How Districts Are Turning Student Wellness Services Into Sustainable Funding
A lot of California school districts are already providing student behavioral health support every single day.
What many still don’t realize is that some of those services may now be reimbursable through Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI).
Over the past few years, many district leaders explored CYBHI and saw the promise of school-based reimbursement, but early implementation often felt difficult to navigate. Guidance was still evolving, workflows were new, and many teams were still determining how to fit documentation into their day-to-day schedules.
But the landscape has changed significantly.
Today, over 200 districts have submitted claims through the CYBHI Multi-Payer Fee Schedule, and districts across California are beginning to build more sustainable funding models for student wellness services already happening on campus.
So what actually is CYBHI?
The CYBHI Multi-Payer Fee Schedule, created by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), allows Local Education Agencies to bill for qualifying behavioral health and wellness services provided by school-based staff.
If counselors, social workers, psychologists, or wellness staff are already supporting students, some of those interactions may now qualify for reimbursement.
The updated Fee Schedule was designed to:
- Expand the types of providers who can bill
- Create more sustainable pathways for school-based mental health funding
Eligible providers may include:
- School counselors
- School social workers
- School psychologists
- Licensed clinicians
- Wellness coaches under supervision
One of the biggest misconceptions we hear is this:
Districts believe they need to start with high-acuity therapeutic services to see meaningful reimbursement.
That’s not necessarily true.
I would say many Tier 1 support services are now eligible for reimbursement through CYBHI, such as student check-ins, classroom support, relationship-building conversations, and early intervention efforts.
For many districts, that changes the conversation entirely.
What successful districts are doing differently
The districts seeing success with CYBHI today are not necessarily the ones with the biggest teams or budgets. They’re often the districts that focused on provider buy-in, family communication and student insurance information and consent collection.
And while implementation still takes planning, districts no longer have to figure this out alone.
There are now real district examples, clearer guidance, stronger operational tools, and a growing community of education leaders helping shape what successful implementation looks like.
Student wellness work is already happening across California schools every day.
The opportunity now is helping districts sustain and expand that work long-term.
If your district is exploring CYBHI implementation, parent consent workflows, or sustainable reimbursement strategies, TadHealth is here to help. Request a demo today to see how partner districts are turning student wellness services into sustainable funding through CYBHI.
