Valley Mountain Regional Center (VMRC): Stockton and Modesto

How do I reach Valley Mountain Regional Center?

What services does Valley Mountain Regional Center provide?

• Adaptive skills trainingA professional visits your home and teaches daily skills step by step, until your family member can do them alone.
• RespiteSomeone takes over care for a while, so you can rest. VMRC sets the hours with a scoring tool, from 12 to 45 hours a month.
• Behavior servicesHelp with hard behavior. Insurance pays first, and parents join the training.
• Day programsFor adults 18 and up who are done with school.
• Independent living skillsTraining for adults 18 and up in what it takes to live on their own.
• Social recreation and campActivities and camp for people who don’t go to a day program.
• TransportationRides that no school, day program or care home is already responsible for.
• DiapersFor a child over 4 who needs them for a medical reason, VMRC can cover diapers beyond 35 a month.

VMRC pays last. It has to use schools, public agencies and other free help first, and it funds what they don’t.

How do I become a VMRC client?

Step by step

1. Call intake or start online.Call the intake line for your county, or fill out VMRC’s online referral for ages 3 and up. VMRC says to expect about 3 weeks before a call back.
2. Send records.Upload, mail or fax the reports you have. VMRC says records matter most for applicants over 18.
3. VMRC decides.Assessment and the decision take up to 120 days. Once eligible, your family member gets a plan within 60 days.

Who qualifies, in more detail: our eligibility page.

Quick answers

How do I reach my VMRC service coordinator?

• Email for a paper trail.Ask your coordinator for their email and send requests there. VMRC staff emails are the first initial and last name, then @vmrc.net. Put your family member’s full name in each one.
• Still waiting?VMRC posts no reply time. If a week goes by, call the office that serves you and say what you’re waiting on.
• Coordinator away?VMRC names no duty coordinator, so ask the front desk who is covering. For an urgent problem after hours, call or text (209) 955-3255.
• Ask for the Program Manager.Coordinators report to a Program Manager, who also takes requests that need an exception to VMRC’s review committee. Ask your coordinator or the front desk for the name.
• Log every contact.Write down the date, who you spoke with and what they said. A log makes it easy to show how long you’ve waited.
• Want a new coordinator?The state’s guide on VMRC’s site says you can ask for one who is a better fit. Ask the Program Manager. Under state law, everyone has to agree for a coordinator to stay.

How do I get adaptive skills training through VMRC?

1. Email your coordinator.Name Aldera as the provider you want for adaptive skills training, and include team@aldera.org on the email. Use this email. Mention the daily tasks your family member still needs help with.
2. Meet within 30 days.By state law, VMRC has 30 days after you ask to hold the planning meeting.
3. Someone who can decide comes.If no one at the meeting can approve the request, VMRC holds another meeting within 15 days, and the person who decides comes to explain.
4. Sign, then we start.Check that adaptive skills training is in the plan before you sign. Once VMRC approves it, we visit, meet your family member and set goals with you.

Ask for a copy of the plan. The state’s guide says it must reach you within 45 days, translated if you need it.

Where do I get VMRC records for IHSS or SSI?

• Ask in writing.Email your coordinator a list of the reports you want, like the psychological evaluation and the latest IPP, and say how you’d like to get them.
• 3 business days.VMRC must let you see the file within 3 business days. For a child in Early Start, VMRC’s packet says a copy is due within 5 business days.
• For IHSS or Social Security.Sign a release so VMRC can send the reports where they need to go. A recent evaluation helps when you ask IHSS for protective supervision or for the most hours your child can get.

How do I get school support in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and the foothills?

1. Ask in writing.Write a dated note asking the school to assess your child for special education. Keep a copy.
2. Plan due in 15 days.The district must send you an assessment plan within 15 days. A school break longer than 5 school days stops the clock.
3. Sign, then 60 days.Sign the plan, and the district has 60 days to test your child and meet about an IEP.
4. Bring VMRC along.Invite your coordinator to the IEP meeting and bring VMRC’s reports. You can bring anyone who knows your child well.
5. Turning 3? Start 6 months early.VMRC begins planning the move to school at least 6 months before the third birthday, so services are ready on time.

Special education contacts in VMRC’s five counties

• Stockton UnifiedSpecial Education: (209) 933-7120. For a child 3 to 5, call (209) 933-7345 to start a referral, and bring proof of address, a birth certificate, your ID and any reports.
• Lodi UnifiedAsk your school, or call Special Education at (209) 331-7080. VMRC refers children to the district’s preschool program at a planning meeting 6 months before age 3. For a preschooler, call the Dorothy Mahin Early Intervention Center at (209) 331-7366.
• Manteca UnifiedDistrict office: (209) 825-3200. Its special education preschool, for ages 3 and 4, is at (209) 858-7209 or specialed@musd.net.
• Tracy and other San Joaquin districtsTracy, Lincoln, Ripon, Escalon and other districts share the San Joaquin County SELPA, at (209) 468-4925.
• Modesto and Stanislaus CountyCall Modesto City Schools at (209) 574-1500 and ask for special education. The Stanislaus County SELPA, at (209) 238-6551, works with the county’s other districts.
• Amador, Calaveras and TuolumneIn Calaveras County, the county office of education’s special education unit answers at (209) 736-4662. In Amador and Tuolumne, start with your school’s principal.

Every district follows the same state timelines, and your written request starts them.

Where can VMRC families get help from other parents?

• Family Resource Network.A parent-led group that serves the same five counties as VMRC, with workshops, one-on-one help and support groups for all ages. Call (209) 472-3674 or (800) 847-3030, or email frnfamilies@frcn.org.
• Help in Spanish or Khmer.VMRC’s language program pays for interpreting and translation for families who speak Spanish or Khmer. Ask your coordinator.