If you won your appeal and the regional center will not do what the hearing officer ordered, they are violating your rights. The regional center must do what the hearing officer ordered as soon as possible and not more than 30 days after the date of the final decision. If the regional center can’t meet that deadline, it must tell you and DDS. It must also explain all reasons the decision can’t be implemented.

If the regional center is not following the hearing decision, you have three options:

1. File a Section 4731 complaint with the director of the regional center. For more information, see section on 4731 complaints.
2. Contact DDS directly. DDS has set up an email address for people to contact them when they need help getting a regional center to follow a hearing decision. That email address is: HearingImplementation@dds.ca.gov. You can also use this online form to ask DDS for help: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HearingImpDelay-Consumers
3. File a petition for writ of mandate with the superior court for your county. (See California Code of Civil Procedure §1085.) That procedure allows you to ask the court to order the director of the regional center and the director of the Department of Developmental Services to follow the hearing officer’s decision or show up personally in court to explain why not.

If you file a Section 4731 complaint or contact DDS directly and the decision is still not implemented, contact Disability Rights California or OCRA.