Grievance Policy and Procedure

How anyone can raise a concern about bttr, what bttr does with it, and how long each step takes. Published for participants, families, service coordinators, community partners, and the public.

Last updated October 10, 2026In effect since January 1, 2025Published by bttr Living LLC

Our commitment to listening

Speaking up about a service you depend on takes courage. bttr wants to hear it anyway, and especially then. A grievance is not an attack on us. It is information we need in order to do right by the people we support.

We care about every person who brings us a concern, whether it is large or small, and whether or not they receive services from bttr. You can reach us at info@bttrliving.com or (510) 709 5809. You will be heard, you will get an answer, and it will never be held against you.

1.About this policy

This page explains bttr's grievance process. Using it is free, it is open to anyone, and it never replaces a person's right to go to an outside agency.

  • This policy covers concerns about bttr's services, staff, communication, privacy practices, and decisions.
  • It is a public information page. It is not a contract, and it is not legal advice.
  • No one has to use this process before contacting a regional center, an advocate, or any government agency. Both routes are open at all times.
  • Participants of California regional centers have rights under the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, including the right to file a complaint when they believe a right has been violated. This policy works alongside those rights and does not limit them.

2.What a grievance is

Any concern, complaint, or situation a person wants bttr to know about. No special wording, paperwork, or proof is needed.

If something feels wrong, confusing, or uncomfortable, that is enough. Examples include:

  • Unkind or disrespectful treatment by any bttr team member
  • Concerns about the quality of services or support
  • Unclear communication or requests that went unanswered
  • Late arrivals, missed sessions, or scheduling problems
  • A request for a new or different support professional
  • Privacy or confidentiality concerns
  • Feeling unsafe during or between sessions
  • Disagreement with a service or scheduling decision made by bttr
  • A note, report, or record that seems inaccurate
  • Feeling pressured, ignored, or left out of a decision
  • A concern about how bttr used a photo, video, or story
  • Anything else that feels off or needs attention

In an emergency, call 911 first. The grievance process is not an emergency service. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. To report abuse or neglect, you can also contact Adult Protective Services or Child Protective Services in your county.

3.Who can file a grievance

Anyone. A person does not need to be a participant, and does not need to give their name.

  • The participant directly
  • Family members and loved ones
  • Conservators, guardians, and other legal representatives
  • Regional center service coordinators and case managers
  • Independent facilitators and Financial Management Service staff
  • Friends, advocates, and mandated reporters
  • Community partners, neighbors, and members of the public
  • Anyone acting with the participant's knowledge and permission

Anonymous grievances are accepted and reviewed. Without a name or contact details, bttr may be limited in how fully it can look into the concern and will not be able to report back on the outcome.

When someone files on behalf of an adult participant, bttr includes the participant in the process wherever possible and shares confidential details only with people who are authorized to receive them. Complaints from bttr employees about their own employment are handled through bttr's separate employee procedures.

4.How to file a grievance

In whatever way feels most comfortable. There is no wrong way to raise a concern and no deadline for raising it.

In person or by phone
Tell a bttr support professional, a program coordinator, or any bttr team member, or call (510) 709 5809, 7 days a week, 9am to 9pm PT. The team member writes it down on your behalf and confirms the details with you.
By email
Write to info@bttrliving.com at any time.
By mail
bttr Participant Grievance, 39899 Balentine Drive, Suite 200, Newark, CA 94560. Written grievances are accepted in any format.
With support
Ask someone you trust to help write or submit the concern, or ask bttr for help putting it into words. You can use an interpreter, a communication device, or a supporter.
Anonymously
Leave your name off. Mail is the most private option, since phone numbers and email addresses can identify the sender.
Directly to leadership
You can ask that your grievance go straight to bttr leadership instead of the team member involved.

What helps, if you can share it

None of this is required. It simply helps bttr act faster: what happened, when and where, who was involved, and what you would like to see happen.

5.What happens after a grievance is filed

Every grievance goes through the same four steps, with a time limit on each one.

  1. Acknowledgment within five business days. bttr confirms that it received the concern, thanks the person for speaking up, and says who will review it. A bttr team member makes contact directly.
  2. Internal review within fifteen business days. The Program Director or a designee reviews the issue, speaks with the person who filed and with the staff involved, and examines session notes and other records.
  3. Proposed resolution within twenty business days. bttr shares what it found, explains the steps it will take, and describes any changes it will make to keep the issue from happening again. The response is given in writing, and in another format on request.
  4. Closure or appeal. If the person accepts the resolution, bttr carries it out and closes the grievance. If they do not, they can ask for a further review or go to an outside agency.

All time limits count from the business day bttr receives the grievance. If a review needs more time, for example because a key person is unavailable or an outside agency is involved, bttr says so in writing, explains why, and gives a new date.

A grievance is never reviewed by the person it is about. If a concern involves the Program Director or bttr leadership, it is assigned to someone who was not involved.

6.Urgent and safety concerns

Concerns about safety do not wait for the standard timeline.

  • When a grievance describes a risk to someone's health or safety, bttr acts the same day it learns of it. This can include changing who provides support while the concern is reviewed.
  • Everyone who works for bttr is a mandated reporter under California law. If a grievance describes suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation, bttr must report it to protective services or law enforcement, even if the person who filed asks bttr not to.
  • State regulations require bttr to report certain serious events, called special incidents, to the regional center, generally within 24 hours, with a written report within 48 hours.
  • bttr tells the person who filed when a report like this has been made, unless the law or someone's safety requires otherwise.

7.Possible outcomes

A resolution depends on what bttr finds. These are the kinds of actions it can take.

