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As a result of the state’s budget bill passed in June 2025 and the federal government’s H.R. 1, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law in July 2025, changes to Medi-Cal and CalFresh eligibility rules will take effect on various dates starting January 2026. The new rules will include additional eligibility requirements, reduced benefits or potential ineligibility for certain populations. Both current recipients and future applicants will be impacted by these changes. Effective dates are subject to change based on state and federal guidance.
CalFresh Changes per California Department of Social Services
Medi-Cal Changes per California Department of Health Care Services
To request a presentation or more communications materials, please fill out the Medi-Cal/CalFresh communications feedback form.
Apply for Medi-Cal or CalFresh
Medi-Cal/CalFresh Application Checklist
Resources
Coalition of Orange County Community Health Centers
Regional Office Resource Guides
Medi-Cal: Dental Coverage Changes (July 1, 2027)
The effective date for the Medi-Cal Dental Benefit Changes has been delayed to July 1, 2027.
Starting July 1, 2027, individuals with unsatisfactory immigration status older than 19 will no longer receive full dental coverage through Medi-Cal. They will continue to receive emergency services to stop severe pain, or diagnose and treat sudden serious medical problems, including injuries to the face or jaw, infection in gums or teeth, or broken or knocked-out teeth.
Recipients can keep their full dental coverage if they:
- Are younger than 19
- Are pregnant and up to one year postpartum
- Are younger than 26 and were in foster care on their 18th birthday
- Medi-Cal recipients with satisfactory immigration status
Those impacted are strongly encouraged to visit their dentist by June 30, 2027. Anyone who needs dental resources, can visit 211oc.org or call 2-1-1.
DHCS Webpage | Communications Toolkit
Medi-Cal: Six-Month Renewals (January 1, 2027)
Starting January 1, 2027, certain Medi-Cal recipients will have their eligibility checked twice a year instead of once. This applies to adults ages 19-64 who get Medi-Cal through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expansions, including those affected by the immigrant-related changes.
New members (people who enroll after January 1, 2027) will have their first eligibility check six months after joining Medi-Cal.
- Renewing members (people on Medi-Cal before January 1, 2027) will transition to the new six-month schedule at their next renewal date after March 1, 2027.
For more information, click here.
Medi-Cal: Work and Community Engagement Requirements (January 1, 2027)
Attention: The California Department of Health Care Services has begun sending text messages about 2027 Work and Community Engagement Requirements for Medi-Cal. This is a legitimate message. Starting January 2027, certain Medi-Cal recipients will be asked to prove they are working or volunteering during their renewal periods. SSA staff will review cases to determine exemptions. At this time, no action is required.
Starting January 2027, certain Medi-Cal recipients will be asked to prove they are working or volunteering during their renewal periods. The California Department of Health Care Services has begun sending text messages to alert Medi-Cal recipients about these requirements.
For more information, click here.
Medi-Cal: Transition to Fee-For-Service (January 1, 2027)
Starting January 1, 2027, certain Qualified Non-Citizens who are no longer eligible for federal full scope Medi-Cal will transition from Managed Care to Fee-For Service Medi-Cal. This includes refugees, asylees, conditional entrants, those whose deportation has been withheld, parolees for one year or more, and battered immigrants.
Transition to Fee-For-Service means affected Medi-Cal recipients will no longer be members of a health plan. Instead, they will receive "regular" Medi-Cal, also called Fee-For Service Medi-Cal.
For options on where to find a Fee-For-Service Medi-Cal provider:
- Call the Medi-Cal Helpline at 1-800-541-5555
- Use the Medi-Cal FFS Provider Lookup tool
- Refer to the online list of Medi-Cal FFS providers
To check which immigration status categories are affected, click here.
For more information, click here.
CalFresh: Work and Community Engagement Requirements (June 1, 2026)
Starting June 1, 2026, adults ages 18-64, who are considered able-bodied and not caring for a child younger than 14 must prove they are:
working,
enrolled in an approved training program,
volunteering or
some combination of the above
for at least 20 hours per week (or 80 hours averaged monthly) to get or keep CalFresh benefits.
Those who do not meet the work requirements may still be eligible for three months of CalFresh benefits within a 36-month timeframe.
For more information, click here.
Helpful Forms
- CF 886: Includes list of CalFresh exemptions
- CF 888: Volunteer Verification Form
- CF 887: CalFresh Medical Certification Form
Press Release | Work Resource Flyer | Communications Toolkit | CDSS Screening Tool
CalFresh: Changes to Noncitizen Eligibility (April 1, 2026)
Starting April 1, 2026, certain categories of noncitizens previously eligible for CalFresh will no longer qualify. This includes asylees, refugees, parolees, battered noncitizens, trafficking victims, and individuals with deportation or removal withheld.
Clients in those groups will keep their benefits until their next annual renewal period. For example, someone whose annual renewal is scheduled for August will keep their benefits until then. Annual renewal periods are based on when a recipient applied for CalFresh.
Non-U.S. Citizen Glossary | Communications Toolkit
Medi-Cal: Reinstated Asset Limits (January 1, 2026)
Effective January 1, 2026, adults 65 and older, people with disabilities, and those who are in a family that exceeds income limits under federal tax rules will need to meet asset requirements to receive Medi-Cal. Countable assets include bank accounts, cash and properties such as more than one house or vehicle.
Press Release | Communications Toolkit
Medi-Cal: Full-Scope Enrollment Freeze (January 1, 2026)
Effective January 1, 2026, adults 19 or older, not pregnant and undocumented or without satisfactory immigration status, will no longer qualify for full-scope Medi-Cal coverage if they apply for benefits on or after January 1, 2026. They may only qualify for restricted Medi-Cal which covers emergency, pregnancy-related and nursing home care.
This rule applies to new enrollments only; individuals who already have full-scope Medi-Cal will not lose their coverage but must fill out their renewal form on time to keep their benefits. New applicants affected by this change may still apply for full-scope benefits through December 31, 2025.
Press Release | Communications Toolkit
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