Rural medical services grant program.

Telehealth services were removed from the list of exclusions and added to the list of included medical services, meaning grants can now fund telehealth delivery in rural areas.

Occupational therapists licensed under Chapter 5.6 of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code were added as a new category of qualified provider eligible to apply for grants.

A specific deadline was added requiring the Office of Rural Health to publish grant program criteria and standards on its website on or before January 1, 2028, and annually thereafter.

Duplicate letter designations in the qualified provider list (two H's, two I's, etc.) were corrected to sequential letters A through O, and minor typos ('services services', 'and and') were fixed.

A new provision caps annual spending at $3,000,000 for the grant program, contingent on legislative appropriation. The original bill had no stated funding ceiling.

The grant program's purpose is expanded from compensating providers only for the 'delivery of medical services' to also covering 'the support, sustenance, or expansion of the delivery of medical services.' A new definition clarifies this includes workforce support, equipment, operational costs, infrastructure improvements, and other expenses necessary to increase access to care.

Pharmacists licensed under Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 4000) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code are added as a new category of qualified provider eligible to apply for grants.

Specific eligibility criteria are now required: proof of an active license in good standing, proof of providing in-person medical services year-round (part-time or full-time) in a rural area, and a description of how the grant will improve, sustain, or expand rural medical services.

Specific outcome measurement criteria are now required: the impact on access to in-person medical care in rural areas and the impact on provider recruitment and retention in rural areas.