Existing law establishes the California Children’s Services (CCS) Program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and counties, to provide medically necessary services, based on financial eligibility, for persons under 21 years of age who have certain medical conditions, including, among others, cystic fibrosis or hemophilia.

Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the department, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions.

Existing law authorizes the department to establish a Whole Child Model program, under which managed care plans served by a county organized health system or Regional Health Authority in designated counties provide CCS treatment services to Medi-Cal eligible CCS children and youth. In implementing the program, existing law requires the department to, among other things, establish a statewide Whole Child Model program stakeholder advisory group and to consult with that advisory group on the implementation of the Whole Child Model program, as specified. Existing law terminates the advisory group on December 31, 2026.

This bill would rename the statewide Whole Child Model program stakeholder advisory group to the California Children’s Services (CCS) advisory group. The bill would require the advisory group to additionally be composed of representatives of CCS clients not enrolled in a managed care plan, former CCS clients, and caregivers of former CCS clients. The bill would also require the department to consult with the advisory group on the implementation of the CCS Classic program and to consider the recommendations of the advisory group in developing monitoring processes and outcome measures for the CCS program. Beginning no later than December 31, 2027, the bill would require the department to biennially deliver a summary report to the Legislature, with feedback from the advisory group, that briefly describes the department’s progress and actions on specified matters relating to the CCS program. The bill would delete the December 31, 2026, sunset date, thereby extending the operation of the advisory group indefinitely.

This bill would make conforming changes to reflect the renaming of the advisory group.