AB 2292 prohibits charges for disability benefit certificates
Oct 4, 2026 edition · GC-2026-0225 · Published 2026-10-04 · Version 2 · Final
AB 2292 prohibits administrative fees for covered disability-benefit certificates and continued-eligibility paperwork, including administrative charges for recertification examinations. It preserves billing for comparable medical services and applicable cost sharing when those charges are not imposed solely for completing the required form.
What happened
California enacted AB 2292 on September 28, adding fee restrictions to Unemployment Insurance Code section 2708. That section uses treating-physician or practitioner certificates to establish medical eligibility for initial disability-benefit claims and continued claims after the period covered by an earlier certificate. It also addresses certification when leave is taken to care for a family member with a serious health condition. New subdivision (h) bars a physician or practitioner from charging a person an administrative fee to complete a certificate required by the section. It separately bars an administrative fee for a subsequent recertification examination or for completing a form required to maintain continued eligibility for disability benefits. The enactment is the event reported here; the applicable commencement of these provisions must be confirmed separately.
The prohibition distinguishes administrative charges from the underlying medical service. The final text permits billing for medical services provided in connection with an examination and collection of an applicable copayment, coinsurance or deductible only if those charges are consistent with a comparable examination or service and are not imposed solely for completing the required certificate or form. Section 2708 retains the medical information and examination basis required for the certificates; eliminating an administrative fee does not remove that documentation framework. The change is tied to certificates and continued-eligibility forms under this section, rather than a general rule eliminating every clinical visit charge or every fee for unrelated paperwork.
Scope and timing
- Authority status
- Final
- Applicability
- Potentially applicable
- Audience
- Health systems, Provider networks, Health-tech
- Jurisdiction
- California
Why it matters
A separate form-completion or recertification administrative charge can create a barrier to benefit access even when the practice bills the related visit correctly. Billing systems need to distinguish the prohibited administrative component from a comparable medical service and legitimate cost sharing, rather than simply renaming a form fee.
Recommended action
Confirm the applicable commencement before treating the new provisions as current duties. Prepare the following for implementation at that commencement: Review disability certification and recertification fee schedules, portal payment prompts and outsourced form-processing arrangements. Remove administrative charges within section 2708’s scope and test that certificate completion does not trigger an equivalent substitute fee. Document the basis for any associated medical-service charge and applicable patient cost sharing.
Sources
- AB2292 enacted final textOfficial · California Legislature · 2026-09-28 · Source review 2026-10-05
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