(a) An eligible provider, as described in subdivision (b), may, in addition to the rate of payment that the provider would otherwise receive for Medi-Cal ground emergency medical transportation services, receive supplemental Medi-Cal reimbursement to the extent provided in this section.

(b) A provider shall be eligible for supplemental reimbursement if the provider has all of the following characteristics continuously during a state fiscal year:

(1) Provides ground emergency medical transportation services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

(2) Is a provider that is enrolled as a Medi-Cal provider for the period being claimed.

(3) Is owned or operated by the state, a city, county, city and county, fire protection district organized pursuant to Part 2.7 (commencing with Section 13800) of Division 12 of the Health and Safety Code, special district organized pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 58000) of Division 1 of Title 6 of the Government Code, community services district organized pursuant to Part 1 (commencing with Section 61000) of Division 3 of Title 6 of the Government Code, health care district organized pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 32000) of Division 23 of the Health and Safety Code, or a federally recognized Indian tribe.

(c) An eligible provider’s supplemental reimbursement pursuant to this section shall be calculated and paid as follows:

(1) The supplemental reimbursement to an eligible provider, as described in subdivision (b), shall be equal to the amount of federal financial participation received as a result of the claims submitted pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (f).

(2) The amount certified pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (e), when combined with the amount received from all other sources of reimbursement from the Medi-Cal program, shall not exceed 100 percent of actual costs, as determined pursuant to the Medi-Cal State Plan, for ground emergency medical transportation services.

(3) The supplemental Medi-Cal reimbursement provided by this section shall be distributed exclusively to eligible providers under a payment methodology based on ground emergency medical transportation services provided to Medi-Cal beneficiaries by eligible providers on a per-transport basis or other federally permissible basis. The department shall obtain approval from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for the payment methodology to be utilized, and may not make any payment pursuant to this section prior to obtaining that approval.

(d) (1) It is the Legislature’s intent in enacting this section to provide the supplemental reimbursement described in this section without any expenditure from the General Fund. An eligible provider, as a condition of receiving supplemental reimbursement pursuant to this section, shall enter into, and maintain, an agreement with the department for the purposes of implementing this section and reimbursing the department for the costs of administering this section.

(2) The nonfederal share of the supplemental reimbursement submitted to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for purposes of claiming federal financial participation shall be paid only with funds from the governmental entities described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) and certified to the state as provided in subdivision (e).

(e) Participation in the program by an eligible provider described in this section is voluntary. If an applicable governmental entity elects to seek supplemental reimbursement pursuant to this section on behalf of an eligible provider owned or operated by the entity, as described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), the governmental entity shall do all of the following:

(1) Certify, in conformity with the requirements of Section 433.51 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, that the claimed expenditures for the ground emergency medical transportation services are eligible for federal financial participation.

(2) Provide evidence supporting the certification as specified by the department.

(3) Submit data as specified by the department to determine the appropriate amounts to claim as expenditures qualifying for federal financial participation.

(4) Keep, maintain, and have readily retrievable, any records specified by the department to fully disclose reimbursement amounts to which the eligible provider is entitled, and any other records required by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

(f) (1) The department shall promptly seek any necessary federal approvals for the implementation of this section. The department may limit the program to those costs that are allowable expenditures under Title XIX of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 1396 et seq.). If federal approval is not obtained for implementation of this section, this section shall not be implemented.

(2) The department shall submit claims for federal financial participation for the expenditures for the services described in subdivision (e) that are allowable expenditures under federal law.

(3) The department shall annually submit any necessary materials to the federal government to provide assurances that claims for federal financial participation will include only those expenditures that are allowable under federal law.

(g) (1) If a final judicial determination is made by any court of appellate jurisdiction or a final determination is made by the administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that the supplemental reimbursement provided for in this section must be made to any provider not described in this section, the director shall execute a declaration stating that the determination has been made and on that date this section shall become inoperative.

(2) The declaration executed pursuant to this subdivision shall be retained by the director, provided to the fiscal and appropriate policy committees of the Legislature, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Senate, the Chief Clerk of the Assembly, and the Legislative Counsel, and posted on the department’s internet website.

(h) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the department may implement and administer this section by means of provider bulletins, or similar instructions, without taking regulatory action.

(i) Notwithstanding any other law, this section shall become inoperative during the entirety of any Medi-Cal managed care rating period in which Section 14105.945 is implemented, in whole or in part. The department may conduct any necessary and remaining administrative duties related to any time period during which this provision remained operative, even after this section becomes inoperative, and may receive all compensation for those activities until paid in full.

(j) The department, in its sole discretion, may determine it has received all compensation for activities conducted pursuant to this section and completed all administrative duties related to time periods when this section was operative.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 544, Sec. 1. (AB 1705) Effective January 1, 2020. Section inoperative as prescribed by its own conditions.)