Medi-Cal: Whole Child Model program

The law strengthens family, patient, provider, and county input into Medi-Cal’s California Children’s Services program and requires public reporting on program improvements.

What the law does ​

• Renames the Whole Child Model stakeholder advisory group as the California Children’s Services (CCS) advisory group.
• Requires the Department of Health Care Services to appoint a broad advisory group, including clients, former clients, caregivers, providers, health plans, county administrators, advocates, and family representatives.
• Caps client, former-client, and caregiver seats at six, including at least one current CCS client or family representative.
• Requires the department to consult the group on both the Whole Child Model and CCS Classic programs and consider its recommendations when setting monitoring processes and outcome measures.
• Requires public summary reports by December 31, 2028, and December 31, 2030, on progress toward program measures and advisory-group-informed priorities.
• Keeps the advisory group and related reporting requirements in effect until January 1, 2037.
• Requires annual enrollment comparisons, specialty-care utilization and quality measures, CCS-specific monitoring dashboards, and targeted improvement strategies for Whole Child Model plans with access or quality audit findings.

Who it affects ​

• Medi-Cal-eligible children and youth receiving California Children’s Services for qualifying medical conditions.
• Families, caregivers, and former CCS clients.
• Medi-Cal managed care plans participating in the Whole Child Model program.
• CCS providers, county CCS programs, patient advocates, family resource centers, and regional centers.

Context ​

CCS provides medically necessary services to eligible people under age 21 with certain medical conditions.