If you support Medi-Cal members, you’ve likely heard the terms CalAIM and Community Supports. But what is CalAIM, what are the benefits of the CalAIM program, and how does it affect the members you support every day?
CalAIM, short for California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal, is a statewide initiative designed to improve health outcomes by addressing not only medical needs, but also the social and environmental factors that impact a person’s well-being. Through programs like Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports, Medi-Cal members can access services that help them remain healthy, independent, and connected to their communities.
In this guide, we’ll explain what the CalAIM program is, how Medi-Cal CalAIM works, the benefits available to members, and why Community Supports has become one of the most impactful components of the initiative.
What Is the CalAIM Program?
California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) is a multi-year transformation of California’s Medi-Cal program launched by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) in 2022.
The goal of CalAIM is simple: improve health outcomes by addressing the whole person, not just their medical conditions.
For years, healthcare providers, social workers, and case managers recognized that many health challenges stemmed from factors outside of traditional medical care. Housing instability, caregiver burnout, food insecurity, transportation barriers, and difficulty completing everyday activities often led to avoidable emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and long-term care placements.
CalAIM was designed to address these challenges by expanding access to services that support members both inside and outside of the healthcare system.
How Does the CalAIM Program Work?
CalAIM uses a whole-person care approach that coordinates medical care, behavioral health services, and social support programs to help members stay healthier and avoid crises before they occur.
- Population Health Management: Health plans proactively identify members who may be at risk and connect them with preventive services and support.
- Enhanced Care Management (ECM): ECM provides intensive care coordination for members with the most complex medical, behavioral, or social needs. Members work with a dedicated Lead Care Manager who helps coordinate services across multiple providers and systems.
- Community Supports: Community Supports are non-medical services that help members remain healthy and independent while reducing reliance on higher-cost settings like hospitals, emergency departments, and nursing facilities.
- Behavioral Health Initiatives: CalAIM expands access to mental health and substance use disorder services while improving coordination across care teams.
- Long-Term Care and Justice-Involved Initiatives: Additional CalAIM programs support members navigating long-term care needs or transitioning back into the community after incarceration.
Together, these initiatives create a more connected system of care that addresses both medical and non-medical needs.
What Are the Benefits of CalAIM?
The benefits of CalAIM extend beyond traditional healthcare.
For Medi-Cal members, CalAIM helps:
- Access services before a crisis occurs
- Receive more coordinated care
- Remain safely in their homes and communities
- Reduce avoidable hospitalizations
- Improve access to behavioral health services
- Address health-related social needs
- Receive support tailored to their individual circumstances
For care coordinators and social workers, CalAIM provides additional tools to address challenges that medical care alone cannot solve.
One of the most significant CalAIM benefits is access to Community Supports.
What Is CalAIM Community Supports?
CalAIM Community Supports are optional services that Medi-Cal managed care plans can offer as cost-effective alternatives to traditional medical care or facility-based services.
These services address health-related social needs and help members remain safely in their homes and communities.
Today, Medi-Cal managed care plans may offer up to 14 Community Supports designed to improve quality of life while reducing reliance on hospitals, emergency rooms, and institutional care.
Examples include:
- Personal Care and Homemaker Services
- Respite Services
- Home Modifications
- Medically Supportive Food and Meals
- Housing Transition Services
- Housing Navigation Services
- Recuperative Care
For seniors, Personal Care and Homemaker Services and Respite Care are among the most impactful Community Supports available.
How CalAIM Community Supports Help Members Stay at Home
Many hospitalizations and facility placements occur because members lack support with everyday activities.
CalAIM Community Supports help fill these gaps before they become crises.
Simply put, people often do better when they can remain safely at home.
Personal Care and Homemaker Services
Personal Care and Homemaker Services help members complete activities that are essential to daily living and independence.
Services may include:
- Bathing, dressing, and grooming
- Meal preparation
- Medication reminders
- Supervision and socialization
- Light housekeeping
These services help members remain safely at home while reducing the risk of hospitalization or facility placement.
Respite Care
Family caregivers play a critical role in helping loved ones remain at home, but caregiving can be physically and emotionally demanding.
Respite Care provides temporary relief for caregivers while ensuring members continue receiving the support they need.
By helping prevent caregiver burnout, Respite Care supports both the member and the family caring for them.
DHCS data shows that Respite Care members experience 43.4% lower inpatient costs, and Personal Care and Homemaker members show 28.9% lower rates of avoidable institutionalization. Home is not just where people want to be, it is where they do better. —DHCS Community Supports Annual Report (2025)
Who is Eligible for CalAIM Community Supports?
All Community Supports require enrollment in Medi-Cal and participation in a Medi-Cal managed care plan.
Additional eligibility requirements vary by service and health plan.
In general, members must:
- Be enrolled in a Medi-Cal managed care plan
- Have a health-related need that the service can address
- Be approved by their health plan for the requested Community Support
Because eligibility requirements vary, care coordinators should work directly with participating providers and health plans to determine whether a member qualifies.
How 24 Hour Home Care Delivers Community Supports
24 Hour Home Care partners with California’s leading Medi-Cal managed care plans to provide Personal Care and Homemaker Services and Respite Care across the state.
What makes our approach different is our Agency With Choice model.
Rather than assigning an unfamiliar caregiver, eligible members can choose someone they already know and trust, such as a family member, friend, neighbor, or other trusted person in their community.
24 Hour Home Care then handles:
- Hiring
- Training
- Background checks
- Payroll
- Ongoing caregiver support
This approach creates care that feels familiar from day one while helping members remain safely and independently at home.
Rated 4.65 out of 5 stars by members. We partner with California’s leading Medi-Cal health plans across 58 counties.
For care coordinators, working with 24 Hour Home Care means:
- Referrals processed quickly: We verify eligibility and manage authorization directly with the health plan
- Consistent communication: We work directly with your members, walking them through every step to get care started quickly.
- A trusted, established partner: We have years of experience navigating the CalAIM system alongside health plans, care coordinators, members, and families.
How to Refer
Referring your client to 24 Hour Home Care for Personal Care and Homemaker Services or Respite Care is simple. Here is how it works:
- Referral is submitted: A care coordinator, social worker, or health plan submits a referral on the member’s behalf
- Authorization: Our team works directly with the health plan to verify eligibility and secure authorization
- Onboarding: We handle hiring, training, background checks, and payroll for the caregiver the family has chosen
- Care starts: Care can begin with someone the member already knows and trusts, familiar and consistent from day one
