CHW Provider Recruitment Program

Provides funding to support health care organizations in their efforts to recruit and hire Community Health Workers (CHWs) who are, or will become, qualified to provide the compensable CHW Service Benefit to the Medi-Cal population in Merced, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.

• Starting July 1, 2022, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) added the CHW Service Benefit as a compensable Medi-Cal benefit (separate from Enhanced Care Management), which includes Health Education, Health Navigation, Screening & Assessments, Individual Support or Advocacy, and Timely Management of Chronic Conditions.
  • The Alliance has established the CHW Service Benefit with contracting, credentialing, and reimbursement pathways for providers.
• The existing health care workforce is challenged to reflect the racial, ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity of Alliance members.
  • CHWs facilitate equitable access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. The combination of their lived experience and training allows them to build trusting relationships and serve as a liaison between health and social services, Medi-Cal members and the community at large.
  • CHWs may be known by a variety of job titles, such as promotores, community service aides and health navigators.

In addition to the minimum eligibility requirements for the Medi-Cal Capacity Grant Program (see Eligibility Guidelines), applicants must meet the following program-specific requirements:

• The applicant entity must be contracted with the Alliance/Medi-Cal and have a track record of contractual compliance and stability. If not contracted, applicant must become contracted prior to receiving grant funds (if application is approved).
• An applicant entity may apply for one (1) CHW Provider Recruitment grant per funding cycle.
• An applicant entity may apply for no more than three (3) Workforce Recruitment grants for any eligible provider type (including CHW and MA) in a calendar year.
• No more than three (3) Workforce Recruitment grants for any eligible provider type (including CHW and MA) may be open for recruitment at any one time (i.e., two previously awarded grants may be open for recruitment when a new application is submitted).

An organization that recruits and hires a CHW prior to the grant award may apply for grant funding to cover recruitment-related expenses for a recently hired CHW if they were hired in the Retro Hiring Period, which is defined as one day after the previous application due date through the current application due date. (See MCGP Deadlines in right sidebar of page.)

• There is no guarantee that an application will be approved or that the entity will be reimbursed for recruitment-related costs during the Retro Hiring Period.
• Recruitment date is determined by the date of hire (i.e., date on signed employment contract or offer letter).

• Eligible provider types include Community Health Workers as defined by the Department of Health Care Services for the delivery of the CHW Services Benefit (see p. 49 of the Alliance Provider Manual).
• The recruited provider must be a new addition to (not a transfer within) the Alliance/Medi-Cal network, with a preference for providers who are new to the provider communities of Merced, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.

Applications that demonstrate a commitment to implement the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) and to hire providers who provide culturally and linguistically competent care are strongly preferred. Additional funding will be provided to applicant entities who recruit and hire providers who meet certain criteria for oral language proficiency. See Linguistic Competence Provider Incentive.

• The CHW Provider Recruitment Program awards grants to subsidize 100% of recruitment-related expenses for new providers in the Alliance service area. The maximum award is $65,000.
• The CHW Provider Recruitment Program supports recruitment-related expenses such as first year salary/benefit costs, sign-on bonuses, relocation expenses, costs of maintaining professional liability insurance, fees for professional recruitment agency services, immigration legal fees, costs associated with advertising and certification training costs.
• Training costs already funded through a different grant/incentive program are not eligible for reimbursement. Expenses deemed operational costs are not eligible for reimbursement.
• The grant payment will be made in two installments. Half of the grant payment will be made at the time the grantee successfully hires an eligible CHW and submits recruitment-related expenses. The remaining half will be made when the CHW is fully credentialed by the Alliance.
• Applicant entities who are approved for a CHW Provider Recruitment grant must recruit the CHW within twelve months of signing the Grant Agreement. Providers must apply for credentialing within one month of hiring. Payment requests require documentation verifying date of hire, recruitment expenses and credentialing. Final grant awards will depend on verification of actual expenses but will not exceed the grant award.
• If the grantee is unable to hire the CHW within twelve months of the signing of the Grant Agreement, the grant will be withdrawn. If the newly recruited CHW leaves the grantee organization before one full year of employment under the term of the grant, which begins when the first grant payment is made after recruitment expenses are submitted, the grantee will have to pay a pro-rated amount back to the Alliance, including pro-rated amount of Linguistic Competence Provider Incentive described below, if applicable.

In an effort to support the Alliance’s work to achieve health equity and reduce health disparities related to language and cultural barriers for our members, our Workforce Recruitment Programs offer a Linguistic Competence Provider Incentive for grantee organizations that hire bilingual providers. Learn more on our Linguistic Competence Provider Incentive page.

Visit our How to Apply page for deadlines, instructions and the online application form.

Applications require submission of financial statements. Acceptable financial statement submissions include audited financial statements for the last fiscal year. If one is not available, applicant must include both an organizational profit and loss statement and balance sheet for the last 12 months, with President/CEO/Executive Director sign-off verification.