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Outreach & Enrollment Resources

BenefitsCal Resources for CBOs

Posted: January 18, 2023

There’s a new way to apply for and keep your public benefits: BenefitsCal helps consumers apply for and manage the benefits with CalFresh, Medi-Cal, County Medical Services Program (CMSP), CalWORKs, General Assistance/Relief (GA/GR), and the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI). Effective April 22, 2022, Los Angeles County transitioned to BenefitsCal – which replaced the previous website (Your Benefits Now).

BenefitsCal – Resources for CBOs

BenefitsCal allows for CBO assiters to access their own CBO portal within the BenefitsCal system. CBO accounts in BenefitsCal will be set up with a “manager” role. This CBO Manager Account will be able to create assister accounts/logins for other people in their organization. They can also track and manage applications developed by the assister accounts that they create. Check this webpage for regular updates to the resources highlighted below. Access the latest BenefitsCal & CalSAWS Advocates newsletter HERE.

 

Covered California Open Enrollment 2022-2023

Posted: December 27, 2022

Covered California Open Enrollment is Nov. 1, 2022 and continues through Jan. 31, 2023! Check out the resources below from Covered California to help health centers and enrollment staff assist consumers with applying for and renewing their health coverage.

Public Charge Resources

Posted: September 1, 2020

New Public Charge Final Rule

The Biden Administration finalized a new public charge regulation in September 2022, increasing protections for immigrant families. The final rule went into effect on December 23, 2022. It restores previous policies including the exclusion of Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) when determining the use of public benefits, with the exception of long-term institutionalized care. View the list of resources from government entities and partner organizations below to help advocates, community members, and more understand and navigate public charge.

Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF)

Benefits Access for Immigrants – Los Angeles (BAILA)

BAILA supports immigrant families and essential workers to access the public benefits they need to stay healthy and strong. Access the website HERE.

California Health & Human Services Agency

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA)

  • Public Charge Hotline (for information or a referral. Free & Confidential): 1-800-433-6251 (LA County)

Legal Resources 

 

Older Adults Medi-Cal Expansion

Posted: December 23, 2019

Health4All Older Adults Medi-Cal Expansion 

The Fiscal Year 2021-22 state budget expanded eligibility for full-scope Medi-Cal coverage to income-eligible adults aged 50 and older, regardless of immigration status. The expansion took effect on May 1 as over 244,000 Californians woke up to new full-scope Medi-Cal coverage! Two-thirds of the approximately 60,000 individuals ages 50+ in MHLA enrolled in restricted scope Medi-Cal prior to the effective date transitioned into full-scope Medi-Cal on May 1.

  • For more info from MHLA, including a process for ensuring continuity for patients currently receiving specialty care from DHS, check out newly released Provider Bulletin #12.
  • For more info on eligibility and how to enroll from the BAILA Network, click the following links for English or Spanish.
  • For the latest practice tip from Western Center on Law and Poverty (WCLP), Justice in Aging and the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) featuring the “top 8 issues and tips for navigating the Medi-Cal expansion” click here.

Older Adults Medi-Cal Expansion: My Health LA (MHLA) 

Enrollment resources are provided below.

  • For more info from MHLA, including a process for ensuring continuity for patients currently receiving specialty care from DHS, check out newly released Provider Bulletin #12.
  • For more info on eligibility and how to enroll from the BAILA Network, click the following links for English or Spanish.
  • For the latest practice tip from Western Center on Law and Poverty (WCLP), Justice in Aging and the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) featuring the “top 8 issues and tips for navigating the Medi-Cal expansion” click here.

MHLA OAE Resources: Older Adults Medi-Cal Expansion  

Additional OAE Resources: Older Adults Medi-Cal Expansion

Past Webinar Recordings: Older Adults Medi-Cal Expansion

 

Immigration Resources

Posted: November 18, 2019

Public Charge Resources

Click HERE for CCALAC’s Public Charge Resources library.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

On July 16, 2021, a Federal District Court judge in Texas issued a ruling in Texas v. U.S. limiting the DACA program and declaring it unlawful. Effective immediately, the court’s decision prohibits the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from approving any new DACA applications. While new applications will no longer be approved, renewals will continue to move forward. It is also important to note that individuals who currently have DACA will keep their protections, and pending renewal applications will be processed normally.

CA PIF Outreach & Communications Workgroup Patient-Facing Materials

CPCA leads an Outreach & Communications Workgroup under the CA-PIF efforts – they have created three community-facing documents to help consumers navigate the health system, prepare for a meeting with an attorney around public charge and information about how to obtain COVID-19 testing and services. Resources are also available in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Korean.

