The Tri-Counties Regional Center (TCRC) guide

How do I reach Tri-Counties Regional Center?

How do I get through to my TCRC service coordinator?

• Write it down.Email your coordinator, so there’s a record. No email address yet? Ask for it on your next call. If you don’t know who your coordinator is, check the “Find Service Coordinator” box on TCRC’s contact form.
• There’s no posted reply time.TCRC doesn’t say how fast coordinators write back. If you hear nothing, call your local office. TCRC says the office can also tell you who your coordinator is now.
• Ask who’s on duty.Each office has an On Duty Service Coordinator, mainly for new questions. If your own coordinator is away and it can’t wait, ask the front desk who is covering.
• Go up to the manager.Coordinators work in teams, and each team has a Services & Supports Manager. Ask the front desk for that manager’s name, and ask for a call back.
• Keep a log.For every call and email, jot down the date, who you reached and what they said. It shows how long a request has waited.
• Want a new coordinator?Tell the manager. TCRC first tries to fix the problem. If you still want a change, the manager picks a coordinator everyone accepts. The old and new ones share your case for a month or two.

What can TCRC pay for?

• Adaptive skills trainingA professional comes home and teaches daily skills step by step, so they can do more alone.
• RespiteSomeone takes over the care for a few hours, so you can rest.
• Behavior servicesHelp with behavior at home. TCRC asks you to try health insurance first.
• Day programsWeekday programs for adults who are done with school.
• Independent living supportsHelp for adults out of school to handle money, get around and care for themselves.
• Social recreation and campClasses, sports, outings and camp. TCRC can pay for these again since 2021.
• TransportationRides to a day program or work, when other options won’t do.
• Diapers and suppliesDiapers and other everyday supplies, from age 3.

TCRC pays last. Health insurance, Medi-Cal, IHSS and school come first, and TCRC’s money fills the gaps.

How do I get adaptive skills training through TCRC?

1. Ask by email.Write that you want adaptive skills training from Levi Life Skills, and copy levi@levilifeskills.com. Here’s an email you can send. Add the skills you’ve tried to teach at home and how it went.
2. TCRC meets within 30 days.TCRC’s own rules give it 30 days from your request to meet and change the plan.
3. Sign the change.A service can’t start until the plan is signed. Before you sign, make sure adaptive skills training is written in.
4. We come to your home.Once TCRC approves it, we visit, meet your family member and set goals with you. Those first visits show how many hours make sense.

Ask for a written copy of the plan. TCRC must send it within 45 days of asking in English or Spanish, or within 60 days in another language.

How do I get the evaluation and other records from TCRC?

• Ask in writing.TCRC says every request to see or copy records must be written. Give it to your coordinator, or email TCRC’s Privacy Officer at CIO@tri-counties.org. Name the reports you want and their dates.
• Ask about the fee.TCRC may charge a reasonable fee for copies. Ask how much when you send the request.
• Sending them for benefits?Your coordinator can send the evaluation or the IPP straight to Social Security or IHSS once you sign a release. IHSS can take an IPP in place of its SOC 873 form if it has the same facts and a licensed professional’s signature.
• Deadlines in state law.TCRC must let you see the file within 3 business days of asking. In Early Start, under age 3, a copy of your child’s records must reach you within 5 business days.

How do I get school support on the Central Coast and in Ventura County?

1. Put your request in a letter.Sign and date it, and say what worries you, like reading, speech or behavior. Give it to the principal or the district office below, and keep a copy.
2. Look for a plan within 15 days.The district must send an assessment plan within 15 days of getting your letter. School breaks longer than 5 school days don’t count.
3. 60 days start when you sign.Once the district has your signed plan, it has 60 days to finish testing and hold the first IEP meeting.
4. Bring your coordinator.Invite your TCRC coordinator early, and talk over your goals before the meeting. The law lets you bring anyone who knows your child.
5. Turning 3? Start 6 months ahead.TCRC starts planning the move to school about 6 months before the third birthday. The IEP meeting must happen by that birthday.

Special education offices in the three counties

• Oxnard School DistrictGive a signed, dated letter to the school office or your child’s teacher. Special Education is at (805) 385-1501, ext. 2160, and the preschool assessment team’s specialist is at ext. 2171. Want the IEP written in Spanish? Ask for it; the district says that takes 4 to 8 months.
• Simi Valley UnifiedStart with your principal. Student Support Services is at (805) 306-4500, ext. 4302, with Spanish interpreters at ext. 4219 and 4319. Special education preschool is at Justin Early Learners Academy: (805) 520-6619, ext. 3110.
• Conejo Valley UnifiedSend the written request to the Special Education Office or your principal. The office is at (805) 497-9511, ext. 3330. For the Be Me Preschool, call (805) 492-4051. To talk with another IEP parent, ask your principal for the SEDAC parent rep’s number.
• Ventura UnifiedAsk your principal for a special education evaluation, or call (805) 641-5000, ext. 1123. For a child under 5, call the Early Intervention Center at (805) 672-2705, ext. 2222. Its staff already work with TCRC through Early Start.
• Santa Barbara UnifiedStart with the principal or assistant principal, and the district will ask for your request in writing. Special education: (805) 963-4338, ext. 6211. Bilingual family liaisons answer a hotline at (805) 696-2701.
• Santa Maria-BonitaContact your school or Special Education at (805) 361-8180. For preschool, the county education office takes referrals at (820) 223-5958.
• Lucia Mar UnifiedAny district staff member can take your request, and a Student Success Team meets within 15 days to answer it. Special Education is at (805) 474-3000, ext. 1152. For a child leaving Early Start, the IEP meeting comes before the third birthday.

Other districts follow the same state timelines; ask the school office where requests go. In Ventura County, the county special education office answers questions about any district at (805) 437-1560.

How do I become a TCRC client?

Step by step

1. Call or apply online.Call the nearest office and ask for an Intake Service Coordinator, or fill out TCRC’s online form, which lets you upload records.
2. Meet with intake.TCRC’s rules call for a first meeting within 10 working days. It may ask for testing, at no cost to you.
3. TCRC decides.It has up to 120 days after intake. If you qualify, you get a service coordinator, and the first plan is done within 60 days.

Who qualifies, in more detail: our eligibility page.

Where can parents get support from other parents?

• Ventura County: Rainbow Connection.In Oxnard, call (805) 485-9643, or (805) 485-9892 en español. It also has numbers in Simi Valley, (805) 823-2325, and Fillmore, (805) 292-0460. Visit its website.
• Santa Barbara County: Alpha Resource Center.Call (805) 683-2145 in Santa Barbara or (805) 347-2775 in Santa Maria. TCRC also calls it Alpha Lifespan Support Services.
• San Luis Obispo County: Parents Helping Parents.Call (805) 543-3277 in San Luis Obispo or (805) 461-7415 in Atascadero. Visit its website.

Quick answers