REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 23, 2026
FROM
JEANY GLASGOW, Director, Children and Family Services
SUBJECT
Title
Non-Financial Memorandum of Understanding with Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. for Coordination of Medi-Cal Services for Children and Youth in the Child Welfare System
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve the non-financial Memorandum of Understanding, as required by the California Department of Health Care Services, including non-standard terms, with Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., to coordinate and deliver Medi-Cal services to children and youth involved in the child welfare system, including those in foster care, for the period of June 23, 2026 through June 22, 2029.
2. Authorize the Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Executive Officer, or Director of Children and Family Services to execute any subsequent non-substantive amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Direct the Director of Children and Family Services to transmit any subsequent non-substantive amendments to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Jeany Glasgow, Director, 658-1181)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Foster Sustainable Development Through Strategic Partnerships.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is non-financial and does not involve any exchange of funds. Services provided under this MOU are coordinated through existing County and Medi-Cal managed care resources.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative officially launched on January 1, 2022, and is a mandatory, multi-year statewide transformation of Medi-Cal led by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to create a more coordinated, person-centered, and equitable health care delivery system that better integrates physical health, behavioral health, and social service needs. As part of CalAIM and the 2024 Medi-Cal Managed Care Contract, Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans (MCPs) are required to build formal partnerships with specified third-party entities, including county social services and child welfare departments, to ensure Medi-Cal members receiving services across multiple systems have access to coordinated, non-duplicative care. These requirements were further clarified through the DHCS All Plan Letter 23-029, which requires MCPs to make good faith efforts to execute Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with applicable third-party entities. County Social Services programs and Child Welfare MOU were identified as effective January 1, 2024.
For members who are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medi-Cal, the State requires integrated Exclusively Aligned Enrollment models, including approved Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans, also known as Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans <https://www.google.com/0,4>or Medi-Medi Plans, to streamline and coordinate benefits.
Children and Family Services (CFS) serve children and youth involved in the child welfare system, including children and youth in foster care, many of whom are Medi-Cal beneficiaries and may receive health care services through an MCP. CFS is responsible for supporting the safety, permanency, and well-being of these children and youth, and coordination with MCPs is necessary to support referrals, care coordination, access to medically necessary covered services, data sharing, continuity of care, and resolution of service barriers.
The proposed MOU establishes and formalizes the required coordination framework between CFS and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. (Kaiser) to coordinate care, share data, and provide training and oversight. Kaiser is an applicable MCP serving San Bernardino County (County) Medi-Cal members. The MOU outlines responsibilities for both parties to ensure timely and appropriate access to services, improve health outcomes, and support continuity of care for this vulnerable population. The MOU does not create a new County-funded program or duplicate existing services. Instead, it documents how CFS and Kaiser will coordinate existing County child welfare services and Medi-Cal managed care obligations to support timely, appropriate, and non-duplicative access to care.
On June 9, 2026 (Item No. 31), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved a similar non-financial MOU with Molina for the coordination and delivery of Medi-Cal services to children and youth involved in the child welfare system, including those in foster care.
Approval of this MOU with Kaiser will further support the required coordination framework and allow eligible CFS clients who are Kaiser members, where applicable, to elect a fully integrated all-in-one model.
The MOU with Kaiser contains non-standard terms that require approval by the Board per County Policy 11-05. The non-standard terms that differ from the standard County contract include the following terms:
1. The MOU does not require Kaiser to meet the County’s insurance standards as required pursuant to County Policy 11-07.
• The County Policy requires partner agencies to carry appropriate insurance at limits and under conditions determined by the County’s Risk Management Department.
• Potential Impact: The MOU does not include County standard insurance requirements. The County has no assurance that Kaiser will be financially responsible for claims that may arise under the MOU, which could result in cost to the County.
2. The MOU contains a reciprocal indemnification provision.
• The County standard contract does not include any indemnification or defense by the County of a contractor.
• Potential Impact: By agreeing to indemnify Kaiser, the County could be contractually waiving the protection of sovereign immunity. Claims that may otherwise be barred against the County, time-limited, or expense-limited could be brought against Kaiser without such limitations and the County could be responsible for reimbursing Kaiser for costs, expenses, and damages.
CFS recommends approval of the MOU with Kaiser, including the non-standard terms, to meet DHCS and CalAIM MOU requirements for MCP coordination with County Social Services programs and Child Welfare. Approval will allow CFS and Kaiser to formalize the required collaboration, coordinate referrals and care, share information as permitted by law, participate in required quarterly meetings and quality improvement activities, and support continuity of Medi-Cal services for children and youth involved in the child welfare system, including those in foster care.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services (Lisa Rivas-Ordaz, Contracts Manager, 388-0222) on May 21, 2026; County Counsel (Daniella V. Hernandez, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 11, 2026; Risk Management (Arrissia Beaven, Staff Analyst II, 386-9030) on June 10, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (John Hallen, Principal Administrative Analyst, 388-0208) on June 2, 2026.