A State Hearing is a meeting with L.A. Care and a judge from the CDSS. The judge will help to resolve your problem or tell you that we made the correct decision. You have the right to ask for a State Hearing if you already asked for an appeal with us and you are still not happy with our decision, or if you did not get a decision on your appeal after 30 days.
You must ask for a State Hearing within 120 days from the date on our NAR letter. If we gave you Aid Paid Pending during your appeal and you want it to continue until there is a decision on your State Hearing, you must ask for a State Hearing within 10 days of our NAR letter or before the date we said your services will stop, whichever is later.
If you need help making sure Aid Paid Pending will continue until there is a final decision on your State Hearing, contact L.A. Care, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays by calling 1-888-839-9909 (TTY: 711).
If you cannot hear or speak well, please call 711.
Your authorized representative or provider can ask for a State Hearing for you with your written permission.
Sometimes you can ask for a State Hearing without completing our appeal process.
For example, if we did not notify you correctly or on time about your services, you can request a State Hearing without having to complete our appeal process. This is called Deemed Exhaustion. Here are some examples of Deemed Exhaustion:
- We did not make a NOA or NAR letter available to you in your preferred language
- We made a mistake that affects any of your rights.
- We did not give you a NOA letter.
- We did not give you a NAR letter
- We made a mistake in our NAR letter.
- We did not decide your appeal within 30 days. We decided your case was urgent, but did not respond to your appeal within 72 hours.
You can ask for a State Hearing in these ways:
- Online:
Request a hearing online at the California Department of Social Services website
- Fax:
Fill out the form that came with your appeals resolution notice and Fax it to the State Hearings Division at 1-833-281-0905
- By phone:
Call the State Hearings Division at 1-800-743-8525 (TDD 1-800-952-8349 or 711).
- By mail:
Fill out the form provided with your appeals resolution notice and send it to:
California Department of Social Services
State Hearings Division
P.O. Box 944243, MS 09-17-442
Sacramento, CA 94244-2430
If you need help asking for a State Hearing, we can help you. We can give you no-cost language services. Call L.A. Care Member Services at 1-888-839-9909 (TTY: 711).
At the hearing, you will give your side. We will give our side. It could take up to 90 days for the judge to decide your case. L.A. Care must follow what the judge decides.
If you want the CDSS to make a fast decision because the time it takes to have a State Hearing would put your life, health or ability to function fully in danger, you, your authorized representative, or your provider can contact CDSS and ask for an expedited (fast) State Hearing.
CDSS must make a decision no later than 3 business days after it gets your complete case file from L.A. Care.