CaliforniaMedi-Cal providers must check records of treatment staff
Medi-Cal treatment providers would check patient-facing employees’ criminal records, while the state gathers feedback and reports on treatment coverage and billing.
What it does
Medi-Cal providers paid to deliver behavioral health treatment must check the state and national criminal records of employees who interact with patients.
The department must invite feedback on Medi-Cal treatment coverage and billing, including input from relevant providers, families, autistic consumers, and advocates.
The department must keep clear treatment coverage and billing guidance, then post service-use data, policy changes, and recommendations online.
Argument forBroader input from families, autistic consumers, and providers could help shape coverage and billing guidance around children’s needs.
Argument againstProviders may face extra work documenting background checks and sharing proof during department requests or audits.
More detail
The department must make sure Medi-Cal providers that deliver BHT run state and national criminal background checks on employees who interact with patients. This applies to enrolled Medi-Cal provider entities that provide BHT services paid for by Medi-Cal, and to their employees who interact with patients. Providers must keep records showing they followed the rule and provide them to the department on request or during a state or federal audit. Providers must meet this requirement by July 1, 2027.
The department must use existing forums to seek feedback and offer chances to comment on BHT coverage and billing policy. The feedback concerns behavioral health treatment services, including applied behavior analysis and other evidence-based interventions. The department is encouraged to reach out to relevant providers, other child-service providers, managed care plans, autistic consumers, and consumer advocates as appropriate to the topic. Feedback must cover clinical guidelines, treatment plans, service settings, professional supervision, plan documentation, provider contracting, and possible fingerprint checks.
The department must keep clear BHT coverage and billing guidance informed by stakeholder feedback, and publish service-use data and a summary of policy changes and recommendations. These requirements cover BHT services under Medi-Cal. The guidance must follow federal coverage rules for people under 21. The posted recommendations must identify actions needed to align Medi-Cal payments with federal program-integrity requirements. The department must publish the information on its website by January 1, 2029.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed Assembly
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Sep 27Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 655, Statutes of 2026.Latest
- Sep 27Approved by the Governor Gavin Newsom.Became Law
- Aug 27Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.To Governor
- Aug 24Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 5686.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.Major
- Vote recorded Unfinished Business SB874 Weber Pierson Concurrence. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 20In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
- Vote recorded SB 874 Weber Pierson Senate Third Reading By Addis. Result: pass.Lower
- Aug 20Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 6306.) Ordered to the Senate.Passed Assembly
- Aug 17Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 13Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.Major
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended. Result: pass.Lower
- Aug 13From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (August 13).Major
- Aug 13Assembly Rule 63 suspended.
- Aug 5August 5 set for first hearing. Placed on suspense file.
- Jul 2Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Major
- Jul 2From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (June 30).Major
- Jun 30
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Lower
- Jun 24From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (June 23). Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.Minor
- Jun 23
- Vote recorded Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Public Safety]. Result: pass.Lower
- Jun 8June 16 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
- Jun 3From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.Major
- May 26Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and PUB. S.Minor
- May 20In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.Minor
- May 19Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 4342.) Ordered to the Assembly.Passed Senate
- Vote recorded 3rd Reading SB874 Weber Pierson. Result: pass.Upper
- May 14Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass. Result: pass.Upper
- May 14From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 4255.) (May 14).Minor
- May 8Set for hearing May 14.
- May 4May 4 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
- Vote recorded Placed on suspense file. Result: pass.Upper
- Apr 28Set for hearing May 4.
- Apr 23Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Major
- Apr 22From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 3982.) (April 21).Major
- Apr 21
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Upper
- Apr 16From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 3900.) (April 15). Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.Minor
- Apr 15
- Vote recorded Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Public Safety]. Result: pass.Upper
- Apr 14Set for hearing April 21 in PUB. S. pending receipt.
- Mar 27Set for hearing April 15.
- Mar 25Re-referred to Coms. on HEALTH and PUB. S.Minor
- Mar 17From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.Major
- Feb 11Referred to Com. on RLS.Minor
- Jan 7From printer. May be acted upon on or after February 6.
- Jan 6Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.Introduced
HealthcareMental HealthGovernment & Ethics