Training Request: Promoting Safe Access to Care for California Immigrants

The California Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) Coalition’s Outreach and Communications Workgroup formed an online training request form for partners to request trainings based on their communities’ needs. The overarching message of the trainings is simply that California immigrants and undocumented individuals are eligible to use public services such as COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccines, Medi-Cal, CalFresh, WIC, Head Start, Food Banks and more. Request a training here. 

CPCA – “Know Your Rights” Resources

Visit CPCA’s Know Your Rights Immigration Resources page to learn more about how to support you health center in protecting immigrant communities from ICE. Resources include Know Your Rights resources in multiple languages and CPCA’s Immigration toolkit for health centers.

CHIRLA Immigrant Assistance Toll Free Help Line: 888-624-4752

The CHIRLA Community Education team is prepared to answer questions with referral information for patients who may feel sick or may not know what to do. COVID-19 posters with information and CHIRLA’s help line can be downloaded in English and Spanish. 

CIPC COVID-19 Resource Guide for Immigrants in California

Click HERE for the California Immigrant and Policy Center’s Resource Guide for Immigrants in California.

Doctors for Immigrants: “Sanctuary Hospital” Project

Enforcement-Related Resources

Memo on Sponsor Responsibilities

Know Your Rights Resources

Health Center Immigration Policies & Procedures

“Sensitive Locations” Guidance and Resources

LA County

City of Los Angeles

CPCA

Find an Immigration Attorney

CCALAC Homeless Health Principles

Posted: November 3, 2017

CCALAC Homeless Health Principles

Social Media for LA County Elected Officials

Posted: June 11, 2017

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Post-Election Advocacy Resources

Posted: December 13, 2016

The following is a collection of advocacy resources that can be used when speaking to patients, staff, elected officials, and other external stakeholders.

Please be sure to check for updates throughout the year.

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Resources for a Successful Voter Registration Campaign

Posted: August 16, 2016

A volunteer at Westside Family Health Center does voter registration during National Health Center Week 2016.
A volunteer at Westside Family Health Center does voter registration during National Health Center Week 2016.

In Los Angeles County, community health centers are in a unique position to increase voter registration and get out the vote because of the their deep ties to the community.

There are many things to consider when planning a voter registration and voter engagement campaign. Since community health centers are 501(c)3s and health care providers, there are certain legal requirements they must adhere to comply with their tax exempt status and to be considerate to their patients privacy.
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My Health LA Promotional Materials

Posted: March 15, 2016

CCALAC and Fenton Communications have worked on communication materials clinics and external partners can use to help address barriers that may be preventing My Health LA participants from enrolling into and staying in the program. CCALAC and Fenton worked with CCALAC Member clinic staff and external stakeholders to craft a message and create materials clinics and external stakeholders will be able to use to address these barriers. (more…)

Updated Family PACT Client Eligibility Determination

Posted: November 12, 2015

This week’s featured resource is the recently updated Family PACT Client Eligibility Determination Policy and eligibility forms!

The October Family Planning, Access, Care and Treatment (Family PACT) update bulletin was posted to the Medi-Cal website on October 16, and includes important updates to the Client Eligibility Determination Policy.

Effective November 1, 2015, the Family PACT program’s eligibility determination policy has been updated to reflect the use of Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) counting rules for eligibility determination in order to comply with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and to clarify policy regarding other health coverage and confidentiality.

The Client Eligibility Certification (CEC) form (DHCS 4461) and the Retroactive Eligibility Certification (REC) form (DHCS 4001), have been updated to reflect these changes, effective November 1. The forms can be found, in English and Spanish, on the Family PACT website. Please note that the new language on the forms refers to taxable household income and claimed dependents, which may be more confusing for some patients than the old forms.

MHLA fact sheets are now available in seven languages!

Posted: September 11, 2015

The MHLA fact sheets have been translated into seven languages and are now available in the “For MHLA Participants” section on the MHLA web-site.

At the beginning of summer, the MHLA Program Office conducted an analysis of the five most-used languages (after English & Spanish). These languages are: Armenian, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog and Thai.

The “What is MHLA?” and  “How do I Enroll?” fact sheets are now available online in those seven languages!

Please download and distribute these to your Participants as needed. Please contact your program advocate with any questions or feedback.

Updated MHLA Enrollment Resources!

Posted: June 23, 2015

MHLA has released an updated version of the “Next Steps” resource that can be provided for participants after enrollment (English and Spanish versions are available). “Next Steps” is a useful one-pager for enrollees that explains where their medical home is, provides annual renewal date and instructions, and includes member services contact information.

MHLA has also released a new OEA Tips Sheet to provide enrollers with information about the different types of reports in OEA, especially those that can help with planning for renewals.

All MHLA enroller resources and training materials are available on the MHLA website, under “For DHS and Community Providers” in the “Eligibility Information and One-e-App” tab.

