(a) The county shall undertake outreach efforts to beneficiaries receiving benefits under this chapter, in order to maintain the most up-to-date home addresses, telephone numbers, and other necessary contact information, and to encourage and assist with timely submission of the annual reaffirmation form, and, when applicable, transitional Medi-Cal program reporting forms and to facilitate the Medi-Cal redetermination process when one is required as provided in Section 14005.37. In implementing this subdivision, a county may collaborate with community-based organizations, provided that confidentiality is protected.
(b) The department shall encourage and facilitate efforts by managed care plans to report updated beneficiary contact information to counties.
(c) (1) The department and each county shall incorporate, in a timely manner, updated contact information received from managed care plans pursuant to subdivision (b) into the beneficiary’s Medi-Cal case file and into all systems used to inform plans of their beneficiaries’ enrollee status. Updated Medi-Cal beneficiary contact information shall be limited to the beneficiary’s telephone number, change of address information, and change of name.
(2) When a managed care plan obtains a beneficiary’s updated contact information, the managed care plan shall ask the beneficiary for approval to provide the beneficiary’s updated contact information to the appropriate county. If the managed care plan does not obtain approval from the beneficiary to provide the appropriate county with the updated contact information, the county shall attempt to verify that the information that it receives from the plan is accurate, which may include, but is not limited to, making contact with the beneficiary, before updating the beneficiary’s case file. The contact shall first be attempted using the method of contact identified by the beneficiary as the preferred method of contact, if a method has been identified.
(d) This section shall be implemented only to the extent that federal financial participation under Title XIX of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1396 et seq.) is available.
(e) To the extent otherwise required by Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the department shall adopt emergency regulations implementing this section no later than July 1, 2015. The department may thereafter readopt the emergency regulations pursuant to that chapter. The adoption and readoption, by the department, of regulations implementing this section shall be deemed to be an emergency and necessary to avoid serious harm to the public peace, health, safety, or general welfare for purposes of Sections 11346.1 and 11349.6 of the Government Code, and the department is hereby exempted from the requirement that it describe facts showing the need for immediate action and from review by the Office of Administrative Law.
(Amended (as amended by Stats. 2013, 1st Ex. Sess., Ch. 3, Sec. 5) by Stats. 2013, Ch. 442, Sec. 5. (SB 28) Effective January 1, 2014.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018