HCAI outlines Certified Wellness Coach Scholarship: up to $35,000, one-year service requirement

The California Department of Health Care Access and Information on an informational webinar described a new Certified Wellness Coach Scholarship Program that will offer up to $35,000 per award to eligible undergraduate students and lay out a required one-year service obligation after graduation.

Chris Rowena, lead communications analyst at Health Workforce Development, opened the webinar by saying the session was for students seeking scholarships to start or continue associate or bachelor's degrees in addiction studies, human services, social work or psychology and noted the program "has funds available to support more than a 1,000 scholarships."

HCAI Assistant Deputy Director for Health Workforce Development Dr. Sharmil Shah framed the program as part of the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), saying youth "are struggling with mental health challenges" and calling the wellness coach a possible "upstream solution" to increase prevention and early-intervention capacity for children and young adults.

Christian Jones, a policy analyst at HCAI, described the wellness coach role as a preclinical behavioral health position that can provide six core services: wellness promotion and education, screening, care coordination and extension, individual support, group support and crisis referral. "You will teach people about staying healthy. You will help them with the behavioral health and wellness programs," Jones said, adding that wellness coaches are intended to work "where they are" with young people and to make warm handoffs to licensed clinicians when needed.

Luke Ennis, program officer for the Wellness Coach Scholarship Program (WCSP), summarized the scholarship's eligibility and payment rules: awards are limited to students who will be pursuing a qualifying associate's or bachelor's degree in the specified fields; community college certificates are not sufficient; the maximum award is $35,000 for a 12-month period and payments will be a single one-time check mailed by the State Controller's Office. Ennis said award amounts will not exceed a recipient's documented cost of attendance for one year and that acceptable cost categories include tuition, books, housing, transportation and dependent care.

Ennis gave key program dates the webinar repeatedly cited: the application deadline is February 13 at 3 p.m.; applicants should expect award notices around April 1, 2025; the draft grant execution date is May 15, 2025; the grant agreement start date is listed as September 1, 2025; and the program anticipated releasing funds about November 1, 2025. The scholarship program verification (SPV) form must be completed and signed by a college or university registrar; the presenters referenced both August 1 and August 5, 2025 as SPV-related deadlines during the session, and applicants were warned that failing to submit the signed SPV by the stated deadline could jeopardize payment.

The webinar clarified service-obligation rules: awardees must begin a one-year service obligation working in direct care at a qualified worksite within 12 months of graduation. Prior WCSP recipients who receive another award will have the service obligation extended by an additional year. Students awarded on completion of an associate degree who later enroll in a bachelor's program may defer their obligation for up to 30 months while completing the bachelor's degree.

Speakers addressed common applicant questions in a Q&A. Presenters said the scholarship is limited to California residents attending California-based institutions, that the scholarship does not cover graduate study, and that HCAI will not coordinate payments with college financial-aid offices (recipients receive a state-issued paper check and are expected to use it to pay school costs). Ennis and other staff cautioned applicants to ensure name and address accuracy to avoid payment delays.

Presenters also described the workforce pathway, which allows candidates with qualifying field experience to pursue certification without returning to school; the workforce pathway rules were noted as recently changed and applicants were directed to cawellnesscoach.org for specifics. Presenters said Medi-Cal reimbursement will support some future hiring by schools and community providers, and that HCAI expects demand for certified wellness coaches to remain high.

The webinar closed with instructions to review the WCSP grant guide, complete the online application, and email questions to bhprograms@hca.ca.gov. Presenters repeated the February 13 application deadline and said the recorded webinar and slide deck would be posted on HCAI's website within about 7—0 business days.

The presentation included numerous applicant-facing clarifications about documentation (signed SPV form required from the institution; acceptable file formats for uploads) and scoring priorities (income-based financial need, experience with underserved groups, public institution attendance and multilingual ability).