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Integrated Plan & County Portal
Frequently Asked Questions​​

Behavioral Health Services Act​​

Overview

The following page includes Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to provide assistance t​o counties on the key aspects of the Integrated Plan submission through the County Portal.

Integrated Plan Frequently Asked Questions

Draft Integrated Plan
  1. What is the three-year Integrated Plan and who needs to submit it?
    1. The three-year Integrated Plan is a comprehensive plan that counties are required to develop, detailing their strategies and projected expenditures for Behavioral Health Services and Outcomes to address the Department of Health Care Services’ (DHCS) six priority Behavioral Health goals. The Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) requires all counties to submit a three-year Integrated Plan and a budget, beginning with Fiscal Years (FY) 2026-2029 (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2029) and then developed every three years. Submission requirements include a draft Integrated Plan with any exemption or transfer funding requests due March 31, 2026, and a final Integrated Plan due June 30, 2026. For more information regarding requirements of the Integrated Plan, please review the BHSA County Policy Manual, available on the BHSA website.
  2. Does a county need to submit a separate “final” Integrated Plan in the portal?
    1. Yes, once a county’s draft Integrated Plan has been accepted by DHCS and the county is ready to submit their final Integrated Plan, counties will be able to click “Submit Final” within the portal.
  3. What do counties need to do before submitting their draft Integrated Plan?
    1. Before submitting the draft Integrated Plan, counties must:
      • Engage stakeholders meaningfully throughout the development process.
      • Verify all required items in the Integrated Plan template and budget template are addressed and include projected expenditures for each BHSA program component.
      • Obtain draft approval from the County Administrative Officer (CAO); to include any exemption and transfer requests.
      • Counties must submit their draft Integrated Plans online through the DHCS County Portal by March 31.
  4. Why is there a draft Integrated Plan?
    1. DHCS is requiring counties to submit a draft Integrated Plan by March 31, 2026. This requirement is intended to prepare counties for the submission and implementation of their final plan by June 30, 2026.
  5. Will the draft and/or final Integrated Plan be available to the public? How will the public access it?
    1. Yes, each county’s final Integrated Plan will be made available to the public; DHCS will post each county’s final Integrated Plan on the DHCS website.
  6. What are the key deadlines for submitting the draft Integrated Plan and final Integrated Plan?
    1. Counties are required to submit a draft Integrated Plan, including exemption and transfer requests, by March 31, 2026. Counties are required to submit the first final Integrated Plan by June 30, 2026. For more information regarding requirements of the Integrated Plan please review the BHSA County Policy Manual, available on the Behavioral Health Services Act website.
  7. What must be included in the final Integrated Plan submission?
    1. The final Integrated Plan submission must include the following:
      • Responses to each required item in the Integrated Plan template.
      • Projected expenditures for each BHSA program component.
      • Certification from the county Behavioral Health Director.
      • Approval from the county Board of Supervisors.
      • Counties must report total behavioral health expenditures, component exemptions and transfers, plan administration expenditures, and prudent reserve.
      • Letter from the CAO approving the draft Integrated Plan and any exemption and transfer requests.
      • Counties must submit their final Integrated Plan through the county portal by June 30.
  8. What documents are needed to complete the Integrated Plan?
    1. To develop the Integrated Plan due in 2026, counties should review the BHSA County Policy Manual in addition to the following workbooks and templates:
  9. What do counties need to do before submitting their final Integrated Plan?
    1. Before submitting the final Integrated Plan, counties must:
      • Submit draft Integrated Plan by March 31 to include a letter of approval of the CAO and include any exemption and transfer requests.
      • Obtain approval from the county Board of Supervisors.
      • Receive certification from the county Behavioral Health Director.
      • Counties will submit their final Integrated Plans online through the DHCS county portal by June 30.
  10. What if data or information in the Integrated Plan changes in the process of or immediately following the submission of the Integrated Plan?
    1. If information changes between the submission of the draft Integrated Plan and submission of the final Integrated Plan, counties must provide the updated information in the final Integrated Plan. After the submission of the final Integrated Plan, counties should submit an Intermittent Update through the county portal to make changes to the information in their Integrated Plan. Intermittent Updates may be submitted at any time during the three-year Integrated Plan cycle.
  11. How will DHCS determine whether an answer in the Integrated Plan adequately addresses local needs?
    1. The determination of whether the county’s Integrated Plan adequately addresses local needs will depend on the county's data, planned funding, and other variables unique to the county. DHCS will work with each county if more information is needed.
               
Community and Local Planning Processes
  1. If a Local Health Jurisdiction (LHJ) has not developed or completed a recent Community Health Assessment (CHA) and/or Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), how should the county behavioral health department work with the LHJ and consider the CHA/CHIP in developing the Integrated Plan?
    1. In the absence of a CHA or CHIP, the county behavioral health department may consider the LHJ’s existing strategic plan for the 2026 Integrated Plan submission.
  2. How do counties engage with their communities according to the Integrated Plan requirements?
    1. Counties are required to meaningfully engage stakeholders throughout the development of the Integrated Plan. Engagement should be inclusive, transparent, and continuous to allow diverse input and should support and include community members, service providers, and any other relevant parties. Counties must meaningfully engage with stakeholders on:
      • The county’s Integrated Plan (Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) Section 5963.03).
      • Proposed changes to allocation percentages in the county’s integrated plan (WIC Section 5863.03).
      • The county’s plan for expenditure of funds exceeding the maximum amount of the prudent reserve (WIC Section 5892).
    2. Counties may engage stakeholders and the community in the community planning processes in many ways, including, but not limited to:
      • Public comment on Integrated Plan draft, required by statute under Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA)
      • Public hearings on Integrated Plan draft, required by statute under BHSA
      • Training, education, and outreach related to community planning
      • Key informant interviews; subject matter experts
      • Workgroups and committees
      • Focus groups
      • Surveys
  3. Will a county be penalized if a group declines to participate in the Community Planning Process?
    1. No, a county will not be penalized if a county reaches out to a stakeholder group and the group chooses not to participate in the community planning process.
               
