No.

Generally less than two weeks! Registering yourself only takes five minutes, and adding vendors and employees is also a snap. Most clients can complete their registration and setup in under 30 minutes! Sometimes missing the authorization from the Regional Center or an employee’s forms can delay things, but we’ll reach out to them directly to get things rolling.

Nope. Our fees are paid for by the Regional Center. The only thing that comes out of your spending plan is the employer burden percentage that is applied to all employees to cover payroll taxes and insurances. We do not “upcharge” or make any money on the employer burden.

You can change vendors any time you see fit and there is no need to revise your plan. You can move costs around within the same category by spending less or more in a particular service code without changing your plan. If you want to spend more than allotted for one category by spending less in a different category, you’ll be required to give us a revised spending plan. We’ll communicate with you if we see that you’ll need to talk with your regional center to modify your spending plan.

Nope. But keep in mind that although not having a waitlist is nice, make sure to review your needs and research a few FMS before deciding who you will partner with!

Yep, but please refer to Ridgeline’s policy on overtime hours as the rules are different for co-employer and sole-employer models. Overtime and the added Employer Burden will need to be accounted for in your spending plan.

For the initial onboarding, we only need three things! Your basic contact information like name, address, email, and phone number. The UCI number that was given to you by your Regional Center Your Approved Spending Plan That’s it! Although we won’t be able to accept invoices or hire employees until we have your Approved Spending Plan, if you have the first two items we can start inputting your vendor information.

We follow DDS guidelines, which means that any employee who will be providing “direct personal care” (touching your body) needs to complete and pass a Livescan background check before being able to work. Our platform is simple and we make it easy for your employees by filling out the necessary forms for them. Normally we get the results within one week.

One of the main reasons the SDP was created was to empower families to hire staff at rates that attract quality individuals. It’s up to you what you decide to pay your employees! The rates might vary depending on the hours of the day you need assistance, the types of skills that you need, or where you live.

Definitely! We realize that Uber and Lyft provide a lot of freedom. We’ll help you fill out a purchase request and then we’ll email you a digital gift card. The max amount for a gift card is $200 and once it’s used up we’ll help you request another card!

Unfortunately, no. There are strict rules in place about this, and as your FMS we are not allowed to reimburse a participant or your family members if they directly purchase an item or service.

That’s a question we hear a lot and it’s a decision only you can make. We will support whatever path you decide is right for your situation! Generally, if you are going to have multiple employees you may be able to stretch your dollars further or provide more tailored benefits to your employees if you choose the sole-employer model. If you only plan on having one or two employees, it can be easier to choose the co-employer model and have your FMS handle all employment matters.

You can follow the instructions here: https://www.dds.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/CC_CCAProcessPamphlet_20190318.pdf or you may contact DDS and The Office of the Ombudsperson thru the below links: https://www.dds.ca.gov/initiatives/office-of-the-ombudsperson/ https://www.dds.ca.gov/general/appeals-complaints-comments/

You’ll get a reminder email to look at your funds each month, but you can log in anytime you want to see in real time where you’re at in your accounts.

We pay vendors on a semi-monthly basis, so if the invoices are submitted on time they should be paid in about two weeks.

Check this link for Live Scan locations in California: Live Scan Locations Remember to call the location before going to verify hours and make an appointment if necessary!

Yes! It is easier to change your FMS during your renewal time but we absolutely accommodate mid-year transfers.