California Welfare and Institutions Code

§ 14148.03

WIC § 14148.03 Effective Jan 1, 2024Div. 9 · Part 3 · Ch. 7 · Art. 4.7

Statute text

(a)Pursuant to options provided in federal law and notwithstanding any other provision of law, the form used by a provider to collect information about a pregnant person pursuant to the Medi-Cal temporary benefits program under Section 14148.7 as that program is implemented on January 1, 2003, shall itself qualify as a simplified application for the Medi-Cal program for pregnant people, or, if necessary to ensure federal financial participation, the form shall be modified to add only those elements required for federal financial participation and be as simple as the department considers practicable.

(b)For purposes of this section, the department shall determine whether to grant eligibility for temporary benefits under Section 14148.7 and the county shall make the final eligibility determination for the Medi-Cal program. The department shall develop and adopt a process for transferring the application to the county and a followup process that is as simple as the department considers practicable to be used by the county if followup is necessary. Based on the department’s instructions, the county shall make a determination whether followup is necessary to determine the pregnant person’s final eligibility for the Medi-Cal program or to refer the pregnant person to the Medi-Cal Access Program.

(c)The department shall adopt an electronic enrollment process for pregnant people to use when applying for the Medi-Cal program from a provider’s office. The application form for this electronic enrollment shall use the elements of the application form described in subdivision (a) and the procedures specified in subdivision (b). This electronic enrollment process shall be known as the Prenatal Gateway. In developing the Prenatal Gateway required by this subdivision, the department shall consult with consumer, provider, county, and health plan representatives.

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Legislative history

Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 372, Sec. 2. (AB 1481) Effective January 1, 2024.