​Budget Template
  1. Will the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) further define reporting expectations for the service categories in the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) care continuum?
    1. Yes. DHCS published a Care Continuum Inventory that outlines DHCS’ recommended approach to categorizing eligible services and activities across the sources of funds in the Integrated Plan into care continuum and non-continuum service/activity categories. Counties will not be required to align to DHCS’ care continuum inventory if it would be overly burdensome with current county systems.
  2. How should counties report projected expenditures in the Integrated Plan?
    1. Counties must report all planned/projected behavioral health service expenditures for each funding source according to the Behavioral Health Care Continuum categories outlined in Chapter 3, Section C.2 of the BHSA County Policy Manual. In addition to reporting expenditures according to the Behavioral Health Care Continuum, counties must report projected expenditures for each BHSA program component:
      • Housing Interventions
      • Full Service Partnership (FSP)
      • Behavioral Health Services and Supports (BHSS)
  3. What version of the IP Budget Template should counties use when completing their IP?
    1. Counties are to use the Integrated Plan Budget Template Version 2 posted here.
  4. Some of the tab instruction references are misaligned. Is there a key for navigating the misalignment?
    1. Yes, please see below for corrected instruction row references.
      • In Version 2, Tab 4. BHSA Transfers Instructions: Instruction references are off by 4 numbers (i.e., Row 38 should be Row 42).
      • In Version 2, Tab 7. BHSS: Instruction references are off by 1 number (i.e., Row 26 – 28 should be Row 27 – 29, and Row 31 – 43 should be Row 32 – 44).
      • In Version 2, Tab 8. BHSA Plan Admin Instructions: Instruction references are off by 1 number starting at Row 34 (i.e., Row 34 should be Row 35).
      • In Version 2, Tab 9. Prudent Reserve Instructions:
        • Rows 18 and 19: dollar amounts will be auto-populated from Table 4 rows *91* **95** and *92* **96**.
        • Rows 21-23: total dollar amounts will be auto-populated from Table 4, rows *94 – 96* **98 – 100**.
        • Row 26: the total amount of planned contributions into the prudent reserve from all BHSA components allocations for each plan year will be auto-populated from Table 5 row *65* **67**, Table 6 row *42* **44**, and Table 7 row *46* **51**.
        • Row 27: the total amount of planned distributions from the prudent reserve into the BHSA component allocations for each plan year will be auto-populated from Table 5 row *64* **66**, Table 6 row *41* **43**, and Table 7 row *45* **50**.
      • In Version 2, Tab 10. BHSA Summary Instructions:
        • Row 22: the new base percentage for each component will be auto-populated from Table 4, row *38* **42**.
        • Rows 23-25: the dollar amount allocated to each component for each year of the Integrated Plan will be auto-populated from Table 5, row 35; Table 6, row 22; and Table 7, row *25* **27**, respectively.
        • Row 28: the total amount of unspent MHSA-carryover funds from prior fiscal years, will be auto-populated from Table 4 row *46* **50**.
        • Rows 30, 37, and 44: The total amount of funding transferred from each BHSA component into the prudent reserve for each plan year will be auto-populated from Table 5, row 67; Table 6, row 44; and Table 7, row *49* **51**.
        • Rows 31, 38, and 45: the total amount of funding transferred from the prudent reserve into each BHSA component allocation for each plan year will be auto-populated from Table 5, row 66; Table 6, row 43; and Table 7, row *48* **50**.
        • Rows 33, 40, and 47: estimated expenditures for each component will be auto-populated from Table 5, row 61; Table 6, row 41; and Table 7, row *46* **48**.
  5. If a county does not have planned expenditures to report in Tabs 1-3 and 5-7, should counties leave these cells blank?
    1. Counties should always enter “$0” if they do not have planned expenditures. Every cell should contain a value. Blank responses are not acceptable.
  6. How do counties report unspent MHSA funds in the IP?
    1. There are a few places in the budget template where counties will report unspent MHSA funds. On Tab 4. BHSA Transfers in Columns C-E rows 87-92, counties will indicate the BHSA components into which they will transfer their unspent MHSA funds. Counties must transfer unspent MHSA Workforce Education and Training (WET) and Capital Facilities and Technological Needs (CFTN) funds into BHSS. MHSA WET and CFTN funds cannot be transferred to FSP or Housing Interventions. On the BHSA Component Tabs 5-7, counties will indicate how they will allocate their unspent MHSA funds for each BHSA component over the three years of the IP (see Columns C-E in Tab 5 row 36, Tab 6 row 23, and Tab 7 row 28). Note: sub-allocation requirements for BHSS and Housing Interventions apply to unspent MHSA funds. For example, if a county transfers unspent MHSA funds to Housing Interventions, the requirement to spend 50% of the Housing Interventions component will apply to the combined total of unspent MHSA and projected BHSA expenditures. However, MHSA WET and CFTN do not have to adhere to the suballocation requirements under BHSS.
  7. Where and how does DHCS want counties to report the State Hospital and Managed Care (FFS Hospital) offsets in the IP budget template?
    1. For the purposes of the BHSA budget template, the county should report these offsets as expenditures in the budget template. Please enter the offset amounts on the “1. BH CoC Expenditures” tab under the appropriate SUD and MH inpatient line items (e.g., if a State Hospital offset is $150,000 for mental health inpatient, enter $150,000 under “Mental Health – Hospital and Acute Services”). In addition, on the “3. Total County BH Expenditures” tab, counties should report expenditures from the source from where the funds originate. DHCS will provide additional guidance on reporting revenues in the Behavioral Health Outcomes, Accountability, and Transparency Report (BHOATR).
  8. In Tab 1. CoC Expenditures, why do the adult/older adult and children/youth age ranges for “Total Projected Expenditures” differ from the age ranges in the BHSA definitions?
    1. While the BHSA defines children/youth as ages 25 and under and adults and older adults as ages 26 and above, the Behavioral Health Care Continuum aligns with Medi-Cal reporting of ages, which categorizes children as under 21 and adults/older adults as ages 21 and above.
  9. When reporting “Projected Number of Individuals to be Served Annually” in Tab 1. BH CoC Expenditures (Columns J-K), how should Transitional Age Youth (TAY) be reported?
    1. Counties should estimate the proportion of individuals served in each age group bracket and allocate individuals served accordingly between “Eligible Adult and Older Adult (ages 21+)” (Column J) and “Eligible Children/TAY (ages 0-20)” (Column K).
  10. How do the BHSA Component Tabs 5-7 relate to Tabs 1 and 2?
    1. Specific BHSA expenditures should be reported in Housing Interventions, Full Service Partnership (FSP), and Behavioral Health Services and Supports (BHSS) Tabs. These expenditures should also be included in Tabs 1 and 2 which is where counties report their planned expenditures for all behavioral health funding sources, including but not limited to, BHSA. Specifically, any data included in Tab 7 row 41 (CFTN), should be accounted for in Tab 2 row 19 (Capital Infrastructure Activities). Similarly, any data included in Tab 7 row 38 (WET) should be accounted for in Tab 2 row 20 (Workforce Investment Activities). Data included in Tab 5 row 55 (Capital Development Projects) is recommended to be included in Tab 1 row 42 (Housing Intervention Component Services) but may be included in Tab 2 row 19 (Capital Infrastructure Activities).
  11. Tab 4. BHSA Transfers does not include a row for Housing Interventions Outreach and Engagement expenditures, how should counties report their use of Housing Interventions for Outreach and Engagement in the Budget Template?
    1. That’s correct, Tab 4. BHSA Transfers does not capture county expenditures for Outreach and Engagement. Counties will report their projected expenditures for Housing Interventions Outreach and Engagement in Tab 5. Housing Interventions. If counties are requesting to transfer funds out of Housing Interventions, they must reduce the percentage they propose transferring out (on Tab 4. BHSA transfers) by the percentage they are dedicating to Housing Interventions Outreach and Engagement. For example, if a county is dedicating 2% to Housing Interventions Outreach and Engagement, they can only transfer 5% out of Housing Interventions into BHSS or FSP.
  12. How should counties report on administration expenditures? Is there a connection between the “Component Administration” rows on each component tab (Housing Interventions, FSP, BHSS) and the BHSA_PlanAdmin Tab?
    1. Tab 8. BHSA_PlanAdmin includes rows for “Projected Improvement and Monitoring” (I&M) and “Projected County Integrated Plan Annual Planning” (Planning) expenditures. These entries should represent the sum of the expenditures reported on the Administration rows of each component (row 60 for HI, 40 for FSP, 47 for BHSS). Counties may not exceed limits on the percentage of total annual Local Behavioral Health Services Fund (BHSF) revenues they can allocate to I&M and Planning (as reported on Tab 8. BHSA_PlanAdmin):
      • I&M: 2% for counties with a population over 200,000 or 4% for counties with a population under 200,000.
      • Planning: 5% for all counties.
    2. Counties should allocate the total admin expenditures from the three component tabs between I&M and Planning on Tab 8. BHSA_PlanAdmin while not exceeding either cap.
  13. Why was a new formula added to Tab 3. Unspent BHSA Row 37?
    1. The formula was added to Row 37 to serve as a validation check, ensuring that the total projected expenditures reported across all behavioral health funding sources (Row 36) match the total expenditures reported across service types in Tabs 1 and 2. If all funding has been appropriately allocated across the Behavioral Health Care Continuum a​​nd Other County Expenditure tabs, this value in Row 37 should equal $0. Any non-zero amount would indicate that the total funding reported by funding source in Tab 3 does not align with the service-level allocations in the first two tabs. Row 37 serves as a validation check to confirm data consistency across the workbook.
  14. Why were the following rows added to Tab 7, BHSS: Row 59: BHSS funds transferred to WET and Row 60: BHSS transfer to CFTN?
    1. Rows 59 and 60 represent BHSS funds transferred out of BHSS to WET and/or CFTN. These rows were added because the reversion requirements for WET and CFTN are still ten years, allowing for counties to “transfer” BHSS funds to WET and CFTN accounts for tracking purposes. Counties may continue to keep separate fund accounts for WET and CFTN. Counties are permitted to allocate BHSS funds for WET and CFTN purposes, consistent with Policy Manual Chapter 7, Sections A.4 and A.5 and the fiscal policies outlined in Chapter 6, Section B.7.3. Rows 59 and 60 were primarily added for county tracking purposes.
  15. What data should counties use when reporting their maximum prudent reserve amount?
    1. Counties should use the maximum prudent reserve amounts provided by DHCS to complete these sections of the IP and IP budget. The latest prudent reserve spreadsheet​ can be found under BHSA Integrated Plan Development Resources. The FY 2025-26 version of the prudent reserve funding levels​ is also available.​
  16. How should counties report BHSA and Non-BHSA Early Intervention (EI) expenditures in Tab 7, BHSS Row 34?
    1. Counties should report the total amount of all Early Intervention (EI) expenditures in Row 34. This must include:
      • Youth-Focused EI expenditures reported in Row 35,
      • Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) for First Episode Psychosis expenditures reported in Row 36, and
      • Any additional EI expenditures that do not fall within Row 35 or Row 36 subcategories.
    2. The subtotal in Row 45 pulls only from the expenditure amounts reported in Row 34. Counties must ensure that all EI expenditures are reported in Row 34, even if portions are also entered into the subcategory Rows 35 and 36.
  17. Are counties limited to using 2-4% of BHSA funds for administrative costs?
    1. Counties may use 2% of their total annual allocation of BHSA funds (or 4% for counties with populations under 200,000) for the activities outlined in BHIN-25-016, which include:
      • Preparing and submitting the Integrated Plan (distinct from the 5% of total annual allocation of BHSA funds that counties may use for the community planning process);
      • Preparing and submitting the BHOATR (e.g., improving plan operations, quality outcomes, and fiscal and programmatic data reporting, as well as monitoring of subcontractor compliance for all county behavioral health program costs); and
      • Information Technology system enhancements needed to support new reporting requirements for the Integrated Plan and BHOATR.
    2. These costs are distinct from administrative costs that support the operations and overhead of county behavioral health programs. Administrative costs consistent with 2 CFR 200 are not subject to the 2-4% total annual allocation of BHSA funds and must be reported within each individual component tab of the Integrated Plan budget template and reported in the BHOATR. The 2-4% BHSA administration expenses for claiming and reimbursement, must be reported in Tab 8 (BHSA_PlanAdmin) in the Integrated Plan budget template and reported in the BHOATR.
    3. For more information, please review the BHSA Policy Manual, Chapter 6 BHT Fiscal Policies, Section B.8 Cost Principles, available on the BHSA website.
  18. What will happen to MHSA Innovation (INN) funds under BHSA?
    1. Under BHSA, any unspent MHSA INN funds will be considered in one of the two following categories:
      • Unspent Encumbered INN Funds: These are MHSA INN funds that counties were able to encumber under an INN project approved by the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (BHSOAC). If a county has INN funds that were encumbered prior to July 1, 2026, and the INN project is operational, those INN funds will remain encumbered for the duration of the first Integrated Plan period, Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-29 (BHSA Policy Manual, Chapter 6, Section B.7.2). If counties do not want to continue an MHSA INN project under BHSA, counties may choose to disencumber MHSA INN funds and transfer the funds to any of the BHSA components as long as the reversion period has not passed.
      • Unspent Unencumbered INN Funds: These are MHSA INN funds that were not encumbered under an approved INN project. Counties are required to reallocate any unspent unencumbered INN funds to the new BHSA components, similar to other unspent MHSA funds. Beginning July 1, 2026, any unused MHSA monies will be “converted” into BHSA monies and must be expended consistent with the requirements set forth in the policy manual (BHSA Policy Manual, Chapter 6, Section B.7.1).
  19. What is the reversion period for MHSA INN funds?
    1. The reversion guidelines for MHSA INN funds are as follows:
      • MHSA INN Project Continuing Under BHSA – Unspent Encumbered INN Funds: If the funding encumbered for continuing MHSA INN projects are not expended by June 30, 2029, any remaining INN funds that are not reverted will become BHSA funds and will be tracked according to their original reversion period.
      • MHSA INN Projects Not Continuing Under BHSA – Unspent Unencumbered and Disencumbered INN Funds: Unspent unencumbered and disencumbered MHSA INN funds reallocated to the new BHSA components are subject to their original reversion periods (BHSA Policy Manual Chapter 6, Section B.7.1).
  20. Will MHSA INN project funds be exempt from BHSA allocation and sub-allocation requirements?
    1. Unspent encumbered MHSA INN funds that are tied to continuing, BHSOAC-approved INN projects are exempt from BHSA sub-allocation requirements for BHSS and Housing Interventions, as long as the project remains operational and aligns with an allowable BHSA component.
    2. Unencumbered MHSA INN funds must adhere to the suballocation requirements for BHSS and Housing Interventions.
  21. What qualifies as an “operational MHSA INN project”?
    1. Per BHSA Policy Manual Chapter 6, Section B.7.2, “operational” means any MHSA INN project with funds spent prior to July 1, 2026. Counties will be required to report MHSA INN funds that will be used to support continuing operational INN projects in the FY 2026-29 Integrated Plan Budget, under the BHSA component program and/or service that most closely aligns with the MHSA INN project. For example, MHSA INN Projects that are transferred into the FSP component can be reported under the program that most closely aligns with the services provided. Counties will report expenditures in the BHOATR.
  22. Are continuing MHSA INN projects required to align with BHSA program and component requirements?
    1. Yes. All programs, including continuing operational MHSA INN projects, must be consistent with BHSA statutory and policy requirements and must align with an allowable BHSA component:
      • Behavioral Health Services and Supports (BHSS),
      • Full-Service Partnership (FSP), or
      • Housing Interventions.
    2. Any MHSA INN projects that do not align with a BHSA component may not continue after July 1, 2026.
  23. Will counties be required to track MHSA INN funds separately from other BHSA funds?
    1. DHCS encourages counties to identify and report continuing MHSA INN funds separately from other BHSA funds in the IP budget template to support compliance monitoring and review. Counties may continue to keep separate fund accounts to track encumbered INN funds through June 30, 2029. DHCS is making updates to the Integrated Plan budget template to allow counties to report projected expenditures for MHSA INN funds within each BHSA component tab.
  24. How will encumbered MHSA INN funds be tracked and expended during the BHSA transition period?
    1. Counties will be required to report MHSA INN expenditures in the FY 25-26 MHSA Annual Revenue and Expenditure Report and in the BHOATR. DHCS will continue to use the “first in, first out” methodology to spend down unspent MHSA INN funds.
  25. Are counties required to continue previously approved MHSA INN Projects under BHSA?
    1. Counties are not required to continue MHSA INN projects after July 1, 2026. If the reversion period has not passed, unspent MHSA INN funds must be reallocated to the BHSA components. Reallocating unspent MHSA INN funds does not change the reversion period. Counties are required to complete the Community Planning Process and stakeholder process for the Integrated Plan (BHSA Policy Manual Chapter 3, Section B.1) and include how the county plans to spend MHSA INN funds.
           
