June 2025

County BH agencies may submit claims for reimbursement of administrative activities related to CARE, as authorized by California Welfare and Institutions Code section 5970.5. As outlined in Behavioral Health Information Notice (BHIN) 24-015: CARE Act Reimbursement Rates and Billing Guidance, Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will reimburse counties an hourly rate for time spent performing the following administrative activities: Court Hearing Time, Court Report, Outreach and Engagement, Notice, and Data Reporting. The BHIN provides details and examples of these activities and outlines the rate for each CARE activity. Hours spent performing each CARE Act activity include time ancillary to the performance of the activity, which is limited to preparation time, internal meeting time, and oversight by supervisors and managers related to the activities.

Consider reviewing claiming resources below.

• NEW! Claiming for Administrative Activities Related to CARE: As noted above, this new brief serves as an overview of CARE Act administrative claiming to support counties in understanding eligible activities, rates, and the submission process.
• CARE Act Sanctions and Claiming Process: This training provides an overview of the CARE Act Sanctions process, as well as when and how funds will be returned to counties. A live demonstration of submitting claims to DHCS for reimbursement for CARE Act activities is provided. It also highlights the CARE Act Claiming Workbook Multi Year and the Updated CARE Act Certification Form documents, which can be found as enclosures to BHIN 24-015.
• FAQs: These FAQs related to Claiming and Sanctions in CARE highlight available guidance, claiming for outreach and engagement, timing for claiming, and more. New FAQs are being added throughout the project; consider checking often.

Keep in mind that additional questions can be submitted to CARE_Claiming@DHCS.CA.GOV.