how to get independent living services through your regional center.
Independent Living Services, known as ILS, is one to one coaching funded by California regional centers that helps adults build the skills of everyday life. Here is the path from first request to first session, in six clear steps.
first, what ILS actually is
Independent Living Services is a regional center funded program, service code 520, where a coach works with you one to one on the real skills of independence. Coaching can happen in your family home, in your own apartment, and out in the community, wherever life actually happens.
You do not need to live on your own to qualify. Many people start ILS while living with family, building skills toward the next chapter. The service connects to the goals in your Individual Program Plan (IPP), and when it is authorized, the regional center pays the vendored provider directly. There is no cost to you for authorized hours.
At bttr Living, ILS is person centered by design: your goals set the agenda, your coach adapts to how you learn, and progress is measured against the life you want, not a generic checklist.
the six steps to ILS
Every regional center moves a little differently, but the path is the same statewide. Here is how it works, and how to keep it moving.
Confirm you are a regional center consumer
ILS is funded for adults served by one of California's 21 regional centers. If you or your family member is not yet a consumer, contact the regional center for your county and request an intake and eligibility assessment under the Lanterman Act. In the East Bay, that is the Regional Center of the East Bay (RCEB).
Tell your service coordinator you want ILS
Reach out to your regional center service coordinator and say it plainly: you want Independent Living Services, service code 520. Ask for it to be discussed at your next IPP meeting. If a need has come up now, you can request an IPP meeting at any time, you do not have to wait for the annual review.
Make the case at your IPP meeting
Services flow from goals. At the IPP meeting, describe the daily living skills you want to build and why they matter for your life: cooking your own meals, managing your money, riding the bus to work, eventually getting your own place. When the team agrees, ILS gets written into the plan as the service that supports those goals.
Complete the ILS assessment
An assessment looks at your current skills, your environment, and the support you need to reach your goals. It shapes two things: the teaching plan your coach will follow, and the number of monthly hours the regional center authorizes. Be honest about what is hard, the assessment is how the right amount of support gets approved.
Choose your vendored provider
You have the right to choose among vendored ILS providers. Ask your service coordinator for the vendor list, then interview agencies: How do they match coaches? How do they measure progress? Do they adapt to how you learn? Pick the agency whose people and approach fit you. bttr Living is vendored with RCEB for ILS, and we would love to be on your shortlist.
Start services and review progress
Once the regional center issues the purchase of service authorization, coaching begins. You and your coach work from a person centered plan built around your goals, and progress is reviewed regularly with your team so hours and objectives stay matched to your life as it grows.
traditional services or Self Determination. both paths lead here.
ILS lives in the traditional service system, but if you are enrolled in the Self Determination Program, you can fund the same kind of coaching from your individual budget. Either way, you can choose bttr Living.
ILS · 520
Authorized through your IPP and paid directly by your regional center to a vendored provider. bttr Living is vendored with RCEB. The six steps above are your roadmap.
Community Living Supports · 320
Funded from your SDP individual budget and paid through your Financial Management Service. SDP participants at every California regional center can choose bttr Living as their provider.
if the answer is no
A denial is not the end of the road. The Lanterman Act gives you real appeal rights, and free advocates who know how to use them.
Get it in writing
The regional center must give you a written Notice of Action explaining the decision and your appeal rights, with deadlines. No notice, no valid denial. Ask for it.
Appeal
You can request an informal meeting, mediation, or a fair hearing. Many disputes resolve at the informal stage once goals and needs are documented clearly.
Get free help
The Office of Clients Rights Advocacy and Disability Rights California advocate for regional center consumers at no cost. You do not have to do this alone.
frequently asked questions
ILS, service code 520, is one to one coaching funded by California regional centers that helps adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities build daily living skills: cooking, budgeting, shopping, transportation, home management, and community navigation. Coaching can happen in the family home or in your own place.
Adults who are regional center consumers and want to build skills for greater independence. You do not need to live on your own first. Many people receive ILS while living with family as they prepare for more independence. The service must connect to goals in your IPP.
Nothing out of pocket for authorized hours. When ILS is in your IPP, the regional center pays the vendored provider directly through a purchase of service authorization.
Yes, the equivalent support in SDP is typically Community Living Supports, code 320, funded from your individual budget through your Financial Management Service. SDP participants at any California regional center can choose bttr Living. Learn more on our service codes page.
It varies by regional center. After ILS is added to your IPP, the referral, assessment, and authorization usually take a few weeks to a couple of months. Asking your service coordinator for specific dates at each step keeps things moving.
You have appeal rights under the Lanterman Act: a written Notice of Action, then an informal meeting, mediation, or fair hearing. The Office of Clients Rights Advocacy and Disability Rights California provide free help. See DDS appeals information.
Use the DDS lookup by county. In Alameda and Contra Costa counties, your regional center is RCEB, where bttr Living is vendored for ILS and Coordinated Family Support.
ready to start
step one?
Whether you are brand new to the regional center system or ready to choose a provider, our team will walk the path with you. Real answers, zero pressure.
talk with bttr Living