Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services, including Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) for any individual under 21 years of age who is covered under Medi-Cal consistent with the requirements under federal law. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions.

Existing federal law provides that EPSDT services include periodic screening services, vision services, dental services, hearing services, and other necessary services to correct or ameliorate defects and physical and mental illnesses and conditions discovered by the screening services, whether or not the services are covered under the state plan.

This bill would require, consistent with federal law, that screening services under the EPSDT program include developmental screening services for individuals zero to 3 years of age, inclusive, and be in compliance with the periodicity schedule and the standardized and validated developmental screening tools that are established by the Bright Futures/American Academy of Pediatrics Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care and by any future updates to those recommendations. The bill would require that screening tools be administered in their entirety and in adherence to the specific tools’ recommended guidelines. The bill would also make legislative findings and declarations relating to child development.