Program Overview

Program Description

The CCS program provides diagnostic and treatment services, medical case management, and physical and occupational therapy services to children under age 21 with CCS-eligible medical conditions. Examples of CCS-eligible conditions include, but are not limited to, chronic medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, cerebral palsy, heart disease, cancer, traumatic injuries, and infectious diseases producing major sequelae. CCS also provides medical therapy services that are delivered at public schools.

The CCS program is administered as a partnership between county health departments and the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Currently, approximately 70 percent of CCS-eligible children are also Medi-Cal eligible. The Medi-Cal program reimburses their care. The cost of care for the other 30 percent of children is split equally between CCS Only and CCS Healthy Families.  The cost of care for CCS Only is funded equally between the State and counties.  The cost of care for CCS Healthy Families is funded 65 percent federal Title XXI, 17.5 percent State, and 17.5 percent county funds.

In addition, Insurance Code Sections 12693.62, 12693.64 and 12693.66, relating to the California’s Healthy Families Program, provides that the services authorized by the CCS program to treat a Healthy Families plan's subscriber's CCS-eligible medical condition are excluded from the plan's responsibilities. The participating health plan's responsibility for providing all covered medically necessary health care and case management services changes at the time that CCS eligibility is determined by the CCS program for the plan subscriber. The health plan is still responsible for providing primary care and prevention services not related to the CCS-eligible medical condition to the plan subscriber so long as they are within the Healthy Families program scope of benefits. The health plan also remains responsible for children referred to but not determined to be eligible for the CCS program.  

Legislative Authority

Enabling legislation of the CCS program

Health and Safety Code, Section 123800 et seq. is the enabling statute for the CCS program.  The explicit legislative intent of the CCS program is to provide necessary medical services for children with CCS medically eligible conditions whose parents are unable to pay for these services, wholly or in part.  The statute also requires the DHCS and the county CCS program to seek eligible children by cooperating with local public or private agencies and providers of medical care to bring potentially eligible children to sources of expert diagnosis and treatment.

The CCS program is mandated by the Welfare and Institutions Code and the California Code of Regulations (Title 22, Section 51013) to act as an “agent of Medi-Cal” for Medi-Cal beneficiaries with CCS medically eligible conditions.  Medi-Cal is required to refer all CCS-eligible clients to CCS for case management services and authorization for treatment.  The statute also requires all CCS applicants who may be eligible for the Medi-Cal program to apply for Medi-Cal.

Program Administration

In counties with populations greater than 200,000 (independent counties), county staff perform all case management activities for eligible children residing within their county. This includes determining all phases of program eligibility, evaluating needs for specific services, determining the appropriate provider(s), and authorizing for medically necessary care. For counties with populations under 200,000 (dependent counties), the Children's Medical Services (CMS) Branch provides medical case management and eligibility and benefits determination through its regional offices located in Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Dependent counties interact directly with families and make decisions on financial and residential eligibility. Some dependent counties have opted to participate in the Case Management Improvement Project (CMIP) to partner with regional offices in determining medical eligibility and service authorization. The regional offices also provide consultation, technical assistance, and oversight to independent counties, individual CCS paneled providers, hospitals, and the Special Care Centers within their region.

Funding Description

The funding source for a county CCS program is a combination of monies appropriated by the county, State General Funds, and the federal government. AB 948, the realignment legislation passed in 1992, mandated that the State and county CCS programs share in the cost of providing specialized medical care and rehabilitation to physically handicapped children through allocations of State General Fund and county monies. The amount of State money available for the CCS program is determined annually through the Budget Act.