CENTRAL VALLEY, Calif. — The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has set a November 18, 2026 application deadline for certain clinical providers interested in participating in a new maternal health payment and care-delivery model.

Which counties are included?

The opportunity applies to eligible Medi-Cal-enrolled clinical perinatal providers serving one of five counties: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera and Tulare. The role under consideration is an accountable entity in California’s Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) model. This announcement is directed at providers; it is not an application for a cash grant available directly to expectant mothers.

What is the TMaH model?

The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services selected California as one of 15 states to test whether coordinated, evidence-informed maternal care, supported by value-based payments, can improve outcomes for Medi-Cal members and their infants. DHCS says California has received $17 million in federal funding over ten years to plan and implement the model. This is a program-level amount, not a payment being offered to each applicant.

What should a provider do?

Providers interested in the accountable-entity role should review eligibility and submission instructions directly with DHCS and complete the official application by the deadline. Providers should confirm that their enrollment and scope of clinical perinatal services meet the criteria instead of assuming all medical practices in the five counties qualify.

Why it matters locally

The five-county region includes rural communities where families may travel considerable distances for prenatal and postpartum care. A model encouraging coordination across health services could affect referral and payment arrangements as it develops; the state has not yet published evidence that the application process has improved local birth outcomes.

Official source: DHCS Stakeholder News, November 2, 2026 — TMaH Model Accountable Entity Application. Follow the department’s official application instructions and updates.

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