2013-2014 California Budget Signed!

Governor Brown signed the main budget bill on June 27, 2013 with California’s spending plan for the State budget year for 2013-2014. The fiscal budget year begins on July 1, 2013 and ends on June 30, 2014. The Governor did not make any changes to the health and human service budget items upon signing. He signed the 17 budget trailer bills on June 28, 2013.

The budget will support the elderly and disabled population especially those who need Medi-Cal adult dental services and mental health community-based services since there were funding increases or funding was restored for these programs. There will be partial restoration of adult dental services through Medi-Cal beginning in May 2014.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, Assembly Speaker John Perez, Senator Mark Leno, and Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield were with the Governor when he signed the main budget bill (AB 110). The Governor also signed Special Session Bills on Medi-Cal expansion under the Federal Healthcare Reform Act. ABX 11 implements the Medicaid provisions of the federal health care reform act, including the expansion of federal Medicaid coverage to low-income adults with incomes between 0-138% of the federal poverty level. SBX11 established the existing Medi-Cal benefit package as the benefit package for the expansion population under the federal Affordable Care Act and expands the Medi-Cal benefit package to include mental health services and substance use disorder services that were not covered by Medi-Cal. Both bills simplify the Medi-Cal eligibility, enrollment and renewal processes.

For more information regarding the budget or trailer bills, please visit http://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB110