CaliforniaMedi-Cal providers may seek grants to serve eligible veterans
Medi-Cal providers may seek grants to serve certain veterans who lack abortion care, and the Department of Veterans Affairs must post a state abortion information link.
What it does
Medi-Cal providers may seek grants to serve veterans who lack abortion coverage or cannot get care through the VA system, if those veterans do not qualify for free care through Medi-Cal and Family PACT.
The Department of Veterans Affairs must add a link to the state’s abortion information website on its women veterans resources page.
The department must accept grant applications by January 1, 2027; providers must explain their past and expected service costs without identifying individual patients.
Argument forVeterans who cannot use VA care or have coverage without abortion care could get reduced-cost services through participating providers and find a state information link.
Argument againstProviders may have to weigh serving eligible veterans at reduced cost against other patient needs, though they may decline extra patients if care access would suffer.
More detail
Medi-Cal providers may apply for grants or continued grants when they agree to offer covered services to eligible veterans. The veteran must lack abortion coverage or be unable to access abortion or contraception through the VA health system, and must not otherwise qualify for both abortion and contraception at no cost through Medi-Cal and Family PACT. A veteran includes certain people who served at least 90 consecutive days, people discharged for a service-connected disability within that period, and people discharged solely because of Executive Order 14183. Services must be within the provider’s licensed scope, and providers must participate in the program. Providers may offer abortion and contraception, gender-affirming care, or both. A provider may decline additional patients if, in its reasonable professional judgment, doing so would endanger access to or continuity of care for existing patients.
The Department of Veterans Affairs must post a link to abortion.ca.gov. The link must appear on the department’s women veterans resources page.
The department must begin accepting grant applications by January 1, 2027. The application process is for grants under the California Reproductive and TGI Health Equity Program, including services provided to low-income patients and veterans. Applications must justify requested funds using costs from the past 12 months and anticipated costs for the next 12 months. Applications may not include identifying personal information about patients. The department must begin accepting applications on or before January 1, 2027.
Where do you stand?
Choose your position
Tell your reps
Take a position to see your representatives and ways to contact them.
Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Sep 27Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 489, Statutes of 2026.Latest
- Sep 27Approved by the Governor Gavin Newsom.Became Law
- Sep 3Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.To Governor
- Aug 26Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 60. Noes 18. Page 6587.).Major
- Vote recorded AB 2531 Irwin Concurrence in Senate Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
- Aug 25In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
- Vote recorded 3rd Reading AB2531 Irwin et al. By Menjivar. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 25Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 30. Noes 9.).Passed Senate
- Aug 17Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 13Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.Major
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 13From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (August 13).Major
- Aug 3In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.Minor
- Vote recorded Placed on suspense file. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 23From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 0.) (June 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Jun 22
- Vote recorded Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 18From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on M. & V.A. (Ayes 9. Noes 1.) (June 17). Re-referred to Com. on M. & V.A.Minor
- Jun 17
- Vote recorded Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Military and Veterans Affairs]. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 10Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and M. & V.A.Minor
- May 27In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.Minor
- May 26Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 59. Noes 19. Page 5330.)Passed Assembly
- Vote recorded AB 2531 Irwin Assembly Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
- May 18Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- May 14From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 4.) (May 14).Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass. Result: pass.Lower
- May 6In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.Minor
- Apr 15From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 2.) (April 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Apr 14
- Vote recorded Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 8From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on M. & V.A. (Ayes 12. Noes 3.) (April 7). Re-referred to Com. on M. & V.A.Minor
- Apr 8Coauthors revised.
- Apr 7
- Vote recorded Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Military and Veterans Affairs]. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 17Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.Minor
- Mar 16From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. Read second time and amended.Major
- Mar 16Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and M. & V.A.Minor
- Feb 21From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.
- Feb 20Read first time. To print.Introduced
HealthcareVeteransReproductive Rights