California Welfare and Institutions Code 14124.72 – (a) If an action is brought by the director pursuant to Section …
(a) If an action is brought by the director pursuant to Section 14124.71, it shall be commenced within the period prescribed in Section 338 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
(b) The death of the beneficiary does not abate any right of action established by Section 14124.71.
Terms Used In California Welfare and Institutions Code 14124.72
- Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
- Beneficiary: means any person who has received benefits or will be provided benefits under this chapter because of an injury for which another person or party may be liable. See California Welfare and Institutions Code 14124.70
- Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
- Lien: means the director's claim for recovery, from a beneficiary's tort action or claim, of the reasonable value of benefits provided on behalf of the beneficiary. See California Welfare and Institutions Code 14124.70
- Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
- Medi-Cal: means the California Medical Assistance Program. See California Welfare and Institutions Code 14063
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
(c) When an action or claim is brought by persons entitled to bring such actions or assert such claims against a third party who may be liable for causing the death of a beneficiary, any settlement, judgment or award obtained is subject to the director’s right to recover from that party the reasonable value of the benefits provided to the beneficiary under the Medi-Cal program, as provided in subdivision (d).
(d) The director’s claim for reimbursement of the benefits provided to the beneficiary shall be limited to the amount of the director’s lien, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 14124.70. If the action or claim is brought by the beneficiary alone and the beneficiary incurs a personal liability to pay attorney’s fees and costs of litigation, the amount of the director’s lien that is reimbursed shall be reduced by 25 percent, which represents the director’s reasonable share of attorney’s fees paid by the beneficiary, and that portion of the cost of litigation expenses determined by multiplying the actual litigation expenses by the ratio of the amount reimbursed to the director as satisfaction of the director’s lien, prior to deducting reasonable attorney’s fees and litigation expenses, to the full amount of the settlement, judgment, or award.
(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 52, Sec. 32. (SB 97) Effective July 10, 2017.)