Independent Living Services (ILS)

Who's eligible

Adults age 18 or older who are clients of the San Diego Regional Center (SDRC) and whose Individual Program Plan (IPP) names independent living as a goal. Independent Living Services (ILS) is for people whose support needs are real but periodic — a few hours a week of coaching, not daily hands-on care. ILS does not require a separate income test. Most ILS recipients also receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medi-Cal because that is what pays for the rent and the healthcare around the support.

What it pays for

Coaching hours focused on building and maintaining independent-living skills — money management, transportation, cooking, shopping, scheduling, problem-solving

Social-skills coaching as part of community participation

Coordination with employment, healthcare, and other services

Periodic check-ins rather than daily presence

How to apply

Confirm your loved one's IPP names "live independently with periodic support" or equivalent.

Ask the SDRC service coordinator for an ILS provider list. Tour at least two; ILS providers are often smaller agencies than SLS providers.

The provider conducts an initial assessment and proposes a coaching schedule. Typical ILS plans run from a few hours a week up to about 20 hours a month.

SDRC approves the budget based on the assessment.

Track progress against the IPP goals at each annual review; adjust hours up or down as the picture changes.

Negotiating

If your loved one needs more hours than ILS typically funds, the right conversation is whether SLS is a better fit, not whether ILS hours can stretch.

If your loved one is between SLS and ILS in need, document specifically which days and tasks require help. Specific examples drive specific authorizations.

Ask for the assessment in writing before agreeing to the proposed budget.

If you're denied

If ILS is denied or under-funded, the same fair-hearing process as SLS applies — 30 days to request, free representation through the Office of Clients' Rights Advocacy (OCRA).

A common scenario is being placed in ILS when the real need is SLS, or vice versa. Ask SDRC for a re-assessment if the level of service does not match the level of need.

Independent Living Services (ILS) is for adults whose lives mostly run themselves but who need periodic, focused coaching to keep things on track. Think of ILS as a coach who shows up a few hours a week — not a daily support staff. ILS exists because cooking your own dinner, catching the right bus, and managing the rhythm of a week are the small, ordinary skills that add up to a life of your own.

When ILS is the right fit

ILS makes sense when most days look like this:

Your loved one wakes up, gets ready, and gets out the door without daily help.
They handle their own basic cooking and shopping with support on bigger tasks (rent payment, medical appointments, financial decisions).
They have a job or day program they get to mostly on their own.
They have a few specific areas — money, transportation, communication, scheduling — where coaching makes the difference between thriving and falling behind.

If most days require daily, hands-on help, Supported Living Services (SLS) is probably the better fit. ILS and SLS sit on the same continuum from the Regional Center’s perspective; the right one depends on the assessed level of need.

How the funding works

ILS is approved as monthly coaching hours, like SLS but at a lower hour count. Plans typically run from 4 hours per month for someone needing only occasional help to about 20 hours per month for someone in active skill-building.

The ILS provider is a vendored agency — the same kind of relationship as SLS, but with smaller agencies common. The provider hires the coaches, supervises them, and bills SDRC.

What ILS does well

Skill-building. ILS coaches are often skilled at the specific work of teaching adult-living skills in a way that sticks.
Bridging. Many people start in ILS, build skills, and reduce their hours over time. Others start in ILS and find their needs grow into SLS.
Honoring autonomy. ILS by design treats your loved one as the lead in their own life. The coach is there to help, not to take over.

What ILS does not do

It is not a substitute for daily hands-on care. If your loved one needs help getting dressed, eating, or staying safe at home, that is SLS or In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) territory.
It does not pay rent, food, or recreation costs.
It is not a babysitting service. Coaches are skilled professionals working a structured plan.

How to write the IPP

“Develop and maintain independent-living skills with periodic coaching. Specific focus areas: [list — for example, money management, public transportation, social planning]. Approximately [N] coaching hours per month.” The more specific the goal language, the cleaner the funding flow.