Only agencies that the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) approved may give the sixteen hour new provider orientation. DDS lists them on its New Provider Training page. When that page was last updated, in June 2025, it listed three agencies.1 Check the current list on the DDS page before you register, and keep the certificate, because the program plan package must include it.
01 · Who must attend The applicant or a designee attends once, before the first license.
Since October 1, 2011, state law requires an applicant for an initial ICF/DD-H or ICF/DD-N license, or the applicant's designee, to attend a sixteen hour orientation program approved by DDS.2 Before that date the requirement was eight hours. The Legislature doubled it after new licensees reported problems with the business side of their homes.34
The requirement applies once. A licensee who attended the program in an earlier year does not attend it again.2
02 · What it covers Half the course is about rules, and half is about money.
The law divides the sixteen hours into two parts of eight hours each.2
| Eight hours: role, requirements and regulations | Eight hours: business management |
|---|---|
| Your scope of responsibility as an operator | Cost reporting |
| Local planning | General accounting principles |
| Regional center and other community support services | The Department of Health Care Services audit process |
| Federal and state agencies for licensing, certification and data collection | The regional center vendorization process |
| Agencies that protect the rights of people with developmental disabilities |
The business half matters more than most applicants expect. The state sets Medi-Cal rates for these homes from a sample of provider cost reports, so inaccurate reports can distort the rates for every home in the group. Owners who understand cost reports and audits before they open avoid expensive corrections later.4
03 · Who may teach it DDS approves the course, and the law sets the instructor standard.
Relevant community service and provider organizations give the orientation. Each instructor must know the subject or have experience in it, and must also meet one of three criteria:2
- A four year degree that relates to the subject.
- A current California license as a health professional.
- At least two years as an administrator, in California, of a long term health care facility that serves people with developmental disabilities, within the last eight years.
The organization keeps a record of everyone who attends and gives it to DDS within 15 working days, or when DDS asks. To become an approved provider, an organization sends its curriculum outline and complete course materials to the DDS Community Living Section for review.1
04 · When to take it Take it before you write the program plan, because the certificate goes inside it.
DDS says the program packet must contain a copy of the certificate.1 In the ICF/DD-H program plan checklist, proof of the orientation is Attachment 5.5 DDS does not accept a program plan package until every document is present. So an applicant who leaves the orientation until late can hold up the DDS review, and with it the CDPH application, which needs the approved program plan.
There is a second reason to go early. The course explains the regional center, licensing and vendorization steps that come next. Applicants who take it first make fewer mistakes in the order of steps. Our guide on how to open an ICF/DD-H home shows where it fits in the full sequence.
05 · Choosing a course Confirm four things before you pay for a seat.
- The agency is on the current DDS list. Check the DDS New Provider Training page on the day you register.
- The course is the full sixteen hours. Ask how the agency covers both halves, and how long each day runs.
- The format works for your package. The law says "attend" and does not name a format. Ask the agency whether DDS approved its in-person or live video format, and keep that answer in writing.
- The certificate names the right person. The person on the certificate must be the applicant or the designee named in your application.
06 · Questions What applicants ask about the orientation.
Who offers the DDS sixteen hour new provider orientation in California?
Only agencies that DDS approved. DDS lists them on its New Provider Training page, which named three agencies when it was last updated in June 2025. Check the current list before you register.
Is the sixteen hour orientation required for both ICF/DD-H and ICF/DD-N applicants?
Yes. State law requires an applicant for an initial ICF/DD-H or ICF/DD-N license, or a designee, to attend a sixteen hour orientation approved by DDS.
Do I need to take the orientation again for a second home?
No. A licensee who attended the program in an earlier year does not need to attend it again.
Can someone else attend the orientation for me?
Yes. The law allows the applicant or the applicant's designee to attend. Make sure the certificate names the person your application identifies.
Can I take the sixteen hour orientation online?
The law requires attendance but does not name a format. Ask the approved agency whether DDS approved its format, and keep the answer in writing.
When should I take the orientation?
Before you submit your program plan to DDS. The program plan package must include a copy of the certificate.
Planning the full licensing path?
DirectCare helps applicants put every step in the right order, from the regional center conversation to the DDS package and the CDPH application. The first conversation is free.
Notes and sources
- DDS, ICF DD-H and ICF DD-N: Requirement For New Provider Sixteen-Hour Orientation Training, last modified June 20, 2025: the certificate requirement, the list of approved agencies, and how new agencies apply to the Community Living Section. dds.ca.gov ↩
- Health and Safety Code section 1268.6: the sixteen hour requirement, its two eight hour parts, the provider and instructor criteria, attendance records, and the rule that a licensee who attended in an earlier year does not repeat it. PDF ↩
- CDPH All Facilities Letter 11-11, on AB 2675 increasing the orientation from eight to sixteen hours effective October 1, 2011. cdph.ca.gov ↩
- Assembly floor analysis of AB 2675 (Chesbro, 2010), on the business management content and the link between cost reports and Medi-Cal rates. leginfo.ca.gov ↩
- DDS ICF/DD-H Program Plan Instructions and Checklist, September 2025, Attachment 5: proof of the sixteen hour New Provider Orientation Training. PDF ↩
The list of approved agencies changes. Check the DDS page for the current list. This article is not legal advice.