One-e-App Renewals Training

Posted: May 13, 2015

The first 90-day renewal notices are now being mailed to My Health LA (MHLA) patients who enrolled in August 2014 at the One-e-App (OEA) pilot sites. The renewal period for enrollees at other Community Partner (CP) clinics will begin in June. CP clinics must perform in-person renewals annually for all MHLA participants. Participants are eligible to renew starting 90 days prior to their enrollment date; they will receive a renewal letter from MHLA at 90, 60 and 30 days before the renewal is due. A MHLA renewal can be processed at any Medical Home and the participant has the choice to select any Medical Home Clinic upon renewal.

LADHS held several webinar sessions at the end of April on the OEA renewal process. The presentation provides an overview of the OEA features that tell the CP who is due for a renewal, reviews what information needs to be checked and updated on the application, and reminds enrollers which documents need to be uploaded again. The PowerPoint presentation is now available on the MHLA website. Go to “For DHS and Community Providers,” log in, then select the “Eligibility Information and One-e-App” tab. The presentation is available with or without audio narration, items “h” and “i” under “One-e-App Training Manuals”.

If you have questions about the renewals process, please contact your Program Advocate.

My Health LA (MHLA) Person Clearance Tip Sheet

Posted: March 17, 2015

CCALAC’s new Outreach and Enrollment Featured Resource is LADHS’s new My Health LA (MHLA) Person Clearance Tip Sheet. The purpose of the tip sheet is to clarify the process of the Person Clearance Screen in One-e-App (OEA). Careful person clearance prevents the assignment of two different Person ID numbers to the same individual and helps enrollers avoid mistaking a new applicant for someone who is already known to OEA. The tip sheet provides detailed steps for performing an accurate person clearance in OEA.

New MHLA Resource: OEA Documents “Received and Uploaded” Tip Sheet

Posted: January 23, 2015

This week, LADHS released a new One-e-App (OEA) Received and Upload – Tip Sheet for enrollers detailing the OEA process for uploading documents and ensuring that patients are not disenrolled due to incomplete applications. The tip sheet also provides instructions for checking document uploads and notifying the OEA help desk and MHLA Program Advocates in case of issues with documents. The tip sheet is a byproduct of a small workgroup comprised of LADHS MHLA program leadership, CCALAC staff, and Member clinic representatives who convened to pull together this resource for MHLA enrollers.

The Power of Consumer Stories

Posted: January 13, 2015

Consumer stories are powerful and personal. As certified enrollment counselors you are in the unique position to interact with individuals and seeing the positive impact of accessing health care. By amplifying consumer stories, you can encourage others to sign up for coverage or seek in person assistance.

Families USA and CCALAC offered a training for staff on the basics of gathering stories, and some best practices for story banking.  Families USA is also offering the opportunity to partner together in order to be able have media ready stories available for a variety of uses. Clicker here to view the presentation: The Power of Consumer Stories

Obama’s Immigration Announcement

Posted: December 6, 2014

On November 20, 2014, the president announced executive actions that his administration will be taking to help fix our immigration system.

Below is what the National Immigration Law Center knows so far about the new programs:

  • A new Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) program will allow undocumented people who have a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident son or daughter to apply for work authorization and protection from deportation, if the person has been in the U.S. since January 1, 2010. An estimated 4.1 million people should qualify for this program.
  • The existing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will be expanded and now will cover people who entered the U.S. before their sixteenth birthday and have lived continuously in the U.S. since January 1, 2010. People who were “aged out” of DACA by being older than age 31 on June 15, 2012, are now eligible to apply, regardless of how old they are now. Approximately 300,000 people will be benefit from these changes.
  • Certain spouses of lawful permanent residents may be able to get their lawful permanent resident (“green card”) status through a waiver process. Spouses of U.S. citizens are currently able to apply through this process.

What this means for Clinics and Health Centers:

Under federal law, undocumented immigrants with “deferred action” status are not eligible for health benefits under the Affordable Care Act; however, in California individuals who qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals initiative do qualify for Medi-Cal if otherwise eligible (CA uses state funds, not federal). Advocates believe it is likely that immigrants affected by the President’s action will “be in the same situation” as those who qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals initiative. It is important to note that to date, the Department of Health Care Services has not yet determined the effect Obama’s executive action will have in California. There is also speculation that families with mixed immigration status could be more likely to explore coverage possibilities now during open enrollment since that the fear of deportation may have been lifted for some family members.

Although the program has not started, the documents below from the National Immigration Law Center may help answer questions and advise immigrants of steps they may want to take to prepare.

  1. President Obama’s Immigration Announcement
  2. FAQ: Administrative Immigration Relief 2014-15 Immigration Enforcement
  3. FAQ: Deferred Action for Parental Accountability & Expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
    Program
  4. Top 10 Ways You Can Prepare for Executive Action on Immigration