June 2, 2025

Top News

Bond BHCIP Round 2 Funding Opportunity Now Open

On May 30, DHCS released the Proposition 1 Bond Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) Round 2: Unmet Needs Request for Applications (RFA). Eligible organizations can apply for funding to construct, acquire, or rehabilitate properties that expand behavioral health services for Medi-Cal members and other Californians in need. DHCS will award more than $800 million in grants to support community-based facilities for mental health and substance use disorder care.

This funding will help address longstanding service gaps by improving access to behavioral health care, especially in communities with the greatest unmet needs. Interested parties can read the application instructions on the BHCIP website and must submit their applications by October 28, 2025. This is the final round of funding available through DHCS as Part of Proposition 1's Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act. For more information, visit the BHCIP website or email BHTInfo@dhcs.ca.gov.

Program Updates

Now Live: Data Sharing Authorization Guidance for Housing and Reentry Toolkits

DHCS released two Data Sharing Authorization Guidance (DSAG) toolkits, which complement the previously released DHCS DSAG 2.0 Guidance, focusing on real-world scenarios to help on-the-ground providers and organizations navigate data privacy and data sharing laws and regulations related to Medi-Cal housing support services, including Community Supports, and the Justice-Involved Reentry Initiative. The toolkits aim to clarify when, why, and under what circumstances consent may be needed to share sensitive health and social services information under the relevant data sharing laws. Please email DHCSDataSharing@dhcs.ca.gov if you have any questions about the toolkits.

Join Our Team

DHCS is seeking a talented and motivated individual to serve as:

• Assistant Deputy Director (ADD), Enterprise Technology Services (ETS). This new ADD role will build collaborative working relationships with DHCS Executive Staff, program partners, and external stakeholders, and assist with leading DHCS' IT programs and services. Additionally, the ADD will play a vital role in leading the development and implementation of IT policies, system architecture, security, improvements, and solutions for DHCS programs, including Medi-Cal and behavioral health. Applications must be submitted by June 2.

DHCS is hiring for its Medi-Cal managed care, accounting, Medi-Cal eligibility, 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. DHCS provides free assistive services, including language interpretation, real-time captioning, and alternate formatting of meeting materials. To request services, please email DHCS at the appropriate contact email address at least ten working days before the meeting.

Behavioral Health Transformation Public Webinar

On June 3, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. PDT, DHCS will host the fifth Behavioral Health Transformation Quality and Equity Advisory Committee (QEAC) public webinar (advance registration required). During the webinar, DHCS will engage with committee members to identify measures to evaluate the quality and efficacy of mental health and substance use disorder services and programs in California. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email with the webinar link and additional details. Attendees will be able to provide direct input to DHCS using the Q&A feature. Visit the Behavioral Health Transformation Stakeholder Engagement webpage for more information about the QEAC webinars and additional resources. Please send questions related to Behavioral Health Transformation and/or the QEAC webinars to BHTinfo@dhcs.ca.gov.

Medi-Cal Enrollment Requirements and Procedures for Pharmacy Providers

On June 10, from 10 to 11 a.m. PDT, DHCS will hold a public stakeholder hearing via webinar (advance registration required) to discuss the draft regulatory provider bulletin, “Medi-Cal Enrollment Requirements and Procedures for Pharmacy Providers that Hold a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) Certificate of Waiver." Effective August 1, 2025, pharmacy providers who hold a valid CLIA Certificate of Waiver and current Certificate of California Clinical Laboratory Registration may bill for CLIA-waived tests provided within the pharmacist's scope of practice as defined by the California State Board of Pharmacy and authorized in Business and Professions Code Section 4052.4. Pharmacy providers must apply to enroll in the Medi-Cal program by submitting a Medi-Cal provider enrollment online application, along with all supporting documentation.

Written comments, questions, or suggestions may be submitted during the hearing in the webinar chat. For those unable to attend, written comments must be submitted by 5 p.m. PDT on June 10 to be considered for publication. When submitting written comments, please ensure that the commenter and organization/association being represented are both identified in the comments. Please submit written comments to DHCSPEDStakeholder@dhcs.ca.gov. Based on the public comments received, DHCS will publish the final bulletin on the Medi-Cal providers and DHCS Provider Enrollment Division websites.

CDC Guidelines Webinar

On June 24, from 12 to 1:30 p.m. PDT, DHCS will host the What's New in the 2024 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Medical Eligibility Criteria (MEC), Selected Practice Recommendations (SPR), and Quality Family Planning (QFP) Guidelines webinar (advance registration required). The webinar will highlight key updates clinicians need to know, including new recommendations for individuals with chronic kidney disease, revised risk categories for depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate users, expanded guidance on intrauterine device (IUD)-related pain management, and updated contraceptive counseling best practices. The changes will be discussed in detail, and the webinar will review the MEC/SPR app and job aids available from the CDC. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, a transcript and recording of the webinar, along with additional resources, will be available on the Family PACT website at a later date.

Medi-Cal Children's Health Advisory Panel (MCHAP) Meeting 

On July 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PDT, DHCS will host the quarterly MCHAP meeting at 1700 K Street, Sacramento, CA 95811, in the first-floor conference room (17.1014) or via public webinar (advanced registration required). MCHAP advises DHCS on policy and operational issues that affect children in Medi-Cal. The meeting will provide information about improving children's preventive care outcomes, updates on the California Children's Services (CCS) Quality Metric Redesign, and details about Medi-Cal vision services. 

In Case You Missed It

Now Open: PATH Justice-Involved Round 4 Application

On May 12, DHCS opened the Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) Justice-Involved Round 4 application window. The deadline to apply for Round 4 funding is July 11, 2025. Only PATH Justice-Involved Round 3 awardees are eligible for the Justice-Involved Round 4 funding opportunity, and applications must be submitted on behalf of county sheriff's offices, county probation offices, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and county behavioral health agencies.

Eligible agencies will receive email communications with instructions on how to apply. Funding will provide additional support to Round 3-awarded agencies as they continue planning and implementing targeted pre-release Medi-Cal services for eligible individuals in state prisons, county jails, and youth correctional facilities, in accordance with the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) Section 1115 Demonstration approval. As with Round 3 and required by AB 133, this funding will help county behavioral health agencies implement behavioral health linkages. Round 4 applicants must submit a proposed budget and justification for additional funding requested.

Under the CalAIM 1115 Demonstration, DHCS received approval to award up to $410 million in capacity building funds to support the planning and implementation of pre-release and reentry services in the 90 days prior to an individual's return into the community. On February 3, 2025, correctional facilities started providing Medi-Cal reentry services after a demonstration of readiness consistent with DHCS requirements.

For more information about PATH Justice-Involved Round 4, please visit the PATH Justice-Involved webpage. All resources are available under “Reference Materials." Please submit questions to justice-involved@ca-path.com. 

Request for Applications (RFA): Flexible Housing Subsidy Pools