Volver a la actualización de comunicaciones con las partes interesadas de junio de 2022​​ 

Límites de Activos – Ingreso Bruto Ajustado No Modificado (MAGI) Medi-Cal​​ 

Assembly Bill (AB) 133 (Chapter 143, Statutes of 2021) authorizes a two-phased approach to eliminating the asset test for all non-MAGI Medi-Cal programs, including long-term care and the Medicare Savings Programs. Phase I will be implemented on July 1, and will increase asset limits to $130,000 per person and $65,000 per additional person being evaluated. Phase II will be implemented on January 1, 2024, and will eliminate the asset test. In November 2021, CMS approved State Plan Amendment 21-0053, and DHCS issued policy guidance to the counties regarding the Phase I implementation in an All County Welfare Directors Letter (ACWDL 21-31). DHCS has also submitted to CMS an application to amend the CalAIM Section 1115 demonstration waiver to permit California to increase, and eventually eliminate, the asset test for the Supplementary Security Income deemed coverage groups. DHCS published Medi-Cal Eligibility Division Information Letter (MEDIL I 22-02), which provides counties, advocacy groups, and other partners with global outreach messaging to use in their outreach activities regarding the increased asset limits as of July 1.​​ 

Actualización del Programa de Infraestructura Continua de Salud Conductual (BHCIP)​​ 

BHCIP Ronda 3: Listo para el lanzamiento​​ 
El 31 de enero, el DHCS, en asociación con el Departamento de Servicios Sociales de California (CDSS, por sus siglas en inglés), lanzó la Solicitud de Solicitud (RFA, por sus siglas en inglés) conjunta de la Ronda 3 de BHCIP: Listo para el lanzamiento y la Expansión de la Atención Comunitaria (CCE) de CDSS. Se invitó a los solicitantes a solicitar una oportunidad de financiación o ambas. La fecha límite para las solicitudes de la Ronda 3 de BHCIP: Listo para el lanzamiento fue el 8 de abril, y las revisiones de las solicitudes están en curso, con solicitantes que solicitaron aproximadamente $ 2 mil millones. DHCS espera anunciar los premios BHCIP Round 3: Launch Ready en junio.​​ 

Se requería que los solicitantes de BHCIP demostraran la expansión del proyecto con la continuidad de tratamiento y servicios de salud conductual en entornos que atienden a los beneficiarios de Medi-Cal, y que tuvieran un proceso de planificación válido para garantizar que los proyectos estuvieran listos para su implementación. DHCS otorgará hasta $518.5 millones en fondos de subvención para la Ronda 3 de BHCIP: Listo para el lanzamiento, y los fondos deben estar comprometidos para junio de 2024 y liquidados para diciembre de 2026.​​   

Ronda 4 del BHPIC: Niños y Jóvenes​​ 
La Ronda 4 de BHPIP : Niños y Jóvenes se enfoca en niños y jóvenes de 25 años o menos, incluidas las personas embarazadas y posparto y sus hijos, niños y jóvenes en edad de transición (TAY), así como sus familias. Todos los solicitantes deberán demostrar cómo su proyecto de infraestructura ampliará los servicios de salud conductual exclusivamente para esta población. A través de esta cuarta ronda de subvenciones competitivas, DHCS otorgará $480.5 millones para proyectos de infraestructura de salud conductual enfocados en niños y jóvenes.  
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The RFA for Round 4: Children and Youth was released on June 1. DHCS has released a program update as a supplement to the upcoming RFA for BHCIP Round 4: Children and Youth funding. As was the case with Round 3: Launch Ready, applicants are required to undergo a pre-application consultation. They will be expected to demonstrate “project readiness”, as detailed in the forthcoming RFA, and will be funded according to which of three pre-construction phases their project is in. Full project funding will be contingent upon completion of all three phases of development planning. 
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DHCS was authorized through 2021 legislation to establish BHCIP and award $2.1 billion to construct, acquire, and expand properties and invest in mobile crisis infrastructure related to behavioral health. CDSS oversees the CCE program, which was established through AB 172 (Chapter 20, Statutes of 2021) as a companion effort, totaling $805 million. The CCE program focuses on the acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation of adult and senior care facilities that serve Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment and Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants applicants and recipients and other adults who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. For more information, please visit the BHCIP project website or email BHCIP@dhcs.ca.gov.​​ 

