The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Developmental Services

Mar 13, 2026 - The department released a Request for Information (RFI) in November 2025 with the goal of understanding industry best practices and vendor capacity for implementation. Responses to the RFI closed on January 23, 2026.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5157

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Health

Oct 16, 2025 - To maintain licensure, these entities must (1)  act in a payor ’s best interests; (2)  submit financial statements to DMHC; and (3)  submit drug pricing data to HCAI, among other requirements. Pharmacy benefit managers are to pay annual fees to support DMHC ’s and HCAI ’s ongoing regulatory costs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5075

The 2021-22 Budget: Behavioral Health: Medi-Cal Student Services Funding Proposal

Feb 17, 2021 - …But Administration Needs to Clarify What Service Gaps Managed Care Plans Are Best Able to Fill. Although behavioral health service gaps likely exist across the state for students, the exact nature and extent of this problem is unclear.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4377

The 2026-27 Budget: Medi-Cal Analysis

Mar 2, 2026 - Individuals must generally work, study, or volunteer at least 80  hours per month, or meet an earnings threshold (about $580 per month, equivalent to 80 hours at the federal minimum wage) unless they qualify for certain exemptions (such as having young children or being medically frail).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5146

The 2022-23 Budget: Analysis of the Care Economy Workforce Development Package

Mar 10, 2022 - While the administration references these workforce needs as part of its proposal, the administration does not provide a comprehensive assessment of statewide workforce needs across the care economy.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4572

The 2024-25 Budget: Department of Developmental Services

Feb 13, 2024 - For decades, the state paid DDS direct care staff (sometimes referred to as direct service professionals) according to a rate structure deemed by the Legislature to be outdated and overly complicated.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4837

Considering Medi-Cal in the Midst of a Changing Fiscal and Policy Landscape

Oct 24, 2025 - The new requirement will only apply to childless adults earning more than 100  percent of the federal poverty limit. Certain services, such as primary care and behavioral health care, are excluded from the  requirement.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5083

The 2022-23 Budget: Department of Developmental Services

Mar 29, 2022 - Currently, about 3,800 consumers who are working earn less than minimum wage. About 3,600 of these consumers are served in work activity programs (WAPs), where they earn a wage based on their specific level of productivity.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4577

The 2024-25 Budget: The MCO Tax Package at May Revision

May 22, 2024 - This is because DHCS did not include revenue MCOs earn from the federal Medicare program in its calculation of the limit. DHCS says it recently learned in discussions with federal administrators that including Medicare revenue in the calculation is allowable.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4905

Enhancing Federal Financial Participation for Consumers Served by the Department of Developmental Services

Nov 9, 2021 - There are two primary authorities for federal funding for HCBS services in the DDS system —( 1)  a Medicaid 1915(c) HCBS waiver (which we refer to as the “waiver ”), which has been in place for DDS since 1982, and ( 2)  a Medicaid state plan amendment (which we refer to as the “1915(i) SPA ”), which has been in place since 2009.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4471