A Medi-Cal inter-county transfer moves your case file from your old California county to your new one so your coverage continues without a break when you relocate within the state. You do not reapply. You report the move, the sending county forwards your file, and the receiving county has 30 days to take over. Your benefits stay active the entire time.
Report Your Move Within 10 Days
California requires Medi-Cal beneficiaries to report any change that could affect eligibility, including a move, within 10 days of the change.1Department of Health Care Services. Update Information – Medi-Cal The clock starts the day you physically relocate, not the day you sign a lease. Missing the window won’t automatically cancel your benefits, but it can delay the transfer and cause notices to go to the wrong address.
You have a few ways to report it. The BenefitsCal online portal lets you update your address and submit a change report from your account.2BenefitsCal. Reporting Features Awareness Update You can also call or visit the social services office in the county you’re leaving. That office is the “sending county,” and it is responsible for starting the transfer to your new county.
What the Sending County Needs From You
When you report the move, provide your new physical address and mailing address if it’s different. If anyone in your household moved with you, or if someone joined or left the household around the same time, report that too. You’ll also need to give updated income information so the new county can confirm you still qualify.3California Department of Social Services. Manual of Policies and Procedures Section 40-187 Have a recent pay stub or benefits statement in front of you when you call or log in.
The sending county assembles the paperwork on its end, including your most recent Statement of Facts and a formal Notification of Transfer.4Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 22 50136 – Intercounty Transfer Procedure You are not expected to gather or deliver those documents. Your only job is accurate information. Errors at this stage are the most common reason a receiving county has to ask follow-up questions, and follow-up questions slow the transfer down.
How the Transfer Moves Between Counties
Once you report the move, the sending county has seven calendar days to forward your case file to the new county.5Department of Health Care Services. Medi-Cal Intercounty Transfers – ACWDL The file goes electronically and includes your eligibility history, household details, income records, and relevant case forms.
The receiving county then assigns your case to a local worker and verifies the information. You’ll get a notice from the sending county confirming the transfer has started, and a second notice from the receiving county once it’s complete.5Department of Health Care Services. Medi-Cal Intercounty Transfers – ACWDL Those notices carry contact information for your new county office. Nothing is required from you during this phase unless the receiving county reaches out.
The receiving county can reject a transfer for only one reason: the file was sent to the wrong county. An overdue annual renewal, a missing document, or a question about your income are not grounds for rejection. If any of those issues exist, the receiving county must accept the case and resolve them afterward.5Department of Health Care Services. Medi-Cal Intercounty Transfers – ACWDL
How Long the Whole Thing Takes
The receiving county has 30 days from the date it gets the notification to formally accept the case and confirm your eligibility.4Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 22 50136 – Intercounty Transfer Procedure The effective transfer date is typically the first of the month after the 30-day processing period ends.3California Department of Social Services. Manual of Policies and Procedures Section 40-187 If the 30th day lands on a weekend or holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.
Say you report your move on March 5. The sending county forwards your file by March 12. The receiving county has until roughly April 11 to complete its review, and the transfer of responsibility takes effect at the end of that month’s processing cycle. Report late in a month and the timeline shifts accordingly.
If the receiving county hasn’t responded within 30 days, the sending county is required to follow up directly so your coverage does not lapse.4Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 22 50136 – Intercounty Transfer Procedure That safeguard exists because delays between county offices happen, and the state does not want you caught in the middle.
Your Coverage Doesn’t Stop, but Your Managed Care Plan Changes
State policy is explicit: an inter-county transfer is a transfer of county responsibility with no interruption of benefits, no reapplication, and no new eligibility determination based solely on your change of address.5Department of Health Care Services. Medi-Cal Intercounty Transfers – ACWDL The sending county stays responsible for your case until the receiving county formally takes it over. There is no window where neither county is accountable.
What does change is your managed care plan. Most Medi-Cal managed care plans operate within specific counties, so a move usually means enrolling in a different plan. The receiving county will send information about your options once the transfer is complete. If you have ongoing prescriptions or are in the middle of treatment, contact the new plan as soon as you get your enrollment materials so you can arrange continuity with your current providers or line up equivalent ones in the new network.
If You Miss the Reporting Deadline
Not reporting a move is more than a paperwork problem. Renewal forms and requests for information will go to your old address. If you miss a renewal deadline because mail went to the wrong place, the county can terminate your benefits for failure to respond.
There is a limited rescue. If your benefits are terminated during or around a move and you contact either county within 30 days of the termination, the receiving county cannot force you to submit a new application. It must work with the sending county to rescind the termination and finish the transfer normally.5Department of Health Care Services. Medi-Cal Intercounty Transfers – ACWDL After 30 days, the receiving county can require a full new application unless you can show good cause for the delay.
Moving Out of California
The inter-county transfer process only works within California. Medi-Cal coverage cannot be transferred to another state. Each state runs its own Medicaid program with its own eligibility rules and covered services, so you’ll need to apply fresh after you arrive. Time your move near the end of a month if possible, since Medi-Cal ends at the close of the calendar month, and apply in your new state as soon as you can.
If a County Gets It Wrong
If either county delays your transfer, wrongly terminates your benefits, or takes any action you believe is incorrect, you can request a state fair hearing. An administrative law judge reviews whether the county followed the rules.
You have 90 days from the date you receive a Notice of Action to file the request.6Department of Health Care Services. Medi-Cal Fair Hearing File before the effective date of the county’s action and your benefits generally continue at the current level until the hearing is decided. Wait until after your coverage is cut, and you may have to go without while the case is pending. In urgent situations where a delay could seriously affect your health, you can request an expedited hearing, which must be resolved within seven working days.7eCFR. Fair Hearings for Applicants and Beneficiaries – 42 CFR Part 431 Subpart E
Most transfers never reach a hearing because the rules are straightforward and counties generally comply. When one stalls for weeks with no explanation, or when a county tries to make you reapply when you shouldn’t have to, knowing the hearing exists gives you leverage to push for a resolution.