June 23, 2025

Program Updates

Medi-Cal Immigrant Eligibility FAQs

DHCS posted updated frequently asked questions (FAQ) on Medi-Cal eligibility. If you do not find an answer to your question, you may contact your local county office (by phone or in person) or email Medi-Cal member support for help in your preferred language. Also, on June 13, DHCS issued a statement about its commitment to protecting the privacy and well-being of all Medi-Cal members. Recent reports have raised serious concerns about how federal agencies may be using Medicaid data, including the personal data of all 15 million Californians covered by Medi-Cal.

Quality Incentive Pool (QIP) Program Year 6 Evaluation Report

On June 19, DHCS posted the QIP Program Year 6 (calendar year 2023) evaluation report, as required by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). QIP began in 2017 to incentivize Designated Public Hospital (DPH) and District and Municipal Public Hospital (DMPH) systems to improve the quality of care provided to Medi-Cal members. QIP is a directed payment program under Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 438.6(c), which provides states with the flexibility to implement delivery system and provider payment initiatives under Medicaid managed care plan contracts.

QIP supports the state's quality strategy by tying funding to performance on specific high-priority measures. The evaluation report assesses the impact of $2.2 billion in directed payments to participating hospital systems in 2023, based on the quality of inpatient and outpatient services for Medi-Cal members who received care at DPHs and DMPHs. In 2023, DHCS continued to require DPHs to make improvements on a set of nine mandatory priority measures and continue meaningful work on some of the 47 elective measures selected by each QIP entity. DPHs improved on eight of nine priority measures, and DMPHs improved on seven of nine priority measures, as compared with 2022. The report also showed QIP entities met performance targets more frequently in 2023 than in 2022.

Join Our Team

DHCS is hiring for its accounting, health care financing, integrated systems of 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. 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.

Bond Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) Round 2: Unmet Needs Informational Webinars

On June 23, from 1 to 2 p.m. PDT, DHCS will hold an informational webinar about the Bond BHCIP Round 2: Unmet Needs grant funding opportunity application and award processes. On June 24, from 2 to 3 p.m. PDT, DHCS will hold a second webinar for Tribal entities to review Tribal-specific information. DHCS will award more than $800 million in competitive grants to eligible entities that expand community-based behavioral health facilities through the construction, acquisition, and/or rehabilitation of properties. Bond BHCIP Round 2 grant funds are not intended to preserve existing service capacity. Projects must commit to serving Medi-Cal members and vulnerable populations, including unhoused people, veterans, older adults, adults with disabilities, and children and youth. For eligibility information and requirements, please refer to the Request for Applications. This is the final funding round through Proposition 1's Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act and is open to all eligible entities. For more information, visit the BHCIP website or email BR2@ahpnet.com.

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 for clinicians, including new recommendations for individuals with chronic kidney disease, revised risk categories for depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate users, expanded guidance on intrauterine device-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.

CalAIM MLTSS and Duals Integration Workgroup Meeting

On June 25, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PDT, DHCS will host the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) and Duals Integration Workgroup meeting (advance registration required). The workgroup is a stakeholder collaboration hub for CalAIM MLTSS and integrated care for dual eligible members. It allows stakeholders to provide feedback and share information about policy, operations, and strategy for upcoming changes to Medi-Cal and Medicare. The meeting agenda includes updates on the 2026 Medi-Medi Plan expansion, DHCS' Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) initiatives, the D-SNP State Medicaid Agency Contract and Policy Guide, and a duals data spotlight presentation on D-SNP data, dental data, Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports data, and Medicare enrollment data for duals. More information, background materials, transcripts, and video recordings of previous workgroup meetings are posted on the CalAIM MLTSS and Duals Integration Workgroup webpage. For questions or comments, please email DHCS at info@calduals.org.

California Maternal Health Task Force Launch

On June 27, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. PDT, the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative and California Maternal Health Innovation Program will launch the California Maternal Health Task Force. This convening (advance registration required) will bring together maternal health leaders and partners from across the state to shape a shared vision for improving maternal health in California. Community-based organizations, funders, local health departments, the maternal health workforce, clinical professionals, professional associations, policy and public health stakeholders, academics, and people passionate about improving maternal health in California are encouraged to attend.

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 Quality Metric Redesign, and details about Medi-Cal vision services.

Protect Access to Health Care Act (PAHCA) Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) 

On July 18, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. PDT (the time is tentative), DHCS will host the PAHCA-SAC meeting (advance registration for online participation required) at 1700 K Street (first-floor conference room 17.1014), Sacramento. The committee is responsible for advising DHCS on developing and implementing components of the PAHCA of 2024 (Proposition 35).

Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC)/Behavioral Health (BH)-SAC Meeting

On July 23, 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.

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. 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.