What did Drug Medi-Cal actually approve for you?

2 replies

• brightcanyon319Aug 10, 2026

  For me Drug Medi-Cal approved intensive outpatient right away but denied residential twice, both times saying I didn't meet criteria for that level of care yet. My counselor ended up submitting more detailed notes about missed IOP sessions and a recent relapse, and the third request finally got residential approved for 21 days. It really depends on your county's specific Drug Medi-Cal plan, mine is Los Angeles County's system, so ask locally rather than assuming national rules apply.

  0 helpfulReport

  Reply
• meadowtrail662Aug 11, 2026Marked as the answer

  Drug Medi-Cal covered my entire detox and 28 days of residential with zero copay, but I needed a substance use disorder diagnosis from a licensed counselor and a referral through my county's access line first. The county referral step took about 5 days, which felt slow at the time, but once the referral was in place the facility handled the rest of the authorization directly. I never saw a bill for the residential stay.

  0 helpfulReport

  Reply