The consortium’s primary near-term sustainability pathway operates as a three-step CalAIM revenue pathway. Step 1 is philanthropic grant funding to build the workforce training pipeline, the CHW Workforce Development Toolkit version 1.0, and the outcomes tracking infrastructure. This step requires no Medi-Cal provider enrollment. The consortium is currently in Step 1 with the Phase 1 grant cycle funding the institutional infrastructure necessary to advance to Step 2.

Step 2, pursued in parallel with Step 1, is Peer Voices United’s enrollment as a Medi-Cal Community-Based Organization Supervising Provider through the DHCS Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment system, paired with the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding with a Federally Qualified Health Center or Managed Care Plan billing entity. Step 2 is a Phase 1 grant cycle deliverable. The DHCS documents that organizations that have become qualified to bill for CHW services have reported being able to free themselves from continually chasing other revenue streams such as grants and donations. A documented intermediate billing administration model exists in which a third party handles PAVE enrollment support, MCP contracting navigation, claims submission, and compliance infrastructure on behalf of smaller CBOs that hold Supervising Provider status and employ the workforce. Peer Voices United holds Supervising Provider status; the billing administration partner handles the claims infrastructure.

Step 3, accessible only after Step 2 is complete, is a CalAIM capacity grant. The CalAIM Grant Program is a documented capacity-building instrument that requires the applicant to be on the path to or already operating as a Medi-Cal billing entity. The pathway converts philanthropic capital invested in workforce training into Medi-Cal-reimbursable revenue that supports the consortium’s operations beyond the Phase 1 grant cycle. For the Justice-Involved Initiative, the consortium should assess whether Peer Voices United or a consortium CBO partner can enroll as a service provider at correctional facilities going live through October 1, 2026. This is a time-sensitive enrollment opportunity given the rolling quarterly go-live schedule.