Medi-Cal: home- and community-based services: military.

Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income persons receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing federal law provides for various home- and community-based services (HCBS) , as part of a waiver or a state plan amendment under the Medicaid program, to promote coverage and services that enable an individual who would otherwise be institutionalized to live at home or in the community. This bill would require the retention of placement on the waiting list for, or the reenrollment in, specified HCBS waiver programs for an individual who is a dependent child or spouse of an active duty military service member and who transfers out of state with the military service member on official military orders, if the individual subsequently reestablishes residence in this state and meets other specified procedural requirements. The bill would authorize an individual applying for one of those specified waiver programs who is a dependent child or spouse of an active duty military service member and is residing out of state to submit the individual's application to enroll in that waiver program as soon as the military service member receives official military orders to transfer to this state and before moving to this state, as specified. The bill would condition the implementation of these provisions on receipt of any necessary federal approvals and the availability of federal financial participation, and would authorize the department to seek amendments to the waiver programs, or take other action, as necessary to implement these provisions. The bill would authorize the department to implement these provisions by means of letters or other similar instructions, without taking regulatory action.