26-468 New Documentation Requirements for Medically Tailored Meal Services
Date: 04/20/26
Nutrition assessments must be completed within 30 days and expanded clinical documents required for service extensions
Effective June 24, 2026, Health Net, on behalf of Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley, will require additional documentation for Community Supports (CS) Medically Tailored Meals/Medically Supportive Foods (MTM/MSF) authorization requests.
What’s changing
- Nutrition assessment timing requirement
MTM/MSF authorization requests must include a nutrition assessment completed and dated within 30 days of submission. - Service extensions: additional documentation required
Requests to extend MTM/MSF services must include all of the following:
- Clinical documentation (e.g., medical notes, lab results and/or other relevant clinical data) that demonstrates continued benefit of MTM/MSF services for the member’s nutrition‑sensitive condition.
- A current nutrition assessment.
- A provider order form.
Effective date of change
These requirements apply to all MTM/MSF authorization requests submitted on or after June 18, 2026. Requests submitted without the required nutrition assessment and clinical documentation may be delayed or not approved.
To avoid delays or denials in review
Incomplete, missing, or outdated documentation may delay processing of authorization requests or result in an administrative denial.
- Confirm nutrition assessments are completed within 30 days of submission for all MTM/MSF authorization requests.
- For extensions, attach documentation that clearly shows ongoing improvements (clinical notes, labs or other relevant clinical data), plus a current nutrition assessment and provider order.
- Use the current MTM/MSF Authorization Form and submit all required documentation with the request.
Updated resource documents
The MTM/MSF Authorization Guide and Authorization Form will be updated to reflect the new nutrition assessment and clinical documentation requirements and will be available beginning June 24, 2026, on the CalAIM Resources page > Forms & Tools > Community Supports.
The provider order form is also available on this page.
Need help? Contact us
If you have questions regarding the information contained in this update, contact Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley at 833-236-4141. Behavioral Health providers can call 844-966-0298.
This information applies to Physicians, Practitioners, Participating Physician Groups (PPGs), Hospitals, Ancillary Providers, Community Supports (CS) Providers, Enhanced Care Management (ECM) Providers, and Behavioral Health Providers.
This information applies to Medi-Cal in Imperial County.