DHCS APL 24-019: Minor Consent to Outpatient Mental Health Treatment or Counseling
| Date: | April 29, 2025 |
| From: | Health Plan of San Joaquin/Mountain Valley Health Plan (“Health Plan”) |
| To: | Health Plan Practitioners and Providers |
| Type: | Regulatory |
| Subject: | DHCS APL 24-019: Minor Consent to Outpatient Mental Health Treatment or Counseling |
| Business: | Medi-Cal Managed Care |
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) issued All Plan Letter (APL) 24-019, Minor Consent to Outpatient Mental Health Treatment or Counseling on December 31, 2024. This APL outlines guidance to Medi-Cal managed care plans (MCPs) regarding the provision of non-specialty mental health outpatient treatment or counseling services to minors as a result of Assembly Bill (AB) 665 (Chapter 338, Statutes of 2023) which amended Family Code (Fam. Code) section 6924.
The primary goals include:
- Members who are minors 12 years old or older may consent to non-specialty outpatient Medi-Cal mental health treatment or counseling without consent from a parent or legal guardian, if in the opinion of the attending professional person, the minor is mature enough to participate intelligently in the outpatient services
- MCPs, Network Providers, Subcontractors, or Downstream Subcontractors are prohibited from disclosing any information relating to Minor Consent Services without the express consent of the minor
To learn more about Minor Consent to Outpatient Mental Health Treatment or Counseling, or for the full text of DHCS APL 24-019, please visit https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/formsandpubs/Documents/MMCDAPLsandPolicyLetters/APL%202024/APL24-019.pdf
If you have any further questions, please contact your Provider Services Representative, or call our Customer Service Department at 1-888-936-PLAN (7526). You may also visit https://www.hpsj.com/alerts/ for online access to the documents shared. The most recent information about Health Plan and our services is always available on our website www.hpsj-mvhp.org
