parents are working or enrolled in education or job training. It fills the gap between what a typical child care setting can handle and what the child with a disability actually needs.
Who Is Eligible
The child must be a Regional Center consumer whose care and supervision needs exceed what a typical child of the same age requires — meaning the child cannot be safely or appropriately served in a standard community child care setting. Critically, the Regional Center generally funds only the portion of the cost that exceeds what a comparable child care placement would cost for a non-disabled child. The parents must be employed, in school, or in qualifying job training. This is not a standalone support service; it fills a specific gap tied to parental work or education obligations.
Who Can Be the Provider
Day care is delivered by licensed child care programs or vendored providers capable of meeting the child’s specific support needs. Unlike respite, this is generally an organizational service — families cannot simply hire a relative to fill this role under this service category. The service must be provided through a setting that is vendored or approved by the Regional Center.
Adult Day Programs
What It Is
Adult day programs are community-based programs for adult consumers that focus on skill development, socialization, and structured daytime activity. Programs vary widely — some focus on community integration, employment preparation, creative arts, or health care. They typically operate Monday through Friday for around six hours a day, with staffing ratios that vary depending on the program and the consumers it serves. This is a habilitation service, meaning its goal is to help the individual grow, maintain skills, and participate in community life — not simply to provide supervision.
Who Is Eligible
Adult consumers who are Regional Center clients and for whom an adult day program is identified as appropriate in their IPP. The specific program selected should align with the individual’s personal goals. The consumer’s Service Coordinator assists in identifying and matching the right program.
Who Can Be the Provider
Adult day programs must be vendored by a Regional Center, meet applicable licensing standards, and comply with local government requirements. This is an organizational service. Individual family members do not serve as the provider for this service category.
Personal Assistance
What It Is
Personal assistance (PA) services help a consumer perform daily living tasks they would otherwise be unable to do because of their disability — things like bathing, grooming, dressing, toileting, meal preparation, and feeding. Unlike respite, PA is not about giving a caregiver a break. It is about directly supporting the consumer’s functioning throughout the day.
Who Is Eligible
This is where eligibility gets nuanced and where families often run into confusion. California Regional Centers are required by the Lanterman Act to treat IHSS (In-Home Supportive Services) as a “generic resource” — meaning they must look to IHSS first before funding the same services with Regional Center dollars. If IHSS already covers the personal assistance tasks a consumer needs, the Regional Center may deny Regional Center-funded PA on the grounds that the service would be duplicative.
Regional Center PA funding is generally only authorized when IHSS is insufficient, unavailable, or does not cover a specific need. If you are denied Regional Center PA services and you are also receiving IHSS, this is likely the reason. The key question is whether there is an unmet need that IHSS does not address.
Who Can Be the Provider
As of September 2022, personal assistance was added to California’s Participant-Directed Services list, meaning adult consumers — or families of minors — can now hire and direct their own personal assistance provider rather than going through an agency. A Financial Management Service (FMS) handles payroll and compliance in that model. Providers must still meet Title 17 screening requirements. As with respite, a parent is generally not permitted to be paid as the personal assistance provider for their own minor child, as the Regional Center typically views this as a standard parental responsibility. There are known exceptions depending on the regional center.
Important notice
The information in this post reflects the statewide regulatory framework established by California's Lanterman Act and Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations. However, each of California's 21 Regional Centers has some degree of discretion in how it applies these rules.
What gets funded, how many hours are authorized, and which providers are approved can vary from one Regional Center to another and from one Individual Program Plan to another.
This post is intended for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. For guidance specific to your situation, speak directly with your Regional Center Service Coordinator or consult a disability rights advocate.
Post updated: June 3, 2026
