​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Recovery Incentives: California's Contingency Management Program​​​

Update on the Recovery​ Incentives Program – August 2022


On August 19, 2022, DHCS issued a RFP to support implementation of the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) contingency management (CM) pilot program. Through the pilot, DHCS is committed to expanding access to evidence-based behavioral treatment to address the stimulant use disorder crisis that persists in California. CM, which provides motivational incentives to reduce the use of stimulants, is the only treatment that has demonstrated strongly positive outcomes for individuals with stimulant use disorder, including a reduction in or cessation of drug use and longer retention in treatment.​

​DHCS will implement the CM pilot program using an incentive manager vendor. The RFP seeks a vendor that would support the, management, tracking, and distribution of incentives. The pilot was scheduled to begin on July 1, 2022, but the inability to procure an incentive manager delayed implementation. Therefore, the new incentive manager vendor will likely onboard in November, and the anticipated CM pilot program start date will be in December or January 2023.  

​What is C​ontingency Mana​gement?

Contingency Management (CM) is an evidence-based treatment that provides motivational incentives to treat individuals living with stimulant use disorder and support their path to recovery. It recognizes and reinforces individual positive behavioral change, as evidenced by drug tests that are negative for stimulants. CM is the only treatment that has demonstrated robust outcomes for individuals living with stimulant use disorder, including reduction or cessation of drug use and longer retention in treatment.

While CM has been tested using other sources of funding, California is the first state in the country to receive federal approval of CM as a benefit in the Medicaid program through the CalAIM 1115 Demonstration.

About the Recovery Incentives Pro​​gram

Participating Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS) counties will launch the CM benefit in late 2022 or early 2023, in accordance with approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as part of the CalAIM 1115 Demonstration. Eligible Medi-Cal beneficiaries will participate in a structured 24-week outpatient program, followed by six or more months of additional recovery support services. Individuals will be able to earn motivational incentives in the form of low-denomination gift cards, with a retail value determined per treatment episode. 

DMC-ODS Counties Participating in the Re​covery Incentives Program

AlamedaSan Diego
Contra CostaSan Francisco
FresnoSan Joaquin
ImperialSan Luis Obispo
KernSan Mateo
Los AngelesSanta Barbara
MarinSanta Clara
NevadaSanta Cruz
Orange​
Shasta
RiversideTulare
SacramentoVentura

San BernardinoYolo​


​​​Resources and Docume​nts

Policy Docu​ments


Note: DHCS renamed the “Contingency Management Pilot Program" to the “Recovery Incentives Program" in Summer 2022. Documents released pre-Summer 2022 use the previous program name.

Frequently Asked Questio​ns

Informational Webinar on Pilot Pro​gram

​​​Overview Train​​ing

DHCS hosts a publicly available self-paced online CM Overview Training. The course is a two-hour online training designed to provide a broad overview of the CM benefit for treating individuals living with stimulant use disorder. The on-demand course is free and is open to anyone interested in learning more about the Recovery Incentives Program. The course is required for all CM staff at provider sites participating in the Recovery Incentives Program.

Instructions for Registering for an Account and Access​ing the CM Overview Training

To Register for an account, please visit the PSATTC e-Learn Site​

  • Step 1. Click on the link above.
  • Step 2. If you don't have an Account already, you will need to create your Account by clicking “Create an Account."
  • Step 3. Fill out the registration questions, which include Name Email, Organization, Occupation, and Type of Continuing Education credit needed (if applicable). You will also create a username and password for your account. Please save your username and password.

Once you are registered, you can access the course.​

Additional details, including information about the training development team and continuing education, are available from the Recovery Incentives Training and Implementation team. ​

Last modified date: 10/17/2022 2:26 PM