Short answer: An IPP meeting is the only place where North Los Angeles County Regional Center (NLACRC) officially writes new services into your child's plan. Most parents leave with whatever the service coordinator suggested. The families who get more walk in with a written list of specific services to ask for by name: in-home skill building, respite, behavior services, social-recreation, assessments, supplies. NLACRC has 15 days to respond to a request and must put any denial in writing within 5 days, including how to appeal.
If you are sitting at the kitchen table the night before your IPP meeting wondering what you are supposed to ask for, you are not alone. Most parents in the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita, and Antelope Valley walk into NLACRC the same way: hoping the service coordinator will tell them what their child needs. That order is backwards. The IPP meeting is your meeting. The service coordinator's job is to write down what you ask for and explain why NLACRC will or will not pay for it. If you do not ask, no one will.
This article is the list we wish every parent had on their lap when they walked in.
What is an NLACRC IPP meeting and what gets decided there?
An NLACRC IPP meeting is the formal planning session where you and your service coordinator agree, in writing, on the services your child will receive from the Regional Center for the next year or three. The IPP (Individual Program Plan) is a written agreement. Until you and NLACRC sign it, no service is approved. After you sign it, NLACRC is on the hook to provide what is in it.
The meeting can happen at the NLACRC office in Chatsworth, Santa Clarita, or Lancaster, by video, or in your home. You decide which. You can also invite anyone you want: a partner, your child's grandparent, a friend who is good at notes, an advocate, a current provider. The service coordinator does not get to limit who is in the room.
What are your rights at an NLACRC IPP meeting?
Your rights at an NLACRC IPP meeting are written into California law and apply at every regional center, NLACRC included. The ones that matter most when you are sitting in the meeting:
- You can request an IPP meeting at any time. NLACRC must hold it within 30 days.
- A person who can actually approve or deny services must be in the room. If that person is not there, NLACRC must reschedule within 15 days.
- You do not have to sign the IPP at the meeting. Services do not start until you sign, so review the document before you do.
- If the team cannot reach a decision on a service, you can schedule a follow-up meeting within 15 days, or you can treat the delay as a denial and appeal.
- You can request a different service coordinator. You do not need a reason.
- You get a copy of the signed IPP. Keep it. It is your evidence the service was promised.
The single most useful right, in our experience, is the third one: you do not have to sign at the table. Service coordinators sometimes say "we just need a signature today to get this going." A polite "I'd like a few days to read through it before I sign" is a complete sentence.
What should you actually ask NLACRC for at your IPP meeting?
At your NLACRC IPP meeting, ask about six things by name: in-home skill building, respite, behavior intervention, social-recreation, assessments, and supplies (diapers and transportation). The single biggest reason families leave underserved is they do not know what is on the menu. Below are the categories most families in our caseload either request late or never request, even when their child clearly qualifies. Walk in with this list. Ask about each one out loud. Have the service coordinator note your answer in the IPP, even if it is a "not at this time."
In-home skill building
In-home skill building is one-on-one work in your home, by a credentialed specialist, on the everyday skills your child has not mastered yet: brushing teeth, dressing, following a morning routine, sitting at a meal, transitioning off the iPad. NLACRC funds this in full for eligible families through a vendor agency. Most parents we work with did not know it existed until a friend mentioned it, sometimes years into their case.
Respite, including overnight
Respite is paid time off for the parent. NLACRC funds a set number of respite hours per quarter for eligible families, and many families use less than they qualify for because nobody told them the numbers. Hourly respite covers a babysitter so you can run errands or sleep. Overnight or out-of-home respite covers a weekend. If your IPP currently lists "respite as needed" with no hours specified, request a specific number.
Behavior intervention services
If your child has behaviors that interfere with daily life, like meltdowns at transitions, aggression, self-injury, or severe rigidity, you can request a behavior assessment and ongoing behavior intervention services through NLACRC. School ABA and Regional Center behavior services are different programs. Your child can have both.
Social-recreation services
Social-recreation includes after-school programs, day camps, weekend programs, and structured peer activities for kids on the autism spectrum or with developmental disabilities. California restored regional center funding for social-recreation in 2021, and NLACRC has been adding vendors since. Most families do not know it is available again.
Assessments for communication, independent living, and sensory needs
An assessment is the door to a service. If you suspect your child needs a communication device, ask for an augmentative communication assessment. If you have a teenager, ask for an independent living skills assessment. If sensory issues are driving most of your hard moments, ask for an occupational therapy assessment through NLACRC if school is not addressing it. Assessments are free to you and they create the paper trail that supports future requests.
Diapers, supplies, and transportation
For children over 3 who are not toilet-trained, NLACRC funds diapers and incontinence supplies through a medical-supply vendor. The Regional Center can also fund transportation to therapies, medical appointments, and approved programs when public transit and family transportation are not workable. These are not glamorous services, but they free up the household budget and your time. Both are routinely missed in IPPs.