  • An explanation and, where bttr was wrong, an apology
  • A different support professional
  • A change to the schedule or the service plan
  • A corrected note, report, or record
  • Additional training or coaching for staff
  • Corrective action with a staff member
  • A change to a bttr policy or procedure
  • A meeting with the participant, family, and service coordinator

What bttr cannot do through this process

  • Change a regional center decision about eligibility, service type, or authorized hours. Those are appealed through the regional center and the Department of Developmental Services.
  • Share confidential personnel details. bttr will say what is changing, but may not be able to describe disciplinary action taken with an individual employee.
  • Promise a particular result. bttr commits to a fair review, an honest answer, and a response within the time limits on this page.

8.If you disagree with the outcome

A person who is not satisfied can ask bttr to look again, go outside bttr, or do both.

  • Ask for a further review. Tell bttr, in any of the ways listed in section 4, that you disagree and why. A member of bttr leadership who did not make the first decision reviews the grievance again and responds in writing.
  • Go to your regional center. A service coordinator can step in at any point, including while bttr's review is still under way.
  • Contact an outside agency. The options are listed in section 11. None of them requires finishing bttr's process first.

9.Your rights when you file

These apply to every person who raises a concern with bttr.

  • To be heard and treated with respect throughout the process
  • To get help understanding this policy or writing a grievance
  • To receive a clear response within the stated time limits
  • To remain anonymous
  • To have a supporter, advocate, or interpreter with you
  • To know who is reviewing your concern
  • To ask for a further review if you disagree with the outcome
  • To contact your regional center, an advocate, or the Department of Developmental Services at any time
  • To receive materials in your preferred language or format
  • To withdraw a grievance at any time

10.No retaliation

Filing a grievance never affects the quality, amount, or availability of anyone's services.

bttr does not retaliate against any person for raising a concern, filing a grievance, taking part in a review, or contacting an outside agency, and it does not allow its staff to do so. Retaliation includes reducing or ending services, treating someone differently, pressuring them to withdraw, or discouraging them from speaking up.

A staff member who retaliates is subject to corrective action. If you believe you have been treated differently after raising a concern, please tell bttr leadership right away at info@bttrliving.com or (510) 709 5809, or contact your regional center service coordinator.

11.Confidentiality and records

A grievance is shared only with the people who need it to review and resolve the concern.

  • Grievances are handled by the Program Director or designee and bttr leadership. Staff named in a grievance are told what they need to know to respond.
  • bttr may share a grievance with the regional center when required by law, by its vendor obligations, or when the participant asks.
  • Confidentiality has limits. Mandated reporting, special incident reporting, and court orders can require bttr to disclose information.
  • bttr keeps a written record of each grievance, the review, and the resolution, stored securely with access limited to approved personnel.
  • bttr reviews grievances together over time to find patterns and improve training and procedures.

12.Contacting outside agencies

You do not need to go through bttr first. These options are available to you at any time.

Regional center service coordinator
Your service coordinator can help resolve concerns about any provider, including bttr, and can help you change providers.
Rights complaint
A person who believes a regional center or a provider has violated or wrongly denied a right can file a complaint with the regional center under section 4731 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and can ask the Department of Developmental Services to review the response.
Office of Clients' Rights Advocacy
Free legal information and advocacy for regional center clients, run by Disability Rights California. Northern California 1 800 390 7032. Southern California 1 866 833 6712.
DDS Ombudsperson
An independent office within the Department of Developmental Services that gives information and helps resolve disagreements, with a separate ombudsperson for the Self Determination Program. (877) 658 9731, Ombudsperson@dds.ca.gov, SDP.Ombudsperson@dds.ca.gov.
Department of Developmental Services
General information about regional center services and rights is at dds.ca.gov.
Protective services
To report abuse or neglect, contact Adult Protective Services or Child Protective Services in your county, or local law enforcement. In an emergency, call 911.

Decisions made by a regional center, such as denying, reducing, or ending a service, are appealed through the regional center's Notice of Action process and the Department of Developmental Services, not through bttr. Those appeals have their own deadlines, which are stated on the notice.

13.Limits of this process

We are direct about what a bttr grievance does and does not do.

  • It is bttr's internal process. It is not a court, an administrative hearing, or a government complaint.
  • Filing a grievance with bttr does not pause, extend, or satisfy any legal deadline, including deadlines to appeal a regional center decision or to file a claim.
  • It does not replace emergency services, mandated reporting, or special incident reporting.
  • It does not limit any right or legal remedy a person has under law.

14.Language and accessibility

Everyone has the right to raise a concern in the way that works for them, at no cost.

  • This page is available in English and Spanish. Spanish speaking staff are available, and interpretation for other languages, including American Sign Language, is arranged on request
  • bttr can read this policy aloud, provide it in large print, or go through it with pictures and examples
  • A team member can write the grievance down for you and read it back before it is submitted
  • You can use your own communication device, supporter, or interpreter at every step

16.Contact

bttr can help you understand this policy, put a grievance into words, or get it in another language or format.

bttr Living LLC

Email
info@bttrliving.com
Phone
(510) 709 5809
7 days a week, 9am to 9pm PT
Mail
bttr Participant Grievance
39899 Balentine Drive, Suite 200
Newark, CA 94560
Website
bttrliving.com

Time limits at a glance

Day 5
Acknowledgment, in business days
Day 15
Internal review complete
Day 20
Proposed resolution in writing
Safety
Acted on the same day

At bttr we do more than accept feedback. We listen. We respond. We improve. Your voice matters here.