Actualización de las subvenciones federales para la salud conductual​​ 

El DHCS presentó recientemente su informe de progreso del Año 2, Respuesta Estatal a los Opioides (SOR) II a su patrocinador federal, la Administración de Servicios de Salud Mental y Abuso de Sustancias. Entre septiembre de 2021 y marzo de 2022, la subvención SOR apoyó los servicios de tratamiento para 21,672 personas con trastorno por consumo de opioides. De ellos, más de 16,000 recibieron buprenorfina, 5,000 recibieron metadona y 400 recibieron naltrexona inyectable. SOR también apoyó la recuperación o el entrenamiento entre pares para más de 30,000 personas, los servicios de vivienda de recuperación para más de 1,600 personas y los servicios de empleo para casi 1,500 personas. Durante este período, SOR apoyó el Proyecto de Distribución de Naloxona, lo que llevó a más de 9,000 reversiones de sobredosis de opioides. Además, SOR financió servicios de tratamiento del trastorno por consumo de estimulantes para más de 5,600 personas.​​ 

For more information about the SOR grant, please visit the Medication Assisted Treatment Expansion Project webpage or email DHCSMATExpansion@dhcs.ca.gov.​​  

Programa de Mejora de la Calidad de la Salud Conductual (BHQIP)​​ 

The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) created a three-year Behavioral Health Quality Improvement Program (BHQIP) to support implementation of the CalAIM initiative. The CalAIM BHQIP is structured as an incentive program, whereby counties may earn incentive payments by achieving certain CalAIM implementation milestones. Senate Bill (SB) 129 (Chapter 69; Statutes of 2021), authorized $21,750,000 in General Fund dollars for the CalAIM BHQIP for Fiscal Year 2021-22, which included a startup allocation amount of $250,000 to each County Behavioral Health Plan participating in BHQIP, and the rest was allocated to counties based on each county’s share of statewide claims value reported to DHCS. For inquiries about BHQIP, please contact BHQIP@dhcs.ca.gov.​​ 

Actualizaciones de CalAIM​​ 

Apoyos de la comunidad​​ 
On April 15, DHCS received final updated Models of Care (MOCs) from Medi-Cal MCPs implementing Community Supports in all 58 California counties, including proposed networks and estimated capacities for services. On July 1, MCPs will proceed with the next phase of implementation of Community Supports and bring on additional Community Supports services elected through the MOC process. Revised Community Supports elections will be posted on the  CalAIM webpage in mid-June, once DHCS has approved all outstanding MCP MOCs. DHCS will continue to update Community Supports elections at least semi-annually.
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Gestión mejorada de la atención (ECM)​​ 
ECM was implemented in counties with Health Homes Programs (HHP) and Whole Person Care (WPC) pilots on January 1, 2022. On July 1, 2022, counties that did not have HHP and WPC programs will begin implementation of ECM for the following Populations of Focus (POF): individuals and families experiencing homelessness, adult high utilizers, and adults with serious mental illness (SMI) or substance use disorder (SUD). DHCS is reviewing each MCP’s policies and procedures and confirming provider networks are ready for implementation.
Also, to ensure operational readiness, MCPs will submit updated MOCs by July 1 for two long-term care (LTC) POFs (members eligible for LTC and those at risk of institutionalization; and nursing home residents transitioning to the community), scheduled to go-live on January 1, 2023.
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Gestión de la Salud de la Población (MSP)​​ 
On May 3, DHCS released the Draft PHM Strategy and Roadmap for public comment, and written comments were due on May 16. This document describes DHCS’ vision for PHM, outlining key policy initiatives and accountability mechanisms, defining and describing PHM concepts and terminology, and detailing requirements for Medi-Cal MCPs for 2023 and 2024. On May 9, DHCS issued an Invitation for Proposal (IFP) for the PHM Service, and anticipates awarding a contract to the selected vendor by this summer.
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Proporcionar acceso y transformar la salud (PATH)​​ 
In June, the first round of application submissions for the PATH Collaborative Planning participants and facilitators, Justice-Involved Capacity Building, and the Capacity and Infrastructure Transition Expansion and Development (CITED) initiative will begin. DHCS completed the IFP procurement for the PATH Third Party Administrator (TPA) in May. DHCS is evaluating the proposals and aims to award the TPA vendor contract by the end of June. DHCS continues to develop and finalize the guidance documents for the Technical Assistance Marketplace, Collaborative Planning, CITED, and Justice-Involved Capacity Building initiatives. Visit the CalAIM PATH Initiative webpage for current information and resources on PATH initiatives.​​ 

