What’s in Draft 1 of the

Developmental Disabilities Reform Act (DDRA)?

Quality Management and Standards

Quality Management

DDA will be the lead agency responsible for developing and implementing a
comprehensive quality management and improvement system.

As the lead agency, DDA will provide prompt written notice of incidents and patterns of
concern to providers, to people who receive services, and where appropriate to family
members.

DDA will be responsible for ensuring that providers take prompt corrective action to
address incidents and patterns of concern and to protect people from harm.

The District must create a protocol, led by DDA, to share information among District
government agencies that could affect people’s safety and well-being. The protocol
provides for interagency coordination, clear timelines for notice and corrective action
plans, prompt investigation of abuse, neglect, exploitation and death, and implementation
of all relevant federal and District laws, regulations and policies.

DDA must include people who receive services and their families in ongoing systemic
quality management and improvement activities.

Staff Standards

At DDA and at service providers, all employees and all volunteers who have unsupervised
contact with people with developmental disabilities will be required to:
1. Complete a FBI criminal background check;
2. Complete a check against a new DDA Abuse and Neglect Registry that tracks people
terminated by DDA or a provider due to substantiated abuse or neglect;
3. Complete a check against the District’s Nurse Aide Abuse Registry and any other
registries of abuse and neglect maintained by the District;
4. Sign a statement regarding whether the person has ever been convicted of, pled “no
contest” to, is on probation for, or has pled not guilty by reason of insanity to a list of
felony offenses;
5. Sign a statement regarding whether the person has ever been terminated or separated from
employment as a result of substantiated abuse or neglect; and
6. Complete a traffic record check, if the person will be driving people with developmental
disabilities in the course of his or her duties.

DDA will set up and administer a registry of employees who have been terminated by DDA or a
provider due to substantiated abuse or neglect.

For more information, visit http://dc-ddleg.blogspot.com or contact the DDS MAC Legislative
Committee through tjsutcliffe@arcdc.net or (202) 636-2963.