Program Manager For In-Home Respite / Personal Assistance

Position Title: In-Home Respite and Personal Assistance Program Manager
Department / Program: In-Home Respite Services Agency (DDS Service Code 862) and Personal Assistance (DDS Service Code 062)
Reports To: Regional Services Director - East Bay
Positions Supervised: Respite Workers; Personal Assistance direct support staff; Respite Supervisors/Case Managers and/or Scheduler as the program grows
FLSA Classification: Exempt (Executive)
Employment Type: Full-Time
Salary: $73,000-$88,000 DOE + Benefits Package worth $12k
Hours of Work: Full-time. Generally Monday-Friday during business hours. Some early-evening and weekend hours are regularly needed to meet families, supervise services, and cover staffing gaps, because respite is often delivered outside business hours.
Work Location: Martinez office and field (family homes and community locations across the RCEB catchment area: Alameda and Contra Costa Counties)
Travel Required: Regular local travel during work hours to family homes, the Regional Center, and community meetings
Respite Program Manager Position Summary

The In-Home Respite and Personal Assistance Program Manager builds and leads two Regional Center-vendored services that Thrive Support Services, Inc. is launching: In-Home Respite and Personal Assistance. In-Home Respite gives families temporary relief by providing nonmedical care and supervision to a Regional Center client in the family home (Welf. & Inst. Code a74690.2). Personal Assistance helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living, either by doing a task for the person or by supporting the person to do it.

Thrive is vendored for both services. This position turns that vendorization into working programs with families enrolled, trained staff, and services delivered. The Program Manager sets the vision for both programs, writes and maintains the service design, recruits and develops the workforce, and grows referrals. The Program Manager also serves as the agency Director for the In-Home Respite Services Agency under Title 17, California Code of Regulations (17 CCR) a756792(b), and is responsible for compliance with Title 17, the Lanterman Act, Regional Center of the East Bay (RCEB) requirements, Department of Developmental Services (DDS) directives, and Thrive policy.
Key Responsibilities

The following duties are the essential functions of this position. They are the fundamental job duties that the employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

Program Leadership and Development

• Serve as agency Director of the In-Home Respite Services Agency (17 CCR a756792(b)). This means organizing and supervising the agency under Thrive's policies, and being accountable for budgeting, service design and delivery, project planning, staff development and training, and evaluation.
• Write, maintain, and carry out the written service design for In-Home Respite (17 CCR a756780). It must cover purpose, goals, and measurable outcomes; the area served and service schedule; the clients served; how services work from first contact onward; how the program is evaluated; and a grievance procedure consistent with Welf. & Inst. Code a74705. Submit changes to RCEB, and give affected families at least 30 days' notice before a change takes effect.
• Design and document the Personal Assistance program model in line with DDS rate-reform guidance for Service Code 062. This includes how services are delivered, the staffing ratios used (1:1 through 1:3 as authorized), the staff qualifications that support the billed rate, and how both are documented.
• Build and carry out a referral and growth plan for both programs. Develop working relationships with RCEB service coordinators, Self-Determination Program (SDP) participants and their Financial Management Services (FMS) providers, family resource centers, schools, and community partners. Represent Thrive in outreach to these groups.
• Set census, utilization, and staffing targets with the Regional Services Director, and report progress against them each month.

Workforce: Recruitment, Training, and Supervision

• Recruit, interview, hire, orient, schedule, supervise, coach, and evaluate Respite Workers and Personal Assistance staff, following Thrive's hiring procedures.
• Before assigning a Respite Worker, confirm the worker meets the qualifications in 17 CCR a756792(e)(3), including current CPR and First Aid training, and meets the requirements in this program's job descriptions.
• Deliver or arrange new-hire orientation within the first two weeks of employment, covering the topics in 17 CCR a756794. Deliver or arrange annual training for Respite Workers and supervisors. Keep documentation of all training.
• Match workers to families based on the worker's skills and experience and the client's supervision needs (17 CCR a756792(b)).
• Staff respite at a 1:1 ratio during direct service hours unless RCEB approves a different ratio (17 CCR a756793). Staff Personal Assistance at the ratio authorized, and bill at the ratio actually delivered.
• Make sure Respite Workers are not given other duties during respite hours (17 CCR a756792(e)(2)). Make sure every worker gets the client's specific care needs and the family's contact information at or before the first visit.
• If Thrive chooses to offer incidental medical services under Welf. & Inst. Code a74686, coordinate the required physician or registered nurse training, the DDS-approved training protocol, and ongoing CPR and First Aid currency.
• Hold regular staff meetings and individual supervision. Conduct field observations in family homes to assess service quality, client safety, and staff performance.

Service Delivery and Family Relations

• Manage intake. Before starting services, confirm that the client or authorized representative has consented, RCEB has authorized the service, the client meets the program's criteria, and Thrive has agreed to serve (17 CCR a756786). Work within RCEB's in-home respite purchase-of-service policy and each client's authorization.
• Serve as the main contact for families. Resolve scheduling, service, and satisfaction issues, and use the grievance procedure when needed.
• Handle suspensions and terminations of service as required by 17 CCR a756788. This includes documenting emergency suspensions within three working days and making sure missed or incomplete visits are reported immediately to the family, Thrive, and the RCEB service coordinator.
• Onboard and serve SDP participants: service agreements, coordination with the participant's FMS, and invoicing, using Thrive's SDP forms and procedures.
• Take part in Individual Program Plan (IPP) and planning meetings when requested, and advocate for person-centered, family-centered services.