CalHOPE​​ 

CalHOPE has continued providing Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP) services to Californians in need of support. CalHOPE was approved for a 30-day and a 60-day cost extension that allowed CCP services through May 10, 2022. The federal partners recently approved DHCS’ 90-day no-cost extension, extending CalHOPE CCP services through July 9, 2022 and administrative close out activities through August 10, 2022.​​ 

CalHOPE continues to provide CCP educational services to schools, raising awareness of the negative effects of anxiety. CalHOPE has been partnering with IndieFlix since October 2021, including releasing the film ANGST: Building Resilience, which is based on a mental health support program. The outreach has been successful, as more than 150 school districts registered, multiple in-person Angst screenings were conducted in schools, and outreach/communication to other venues have been scheduled. Additionally, All It Takes, in partnership with CalHOPE and the California Department of Education, has received positive feedback after the release of the film, A Trusted Space, which is aimed at training educators on how to help mitigate the effects of emotional stressors on students and their families.​​ 

DHCS’ service provider, California Consortium of Urban Indian Health (CCUIH), has remained engaged in outreach of CCP services to their Tribal community. CCUIH has tabled various indigenous events, such as the Stanford Pow Wow, Mariposa Pow Wow, Indigenous Red Markets, and Healing and Coping events, sharing resources of the CalHOPE RedLine.​​ 

Proyecto de Equidad en Salud Mental Comunitaria (CMHEP)​​ 

DHCS, in partnership with the California Department of Public Health, is providing support to CBOs and county behavioral health departments through CMHEP to implement population-specific and community-driven approaches. AB 74 (Chapter 23, Statutes of 2019) authorized funding to provide training and technical assistance to county behavioral health departments. CMHEP efforts will cover two years. DHCS hired the Center for Applied Research Solutions to develop statewide community-driven policy guidance, along with strategies and interventions aimed at reducing disparities in access to health and behavioral health care. A robust data collection framework to evaluate improvements in access to culturally responsive care will accompany the newly developed policy guidance. For more information, visit the CMHEP website.​​ 

Iniciativa del Plan de Gastos de Servicios Basados en el Hogar y la Comunidad (HCBS) del DHCS​​ 

Programa de Salud Conductual de CalBridge​​ 
Hasta febrero de 2022, el Instituto de Salud Pública/CA Bridge (PHI) ha informado de 112,474 pacientes atendidos por un navegador de consumo de sustancias, 90,593 pacientes identificados con un trastorno por consumo de opioides y 40,044 pacientes a los que se les ha proporcionado tratamiento asistido con medicamentos. A través de los Servicios Basados en el Hogar y la Comunidad, el DHCS está contratando a la PHI por $40 millones para ampliar el alcance del programa y el papel del navegador para abordar mejor las condiciones de salud mental, así como los trastornos por uso de sustancias a través del Programa de Navegador de Salud Conductual de CalBridge. Para asignar los fondos, PHI publicó una Solicitud de solicitud RFA en abril de 2022 para solicitar la participación de hospitales con departamentos de emergencia, sistemas de salud, fundaciones hospitalarias o grupos de médicos.​​  

For more information about the CalBridge Behavioral Health Navigator Program, please visit the Bridge Navigator Program website.​​  

