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Officials say PATH grant revenues explain sudden jump in jail expenses; Medi‑Cal billing rollout set for October
Summary
County staff told supervisors that the jail's apparent $3 million net‑cost increase reflects prior PATH grant receipts that will fund expenses beginning in October; the county plans to begin Medi‑Cal billing for 90‑day pre‑release services and MAT reimbursements partly contracted to vendors.
County and sheriff staff told the board that the jail budget looks like a large net‑cost increase because multiple grant rounds (PATH rounds 1–3) were received in prior fiscal years but expenses will be incurred in the coming fiscal year. Staff said approximately $1.2 million was received already and an additional $600,000 is expected from round 3; those revenues are already in the county's fund balance and will offset the upcoming expenses.
On medical services, the WellPath contract will increase (reported from $1.5M to $1.7M) to add staff and new services. Beginning in October the county intends to bill Medi‑Cal for 90‑day pre‑release services and MAT where eligible; the initial billing infrastructure will be contracted out (staff said WellPath will contract a Medi‑Cal biller for year one) while the county develops in‑house capacity. Supervisors asked for clearer presentation of grant funds (staff agreed to consider separate non‑general fund tracking for multi‑year grants to improve transparency).
