DDS director outlines IT modernization, rate reform and an expanded budget amid implementation challenges
January 23, 2026 | Little Hoover Commission, Other State Agencies, Executive, California
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Pete Cervenka, director of the Department of Developmental Services, told the Little Hoover Commission the department has implemented a series of steps since the commission'9s 2023 report to standardize services and increase transparency.
Cervenka said a statewide individualized program plan (IPP) template became available in January 2025 and that the department issued updated regional center performance measures in 2025 that will measure IPP experiences. He also described a multiyear $3,500,000,000 investment in provider capacity and wage competitiveness that began in January 2025 and a projected departmental budget increase of roughly $2.4 billion year-over-year to handle system growth.
On information technology, Cervenka outlined a multi-step procurement and approval path: drafting federal- and state-approval documents, review by multiple state departments and federal CMS, issuing an RFP, and phased pilots. He estimated a realistic two-to-four-year window after vendor selection to reach wide deployment, and cautioned that approvals and federal reviews add time. He also acknowledged the provider directory and some dashboards are planned to be public in the calendar year but could not give an exact date.
Cervenka acknowledged progress on data standardization (race/ethnicity/language categories implemented) and improving caseload ratios (citing a statewide average that moved from 78 to 62 on an annual survey), but he emphasized continuing workforce and federal funding uncertainties.
Commissioners pressed for specifics on hold-harmless protections tied to rate reform, interagency navigation models for clients who need multiple services, provider directory release timing, and enforcement tools for regional-center compliance; Cervenka said the department is preparing trailer-bill language to enhance oversight and that some matters (like budget approvals and federal CMS review) are governed by external timelines.
Cervenka said a statewide individualized program plan (IPP) template became available in January 2025 and that the department issued updated regional center performance measures in 2025 that will measure IPP experiences. He also described a multiyear $3,500,000,000 investment in provider capacity and wage competitiveness that began in January 2025 and a projected departmental budget increase of roughly $2.4 billion year-over-year to handle system growth.
On information technology, Cervenka outlined a multi-step procurement and approval path: drafting federal- and state-approval documents, review by multiple state departments and federal CMS, issuing an RFP, and phased pilots. He estimated a realistic two-to-four-year window after vendor selection to reach wide deployment, and cautioned that approvals and federal reviews add time. He also acknowledged the provider directory and some dashboards are planned to be public in the calendar year but could not give an exact date.
Cervenka acknowledged progress on data standardization (race/ethnicity/language categories implemented) and improving caseload ratios (citing a statewide average that moved from 78 to 62 on an annual survey), but he emphasized continuing workforce and federal funding uncertainties.
Commissioners pressed for specifics on hold-harmless protections tied to rate reform, interagency navigation models for clients who need multiple services, provider directory release timing, and enforcement tools for regional-center compliance; Cervenka said the department is preparing trailer-bill language to enhance oversight and that some matters (like budget approvals and federal CMS review) are governed by external timelines.
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