May 5, 2025
Program Updates
DHCS Releases Updated Community Supports Policy Guide – Volumes 1 and 2
On April 30, DHCS released an updated Community Supports Policy Guide, reorganized into two volumes to provide clearer and more targeted guidance.
Volume 1 includes updated service definitions for eight Community Supports that address members' health-related social needs, including Medically Tailored Meals/Medically Supportive Food, Asthma Remediation, and Transitions from Assisted Living Facilities or Institutional Settings.
Volume 2 focuses on housing-related Community Supports, including the new Transitional Rent benefit, and provides guidance on services designed to support members experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Transitional Rent will be optional for managed care plans to offer starting on July 1, 2025, and will become the first mandatory Community Support on January 1, 2026.
To support implementation, DHCS will host two informational webinars:
The updates reflect extensive feedback from managed care plans, providers, and other stakeholders, in alignment with the
Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports Action Plan. Stakeholders are encouraged to review the updated guides and register for the webinars. For more information, please see the
Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports webpage and the new DHCS
Housing for Health webpage.
DHCS Launches Mobile Optometric Services Program
On April 17, DHCS launched the Mobile Vision Services Program, which provides no-cost vision screenings, exams, glasses, and eyewear fittings onsite at California schools to low-income students ages 4 through 18. DHCS contracted with Vision To Learn (VTL), a charitable mobile optometry provider that currently operates in schools in the Bay Area, Sacramento, the Inland Empire, Orange County, the Greater Los Angeles Area, and San Diego, to provide mobile optometry services. Senate Bill 502 (Chapter 487, Statutes of 2023) requires that the state match for the program be philanthropically provided funds rather than state General Funds. Fundraising efforts are underway. As funds are collected, VTL will expand the program to additional areas in the state. For more information, please email
MOSClinic@dhcs.ca.gov or visit the
Mobile Optometric Services Program webpage.
Dental Managed Care Transition
During the week of April 28, DHCS mailed 60-day notices to approximately 350,000 Medi-Cal members in Sacramento and Los Angeles counties to notify them of upcoming changes to their dental service delivery, effective July 1, 2025. The member notices explain what is changing, whether the member needs to make a plan choice, continuity of care protections, and other important information. The mailings also include a Medi-Cal managed care enrollment packet. Members in Sacramento County currently enrolled in Access Dental Plan or dental fee-for-service (FFS) must select a new Dental Managed Care plan, while members in Los Angeles County who do not choose a Dental Managed Care plan will remain in FFS. Members already enrolled with Health Net or Liberty will not be affected by these changes. Changing Dental Managed Care plans will not affect Medi-Cal coverage or benefits. Members will receive another notice 30 days prior to the effective date of the changes.
Additionally, in May, Medi-Cal Health Care Options (HCO) will launch an outbound call campaign to members who will receive a Medi-Cal managed care enrollment packet. During these calls, HCO representatives will review available Dental Managed Care plan choices, answer any questions, and facilitate enrollment in the member's chosen plan over the phone. The
Dental Transition Member Notices webpage includes the member notices and other information about the Dental Managed Care transition.
Smile, California: Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment Campaign
Watch for updates from
Smile, California in May to help promote the Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment (KOHA) and encourage families to use their Medi-Cal dental benefits. Updates will include new homepage banners, email signature banners, social media posts, and newsletter content in both English and Spanish. Partner organizations are welcome to request physical KOHA toolkits to support events and organizational outreach efforts within your communities. You may request a physical toolkit by filling out and submitting the
KOHA Toolkit Request Form. For additional information, please see the
Smile, California Oral Health and School Readiness webpage.
Join Our Team
DHCS is seeking a talented and motivated individual to serve as:
- Chief of the Managed Care Quality and Monitoring Division (MCQMD): The Chief of MCQMD leads and oversees compliance-related activities for Medi-Cal managed care plans. Activities include developing and implementing statewide managed care plan policies, processes, and improvement and change management efforts, and providing technical assistance and conducting risk analysis for audit and compliance programs related to the plans. The Chief of MCQMD also has direct oversight of timely access to care, network adequacy, and California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiatives, such as Community Supports. Applications must be submitted by May 7.
DHCS is also hiring for its accounting, behavioral health, managed care, and other teams. For more information, please visit the
CalCareers website.
Upcoming Stakeholder Meetings and Webinars
DHCS posts upcoming public meetings on the
Calendar of Events.
Last Doula Implementation Workgroup Meeting
On May 9, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., DHCS will host the final
Doula Implementation Workgroup meeting, as required by Senate Bill 65 (Chapter 449, Statutes of 2021), to examine implementation of the Medi-Cal doula benefit. The workgroup meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at 1501 Capitol Avenue in Sacramento. DHCS will present highlights from the draft report, including the workgroup's recommendations. The final report is scheduled to be posted on the DHCS website by July 1, 2025. Please see the
Doula Implementation Stakeholder Workgroup webpage for more information.
ECM Best Practices Webinar
On May 16, from 10 to 11 a.m. PDT, DHCS will host a public webinar, “Connecting Services for the ECM Justice-Involved Population of Focus Throughout the Reentry and Post-Release Process" (
advance registration required). Guest speakers include HC2 Strategies and Scott Coffin of Serrano Advisors LLC. The webinar will help participants recognize the benefits of utilizing justice-involved referral and billing toolkits, identify strategies to increase justice-involved referrals for ECM and Community Supports providers, and discuss a reentry care plan designed to support linkages and handoffs to community-based organizations, justice-involved agencies, and managed care plans. Please submit any questions to
collaborative@ca-path.com.
Proposition 35: Protect Access to Health Care Act-Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC)
On May 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. PDT, DHCS will hold the next
Protect Access to Health Care Act-SAC meeting. This committee is responsible for advising DHCS on developing and implementing components of the Protect Access to Health Care Act of 2024 (Proposition 35). Meeting materials will be posted as the meeting date nears. Please see the
Protect Access to Health Care Act-SAC webpage for more information about the meeting. DHCS published
frequently asked questions to explain California's Managed Care Organization Tax and how the implementation of Proposition 35 is progressing. For general inquiries, please email
DHCSPAHCA@dhcs.ca.gov.
Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC)/Behavioral Health (BH)-SAC Meeting
On May 21, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. PDT, DHCS will host the hybrid
SAC/BH-SAC meeting (advance registration required for online and in-person participation) at 1700 K Street (first-floor conference room 17.1014), Sacramento. SAC provides DHCS with valuable input and feedback on efforts to provide equitable access to quality health care. BH-SAC provides DHCS with input on behavioral health initiatives and was created as part of the ongoing effort to integrate behavioral health with the greater health care system. The agenda and other meeting materials will be
posted as the meeting date approaches. For more information, please email
SACinquiries@dhcs.ca.gov or
BehavioralHealthSAC@dhcs.ca.gov.
Coverage Ambassador Webinar Series: Birthing Care Pathway
On May 29, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. PDT, DHCS will hold a Coverage Ambassador webinar that will focus on DHCS' Birthing Care Pathway initiative (advanced registration required). The webinar will provide information about maternity services for pregnant and postpartum Medi-Cal members from conception through 12 months postpartum. This initiative helps to ensure Medi-Cal members have access to high-quality, equitable care to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce disparities. Coverage Ambassadors will also learn about DHCS' social media pages, which offer up-to-date information on relevant topics that can benefit both Coverage Ambassadors and Medi-Cal members.
