Behavioral Health Programs
Forecasted
Behavioral Health Programs support California’s behavioral health students and professionals through peer training, placement, and residency training to strengthen the workforce and improve access to care.
Funder: California Department of Health Care Access and Information
Due Dates (Anticipated): March 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Peer Personnel FY 2026–27: approximately $6 million total; up to $1 million per program over two years
Summary: Supports California’s behavioral health workforce through financial assistance, peer training and placement, residency training, and expanded career pathways.
Key Information: Peer Personnel applicants must be DHCS-recognized training providers or contract with one under the grant guide’s eligibility rules.
Description
The California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) administers Behavioral Health Programs to support students and professionals, build training capacity, and develop career pathways. The Behavioral Health Services Act 2026–2030 Workforce Education and Training Plan provides a five-year framework for investments in California’s county behavioral health system, advancing access to high-quality care for people with significant behavioral health conditions.
The Peer Personnel Training and Placement Program supports organizations that recruit, counsel, train, place, and support people with lived experience as behavioral health consumers, family members, or caregivers. The Medi-Cal Behavioral Health Residency Training Program separately aims to increase general, child and adolescent, and addiction psychiatrists and addiction medicine physicians trained to serve in Medi-Cal safety net settings. The eligibility and award details below concern the FY 2026–27 Peer Personnel program.