Exemption and Funding Transfer Requests
  1. Can counties adjust Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) funding allocations to meet local needs identified in the Integrated Plan?
    1. Yes. Exemption and funding transfer requests must be submitted to the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) by March 31 of the fiscal year prior to the fiscal years covered in the Integrated Plan. Counties must submit their exemption and funding transfer requests within the portal and the requests must be included with the draft Integrated Plan. Exemption and transfer requests allow counties to address their different local needs and priorities based on data and community input. Starting with Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-2029 Integrated Plan, all counties can request a shift to funding allocation percentages per Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) Section 5892. The baseline allocations percentages are:
      • Housing Intervention Services (30%)
      • Full-Service Partnership Program (35%)
      • Behavioral Health Services and Supports (BHSS) (35%)
      Funding transfer requests allow counties flexibility within the above funding areas to move up to 7% from anyone funding component and move a maximum of 14% of their total BHSA allocation. Exemption requests allow counties with a population of less than 200,000 to:
      • Move more than 7% into or out of the Housing Interventions funding component beyond the 30% base allocation.
      • Use less than 50% of the Housing Intervention Component allocation for individuals who are chronically homeless.
      • Use more than 25% of Housing Intervention Component allocation capital development.
  2. How will DHCS communicate if an exemption or funding transfer request is approved or denied?
    1. All communications regarding the Integrated Plan will be done via the portal. This includes the approvals/denials of the exemption/transfer requests.
  3. Can an exemption or funding transfer request be submitted prior to submitting the draft Integrated Plan?
    1. No, exemption and funding transfer requests can only be submitted alongside the draft Integrated Plan.
  4. Does a county need to revise the Integrated Plan if an exemption or funding transfer request is denied?
    1. Yes, if a county’s exemption or funding transfer request is denied, counties may appeal DHCS’ decision to deny the county’s exemption request. All appeals activities will occur through the county portal. Counties must submit their appeal request within 30 calendar days of receiving DHCS’ denial. If DHCS rejects the exemption requested in the county’s Integrated Plan, the county must update their Integrated Plan to reflect the denied exemption in their Integrated Plan by June 30th of the year prior to the fiscal years the Integrated Plan covers.
  5. What should a county enter into the IP if it is not requesting a Housing Interventions (HI) exemption, a Full Service Partnership (FSP) exemption, and/or a Funding Transfer Request?
    1. Counties that are eligible to request an HI or FSP exemption and/or a Funding Transfer Request (i.e., population less than 200,000) should fill out the relevant requests and questions and click “Add to plan.” For eligible counties that choose not to request an exemption and/or a Funding Transfer Request, these questions are optional and can be skipped.
      These questions will not appear in the IP for counties that are not eligible to request an exemption (i.e., population greater than 200,000).
               
