Thank you for your interest in serving people with developmental disabilities in West Los Angeles!

Westside Regional Center (WRC) partners with hundreds of service providers – also known as “vendors” – to ensure that services and supports meet the needs of people with developmental disabilities to live safely and with dignity in our community.

This section provides information and requirements for those interested in becoming authorized to provide services (becoming “vendored”) to WRC individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

Vendorization is the process by which Regional Centers approve an entity to provide services to individuals served by the Regional Center. This process is to identify, select, and utilize service providers based on the qualifications and other requirements necessary in order to provide the services. The vendorization process allows regional centers to verify, prior to the provision of services to the individuals that we serve, that an applicant meets all of the requirements and standards specified in regulations. Applicants who meet the specified requirements and standards, and who complete the vendorization process are assigned a unique vendor identification number and service code.

Since there are 21 Regional Centers in California, each Regional Center is a non-profit agency that contracts with the State of California to provide assessment, case management, and purchase services for people with developmental disabilities.  Each Regional Center is responsible for a defined geographic area.  Westside Regional Center (WRC) provides services in the West Los Angeles area.  Regional Centers may only vendor service providers in the Regional Center’s designated area.

For more information about the process of vendorization, the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) has a designated page on their website with an overview and important links for prospective service providers. To view this page, please click here. 

The State of California establishes rates for community-based day programs, infant development programs, independent living services, work activity programs, supported employment, and respite agencies after completion of vendorization. After a rate is set, the regional center Service Coordinator (also referred to as “counselor”) must initiate a written authorization for funds between the regional center and the Service Provider. If the Service Provider initiates services for a client before an approved authorization is received, the regional center cannot provide payment for that service.

Governing Statutes and Regulations for the Title 17 Regulations for Vendorization from the California Department of Developmental Services can be found here.

Camping, Social Recreation, and Other Services

Effective July 1, 2021, Welfare & Institutions Code section 4648.5 restored regional center authority to fund camping, social recreation activities, educational services for children 3-17, and non-medical therapies such as specialized recreation, art, dance, and music.

WRC is committed to seeking and developing resources that are inclusive, accessible, and available to individuals supported by WRC that are in their own communities, in their own language, and that will support the needs and wants of those who participate. WRC is actively engaging with our community to identify resources for these restored services and vendoring providers to begin offering services to our families.

Westside Regional Center is accepting Letters of Interest (LOI) to consider for vendorization for the following services:

• Camps and Camping Services
• Social Recreation
• Education Services for children 3-17
• Nonmedical therapies such as specialized recreation, art, dance, and music

*Please note that these submissions are not eligible for start-up funding.

Please submit the following 4 documents:

1. Letter of interest
2. Resume(s) for the administration and staff providing services for non-medical therapies
3. A completed DS 1891 form (Applicant/Vendor Disclosure Statement)
4. Brief service description or brochure/program information

Letters of Interest will be reviewed by the Community Services Department and if eligible, may move forward to the next stage of development. Please ensure your letter includes your service location address, business address, best contact information including phone and email address. If you’re interested in becoming a vendor, our team will request documents including your business license, commercial and liability insurances, and a vendor packet as applicable. We look forward to working with you should you decide to explore our vendorization process.

All Letters of Interest and required documents must be submitted electronically to RestoredServices@WestsideRC.org.

Social Recreation Services Webinar

April 14, 2022

2:00 PM

ARCA is pleased to announce the upcoming Social Recreation Services Webinar (with ASL/Spanish interpretation). CLICK HERE to download the flyer for more details.

The webinar is open to all regional center staff, service providers, and potential service providers. The intention of the webinar is to provide current and prospective service providers with information about the restoration of social recreation services in hopes of expanding existing social recreation resources statewide.

Opportunities, if any, are listed below. Please note that these listings are NOT employment positions for Westside Regional Center. These opportunities are for the consideration of currently vendored regional center service providers or for new applicants who meet the qualifications and complete the process requirements under Title 17. Please pay special attention to the contact person listed for each posting. All inquiries should be directed to the person specified.

In addition to the State of California-Department of Developmental Services Vendorization guidelines, each opportunity will have additional requirements listed under Title 17 for the specific service that you are applying to provide. To learn more about these requirements, please visit dds.ca.gov. Please make sure to read each listing carefully to determine the additional Title 17 category of service you must follow.

Opportunities, if any, are listed below. Please note that these opportunities are NOT Westside Regional Center employment positions and are only for the duration of the specific grant funding for which the contractor is needed.

Please pay special attention to the contact person listed for each posting. Each opportunity is supported by a specific grant; therefore the contact person may vary. All inquiries should be directed to the person specified.