DHCS issues BHIN 26-034 on CARE Act reimbursement rates and billing
Published November 8, 2026 · Coverage November 1–7, 2026, Pacific · Lower priority
DHCS issued Behavioral Health Information Notice (BHIN) 26-034, dated November 4, 2026, which supersedes BHIN 24-015. Its stated purpose is to notify counties about the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act reimbursement rates and to provide guidance on submitting claims for CARE Act activities. Subject to an annual appropriation in the Budget Act, DHCS pays counties an hourly rate for time spent on administrative functions that implement the CARE Act: court hearing time, court reports, outreach and engagement, notices and data reporting. The notice says each rate is based on wage data for the professionals and practitioners most likely to complete the activity. To be reimbursed, a county submits a claim form to DHCS; hours claimed must be rounded to the nearest 15-minute increment, claims may be submitted on a quarterly basis and must be received by DHCS within one year following the end of the quarter, and claims may be subject to audit by DHCS. The text of the notice gives no dollar rates; the DHCS index lists a revised claiming workbook and a revised quarterly administrative cost claim form as its enclosures.
Background
The California Health and Human Services Agency describes the CARE Act as a civil court process, not a criminal one, for people with schizophrenia and other eligible diagnoses. The person, their lawyer and a county health team work together to create a CARE plan or agreement, and the Act holds county governments accountable for providing the care that people need.
Who this affects
Counties, which the notice says it informs about how they will be paid for these functions. Its addressees also include provider and county associations, among them the California Hospital Association.
Why it matters
The notice governs what DHCS pays counties for CARE Act administrative work; it sets no payment to hospitals. Inference: a hospital or health system is affected only where it performs one of the listed activities for a county, and then through its arrangement with the county.
Required actions
- Counties that claim reimbursement for CARE Act activities: submit a claim form to DHCS, keep an internal tracking of time spent on CARE Act activities down to the minute, round the hours claimed to the nearest 15-minute increment, and make sure each claim is received by DHCS within one year following the end of the quarter. The notice states no requirement for hospitals.
Recommended action
- Behavioral health finance staff: read the notice and its enclosures, then decide whether the claiming workbook and claim form in use need replacing.
Scope and timing
- Authority status
- Guidance
- Responsible owner
- Behavioral Health Finance
- Other dates
- Notice dated 2026-11-04. Claims must be received by DHCS within one year following the end of the quarter claimed.
Not established
The two enclosures were not opened, so the hourly rates are not stated here. The notice was read in a browser on November 11, 2026 (Pacific time); the text relied on is a transcription of the pages the browser displayed.
Sources
Complete edition and supplemental material
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