Data in the Integrated Plan
  1. Are counties required to use specific data sources to complete the Integrated Plan?
    1. No, counties are not required to use specific data sources to complete the Integrated Plan. However, counties are required to consider relevant data sources, including local data, to address local needs, in accordance with the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) County Policy Manual. Data should be based on the Fiscal Year (FY) preceding the year plan development begins (i.e., for 2026-2029 Integrated Plan, data from FY 2023-2024 should be used) or the most current data available.
  2. How should counties complete questions in the Integrated Plan or budget if they don’t currently collect or have access to the data being requested?
    1. Counties are expected to consider relevant data sources to complete their Integrated Plan, including requesting data from other county departments, local housing system partners, and Local Health Jurisdictions (LHJs), if necessary.
  3. Will DHCS provide the specific data elements and scope of data sharing required for managed care plans (MCPs)?
    1. The BHSA was written prior to the 2024 DHCS redesign of Population Needs Assessment (PNA) requirements. MCPs no longer develop and submit a PNA to the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). MCPs now fulfill their PNA requirement by meaningfully participating in the Community Health Assessment (CHA) and Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) conducted by Local Health Jurisdictions (LHJs). MCP requirements for data-sharing with LHJs for CHA and CHIP development are outlined in the DHCS Population Health Management Policy Guide.
  4. Why are counties expected to report non-BHSA funding sources in the Integrated Plan and what will this information be used for?
    1. The Integrated Plan is designed to serve as a prospective planning and spending tool that describes how county behavioral health departments intend to use all available behavioral health funding to meet statewide and local outcome measures, reduce disparities, and address unmet need in the community. This information provides greater transparency in behavioral health spending.
  5. Are cities or joint power authorities (JPAs) expected to submit local data in their Integrated Plan?
    1. Cities are expected to utilize data that corresponds to the county they are located within, and JPAs must include data that reflects all counties included in the JPA.
  6. Will LHJs be required to share data with the county for the Integrated Plan?
    1. LHJs are not required to share additional data with county behavioral health departments. Counties are required to begin to identify statewide population behavioral health goals to utilize and stratify data from LHJs and Managed Care Plans, including data utilized to support behavioral health focus areas of the CHA and CHIP, to inform Integrated Plan development.
  7. In the section on County Provider Monitoring and Oversight, the Integrated Plan asks for various counts of “BHSA provider locations.” How does DHCS define a "BHSA provider location”?
    1. To ensure comparable tracking of provider locations across programs, DHCS will count providers under BHSA the same way it counts providers under Medi-Cal. For Medi-Cal network adequacy, and also for provider site certification under Specialty Mental Health Services (SMHS) or Drug Medi-Cal (DMC), DHCS separately assesses each physical location for each provider. For a multi-site provider, that means DHCS treats each site as a separate provider location, even though they are all part of the same legal entity. Similarly, if multiple different programs are located in the same building, each of those programs should be counted as a separate provider location, even though they share a street address. Counties should follow the same principles when counting the number of provider locations that provide BHSA-funded services.
  8. Does a “BHSA provider location” include a contracted provider that only provides services via telehealth? Does it include a contracted provider that is located outside of the county?
    1. Yes, to both. When counting the number of contracted BHSA provider locations, counties should include providers that only deliver services via telehealth, as well as providers located outside county lines. If a provider offers both telehealth and in-person services, that provider may be counted as a single location (i.e., counties should not “double count” a provider that offers multiple modalities). BHSA provider locations, defined further in the previous FAQ (question 7), include all sites for all contracted providers for BHSA services.
  9. How will counties estimate the percentage of their SMHS providers (county-operated and contract) that also contract with at least one Medi-Cal MCP for the delivery of Non-Specialty Mental Health Services (NSMHS)?
    1. DHCS will provide each county with a list of their SMHS providers that also contract with at least one MCP, along with the overall percentage of SMHS/MCP overlap. Counties may report that same percentage in their Integrated Plan, or may choose to adjust their percentage by identifying SMHS providers that do not offer any services coverable as NSMHS, then removing those providers from the denominator (which may increase the county’s overlap percentage).
  10. Which BHSA-funded providers are exempt from DHCS’ requirement to maximize resource efficiency through, in part, billing Medi-Cal and seeking reimbursement from MCPs and commercial health plans?
    1. Providers are exempt from these requirements if they receive BHSA funding only for:
      1. Housing Intervention services; and/or
      2. BHSA services that are not covered by client’s other health coverage, if any.
    2. As described in the BHSA County Policy Manual ( Chapter 6, Section C), DHCS requires BHSA-funded providers to maximize resource efficiency with respect to the Medi-Cal Behavioral Health Delivery System if the provider receives BHSA funding for Full Service Partnership (FSP) or Behavioral Health Services and Supports (BHSS) services that are also covered by the county’s Medi-Cal Behavioral Health Delivery System.
    3. DHCS requires BHSA-funded providers to make a good faith effort to seek reimbursement if the provider receives BHSA funding for FSP or BHSS services that are also covered by commercial health plans and/or Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans.
  11. For the purposes of the IP, are children and youth considered to be individuals under the age of 21 or those under the age of 25?
    1. While the BHSA defines children/youth as ages 25 and under and adults and older adults as ages 26 and above for all BHSA-funded programs and services (WIC 5892(k)(7)), the Behavioral Health Care Continuum aligns with age limits in Medi-Cal reporting, which categorizes children as under 21 and adults/older adults as ages 21 and above. Throughout the IP, counties should refer to the specific data requested to determine whether the response should include individuals under the age of 21 or those under the age of 25. Descriptions of requested data can be found in the tables in the IP and IP Budget Template, the Integrated Plan Data Dictionary (found in the County IP Portal), the County Population-Level Behavioral Health Measure Workbook , and the Integrated Plan Budget Instruction Manual.
  12. Are counties required to monitor non-Medi-Cal contracted Outreach & Engagement providers?
    1. Yes, counties are required to monitor all county operated and county-contracted BHSA providers, as specified under W&I Code 5963.02(c)(8)(A), (I) and forthcoming guidance in Chapter 9 of the BHSA Policy Manual. This requirement applies regardless of whether a provider is enrolled in Medi-Cal.
               
