Guide
Regional centers and ICFs
Last updated · By the ICFLookup team
Families usually reach an Intermediate Care Facility for people with developmental disabilities through a regional center rather than by searching on their own. Regional centers are the nonprofit agencies that coordinate services for Californians with developmental disabilities under contract with the Department of Developmental Services (DDS). Here is the part they play with ICFs.
Who does what
DDS describes several agencies working together on an ICF:
- Regional center
- Determines the need for services and refers clients.
- CDPH Licensing and Certification
- Grants the license and runs the life safety and Medi-Cal certification surveys.
- DDS
- Reviews and approves each home's program plan before CDPH licenses it.
- Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)
- Approves each client's level of care through its Medi-Cal field office, and pays.
Placement and level of care
For a person to live in an ICF/DD-H or DD-N home with Medi-Cal paying, the stay needs prior authorization: a treatment authorization request signed by the physician, with the regional center's certification of the person's need for that level of care on form HS 231. Authorizations last up to 6 months and are renewed (22 CCR §51343.1 and §51343.2).
The two levels have different criteria — see ICF/DD-H vs. DD-N vs. DD-CN.
Vendorization
A regional center vendors a licensed home so it can serve regional center clients. Under 17 CCR §54342, a home is classified as ICF/DD-H (service code 930) or ICF/DD-N (service code 935) when it holds a valid license of that type. The regional center also sits on the home's Human Rights Committee.
Medi-Cal managed care
Since January 1, 2024, ICF/DD, DD-H and DD-N services are a Medi-Cal managed care benefit statewide, so residents are enrolled in a Medi-Cal managed care plan and homes contract with the plans in their county. DHCS's All Plan Letter 26-012 describes how plans and regional centers coordinate. The DD-CNC (continuous nursing) program isn't part of that carve-in.
How new homes get started
Regional centers can fund the development of new homes through DDS's Community Placement Plan and Community Resource Development Plan (CPP/CRDP), typically by requests for proposals when they have identified a need. DDS's guidelines say start-up funds supplement, but don't fully cover, the cost of development, and that a funded home should be fully occupied within 90 days of licensure.
Newly licensed ICFs appear on this site's monthly reports and recent changes.
Using this site alongside your regional center
- Look up a home your regional center suggests in Facility Search to read its federal surveys and state citations.
- Use Near Me or the map to see which ICFs are close to family.
- Ask the regional center about anything in a home's record that concerns you.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules and forms change; for a specific situation, check the official pages listed below or contact CDPH Licensing and Certification.
Sources
- ICF Licensure/Certification and Navigating the Agencies — DDS
- Intermediate Care Facilities — California Department of Developmental Services
- 22 CCR §51343.1 — ICF/DD-H services (Medi-Cal criteria)
- 22 CCR §51343.2 — ICF/DD-N services (Medi-Cal criteria)
- 17 CCR §54342 — regional center vendor service codes
- DHCS All Plan Letter 26-012 — ICF/DD services in Medi-Cal managed care (June 10, 2026)
- FY 2025-26 CPP/CRDP Guidelines for the Regional Centers — DDS