CCS — CHILDREN'S CARE SERVICES

California Children's Services (CCS) is a state program for children with certain diseases or health problems. Through this program, children up to 21 years old can get the health care and services they need. CCS will connect you with doctors and trained health care people who know how to care for your child with special health care needs.

Program Description

The CCS program provides diagnostic and treatment services, medical case management, and physical and occupational therapy services to children under age 21 with CCS-eligible medical conditions. Examples of CCS-eligible conditions include, but are not limited to, chronic medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, cerebral palsy, heart disease, cancer, traumatic injuries, and infectious diseases producing major sequelae. CCS also provides medical therapy services that are delivered at public schools. 

The CCS program is administered as a partnership between county health departments and the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Currently, approximately 70 percent of CCS-eligible children are also Medi-Cal eligible. The Medi-Cal program reimburses their care. The cost of care for the other 30 percent of children is split equally between CCS Only and CCS Healthy Families.  The cost of care for CCS Only is funded equally between the State and counties.  The cost of care for CCS Healthy Families is funded 65 percent federal Title XXI, 17.5 percent State, and 17.5 percent county funds.

In addition, Insurance Code Sections 12693.62, 12693.64 and 12693.66, relating to the California’s Healthy Families Program, provides that the services authorized by the CCS program to treat a Healthy Families plan's subscriber's CCS-eligible medical condition are excluded from the plan's responsibilities. The participating health plan's responsibility for providing all covered medically necessary health care and case management services changes at the time that CCS eligibility is determined by the CCS program for the plan subscriber. The health plan is still responsible for providing primary care and prevention services not related to the CCS-eligible medical condition to the plan subscriber so long as they are within the Healthy Families program scope of benefits. The health plan also remains responsible for children referred to but not determined to be eligible for the CCS program.