§ 7331. Accreditation and Certification.

(a) The Department shall with the exception of facilities providing services primarily to the blind, deaf and/or independent living centers, require that public and private non-profit rehabilitation facilities offering work oriented programs and services be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) in the primary program emphasis of the services to be purchased. Applicants for grant funding must also meet accreditation criteria when applicable or be certified by the Department. To be certified they shall have a plan for seeking accreditation.

(b) The Department shall supplement programs accredited by CARF with a certification of specific services. This certification will take place no less than every three years and will be based on standards developed by the Department.

(1) A workshop or work activity center will be eligible to have services certified for use by the Department when it agrees to:

(A) Be surveyed by CARF no later than the end of the third year of operations.

(B) Be accredited by CARF no later than the end of the fourth year of operations for such program services delivered. If by the fourth year of operation the facility has not obtained accreditation for the programs which are certified by the Department, the Department shall withdraw its certification.

(2) A workshop or work activity center accredited by CARF in one or more programs, shall apply for accreditation at the next accreditation renewal if such facility wishes to provide and sell services outside the accredited programs.

(c) Rehabilitation centers and other facilities which are primarily medical facilities but also operate workshops and work activity center programs will have their work preparation and restorative services subject to CARF accreditation. The Department will certify workshops and work activity centers in their work components only.

(d) The Department shall require other rehabilitation facilities to meet certification standards of the Department. The Standards for Certification shall be developed by the Department in consultation with a representative group of providers and recipients of vocational rehabilitation services.

(e) Upon written request by a Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP) and proof that its annual service expenditures are at or below fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) for three prior, consecutive years, the Department may waive the CARF accreditation requirements herein.

(1) The Department will provide written approval or denial of the request on the condition that annual expenditures do not exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), and may rescind the waiver if the Department determines that the CRP is not in compliance with any law or regulation.

(2) The Department's waiver shall not supersede any other agency's or Regional Center's requirement of CARF accreditation or service standards.

HISTORY

1. Amendment of subsection (b), new subsections (e)-(e)(2) and amendment of Note filed 8-4-2009; operative 9-3-2009 (Register 2009, No. 32).

Note

Note: Authority cited: Sections 19006 and 19016, Welfare and Institutions Code. Reference: 29 USC Sections 705(5) and 723; 34 CFR Sections 361.5(b)(9), 361.48 and 361.50; and Sections 19011 and 19401, Welfare and Institutions Code.