Assembly Bill 635 Medical Interpretation Services
Assembly Bill (AB) 635 (Atkins, Chapter 600, Statutes of 2016) added California Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) Section
14146 requiring the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to work with stakeholders to conduct a study to identify current requirements for medical interpretation services as well as education, training, and licensure requirements, analyze other state Medicaid programs, and make recommendations on strategies, including possible pilot projects, that may be employed regarding the provision of medical interpretation services for Medi-Cal beneficiaries who are limited English proficient (LEP), in compliance with applicable state and federal requirements. Based upon the recommendations of the study related to pilot projects and contingent upon available time and funding, AB 635 also requires DHCS to work with stakeholders to establish a pilot project in up to four separate sites to evaluate a mechanism to provide and improve medical interpretation services for LEP Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
Effective Date and Sunset Clause
Effective January 1, 2017, the activities authorized under WIC Code Section 14146 were authorized to commence. These activities may continue until the statute’s sunset date, July 1, 2020, at which point the statute shall become inoperative. As of January 1, 2021, the statute will be repealed unless a later enacted statute, that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2021, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.
Survery Results
The survey for AB 635 is closed. Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to the survey. Results of the survey will be used for the final report to DHCS in the fall of 2019.
Prior Announcements
As part of DHCS' ongoing implementation activities, DHCS sent a survey to providers, counties, and health insurers to assess the planning, execution, and funding mechanisms for medical interpreting services to determine the best path forward.
Survey responses are due by
May 31, 2019.
As part of DHCS' ongoing AB 635 implementation activities, DHCS held an in-person meeting on March 22, 2019. The meeting was to inform the stakeholder community about DHCS' implementation efforts related to the Medical Interpretation Services (MIS) study authorized by AB 635. For a detailed description of the meeting, including the PowerPoint and Minutes, please refer to our
Stakeholder Engagement website.
On March 22, 2019, the California Department of Health Care Services, Benefits Division, held an in-person stakeholder meeting to inform the stakeholder community about implementation efforts related to the Medical Interpretation Services (MIS) study authorized by AB 635.
On January 18, 2019, the California Department of Health Care Services, Office of Medi-Cal Procurement, finalized the Medical Interpretation Services Study Contract with Nimdzi Insights LLC.
On December 6, 2018, the California Department of Health Care Services, Office of Medi-Cal Procurement, announced its intent to award Nimdzi Insights LLC the Medical Interpretation Services Study contract.
On August 6th, 2018, the California Department of Health Care Services, Office of Medi-Cal Procurement, announced the re-release of the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Medical Interpretation Services Study (RFP #18-95092).
On June 28, 2018, the California Department of Health Care Services, Office of Medi-Cal Procurement (OMCP), announced the release of the Request for Information for the Medical Interpretation Services Study (RFI #18-001).
On April 27, 2018, the California Department of Health Care Services, Office of Medi-Cal Procurement, announced the release of the FINAL Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Medical Interpretation Services Study (RFP #18-95092).