Youth and Adult Policy Branch
The Youth and Adult Policy Branch consists of two sections: the Program Policy Section and the Youth Projects Section. The Youth and Adult Policy Branch is responsible for:
- Policy analysis
- Developing policy guidance and policy recommendations
- Developing BHINs on various behavioral health topics
- Developing state plan amendments
- Providing technical assistance
- “Participating" in various workgroups and meetings with internal and external stakeholders (such as, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), behavioral health counties, departments such as CDSS)
- Implementing changes to SMHS, DMC-ODS or DMC services
- Leading policy development and projects related to children and youth
- Children and Youth Systems of Care
- Presumptive Transfer and AB 1051
- Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA)
- Complex Care
- Intensive Care Coordination (ICC), Intensive Home-Based Services (IHBS), Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC), and Therapeutic Behavioral Services (TBS)
Program Policy Section
The Program Policy Section includes the following two units:
- Program Policy Unit 1
- Program Policy Unit 2
These units oversee the policy implementation of Specialty Mental Health Services (SMHS) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) services, including policy initiatives and programs, including, but not limited to the implementation of Continuum of Care Reform, Presumptive Transfer, Children's Crisis Residential Programs, and Pathways to Wellbeing formerly known as the Katie A. services The Program Policy Units also works on updating existing policies, information notices and resources such as the Medi-Cal Manual for ICC, IHBS, TFC, TBS, and website information to reflect program changes. The units work on State Plan Amendments to reflect the changes to the SMHS and SUD programs. The MHP Contract is required by state laws and regulations (Welfare and Institutions Code Sections 14680-14726, and Title 9, California Code of Regulations, Sections 1810.100 and 1810.110). The MHP Contract sets forth comprehensive requirements for MHPs to provide or arrange for the provision of all covered, medically necessary SMHS to Medi-Cal beneficiaries in each county.
The Medicaid State Plan is based on the requirements set forth in Title XIX of the Social Security Act and is a comprehensive written document created by the State of California that describes the nature and scope of its Medicaid (Medi-Cal) program. It serves as a contractual agreement between the State of California and the federal government and must be administered in conformity with specific requirements of Title XIX of the Social Security Act and regulations outlined in Chapter IV of the Code of Federal Regulations. The State Plan contains all information necessary for the CMS to determine if the State can receive Federal Financial Participation (FFP).
For more information on the contracts and California's Medicaid State Plan, please visit Contracts and Medicaid State Plan.
Youth Projects Section
The Youth Projects Section includes the following two units:
- The Complex Care Unit
- The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) Unit
The focus of the Complex Care Unit is to ensure appropriate and timely behavioral health services, including crisis and SUD services, through programs including the Children's Crisis Continuum Pilot Program (CCCPP) and the Foster Youth Substance Use Disorder Evidence-Based and Promising Practices Grant Program (FYSUD). The Complex Care Unit targets foster youth with complex needs – those who have a variety of identified, high acuity needs across multiple domains and systems, necessitating high intensity, individualized treatment options. The programs in this unit aim to furnish a seamless continuum of care for foster youth with complex needs and provide person-centered, evidence-based behavioral health services in the least restrictive level of care possible, including family-based settings.
The FFPSA Unit supports the implementation of components of DHCS' FFPSA responsibilities. The FFPSA reforms federal child welfare funding under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act to authorize the use of federal Title IV-E funding for specified services to children at imminent risk of entering foster care, pregnant and parenting foster youth, and the parents or kin caregivers of these children. The FFPSA also amends Title IV-E of the Social Security Act to limit reliance on congregate care. California's FFPSA implementation plan has impacts on the Medi-Cal program, some aspects of which are described below and for which future guidance will be forthcoming. FFP under the Medi-Cal program may be available for medically necessary SMHS, if all necessary federal approvals are obtained, state and federal Medi-Cal requirements are met, and FFP is not jeopardized. The FFPSA provides that states must implement the required components related to congregate care on or before October 1, 2021 in order for new congregate care placements to remain eligible for Title IV-E funding.
To achieve full compliance with the federal law by October 1, 2021, California has passed Assembly Bill 153 (Chapter 86, Statutes of 2021). For more information, please review BHIN 21-055, 21-060, 21-061, and 21-062.
Additional Resources
California Advancing and Innovation Medi-Cal (CalAIM):
Medicaid and Medi-Cal General:
Contact Information