Population Behavioral Health Measures
  1. How will counties use population-level behavioral health measures in their Integrated Plans?
    1. County behavioral health plans will use population-level behavioral health measures to inform the development of their Integrated Plans. During Phase 1 (July 2025 – June 2026), these measures will offer insight into community health and well-being and will help counties assess population-level needs in alignment with the statewide behavioral health goals. County behavioral health plans will be expected to review their county’s status on each population-level behavioral health measure. This analysis, in combination with local priorities, will guide resource allocation and inform the prioritization of targeted interventions aimed at improving community well-being and behavioral health outcomes.
  2. How do the population-level behavioral health measures aim to impact the overall health and well-being of communities across California?
    1. The population-level behavioral health measures aim to improve the overall health and well-being of communities by establishing a common framework to help counties identify trends, disparities, and gaps in population-level behavioral health outcomes. By providing a common framework to assess and monitor community needs, these measures support counties in designing targeted interventions that address key drivers of behavioral health and promote equitable access to services.
  3. How should counties use the County Population-Level Behavioral Health Measure Workbook?
    1. The County Population-Level Behavioral Health Measure Workbook is a technical assistance tool that provides publicly available data for all population-level behavioral health measures by county. It supports counties in conducting statewide and county-to-county comparisons where data is available. The workbook is intended to display the most recent data available as of June 2025; however, the data is not updated in real time and may not align with updated data available from the measure source. In some cases, the data has been adjusted to convert count data to a rate, or to provide a singular county rate for comparison purposes. While the workbook is intended to be a helpful supplemental resource, counties should still independently review and analyze the underlying data sources and public dashboards to inform their Integrated Plan submissions.
  4. How should counties use the Measure Access Instructions and Notes document?
    1. The Measure Access Instructions and Notes document provides links to each measure, a description of the measure, and step-by-step guidance on how to access the data. It also includes important notes and additional context, such as whether the data in the workbook has been converted from a count to a rate or includes other relevant adjustments.
  5. What statewide behavioral health goals must counties address in their first Integrated Plan submission?
    1. In their first integrated plan submission, county behavioral health plans are required to address the six priority statewide behavioral health goals, which include:
      1. Access to Care
      2. Homelessness
      3. Institutionalization
      4. Justice-Involvement
      5. Removal of Children from Home
      6. Untreated Behavioral Health Conditions
    2. Counties will also be required to address at least one additional county-selected goal, in which their county-wide data is higher or lower than the statewide rate or average, as appropriate.
  6. What information should a county consider when selecting its optional goal?
    1. Counties should base their optional goal selection on identified community needs, stakeholder input, and a review of the measures linked to each additional goal as well as available local data. Counties are encouraged to prioritize goals and measures where their performance significantly differs from the statewide rate or average, as appropriate.
  7. Will counties be expected to report on Phase 1 measures after submitting the first Integrated Plan?
    1. County behavioral health plans will use the Phase 1 measures to develop their first Integrated Plan submission. The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will release Phase 2 measures as they become available. At that point, counties will no longer be required to use all Phase 1 measures to inform their Annual Updates or Integrated Plan submissions. However, DHCS may encourage continued use of select Phase 1 measures to support goals that are not yet associated with an established Phase 2 measure.
  8. When will Phase 2 measures be finalized?
    1. DHCS expects to make an initial subset of Phase 2 measures available in 2026. Additional Phase 2 measures will be shared with counties as available.
  9. How will counties be held accountable to the population behavioral health measures?
    1. The Phase 1 population-level behavioral health measures are intended to establish a shared, data-informed framework to guide county planning and improve transparency.
               
Housing Interventions
  1. What information does the county need to report regarding collaboration with local housing system partners to implement the county’s Housing Interventions programs?
    1. Counties should describe how they will collaborate with local housing system partners to implement Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) Housing Interventions and indicate which housing intervention(s) they will collaborate on. If a county department other than behavioral health will collaborate with one of the local housing system partners listed in the Integrated Plan, please describe how this collaboration will support the effective implementation of BHSA Housing Interventions, and how the county behavioral health department will oversee and monitor these implementation activities.
  2. If counties are contributing BHSA Housing Interventions funding to a project but the funds are not earmarked for a specific number of units, how should counties report the total number of units funded with BHSA Housing Interventions per year?
    1. Counties contributing BHSA Housing Interventions for rental subsidies, operating subsidies, landlord outreach and mitigation funds, and capital development funds that are not earmarked for a specific number of units, should respond “0” in the question asking for number of units funded with BHSA Housing Interventions per year. Counties should then answer the optional question to explain how BHSA Housing Interventions funding will contribute to the broader number of units being funded and provide an estimate of the number of units that will be supported with BHSA Housing Interventions funding.
  3. What information should counties include in the brief description of each BHSA funded Housing Intervention?
    1. Counties should include the following information, as applicable:
      1. If the intervention is provided by the county directly or by a contracted provider.
      2. Other county department/local housing system partner engagement on delivery of services and/or braiding/blending of funding.
      3. Specific uses of BHSA funding (e.g., types of landlord outreach and mitigation or participant assistance fund expenses).
      4. Other relevant information.
  4. If counties are funding more than one capital development project, should they answer the associated questions for each project?
    1. Yes, counties will have the option to add multiple capital development project entries. Counties must provide a separate entry that answers the associated set of questions for each distinct capital development project.
  5. When selecting from the drop-down list of allowable settings, what is meant by “non-congregate interim housing models” and “congregate settings that have only a small number of individuals per room and sufficient common space (not larger dormitory sleeping halls)”? How do these differ from the other time-limited interim settings?
    1. These setting types should be selected only where there is no more specific setting type that is applicable. For example, a setting that is an SRO should be identified as an SRO even if it could also be characterized as non-congregate interim housing. A recovery housing setting should be identified as recovery housing even if it could also be characterized as a congregate setting with a small number of individuals per room. Counties should do their best to select the most specific applicable setting type available; where no more specific setting type is applicable, counties may identify a setting as a non-congregate interim housing model or a congregate setting with a small number of individuals per room.
               
Full Service Partnership
  1. How will counties complete the estimated number of Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) eligible individuals for each evidence based practice (EBP) and estimated number of practitioners and teams needed to serve the total eligible population?
    1. The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will provide both the estimated number of BHSA eligible individuals for each EBP and the estimated number of practitioners and teams needed to serve the total BHSA eligible population directly to the county to include in their Integrated Plan. Counties do not need to do any calculations themselves.
  2. Are counties expected to serve the estimated eligible population for each EBP?
    1. No, DHCS does not expect counties to serve the total estimated number of BHSA eligible individuals for each EBP. The estimated number of BHSA eligible individuals is intended to support county-specific planning for EBP implementation. DHCS expects the actual population served to be impacted by workforce capacity, number of individuals who want Full Service Partnership (FSP) services, and county-specific resources.
  3. For counties that opt in to provide the service under Medi-Cal, does the county report the total number of practitioners and teams the county will utilize to provide the EBP to both Medi-Cal members and non Medi-Cal members?
    1. Yes, counties that opt in to provide the EBP under Medi-Cal are required to provide the total number of practitioners and teams the county will utilize for each EBP.
  4. What are counties expected to report on for High Fidelity Wraparound (HFW) in the first Integrated Plan?
    1. DHCS is working to develop estimates of the total HFW eligible population and number of teams needed to serve the total eligible population to share with counties. Pending the timeline for completion, counties will not be required to include these estimates in the Integrated Plan. However, counties are required to provide their best estimate of total number of practitioners and total number of teams the county will utilize to provide HFW.
  5. If a county receives an exemption from Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) and Forensic ACT (FACT), do they still need to provide “levels” within their Full Service Partnership (FSP) program?
    1. Counties that receive exemptions from ACT and FACT only need to provide FSP Intensive Case Management (ICM) in their FSP programs (one level). Counties are also still required to provide Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Supported Employment (note: counties with populations under 200,000 can also request exemptions from IPS), High Fidelity Wraparound (HFW), and Assertive Field-Based SUD in their FSP programs.
  6. Which fields from the DHCS-provided county-specific EBP estimates should be entered into the Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) tables in the IP?
    1. See the table below for details about how to use the county-specific estimates document to complete the IP. Counties are not required to input any data from the “Individuals Living with SMI” column in Table 1 and “Individuals Living with SMI and/or SUD” column in Table 4. These estimates were provided to counties for awareness only, as they are the “base” populations that were used to derive the EBP-specific estimates.

