HCAI is offering the Medi-Cal Behavioral Health Recruitment and Retention Program as part of the Behavioral Health Community-Based Organized Networks of Equitable Care and Treatment (BH-CONNECT) Workforce Initiative.
The goal of the Medi-Cal Behavioral Health Recruitment and Retention Program (MBH-RRP) is to provide recruitment and retention bonuses, supervision support for pre-licensure and pre-certification practitioners, and certification/licensure and training supports with the aim of recruiting and retaining behavioral health practitioners to serve the Medi-Cal population.

Grant Funding
The state will develop a process to identify provider organizations to receive Recruitment and Retention Program funding, however, funding for payments to the provider organizations described in STC 6.4(a)-(c) must go to the behavioral health practitioners.
Service Obligation Requirements
The Medi-Cal Behavioral Health Recruitment and Retention Program requires completion of a service obligation in Medi-Cal safety net settings.
Practitioners awarded a recruitment bonus under this program are not eligible to receive a retention bonus until the practitioners have fulfilled their recruitment bonus service commitments.
Eligible settings may receive funding to:
- Provide recruitment bouses of up to $20,000
- Provide retention bonuses of up to $4,000 each
- Provide bonuses of up to $50,000 per individual to support students completing required training in advance of their final year of education
- Provide up to $1,500 per practitioner to cover licensing or certification fees
- Support supervision hours of pre-licensure or pre-certificate practitioners (up to $35,000 per year)
- Cover backfill costs to support behavioral health practitioners receiving training in EBPs
- Recruitment and retention service obligations:
- $20K or greater = four years
- $10K – $20K = three years
- Less than $10K = two years
Safety Net Setting Requirements
Programs will train new residents and fellows in one or more of these safety net settings:
- Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC)
- Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC)
- Rural Health Clinics (RHC)
- Settings with the following payer mix:
- Hospitals with 40% or higher Medicaid and/or uninsured population
- Rural hospitals with 30% or higher Medicaid and/or uninsured population
- Other behavioral health settings with 40% or higher Medicaid and/or uninsured population
Application Dates
Open TBD
Close TBD
Resources
- Full BH CONNECT Special Terms and Conditions (STCs) (HCAI portion on pages 21-30)
- BH-CONNECT Council Slides (Feb 2025)
- HCAI BH-CONNECT Webpage
- DHCS BH-CONNECT Workforce Initiative Webpage
- Learn more about BH-CONNECT
Contact Us
Email: MBHRRP@hcai.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 326-3700
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