If the school only offers virtual therapy, will Medi-Cal pay for private therapy?

If your child has a service such as speech therapy written into their IEP, it is the school's responsibility to provide it. However, due to a shortage of staff, sometimes virtual therapy is the only option available at school , and you may wonder whether Medi-Cal will cover in-person therapy.

There are not many private therapy providers that accept Medi-Cal, so Undivided Public Benefits Specialist Lisa Concoff Kronbeck recommends reaching out to your managed care plan to see if they have contracted speech providers who can do pediatric speech on a regular basis. If not or there is a long wait, you can file a grievance with your managed care plan and ask for them to contract with someone outside of the plan. If there is no reply to your grievance, file another one.

If Medi-Cal won’t cover in-person therapy, you can go to Regional Center if your child is a client.

You can also see if the school district will pay for private therapy. In the case of speech therapy, you may need your child's SLP to state that virtual speech therapy is not appropriate.