      ​
      ​Integrated Plan​​​         
      ​County-Specific EBP Estimates​          
      ​Table
      		 ​Data Field
      		​Table
      		 ​Data Field
      ​Table 13. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for CSC and Estimated Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population
      		 ​Number of Medi-Cal Enrolled Individuals
      		 ​Table 6. Estimated Individuals with Clinical Need for CSC
      		 ​Individuals with Clinical Need for CSC
      Payer: Medi-Cal
      ​Table 13. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for CSC and Estimated Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population
      		 ​Number of Uninsured Individuals 
      		 ​​Table 6. Estimated Individuals with Clinical Need for CSC
      		 ​Individuals with Clinical Need for CSC ​
      Payer: Uninsured 
                

      ​Table 13. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for CSC and Estimated Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population
      		 ​Number of Practitioners Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Table 7. Estimated Behavioral Health Practitioners to Serve Individuals with Clinical Need for CSC 
      		 ​Behavioral Health Practitioners for CSC 
      ​Table 13. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for CSC and Estimated Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population
      		 ​Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Table 7. Estimated Behavioral Health Practitioners to Serve Individuals with Clinical Need for CSC 
      		 ​CSC Teams 
      ​Table 16. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for Full Service Partnership Services 
      		 ​Number of Medi-Cal Enrolled Individuals 
      		 ​Table 1. Estimated Total Number of Individuals Eligible for FSP  
      		 ​Individuals Living with SMI with Clinical Need for FSP 
      Payer: Medi-Cal 
                
      ​Table 16. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for Full Service Partnership Services 
      		 ​Number of Uninsured Individuals 
      		 ​Table 1. Estimated Total Number of Individuals Eligible for FSP  
      		 ​Individuals Living with SMI with Clinical Need for FSP 
      Payer: Uninsured 
                
      ​Table 16. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for Full Service Partnership Services 
      		 ​Number of Total FSP Eligible Individuals with Some Justice-System Involvement 
      		 ​Table 1. Estimated Total Number of Individuals Eligible for FSP  
      		 ​Individuals with Clinical Need for FSP with Justice System Involvement 
      Payer: Total BHSA-Eligible 
                
      ​Table 17. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for ACT 
      		 ​Number of Medi-Cal Enrolled Individuals 
      		 ​Table 2. Estimated Individuals with Clinical Need for ACT, FACT, and FSP ICM  
      		 ​Individuals with Clinical Need for ACT 
      Payer: Medi-Cal 
                
      ​Table 17. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for ACT 
      		 ​Number of Uninsured Individuals 
      		 ​Table 2. Estimated Individuals with Clinical Need for ACT, FACT, and FSP ICM  
      		 ​Individuals with Clinical Need for ACT 
      Payer: Uninsured 
                
      ​Table 18. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for FACT 
      		 ​Number of Medi-Cal Enrolled Individuals 
      		 ​Table 2. Estimated Individuals with Clinical Need for ACT, FACT, and FSP ICM  
      		 ​Individuals with Clinical Need for FACT ​
      Payer: Medi-Cal 
                
      ​Table 18. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for FACT 
      		 ​Number of Uninsured Individuals 
      		 ​Table 2. Estimated Individuals with Clinical Need for ACT, FACT, and FSP ICM  
      		 ​Individuals with Clinical Need for FACT 
      Payer: Uninsured 
                
      ​Table 19. Estimated Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Number of Practitioners Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Table 3. Estimated Behavioral Health Practitioners to Serve Individuals with Clinical Need for ACT, FACT, and FSP ICM 
      		 ​Behavioral Health Practitioners for ACT/FACT 
      ​Table 19. Estimated Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Table 3. Estimated Behavioral Health Practitioners to Serve Individuals with Clinical Need for ACT, FACT, and FSP ICM 
      		 ​ACT/FACT Teams 
      ​Table 21. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for FSP ICM and Estimated Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Number of Medi-Cal Enrolled Individuals 
      		 ​Table 2. Estimated Individuals with Clinical Need for ACT, FACT, and FSP ICM 
      		 ​Individuals with Clinical Need for FSP ICM 
      Payer: Medi-Cal 
                
      ​Table 21. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for FSP ICM and Estimated Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Number of Uninsured Individuals 
      		 ​Table 2. Estimated Individuals with Clinical Need for ACT, FACT, and FSP ICM 
      		 ​Individuals with Clinical Need for FSP ICM 
      Payer: Uninsured 
                
      ​Table 21. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for FSP ICM and Estimated Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Number of Practitioners Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Table 3. Estimated Behavioral Health Practitioners to Serve Individuals with Clinical Need
      for ACT, FACT, and FSP ICM
      		 ​Behavioral Health Practitioners for FSP ICM 
      ​Table 21. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for FSP ICM and Estimated Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​​Table 3. Estimated Behavioral Health Practitioners to Serve Individuals with Clinical Need
      for ACT, FACT, and FSP ICM
                

      		 ​FSP ICM Teams 
      ​Table 25. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for IPS and Estimated Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Number of Medi-Cal Enrolled Individuals 
      		 ​Table 4. Estimated Individuals with Clinical Need for IPS 
      		 ​Individuals with Clinical Need for IPS 
      ​Payer: Medi-Cal 
                

      ​Table 25. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for IPS and Estimated Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Number of Uninsured Individuals 
      		 ​Table 4. Estimated Individuals with Clinical Need for IPS 
      		 ​Individuals with Clinical Need for IPS ​
      Payer: Uninsured 
                
      ​
      ​Table 25. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for IPS and Estimated Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Number of Practitioners Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Table 5. Estimated Behavioral Health Practitioners to Serve Individuals with Clinical Need for IPS 
      		 ​Behavioral Health Practitioners for IPS 
      ​Table 25. Estimated Number of Individuals Eligible for IPS and Estimated Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Number of Teams Needed to Serve Total Eligible Population 
      		 ​Table 5. Estimated Behavioral Health Practitioners to Serve Individuals with Clinical Need for IPS 
      		 ​IPS Teams 

  7. Can counties make adjustments to the DHCS-provided county-specific EBP estimates when entering the estimates into the IP?
    1. No. Counties should input the county-specific EBP estimates provided by DHCS directly into the IP, as described above. Counties should not make any adjustments to the estimates provided. Counties may use their own data to input projections for the actual number of behavioral health practitioners and multidisciplinary teams they will staff to deliver each EBP each fiscal year.
  8. Can counties adjust their staffing projections after completing the IP?
    1. Yes, counties may adjust staffing projections as needed as part of the Annual Update/Intermittent Update (AU/IU) process. More information about the AU/IU process is forthcoming.
  9. Are counties and cities required to implement Assertive Field-Based SUD programs and medication-assisted treatment (MAT)?
    1. Yes, counties must administer an FSP program that includes assertive field-based initiation for SUD treatment services, including the provision of MAT. There are no exemptions available to counties or cities from assertive-field based SUD requirements under FSP. Counties are required to support at least one initiative in each of the three areas of the assertive field-based program:
      • Targeted outreach to expand rapid access to MAT for populations at high risk of overdose
      • A mobile field-based program
      • An open-access clinic model This can include strengthening or expanding existing programs and/or standing up new programs. Counties are expected to provide – and work toward ensuring – same-day access to MAT.
  10. Can FSP funds be used to cover residential treatment settings?
    1. FSP funding may be used to provide behavioral health services the county determines are beneficial to an eligible individual’s treatment, if not already covered by ACT, FACT, FSP ICM, or HFW. When necessary, this may include the cost of services provided in residential treatment settings and room and board costs. Housing Intervention funds and BHSS funds may not be used to fund the provision of care in residential treatment settings.
          
