California Family PACT: Eligibility, Covered Services, and Enrollment

You qualify for California Family PACT if you live in California, your gross household income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, and you do not already have full-scope Medi-Cal or other usable coverage for family planning. The program pays for contraception, sterilization, STI testing and treatment, and related reproductive health screenings at no cost to you, through a statewide network of enrolled providers.¹

Who Qualifies

California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 24003 sets four requirements. You must be a California resident. Your gross family income must be at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. You must not have other health coverage for family planning, or you must face a confidentiality barrier that keeps you from using the coverage you have. And you must not already be receiving full-scope Medi-Cal without a share of cost.²

A few details surprise people. Income is self-declared and signed under penalty of perjury. No pay stubs, tax returns, or other documentation are required, and the provider must accept your stated income without asking for proof.³ There is no asset test, so savings and property don’t count against you. Giving a Social Security number is voluntary, and services cannot be denied if you decline.²

There is no minimum age. Minors can enroll on their own, without parental consent, and parental income is excluded from the eligibility calculation entirely.³

2026 Income Limits by Household Size

Your household’s gross annual income must fall at or below these amounts, which reflect 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guidelines:⁴

1 person: $31,920
2 persons: $43,280
3 persons: $54,640
4 persons: $66,000
5 persons: $77,360
6 persons: $88,720
7 persons: $100,080
8 persons: $111,440

For households larger than eight, add $11,360 per additional person. A copayment is authorized for clients with income above 100% of the federal poverty level, but copayments cannot be used to deny access to services.²

How Medi-Cal and Other Insurance Affect Eligibility

If you have full-scope Medi-Cal with no share of cost, or you are enrolled in a Medi-Cal managed care plan, you are not eligible for Family PACT. Those programs already cover your family planning services, and providers must bill Medi-Cal first.³

Several situations create exceptions. You can qualify if you have Medi-Cal with an unmet share of cost, if you have restricted-scope Medi-Cal that does not cover contraception, or if you have insurance of any kind but using it would reveal your family planning visits to a spouse, partner, or parent. That last scenario is what the program calls a barrier to access, and it makes you eligible even with active coverage.³

Confidentiality, Minors, and Dependents on Someone Else’s Plan

Confidentiality is built into the program. When you enroll through Family PACT rather than billing your regular insurance, no explanation of benefits goes to the policyholder. That matters most for dependents on a parent’s or spouse’s plan who need reproductive healthcare without that person finding out. On the enrollment form, you can indicate that concern about a partner, spouse, or parent learning about your appointment would keep you from using existing coverage, and that alone establishes the barrier to access needed to qualify.³

Under California Family Code Section 6925, a minor can consent to medical care for the prevention or treatment of pregnancy without parental involvement. That covers every form of contraception, including long-acting methods and emergency contraception. The one carve-out: sterilization of a minor still requires parental or guardian consent.⁵ For STI-related care, a minor 12 or older can consent independently to diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV testing.⁶ When a minor consents to care under these statutes, the minor controls access to the related records, and a provider generally cannot share that information with parents without the minor’s permission.

What Family PACT Covers

The program pays for every FDA-approved contraceptive method.¹ That includes:

Condoms and diaphragms
Oral contraceptive pills, patches, vaginal rings, and injectable contraceptives
IUDs and subdermal implants
Emergency contraception
Vasectomy and tubal ligation
Fertility awareness education

Beyond contraception, Family PACT covers a set of family planning-related clinical services provided during a family planning visit:¹

Pregnancy diagnosis and options counseling
STI screening, diagnostic lab work, and prescription treatment
HIV testing and counseling (testing only; treatment is not covered)
Pap smears and treatment of pre-invasive cervical lesions
Diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections in women, when provided during a family planning visit
HPV vaccination for clients aged 19 through 45; those 27 and older who are not fully vaccinated need a documented shared decision-making discussion with their provider⁷

What It Does Not Cover

Several services that sound like they should be included are not. Family PACT will not pay for:⁸

Prenatal or perinatal care. Pregnancy diagnosis and options counseling are covered, but nothing beyond that.
Abortion services, or services related to an abortion. One exception: a contraceptive device or IUD inserted immediately after an abortion is a covered benefit.
Infertility diagnosis and treatment, other than fertility awareness education.
HIV or hepatitis treatment. Testing for HIV is covered; treatment is not.
Hepatitis B immunization and related lab testing.
Screening mammograms.

If you need any of these, your provider should help connect you to Medi-Cal or another program that does cover them. The program also covers complications from a covered method or covered condition only when they can be managed on an outpatient basis; anything requiring hospitalization or emergency care beyond outpatient scope is not reimbursable through Family PACT.¹

How to Enroll

Enrollment happens at the point of service. Find a participating clinic through the Family PACT Provider Locator at familypact.org, then walk in and get certified the same day.⁹

At the visit, you complete the Client Eligibility Certification form (DHCS 4461), which asks for your name, address, household size, gross income, and insurance status.¹⁰ Your income statement is self-declared, and you won’t be asked to produce proof. The provider reviews your information, determines eligibility, and issues a Health Access Programs (HAP) identification number the same day. This is sometimes called the Green Card, and it works at any enrolled Family PACT provider statewide.¹¹

Keeping Your Coverage

Eligibility lasts up to 12 months from the date of certification, or until your circumstances change, whichever comes first. To stay enrolled after that, complete a new DHCS 4461 form. You can begin the renewal process after 10 months to avoid a coverage gap.¹¹

Between annual recertifications, your provider reaffirms your eligibility at every visit by checking your income, household size, and insurance status. If you gain insurance, your income rises, or your household changes, the provider updates the record. If you no longer meet the criteria, the provider deactivates your HAP number and notifies you, and you receive a copy of the form that explains your right to a fair hearing.³

1
Department of Health Care Services. Family PACT Benefits Clinical Services Overview
2
California Legislative Information. California Welfare and Institutions Code WIC 24003
3
Medi-Cal. Family PACT Client Eligibility
4
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
5
California Legislative Information. California Family Code 6925
6
California Legislative Information. California Family Code 6926
7
Medi-Cal. Family PACT Benefits Family Planning-Related Services
8
Medi-Cal. Family PACT Program Overview
9
California Family PACT Program. Provider Locator
10
Department of Health Care Services. Family PACT Client Eligibility Certification Form DHCS 4461
11
California Family PACT Program. How to Become a Family PACT Client