California now offers new dollars for student mental health
Unlock additional reimbursement funds with CYBHI to cover Closegap PremiumCalifornia just switched on a sustainable way for districts to get paid for the counseling work they already do.
The Children & Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) Fee Schedule now requires Medi-Cal and most commercial plans to reimburse school-linked providers for eligible behavioral-health services delivered to students 25 and under—with no copays or deductibles for families.
“California just made it possible for families to get more care in less time—with zero out-of-pocket—and for districts to get reimbursed so they can reinvest in the tools that make it happen. That’s a win for kids and for the people who support them.”
What CYBHI actually funds
CYBHI reimburses services, like screenings, brief interventions, psychoeducation, counseling, care coordination, and related outpatient services—delivered at or linked to a school site. DHCS has published the official scope, codes, eligible practitioners, and rates.
How can schools and districts receive funds for covered CYBHI services? Local Education Agencies (LEAs) can submit claims for covered CYBHI services. Community providers can participate via LEA designation, and reimbursement flows back to the LEA.
How Closegap helps you maximize CYBHI
Because CYBHI pays for the billable time and activities of your counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other qualified providers, districts can reinvest reimbursement revenue in tools that make those services faster to deliver and easier to document—like Closegap Premium. Closegap Premium aligns closely with CYBHI by helping districts:
Spot needs early. Daily, student-driven check-ins surface risk and triage needs before they escalate—so staff time maps to reimbursable services instead of whack-a-mole crises.
Guide billable services. Report screenings, progress monitoring, intervention tracking, skills-building, and care coordination in one place.
Support consistent MTSS - districtwide. Align signals to supports across campuses with evidence-based resources, professional development offerings, and Single-Session Interventions for secondary school students.
Strengthen documentation quality. Built-in response flows create uniform data for accurate CYBHI claims.
Expand access without new fees. Families pay nothing; your district gets reimbursed for eligible services and can scale supports.
Important guardrails
CYBHI doesn’t reimburse software/curriculum/PD directly. It reimburses covered services defined in the fee schedule. Use your reimbursement revenue to invest in the tools that improve those services—like Closegap Premium and related professional learning.
Students and families don’t pay. CYBHI services are not subject to copays, coinsurance, or deductibles.
Another important note for California - Closegap is SOPIPA compliant. That means there’s no targeted ads, no sale of student info, and deletion on request (and auto-deletion after 12 months of inactivity). See more on our Trust & Safety Center for California State Compliance.
Get started with new funds in California for Closegap Premium
Districts across California are ready to use Closegap to turn student support into sustained funding. Here’s how:
Confirm participation & pathways. If you’re not live yet, align with your LEA team on CYBHI onboarding and provider designation
Map your CYBHI-billable flows in Closegap Premium. Configure screenings, intervention tracking, note templates, and care coordination steps to match covered services.
Reinvest reimbursement. Use CYBHI revenue to fund Closegap Premium and the training that helps staff deliver more care in less time.
Ready for a 20-minute walkthrough?
We’ll show you how to build CYBHI-aligned workflows in Closegap, including screenings, intervention tracking, documentation, and claim support.