Behavioral Health Services and Supports
  1. Are counties required to use Evidence Based Practices (EBP)/Community Defined Evidence Based Practices (CDEP) on the DHCS Biennial Early Intervention EBP/CDEP List?
    1. No, counties are not required to use EBP/CDEPs on the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Biennial Early Intervention EBP/CDEP List. The list is intended to serve as a reference tool for counties when developing their Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) Early Intervention programs. The only EBP that counties are required to implement as part of BHSA Early Intervention is a Coordinated Specialty Care for First Episode Psychosis (CSC for FEP) program, beginning July 2026. Counties may innovate and implement emerging and promising practices based on their local needs that are not included on the list.
  2. If a county would like to use BHSA Early Intervention funds to fund an EBP or CDEP that is not included on the DHCS Biennial Early Intervention EBP/CDEP List, what guidelines must the county follow in selecting an EBP/CDEP? (Updated on 12/10/2025)
    1. An EBP/CDEP not included on the list may be utilized as long as the EBP/CDEP is designed to prevent mental illnesses and substance use disorders from becoming severe and disabling and to reduce disparities in behavioral health, and addresses at least one aspect of required BHSA Early Intervention program components: outreach, access and linkage, or mental health and substance use disorder treatment services and supports.
    2. Counties should focus on selecting practices that align with the Early Intervention program requirements, such as the reduction of likelihood of adverse outcomes outline in Chapter 7, A.7 and the cultural responsiveness and linguistically appropriateness of the interventions, the priorities for use of funds in A.7.2, and the use of childhood trauma interventions in A.7.2.1.
  3. Can Behavioral Health Services and Supports (BHSS) Outreach and Engagement funds be used to fund outreach activities under Housing Interventions, Full Service Partnerships (FSP), or BHSS Early Intervention Programs?
    1. Outreach and Engagement (O&E) activities that are required as part of BHSS Early Intervention programs or FSP should be funded and tracked in county Integrated Plans and Behavioral Health Outcomes, Accountability, and Transparency Reports (BHOATRs) as part of those programs, rather than under the BHSS O&E category. Counties may utilize up to 7% of their Housing Intervention funds on identified Outreach and Engagement activities. BHSS funds may be used for O&E activities to engage individuals in housing interventions, only if the county is not funding these activities under Housing Interventions.
  4. How will counties complete the estimated number of individuals eligible for CSC and estimated number of practitioners and teams needed to serve the total eligible population?
    1. DHCS will provide both the estimated number of BHSA eligible individuals eligible for CSC and the estimated number of practitioners and teams needed to serve the total CSC eligible population directly to the county to include in their Integrated Plan. Counties do not need to do any calculations themselves.
  5. Are counties expected to serve the estimated eligible population for CSC?
    1. No, DHCS does not expect counties to serve the total estimated number of CSC eligible individuals. The estimated number of CSC eligible individuals is intended to support county-specific planning for EBP implementation. DHCS expects the actual population served to be impacted by workforce capacity, number of individuals who want CSC services, and county-specific resources.
  6. For counties that opt in to provide the service under Medi-Cal, does the county report the total number of practitioners and teams the county will utilize to provide the evidence based practice (EBP) to both Medi-Cal members and non Medi-Cal members?
    1. Yes, counties that opt in to provide the EBP under Medi-Cal are required to provide the total number of practitioners and teams the county will utilize for each EBP.
  7. How are FSP Supportive Services and Behavioral Health Services and Supports (BHSS) Supportive Services (non-FSP) different? What are examples of non-FSP Supportive Services?
    1. The FSP definition of Supportive Services applies to both FSP Supportive Services and BHSS Systems of Care programs that are not part of an FSP program. The relevant excerpt from WIC 5887(h)(3) is below.
      “’Supportive services’ means those services necessary to support clients’ recovery and wellness, including, but not limited to, food, clothing, linkages to needed social services, linkages to programs administered by the federal Social Security Administration, vocational and education-related services, employment assistance, including supported employment, psychosocial rehabilitation, family engagement, psychoeducation, transportation assistance, occupational therapy provided by an occupational therapist, and group and individual activities that promote a sense of purpose and community participation.”
  8. Can counties fund supportive services activities outside of Outreach and Engagement?
    1. Yes, supportive services activities can be funded outside of Outreach and Engagement activities. Supportive services also may be funded as part of both FSP and BHSS Systems of Care programs. The definition of Supportive Services can be found in the previous FAQ (question 7).
              
Workforce Strategy
  1. What are the definitions of “clinical” and “direct service”? How should counties report direct services that are not clinical services?
    1. Counties should report their overall vacancy rate among all county-operated behavioral health practitioners. There is no intended distinction between “clinical” and “direct service” providers.
              
Submission and Approval
  1. How do counties submit their Integrated Plans?
    1. Counties will develop and submit their draft and final Integrated Plans online through the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) county portal. The county portal is designed to streamline planning, increase transparency, and give DHCS and stakeholders greater insight into the Integrated Plan development process. The county portal will track the county’s progress in completing Integrated Plan sections in a dashboard view. The county portal allows users to:
      • Document stakeholder involvement requirements.
      • Fill in form-based prompts.
      • Compile fiscal information.
      • Counties must use the county portal to submit questions or concerns about Integrated Plan submission and approval or for technical assistance with the submission.
  2. Can counties submit joint Integrated Plans?
    1. Yes, counties that submitted joint three-year plans under the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) may continue to submit joint Integrated Plans under Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA).
  3. How long does DHCS have to review the Integrated Plan?
    1. DHCS will review a county’s Integrated Plan for completeness within 30 calendar days of submission. If DHCS requires further documentation or clarification, counties will be contacted through the county portal. After the Integrated Plan is accepted, DHCS will notify the county through the county portal and DHCS will post each county’s accepted Integrated Plan on the DHCS website for public access and transparency.
  4. What if the draft or final Integrated Plan is not accepted?
    1. When DHCS reviews a county’s draft and final Integrated Plan and it is deemed incomplete, inaccurate, or does not address a question directly, DHCS will contact the county through the county portal to inform them of the decision. The county will have 15 calendar days from the revision notice to address the issues. DHCS may require counties to revise their draft or final Integrated Plan if they fail to adequately address the following local needs:
      • Prevalence of mental health and substance use disorder
      • Unmet need for mental health and substance use disorder treatment
      • Behavioral health disparities
      • Homelessness point-in-time count
      • Allocation of funding between Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment service
      Once resubmitted, DHCS will review the revised Integrated Plan and respond through the county portal within 15 calendar days. When DHCS’ review is complete they will contact the county through the county portal.
  5. What if a county fails to submit their Integrated Plan on time?
    1. Counties that fail to submit their draft or final Integrated Plan by the deadlines will be considered out of compliance and may be subject to corrective action.
  6. Where can I find more information or access technical assistance?
    1. If counties need technical assistance while submitting their Integrated Plans, they must use the county portal to submit questions or concerns. For information relating to requirements for completing the Integrated plan counties can view details in BHSA County Policy Manual, available on the BHSA County Policy Manual website. For general Behavioral Health Transformation-related inquiries, please email BHTinfo@dhcs.ca.gov, and visit the Behavioral Health Transformation webpage for additional information.
               
​

County Portal Frequently Asked Questions

General Navigation
  1. How do I save my progress as I enter content into the Integrated Plan?
    1. The County Portal automatically saves your work as you enter information in each section. This means you can focus on inputting data without worrying about manually saving your progress or losing any updates due to unexpected interruptions. Whether you're updating the Integrated Plan or checking the status of requests, the Portal's auto-save feature provides peace of mind.
  2. Can I edit the Integrated Plan after submitting a draft?
    1. After you submit your draft Integrated Plan, you cannot make further edits until the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) review is completed. However, you will still have access to your submitted content at any time through the County Portal. If needed, you can download your draft Integrated Plan, make offline edits, and then enter any updates into the County Portal once the DHCS review process finishes.
  3. As a County Behavioral Health Program Manager, can I assign certain sections of the Integrated Plan for my team to work on?
    1. At this time, the County Portal does not support workload assignments for County users. All members from your county who have a login to the County Portal can edit sections of the Integrated Plan. You can assign sections to team members offline, based on roles and responsibilities.
  4. How do I navigate between pages on a section within the Integrated Plan?
    1. There are two main ways to move between pages within a section. When a section contains multiple pages, a navigation panel appears on the left side of the screen, allowing you to quickly jump to any subsection. Additionally, you can use the arrow buttons at the bottom of the page to move to the previous or next subsection.
  5. Which types of documents can I upload to a question?
    1. The acceptable file upload document is contingent on the question. For example, the Integrated Plan budget question will only allow for Excel file uploads. Check the supported file types at the bottom of the question and confirm that your file matches one of the supported types before uploading.
  6. Which questions in the Integrated Plan are optional?
    1. All questions in the Integrated Plan are required unless specifically noted as optional.
  7. How can I tell if a section for my Integrated Plan is complete?
    1. On the Integrated Plan page, each section includes a status indicator showing whether it is “Not Started,” “In Progress,” or “Complete.” When content is present in every required question within a section, the status for that section will display as “Complete.”
               
