(a) (1) Commencing January 1, 2008, immediately following the issuance of an order of the juvenile court, pertaining to the disposition of a ward of the county, committing that ward to a juvenile hall, camp, or ranch for 30 days or longer, the county juvenile detention facility shall provide the appropriate county welfare department with the ward’s name, his or her scheduled or actual release date, any known information regarding the ward’s Medi-Cal status prior to disposition, and sufficient information, when available, for the county welfare department to begin the process of determining the ward’s eligibility for benefits under this chapter, including, if the ward is a minor, contact information for the ward’s parent or guardian, if available.

(2) If the ward is a minor, prior to providing information to the county welfare department pursuant to paragraph (1), the county juvenile detention facility shall notify the parent or guardian, in writing, of its intention to submit the information required by that paragraph to the county welfare department. The parent or guardian shall be given a reasonable time to opt out of the Medi-Cal eligibility determination provided for under this section, in which case the county juvenile detention facility shall not comply with paragraph (1).

(3) For purposes of this section, “ward” means a person in the custody of a county juvenile detention facility.

(b) (1) Upon receipt of the information described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), and pursuant to the protocols and procedures developed pursuant to subdivision (c), the county welfare department shall initiate an application for any ward not already enrolled in the Medi-Cal program, and determine the individual’s eligibility for benefits under the Medi-Cal program. If the ward is a minor, the county welfare department shall promptly contact the parent or guardian to arrange for completion of the application. If the cooperation of the minor’s parent or guardian is necessary to complete the application, but the parent or guardian fails to cooperate in completing the application, the county welfare department shall deny the application in accordance with due process requirements. The county shall expedite the application of a ward who, according to the information provided pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), is scheduled to be released in fewer than 45 days.

(2) If the county welfare department determines that the ward does not meet the eligibility requirements for the Medi-Cal program, the county welfare department, with the consent of the ward’s parent or guardian, if the ward is a minor, shall forward the ward’s information to the appropriate entity to determine eligibility for the Healthy Families Program, or other appropriate health coverage program, as determined by the department.

(3) If the county welfare department determines that a ward meets eligibility requirements for the Medi-Cal program, the county shall provide sufficient documentation to enable the ward to obtain necessary medical care upon his or her release from custody.

(c) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the department shall implement this section by means of all-county letters or similar instructions, without taking any further regulatory action. Thereafter, the department shall adopt regulations, as necessary, to implement this section in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

(d) The department shall seek any federal waivers necessary for the implementation of this section.

(Amended by Stats. 2008, Ch. 546, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2009.)