Informational Letter 14-05 (January 2014)

Issued by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) instructing county welfare departments how to implement the extension of Medi-Cal for foster youth to age 26.

Frequently Asked Questions (October 2013)

Released by DHCS providing information about how California is implementing the extension of Medi-Cal to current and former foster youth to age 26.

To apply for Medi-Cal, current and former foster youth complete the MC 250A form. Youth who are having difficulty with their applications should contact the Foster Care Ombudsman’s Office.

For more information, visit Children Now’s youth-friendly website dedicated to the extension of Medi-Cal to age 26 for former foster youth.
  • Counties are instructed to enroll youth who were in foster care at age 18 in any state. Learn more about California’s policy to provide coverage for youth from other states here. (link to document titled CA-ACA-Amendment)
  • Until an automated system is in place, eligibility workers will be required to manually override the current system to assign the appropriate aid code to former foster youth.
  • No income determination should be conducted as eligibility is based on being in foster care on their 18th birthday, age 18-26, and California residency.
  • Youth who personally attest to having been in foster care at age 18 should be enrolled in Medi-Cal immediately while the county verifies eligibility.
  • Visit DHCS’s website for general information about Medi-Cal benefits.

Resources to Ensure Foster Youth Retain Medicaid
Coverage to Age 26

Medicaid to 26 for Youth in Foster Care: Key Stepsfor Advocates (September 2013)

A ChildFocus brief released by the State Policy Advocacy and Reform Center (SPARC) outlining eight key steps child welfare stakeholders can take to ensure that Medicaid coverage provided by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) covers youth in foster care to age 26. The brief provides background on the ACA provision, recommendations for how stakeholders can act to implement it, and examples of work already being done on the state and local level.

Communications Toolkit (September 2013)

Released by SPARC to facilitate outreach relating to Medicaid and foster youth by state-based children’s advocacy organizations and their partners. The Toolkit is designed to offer examples of materials likely to connect with the target audience of young adults who have aged out of foster care, and consists of handout cards, social media posts, cover e-mail and newsletter article templates, and talking points.