Access and User Management
  1. What is the difference between the Application Portal and the County Portal?
    1. The main difference between the Application Portal and the County Portal is their purpose and functionality. The Application Portal is designed to help county users manage their own access to the County Portal. Additionally, county administrators can use the Application Portal to manage access for other users within their county. Overall, the Application Portal provides user management features to ensure a consistent and secure experience across all Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) portals.
    2. In contrast, the County Portal is specifically intended for completing and submitting integrated plans. It serves as the workspace for counties to fill out and manage their Integrated Plans, exemption requests, and transfer requests.
  2. I did not receive an email to set up my account. How can I get access to set up the Application Portal login?
    1. First, check the spam or junk folder to see if the email was routed there. If you still do not see the email, contact your IT department for assistance, as there may be an issue with the county firewall.
    2. If the problem persists, email BHTInfo@dhcs.ca.gov. The support team will help investigate the access issue further.
  3. I have access to the Application Portal. Why do I not have access to the County Portal?
    1. Contact your designated County Admin to make sure that a provisioning role has been applied to your account. Although access to the Application Portal may already be available, only the County Admin can provision new users for the County Portal. The County Admin is responsible for adding the user’s role during this process.
    2. You should also check that the email you used to register for the Application Portal is the same email address where the invitation to register was sent.
  4. What should I do if I still cannot see the County Portal after provisioning has been added?
    1. If you are unable to see the County Portal after the provisioning updates, please log out and log back in. If the issue persists, contact your County Admin and they can submit a Support Ticket on your behalf.
  5. How will I know when the provisioning updates are complete?
    1. You will receive a notification or communication from your administrator once the provisioning updates have been successfully applied to your account.
  6. Do I need a mobile device to set up Multi-Factor-Authentication?
    1. Yes, you need a mobile device to set up Multi-Factor-Authentication to register and log into the Application Portal and County Portal.
  7. After entering my Multi-Factor Authentication code, I encounter an error page. How can I successfully log into the Application Portal?
    1. Image of error page
      The best workaround is to try the login process again, as this issue typically does not occur more than once. If you continue to experience the problem, please email BHTInfo@dhcs.ca.gov or ask someone from your county to submit a support ticket on your behalf.
  8. Do I need to remember multiple passwords to access the County Portal the authenticator app?
    1. No, the value of using the Application Portal is that you only need one password for all DHCS Portals, including County Portal.
  9. What happens if I forget my password?
    1. You can reset your password through the central authentication provider. Once reset, your new password will work across all connected portals.
  10. How do I get additional users County Portal access in my county?
    1. Your county’s Admin user can grant access to new users for your county.
  11. How do I change a user’s role—such as upgrading a user to an Administrator, adding a new Administrator, or downgrading an Administrator to a regular user?
    1. On the County Portal, please visit the Support Center and submit a ticket using the "Request Access and Permissions Help" option. For security reasons, only the current Administrator can request changes to admin roles or permissions—other users are not authorized to make these updates.
  12. How do I request a new County Administrator?
    1. In the County Portal Support Center, you can submit a “Request Access and Permission Help” ticket to request additional County Admin users.
  13. Why am I not able to access the County Portal webpage?
    1. If you are experiencing difficulties accessing the County Portal, there may be an issue with your firewall blocking the necessary connection. To resolve this, contact your County Information Technology (IT) department and request that they “allowlist” the County Portal URL. This process involves adding the portal’s web address to the list of approved sites within the county’s firewall settings, ensuring that you and other authorized users can access the portal without interruption.
  14. What should I do if I receive an “error occurred while processing your request” message while setting up my single sign-on?
    1. This is likely a “timeout error” during the single sign-on process. You should refresh the page and log in again to resolve the issue.
    2. Here is an example of the error message that will display: Example of error message
               
Exemption and Transfer Navigation
  1. Why can’t my county submit an exemption request?
    1. Upon logging into the County Portal, refer to the right-hand side of the Integrated Plan Dashboard to find the section titled "Requests." Here, you can check if your county is pre-qualified and eligible for an exemption. Exemption requests must be submitted with the Integrated Plan.
    2. State law permits counties with a population of less than 200,000 to request an exemption from the Full-Service Partnership (FSP) requirements in W&I Code section 5887, subdivision (a)(2). For the first Integrated Plan covering fiscal years 2026-2029, all counties, regardless of their size, will be exempt from the evidence-based practices (EBP) fidelity requirements for Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), Forensic ACT (FACT), Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Model of Supported Employment, and High Fidelity Wraparound (HFW). Therefore, counties do not need to request an exemption from FSP EBP requirements in their first Integrated Plan.
  2. Why am I unable to submit a transfer request?
    1. Counties may request to transfer funds distributed to the county’s Behavioral Health Services Fund (BHSF) across BHSA components and must submit the transfer request as part of the Integrated Plan submission. Transfer requests cannot be submitted separately from the Integrated Plan
    2. All percentages must be entered as whole numbers (e.g., for 50.4%, enter 50).
  3. After submitting the draft Integrated Plan, how can I see the status or an exemption or transfer request?
    1. Upon selecting the “Requests” tab after the draft Integrated Plan submission, the table will display a status column (“Approved”, “Denied”, or “In Review”). For a more detailed view, select the request to see its status displayed on the left side of the page. Once a determination has been made, any additional details/reasons for the decision will be provided, if applicable.
  4. When is the last day to submit an exemption or transfer request?
    1. Exemptions and transfer requests cannot be submitted after the deadline for the draft Integrated Plan submissions to DHCS. If your county wishes to request an exemption or transfer, please submit it on or before the deadline with the Integrated Plan.
               
Download and Share Your Integrated Plan
  1. Can I download specific sections of my Integrated Plan?
    1. When you download the Integrated Plan, the system generates a PDF of the entire document. It is not possible to download only specific sections; the download always includes the full Integrated Plan as a single PDF file.
  2. Will comments be saved in the downloaded PDF?
    1. Comments entered in the Integrated Plan will not be included in the PDF when you download the document. At this time, only the main content of the Integrated Plan is saved in the PDF, and any comments or notes remain excluded from the downloaded file.
  3. When can I download a PDF of my Integrated Plan?
    1. Downloading the PDF is possible throughout the drafting process, as well as after both draft and final submissions. Each time the plan is downloaded, the PDF captures all current information withing the Integrated Plan, while any blank sections remain blank in the PDF.
  4. Can I share the downloaded Integrated Plan directly from the County Portal?
    1. The Integrated Plan can be downloaded directly from the County Portal. To share the plan with others, first download the PDF from the Portal, then use any preferred method—such as email—to distribute the file. Sharing access to the County Portal itself is not required; only the downloaded PDF needs to be shared.
  5. Can I download other file types instead of a PDF?
    1. If you wish to convert the PDF to a different type of file (such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or an image), you can do so after downloading the Integrated Plan as a PDF by using Adobe Acrobat or a similar tool. To convert your PDF in Adobe Acrobat follow these steps:
      1. Open the downloaded PDF on your computer
      2. Select “File” and then “Export To” on the top left corner, and choose your desired format
      3. Alternatively, use the “Export PDF” option on the righthand taskbar, and choose your desired format
    2. This allows you to work with the Integrated Plan in the format that best suits your needs, even though the initial download is always a PDF. Image of how to download the Integrated Plan using Adobe Acrobat
               
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Last modified date: 2/5/2026 8:35 AM