What is the Medi-Cal Administrative Activities (MAA) Program?

The Medi-Cal Administrative Activities (MAA) program, reimburses schools for carrying out health-related administrative duties, such as outreach or enrollment assistance.

How Can MAA Help My School?

Schools are often interested and willing partners in the effort to enroll more children in health insurance programs. There are financial benefits to schools that work to keep students healthy; increased average daily attendance and reimbursement for certain services provided to children eligible for or enrolled in Healthy Families/Medi-Cal. Most often, however, overburdened schools need additional resources to take this task on. MAA is a funding source available to help schools and their partners. Teachers for Healthy Kids can help schools plan Medi-Cal and Healthy Families outreach activities that will be eligible for reimbursement

How does MAA Work?

Medi-Cal has enabled schools to increase health resources and to fund staff for outreach and enrollment. Local school districts and county offices of education can use local education funds as the state match for Medi-Cal and draw down federal funds as reimbursement for providing health-related services to students. MAA is one of two different programs in which schools may participate. The MAA program will reimburse schools for carrying out health-related administrative duties, such as outreach or enrollment assistance. Schools access these funds through the California Department of Health Services, not directly from the federal government. The MAA program provides schools with funding they can use for health insurance outreach, enrollment, utilization, and retention.

The federal government must reimburse each state for the administrative activities it performs to administer Medicaid. School districts may receive a reimbursement for up to 50 percent of the cost. Reimbursable activities include providing heath-related information to families and helping families enroll their children in the Healthy Families and Medi-Cal programs. MAA reimbursement is generated according to the time spent by participants doing MAA-billable activities during three one-week intervals and an optional fourth week. To participate in MAA, school districts must develop an operating plan and complete several one-week time surveys.