California Children’s Services (CCS) 101

Services funded via CCS include:

• Hospital and surgical treatment

• Medical case management

• Physical and occupational therapies

• Labs and imaging

• Medical equipment

CCS-eligible medical conditions, include, among others:

• Congenital heart defects

• Hearing and vision impairments

• Chronic lung disease

• Diabetes

• Muscular dystrophy

• Blood disorders

• Cerebral palsy

• Epilepsy (with specific qualifying factors)

You can find a complete list of eligible conditions at the Department of Health Care Services CCS eligibility website.

In addition to having a CCS-eligible medical disability, your child also needs to meet the following criteria in order to access services:

• Your child must be a California resident under age 21.

• Your family adjusted gross income (AGI) must be less than $40,000 OR your out-of-pocket medical expenses for your child must be expected to exceed 20 percent of your family’s income.

• Family income is NOT a factor for children who:

  • Need diagnostic services to confirm they have a CCS-eligible medical condition.

  • Were adopted with a known CCS-eligible medical condition.

  • Are applying only for services through the Medical Therapy Program.

  • Have full-scope Medi-Cal with no share of cost — meaning that you never pay for some of the costs of services provided to your child each month. (For families of children who are Regional Center eligible, it may be worthwhile to investigate Medi-Cal enrollment under the institutional deeming waiver so that income will not be a factor for CCS.)