Contingency Management (CM) is one of the only evidence-based behavioral interventions effective in treating stimulant use disorder (StimUD) and is based on psychological principles of positive reinforcement. In CM, an individual receives a reward immediately following a positive behavior that has been established as a goal, such as not using stimulants. These rewards can be monetary incentives or cash-equivalents and are given immediately to individuals for positive behaviors. The immediate reward encourages the replacement of stimulants with the incentive to achieve a similar dopamine release.

The Recovery Incentives Program is California’s pilot program that offers Contingency Management (CM) benefits to eligible Medi-Cal beneficiaries with stimulant use disorders (StimUD). Authorized under California’s CalAIM 1115 Demonstration, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will pilot Medi-Cal coverage of CM services in select Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS) counties between the first quarter of 2023 and March 2024.

Eligible Medi-Cal beneficiaries will participate in a structured 24-week outpatient CM service, followed by six or more months of additional treatment and recovery support services without incentives. Individuals will be able to earn motivational incentives in the form of low-denomination gift cards, with a retail value determined per treatment episode.

All participating counties and provider sites will receive training and ongoing technical assistance to support implementation of the Recovery Incentives Program that is coordinated by the UCLA Training and Implementation team. As part of the technical assistance offered by the UCLA team, participating provider sites will participate in periodic reviews to determine adherence to the required protocol.

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