Compliance, Records, and Reporting

• Keep a confidential record for each client as required by 17 CCR a756798 and Welf. & Inst. Code a7a7[redacted]. Each record includes emergency and identifying information, medications, allergies and care needs, an emergency medical treatment authorization, incident reports, and case notes. Store records securely and keep them for the required retention period.
• Keep agency records required by 17 CCR a756796, including service design, timesheets, payroll records, service dates and hours, training records, and RCEB and DDS approvals. Keep them for at least five years, or longer if an audit remains unresolved.
• Make sure every visit for Service Codes 862 and 062 is recorded in an Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) system that meets the 21st Century Cures Act and DDS requirements, and resolve EVV exceptions promptly.
• Make sure service records support every claim: date, start and end times, service location, and units (17 CCR a750604). Bill only for authorized services actually provided (17 CCR a754326(a)(10)). Do not bill for absences (17 CCR a754326(a)(11)). Reconcile units against authorizations each month before billing.
• Report special incidents to RCEB within 24 hours of learning of the incident, and submit the written report within 48 hours (17 CCR a754327). Make sure staff understand and meet their own mandated reporting duties.
• Complete the annual program evaluation required by 17 CCR a756800. It covers clients served, outcomes, and family satisfaction, and a written summary goes to RCEB and DDS.
• Track and meet the program-level requirements for the DDS Quality Incentive Program and the HCBS Settings Rule, working with executive leadership.
• Monitor how many clients each program serves by funding source. Alert executive leadership before anything happens that could affect Thrive's exemption from home care organization licensing (Health & Safety Code a71796.17(b)(6)).
• Prepare for and take part in RCEB monitoring visits, DDS audits, and internal quality assurance reviews. Carry out corrective action plans.

Fiscal and Operational Management

• Develop and manage the program budget. Monitor authorized versus delivered hours, labor cost, overtime, mileage, and margin, and recommend corrective action when results fall short of plan.
• Oversee payroll inputs and timekeeping for program staff in SetWORKS, and make sure all work time is recorded and paid in line with Thrive's overtime, expense, and timekeeping policies.
• Prepare monthly operational, quality assurance, and budget reports for the Regional Services Director.

Other Duties And Responsibilities

• Provide direct respite or personal assistance coverage when needed to protect client safety or service continuity. This coverage is occasional and does not replace program management duties.
• Develop program policies, procedures, forms, and training materials for both service lines.
• Attend required trainings, Regional Center provider meetings, and professional development activities.
• Support Thrive's program development, policy implementation, and continuous quality improvement work.

Other duties as assigned. The duties listed in this job description are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

Key Outcomes: First Twelve Months

The outcomes below describe what success in this role looks like. They are performance expectations, not additional essential functions.

• First 90 days: In-Home Respite service design finalized and submitted to RCEB; Personal Assistance program model documented; initial Respite Worker and Personal Assistance staff pool hired, oriented, and CPR/First Aid-current; EVV and billing workflow tested; first families enrolled and served.
• By twelve months: Both programs operating at or above budgeted margin; annual evaluation completed and submitted; zero late special incident reports; client and agency records audit-ready.

Qualifications And Requirements

Minimum Qualifications (17 CCR a756792(b)(3))

Either of the following:

• A bachelor's degree and at least eighteen (18) months of experience in the management of a human services delivery system; or
• Five (5) years of experience in a human services delivery system, including at least two (2) years in a management or supervisory position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's degree in social work, psychology, human services, education, public administration, or a related field.
• Experience serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, especially in respite, in-home support, personal care, or family support services.
• Experience starting, expanding, or turning around a program, including building referral sources and hiring a direct support workforce from the ground up.
• Working knowledge of the Regional Center system, the Lanterman Act, Title 17, the Self-Determination Program, EVV, and DDS rate reform.
• Fluency in a language other than English that is spoken by families in the RCEB catchment area.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of Title 17 in-home respite agency requirements, Regional Center purchase-of-service and authorization processes, special incident reporting, and mandated reporting.
• Knowledge of family-centered and person-centered practice and of the needs of family caregivers.
• Ability to recruit, train, schedule, and keep a part-time, field-based workforce.
• Ability to manage a budget, read utilization and billing data, and act on the results.
• Ability to write clearly, including service designs, policies, reports, and correspondence with Regional Centers and families.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment in emergencies, and manage competing priorities.
• Ability to use electronic scheduling, EVV, documentation, billing, and Microsoft Office applications.

Licenses and Certifications

• Current CPR and First Aid certification, or the ability to get certified within [30] days of hire. Thrive pays for this training.
• A valid California driver's license, an acceptable driving record, current vehicle registration, and personal automobile insurance meeting the minimum limits required by Thrive's insurance carrier (currently 100k/300k bodily injury liability).

Tools And Equipment Used

Tools

• Company-issued laptop and cellular phone; standard office equipment.
• Household and adaptive