Expansión completa de Medi-Cal para adultos mayores​​ 

On May 1, individuals 50 years of age or older who met all Medi-Cal eligibility criteria, and who do not have satisfactory immigration status for federally-funded full-scope Medi-Cal, became newly eligible for state-funded full-scope Medi-Cal under the Older Adult Expansion. DHCS successfully transitioned 247,522 existing Older Adult Expansion individuals in restricted scope Medi-Cal to full-scope Medi-Cal, effective May 1. Individuals who apply now will automatically be determined eligible for full-scope Medi-Cal if they are 50 years of age or older and meet all other Medi-Cal eligibility criteria, regardless of immigration status. This expansion of Medi-Cal supports the Newsom Administration’s vision of a Healthy California for All by addressing health coverage disparities that disproportionately impact disadvantaged communities.​​ 

Servicios de apoyo entre pares​​ 

On May 2, DHCS received CMS approval of SPA 22-0024, with an effective date of July 1, to broaden the definition of a Peer Support Specialist as someone who must be in recovery themselves or have lived experience with the process of recovery as a parent, caregiver, or family member. Prior to this update, Peer Support Specialists were defined solely as individuals in recovery, which excluded parents, caregivers, or family members from becoming certified as Peer Support Specialists. This update aligns the definition of Peer Support Specialist with the Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification Program requirements.​​ 

On May 6, DHCS issued Behavioral Health Information Notice (BHIN) 22-026, which provides guidance regarding the submission of an opt-in letter and claiming requirements for Peer Support Services in the Drug Medi-Cal (DMC), Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS), and Specialty Mental Health Services (SMHS) programs. In order to implement Peer Support Services effective July 1, counties must have provided a letter to DHCS stating their request to opt in to provide peer support services, and indicating the program(s) (SMHS, DMC-ODS, and/or DMC) for which they are opting in. The letter must be signed by the Behavioral Health Director and emailed to CountySupport@dhcs.ca.gov by May 20 to implement peer support services, effective July 1. To date, 48 counties have submitted a signed letter stating their request to opt in to provide Peer Support Services effective July 1, 2022, with most counties opting to cover Peer Support Services in both their SMHS and their DMC or DMC-ODS programs.​​ 

Los condados que no puedan optar por proporcionar servicios de apoyo entre pares antes de la fecha límite del 20 de mayo aún tendrán oportunidades de optar por participar cada seis meses. DHCS proporcionará información adicional sobre las oportunidades posteriores para optar por proporcionar Servicios de Apoyo entre Pares en el futuro.​​ 

Portal de Solicitud y Validación de Proveedores para la Inscripción (PAVE) para Proveedores Dentales​​ 

DHCS implementará el portal PAVE para proveedores dentales en el otoño de 2022. El portal PAVE es una aplicación basada en la web diseñada para simplificar y acelerar los procesos de inscripción. PAVE proporcionará un nuevo modo para presentar las solicitudes de inscripción de proveedores dentales y la documentación requerida al DHCS, lo que permitirá a los solicitantes utilizar un formulario electrónico llamado Solicitud de formulario electrónico para proveedores de Medi-Cal. DHCS ya no aceptará solicitudes en papel una vez que se implemente PAVE.​​  

Smile, California Campaña para los Servicios Dentales de Medi-Cal​​ 

SmileCalifornia.org, SonrieCalifornia.org, and all materials pertaining to pregnant members were updated to reflect the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Postpartum Care Extension policy that was enacted on April 1, 2022.​​ 

Smile, California launched a promotion in April to support the required Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment (KOHA). The promotion brought awareness to the California law that requires all children to complete a dental assessment by their first year in public school, either Kindergarten or first grade, before May 31. Local oral health programs, school-based health centers, and CBOs received digital toolkits with educational KOHA materials, and the KOHA landing page was updated on SmileCalifornia.org and SonrieCalifornia.org.​​  

In May, Smile, California launched an effort to promote the new Medi-Cal Older Adult Expansion to inform adults 50 years of age or older enrolled in restricted scope Medi-Cal that they are now eligible to receive full-scope Medi-Cal benefits, regardless of immigration status. A new landing page was created on SmileCalifornia.org and SonrieCalifornia.org with information about the expansion, frequently asked questions, and covered dental services. Social media ads and boosted posts ran on the Smile, California Facebook and Instagram accounts throughout May.

At the end of April, SmileCalifornia.org and SonrieCalifornia.org had received 66,794 new visitors, of which 51,361 clicked the “Find a Dentist” button.​​