--- title: 5 Expert Answers About SDP That Every Family Should Know description: Prevent important SDP matters from slipping through the cracks with NeuroNav’s five expert tips. image: https://neuronav.org/hubfs/168.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://neuronav.org/self-determination-blog/expert-answers-sdp#main-content) [![nn\_logo\_wide\_white](https://neuronav.org/hs-fs/hubfs/nn_logo_wide_white.png?width=2641&height=640&name=nn_logo_wide_white.png "nn_logo_wide_white")](https://www.neuronav.org/) - [For Individuals](https://neuronav.org/families) - [For Regional Centers](https://neuronav.org/regional-centers) - Knowledge - [Self-Determination Blog](https://neuronav.org/self-determination-blog) - [Events](https://neuronav.org/events) - [Newsletter Sign Up](https://neuronav.org/newslettersignup) - About Us - [Team](https://neuronav.org/about-us) - [Careers](https://careers.neuronav.org/home) - [GET STARTED](https://neuronav.org/free-consultation-main) - [Self-Determination Program (SDP)](https://neuronav.org/self-determination-blog/tag/self-determination-program-sdp) # 5 Expert Answers About SDP That Every Family Should Know ![A mom, dad, and their two children, one of whom has a developmental disability, stand outside a building](https://neuronav.org/hubfs/168.jpg) Trading the regimented system you get from regional centers for the freedom and flexibility of the [Self-Determination Program](https://www.dds.ca.gov/initiatives/sdp/frequently-asked-questions/) (SDP) comes with trade-offs. As the NeuroNav team explained in our [October 2026 webinar](https://neuronav.org/webinars/5-things), SDP gives you a spending plan, budget, and IPP (individual program plan), but it doesn’t give you a schedule for maintaining it all. In many ways, SDP participants and their families must act like small business owners and, therefore, handle much of the heavy lifting. How do you know you’re on top of everything in the SDP ecosystem? Keep reading for some crucial guidelines and rules of thumb from Andrea Bonner, NeuroNav’s SDP specialist. ## Understanding SDP: The Basics Before we get into the five tips for SDP families, let’s briefly cover some basic definitions you’ll need to know. - **SDP budget:** Also called the individual budget, it’s the amount of money each SDP participant can spend every year on services and supports. Regional centers set your individual budget by calculating what they paid for your services in the previous 12-month period. - **Spending plan:** The spending plan is the participant’s granular plans for spending their budget funds. It should list services and supports, along with vendors and employees. - **Financial management service:** The FMS provider is usually responsible for paying vendors, reporting their activities to the regional center, and ensuring that participants adhere to relevant labor and tax laws. They work closely with participants and families. One of the biggest differences between the SDP model and the regional center model is that SDP participants may choose vendors and workers who haven’t been pre-approved by their regional center. While this freedom allows for creativity, it also means participants have more responsibilities. ## 5 Expert Tips Every SDP Family Should Know If, like many people, you have a low threshold for uncertainty, SDP can easily get overwhelming. You might lose sleep over whether your actions (or lack thereof) are costing your loved one valuable resources or otherwise not fulfilling your obligations. These feelings are completely normal. To help you feel more in control, we’ve provided five tips for staying on top of SDP for yourself or your child. ### 1. How Often Should You Take a Look at Your FMS Portal? Most FMS providers provide an online portal where participants can track payments to vendors and employees. Although your FMS should take the lead on these payments, it’s still wise to take 15 minutes once or twice per month to ensure that your FMS is paying people correctly. “As the participant in the program, it is still your responsibility to kind of have an idea of where things are,” Andrea said. Keep in mind that in most cases, expenditure reports on the FMS portal reflect services rendered the previous month. ### 2. What Should You Document Before Asking for a Change? As life circumstances change, so should your IPP and spending plan. But how can you persuade the regional center to grant you the changes you’ve requested? In short, the answer is *documentation*, and lots of it. NeuroNav recommends you keep a weekly and monthly schedule listing the services you receive and when you receive them. Regional centers want confirmation that the services they’re ultimately paying money for are being used to further your person-centered plan. “It also protects you in regard to audits or anything like that—that you're showing how the services are actually being utilized with federal funding,” Andrea added. ### 3. When Should I Follow Up with My Regional Center? Even if you use an independent facilitation team like NeuroNav, you, as the participant, should still keep an open line of communication with your regional center. How often? At minimum, do quarterly check-ins with your service coordinator and let them know that everything is running smoothly. Check in with them more often if a major life event has occurred or if your day-to-day circumstances have changed. Your independent facilitator (IF) can help you communicate with the regional center. ### 4. Do I Really Need Approval Before I Spend Money on Services? Yes, you do need approval before you start using services and supports because SDP does not allow reimbursement for out-of-pocket payments. Remember that SDP is a payor of last resort, and if you demonstrate that you’re willing to pay for a support or service outside of your individual budget, the regional center may be less inclined to fund it in the future. One relatively common step participants miss is onboarding vendors to their FMS. “A lot of clients find that a little bit challenging,” Andrea said. “We do have onboarding specialists here at Neural Nav that help with making sure vendors get onboarded.” ### 5. When Should I Have My Spending Plan Reviewed? Review your SDP spending plan a few weeks before you start receiving services and around three months before the renewal. If you need to add, drop, or change one of your services or supports, you can request a modification from the regional center at any time. Try to be as proactive as possible, because retroactive modifications are the exception—not the rule. ## Learn More About Navigating SDP Like a Pro Keeping up with SDP can feel like a full-time job. It doesn’t have to be, though, because you can use your individual budget to pay for an [independent facilitator](https://neuronav.org/families). An independent facilitator can guide you through every step of the enrollment process *and* help you advocate for changes as your life circumstances shift. An IF acts as the bridge between the participant and the regional center. An experienced IF firm like NeuroNav employs knowledgeable staff members who have track records of delivering results for clients. If you’re interested, please schedule a [consultation](https://neuronav.org/free-consultation-main) with our team. Don’t forget to sign up for our [email newsletter](https://neuronav.org/newslettersignup) to get reminders before future webinars! ## Related Articles Dive into more topics and stories that resonate with your interests. Our handpicked articles offer a deeper look into the world of Self-Determination and beyond. Check all articles ### Ready to Navigate Life with Us? Embark on your Self-Determination journey with confidence. Request your free consultation with NeuroNav and discover the personalized support waiting for you. [GET STARTED](https://neuronav.org/free-consultation) Subscribe for ### Interested in More Insights? Stay in the loop with the latest from our blog. Sign up now and never miss out on empowering stories, tips, and updates. 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If you have questions or concerns about NeuroNav services funded by your regional center, please visit the Department of Developmental Services website or call (916) 654-1987 for guidance on the process. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "NeuroNav Self-Determination Specialist", "url" : "https://neuronav.org/self-determination-blog/author/neuronav-self-determination-specialist" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-22T13:11:47.029Z", "datePublished" : "2026-10-22T13:11:47.000Z", "headline" : "5 Expert Answers About SDP That Every Family Should Know", "image" : [ "https://neuronav.org/hubfs/168.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://neuronav.org/self-determination-blog/expert-answers-sdp", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" }, "name" : "Neurodiversity PBC" } } ```