All Plan Letters

• On July 1, 2022, the Budget Act of 2021 changed the source of the nonfederal share of the supplemental payments for trauma screenings to the state General Fund. In accordance with the State Plan Amendment (SPA) 21-0045,5 effective July 1, 2022, the ACEs program will become a benefit, and it will no longer be funded by Proposition 56. The ACEs Aware program must continue to be utilized to provide informational resources for ACE screening services.
• ACEs Aware Trainings: The “Becoming ACEs Aware in California” Core Training is a free, two-hour training for which clinicians and clinical team members will receive 2.0 Continuing Medical Education and/or 2.0 Maintenance of Certification credits upon completion. Please find the training here: https://www.acesaware.org/learn-about-screening/training/.
• Providers must complete this training and the DHCS ACEs Provider Training Attestation form: https://www.medi-cal.ca.gov/TSTA/TSTAattest.aspx to qualify for payment for completing ACE Screenings.
• More information about training is available at https://www.acesaware.org/learn-about-screening/training/.
• Allowed ACE Screening Tools
  • For Children and Adolescents: The Pediatric ACEs and Related Life-Events Screener (PEARLS) is used to screen children and adolescents ages 0-19 for ACEs.
    • Three versions of the tool are available, based on age and reporter:
      1. PEARLS child tool, for ages 0-11, to be completed by a parent/caregiver;
      2. PEARLS adolescent, for ages 12-19, to be completed by a parent/caregiver; and
      3. PEARLS for adolescent self-report tool, for ages 12-19, to be completed by the adolescent
  • For Adults: The ACE questionnaire may be used for adults (ages 18 years and older).
• Members who are dually eligible for Medi-Cal and Medicare Part B will not qualify for reimbursement (regardless of enrollment in Medicare part A or Part D).
• Details pertaining to ACEs Aware Certification, Eligibility, Provider Requirements, ACE Screening Implementation, HCPCS Codes, Descriptions, Directed Payment, and Notes can be found in the APL.

• Beginning July 1, 2022, the Budget Act of 2021 changed the source of the nonfederal share of these payments to the state General Fund.
• The CPT Code, description and Directed Payment amount can be found on page 4 of the APL.
• More information can be found on the DHCS Directed payments – Proposition 56 website: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/Pages/DP-proposition56.aspx.

• DHCS intends to continue this directed payment arrangement on an annual basis for the duration of the program.
• Please refer to the APL for Procedure Codes, Descriptions, Minimum Fee Schedule amounts, and Dates of services from July 1, 2017 to “Ongoing” which means the directed payment is in effect, subject to future budgetary authorization and appropriation by the California Legislature, until discontinued by DHCS via an amendment to this APL.

• The funding that was approved through June 2022 will be distributed following timely payment standards in the Contract for Clean Claims or accepted encounters that were received no later than one year after the date of service up to June 30, 2022..
• Please see Appendix A of this APL to understand the Domain, Measure and Add-on Amounts from Dates of service between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2022.
• Services performed after June 30, 2022, are not eligible for VBP directed payments.

Mandatory Signatories to the California Health and Human Services Agency Data Exchange Framework

​Enforcement Actions: Administrative and Monetary Sanctions (Supersedes APL 22-015)

• Provides guidance and clarification regarding federal and state legal requirements for recovery of all Overpayments to Providers.

• Provides guidance about the provision of Medically Necessary Behavioral Health Treatment (BHT) services for Members under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit in accordance with mental health parity requirements.
• Clarifies responsibility of coordination with other entities, and ensures all of a Member’s needs for Medically Necessary BHT services are met across environments, including on-site at school or during virtual school sessions.

• Clarifies contractual obligations for authorizing post-stabilization care services.

• The funding that was approved through June 2022 will be distributed following timely payment standards in the Contract for Clean Claims or accepted encounters that were received no later than one year after the date of service.
• DHCS requested approval from CMS for this directed payment arrangement for CY 2022 and CY 2023.
• Subject to future appropriation of funds by the California Legislature and the necessary federal approvals of the directed payment arrangement, DHCS intends to continue this directed payment arrangement on an annual basis for the duration of the program. The requirements of this APL may change if necessary to obtain CMS approvals applicable to this directed payment arrangement or to comport with future state legislation.
• This directed payment program is intended to enhance the quality of patient care by ensuring that Providers in California who offer family planning services receive enhanced payment for their delivery of family planning services. Timely access to vital family planning services is a critical component of Member and population health. In particular, this program is focused on the following categories of family planning services:
  • Long-acting contraceptives
  • Other contraceptives (other than oral contraceptives) when provided as a medical benefit
  • Emergency contraceptives when provided as a medical benefit
  • Pregnancy testing
  • Sterilization procedures (for females and males)

Telehealth Services Policy (Supersedes APL 19-009)

Delegation and Subcontractor Network Certification (Supersedes APL 17-004)

• Attachment A: Subcontractor Network Certification Instruction Manual​
• Attachment B: Subcontractor Network Exemptions Request
• Attachment C: Network Adequacy and Access Assurances Report

Requirements For Coverage of Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment Services for Medi-Cal Members Under the Age of 21 (Supersedes APL 19-010)​

• Provides requirements on the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Long Term Care (LTC) benefit standardization provisions of the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative, including the mandatory transition of beneficiaries to managed care plans such as the Alliance.

​California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal Incentive Payment Program (Supersedes APL 21-016)

2023-2024 Medi-Cal Managed Care Health Plan MEDS/834 Cutoff and Processing Schedule​

​Network Certification Requirements (Supersedes APL 21-006)

• Attachment A: Network Adequacy Standards (PDF)
• Attachment B: Annual Network Certification Instruction Manual (PDF)
• Attachment C: Alternative Access Standard (AAS) Request Template (.xls)

• Beneficiaries who mandatorily transition from Medi-Cal FFS to enroll as members in the Alliance or transition from the Alliance with contracts expiring or terminating to a new health plan on or after January 1, 2023, have the right to request Continuity of Care with Providers in accordance with federal and state law and the health plan contract, with some exceptions.

• Effective January 1, 2023, the Alliance covers doula services for prenatal, perinatal, and postpartum members.
• Doula services can be provided virtually or in-person with locations in any setting including, but not limited to, homes, office visits, hospitals, or alternative birth centers.
• The Alliance covers doula services to include personal support to pregnant individuals and families throughout pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period.
• To be eligible for doula services, and be covered under Medi-Cal managed care, a beneficiary must be eligible for Medi-Cal, enrolled with the Alliance, and have a recommendation for doula services from a physician or other licensed practitioner.
• Doula Providers must meet the requirements and qualifications (i.e., training/experience pathway, continuing education, etc.), as outlined in APL 22-031 linked below.

Initial Health Appointment (Supersedes APL 13-017 and Policy Letters 13-001 and 08-003)