How do you phrase a request so NLACRC writes it into the IPP?
NLACRC writes a service into the IPP when the request is connected to a specific goal. A vague "we want more help" rarely produces a service line. A specific request tied to a measurable outcome almost always does. The pattern is the same every time:
- Name the problem in your child's life. ("Mornings take 90 minutes and end with everyone in tears.")
- Name the goal you want in the IPP. ("By next IPP, [Child] completes the morning routine in 30 minutes with two prompts or fewer.")
- Name the service that gets you there. ("In-home skill building, 6 hours a week, focused on morning routine and transitions.")
If the service coordinator pushes back, ask for the response in writing. NLACRC has 15 days to respond to a service request. Any denial has to come as a Notice of Action (NOA) within 5 days, with the reason and the appeal instructions.
Vague requests get vague answers. The more specific the goal, the harder it is for the system to say no.
What do you do if NLACRC says no?
If NLACRC says no to a service you asked for, you have three options, and you can use more than one. The path is laid out in the Notice of Action letter you should receive within 5 days of the denial. If you do not get that letter, call your service coordinator and ask for it in writing.
| Your option | When to use it | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Request a follow-up IPP meeting | The denial seems to come from a misunderstanding or missing information | Must be scheduled within 15 days |
| File for mediation or an informal meeting with NLACRC management | You want to resolve it without a formal hearing | Request in writing; usually within 30 days |
| File a fair hearing request | You believe the denial violates the law or your rights | 30 days from the date of the Notice of Action |
Most families never appeal, and most denials that do get appealed get reversed or modified. If you are not sure whether you have a case, the parent and family support specialists at NLACRC will talk it through with you for free at (661) 951-1220 (press 1 for San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita Valley, press 2 for Antelope Valley). For more formal help, the state-funded advocacy nonprofit Disability Rights California publishes a free IPP planner that walks through the appeal process step by step.
Disability Rights California — IPP Planning Guide Free, plain-language guide to your rights at any California Regional Center IPP meeting, including the appeal process →What's new for IPP meetings in 2026?
As of 2026, every NLACRC IPP meeting uses the new statewide IPP format that the Department of Developmental Services rolled out in January 2025. The information inside the IPP is the same as before; the layout, section names, and order changed. By the end of 2027, every existing IPP at NLACRC will be converted to the new format at the next meeting.
Two practical things to know:
- The new format puts a stronger emphasis on what is "important to" your child versus what is "important for" your child. Service coordinators are being trained to ask both questions. Be ready to answer both.
- The signature page is now standardized across all 21 California regional centers, so an IPP from NLACRC will look the same as one from any other center. This matters if you ever move between catchment areas.
Nothing about your existing services changes because of the format update. If your service coordinator says a service is being reduced or removed "because of the new format," that is not a valid reason and you should ask for it in writing.
Levi Life Skills is a vendored NLACRC provider for in-home skill building across the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita, and Antelope Valley. If you would like a quick conversation about whether in-home skill building belongs in your child's IPP, here is how getting started works.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an NLACRC IPP meeting take?
Most IPP meetings run 60 to 90 minutes. A first IPP, or one with new services on the table, can run two hours. You can ask to split it across two sessions if your child needs to be in the room and cannot sit that long.
Can I bring someone with me to my NLACRC IPP meeting?
Yes. You can bring anyone: a spouse, a relative, a friend, a current provider, an advocate, an interpreter. NLACRC must accommodate your support people.
Can I record the IPP meeting?
Yes, with notice. California is a two-party-consent state, so tell the service coordinator at the start of the meeting that you are recording. Recording is useful when meetings are long or when more than one decision is on the table.
What if my child is too young or too disabled to participate?
The IPP is still about your child, but the meeting can run with you present and your child not present. For young children, parents speak. For older children, the meeting should include them at whatever level they can participate.
Do I have to use the vendor my service coordinator suggests?
No. You can request a specific vendor by name, or ask for a list of vendors and pick one. NLACRC must offer a real choice of providers, not a single name.
How often should I expect an NLACRC IPP meeting?
At minimum every 3 years. Many families have one every year, especially when the child is young or services are changing. You can request a meeting any time and NLACRC must hold it within 30 days.
Will federal Medicaid changes in 2025 affect my NLACRC services?
No. Your child's eligibility is based on their qualifying diagnosis and assessed needs, not on Medicaid status. Regional Center services in California are not contingent on federal Medicaid.
What if my service coordinator is not responsive between meetings?
Email and phone first; if there is no response within 3 business days, call NLACRC's main line and ask for the on-duty service coordinator or a supervisor. You can also request a new service coordinator at any time without giving a reason.
