DATE: March 17, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Sanja Bugay, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Amendment No. 1 to Agreement with United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley for Mental Health Employability Services
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute Amendment No. 1 to Agreement A-23-344 with United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley, for mental health employability services, extending the term by two years from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028, and increasing the maximum compensation by $3,715,296 to a total of $9,380,332.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Approval of the recommended action will extend the existing three-year agreement by two years to allow United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley (UHC) to continue to provide California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) Welfare to Work (WTW) and Cal-Learn participants the provision of services to address and remove mental health barriers to employment. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There is no viable alternative action. Should your board not approve the recommended action, the County will be out of compliance with the Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) 11325.7, which mandates the provision of mental health services related to employability for WTW participants.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. If approved, the maximum cost ($9,380,332) of the agreement will be fully offset with the CalWORKs Mental Health and Substance Abuse allocation. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department’s Org 5610 FY 2025-26 Adopted Budget and will be included in subsequent budget requests. The requested services comply with WIC Division 9, Part 3, Chapter 2, Article 3.2, Section 11325.7, which provides the County with funding to aid CalWORKs clients with necessary services to overcome mental health issues that impede their employment opportunities.
DISCUSSION:
On June 20, 2023, the board approved an Agreement with UHC to provide mental health employability services to WTW and Cal-Learn clients. Mental health Employability Services (MHES) allowed CalWORKs and Cal-Learn participants to overcome mental health barriers to employment and as a result, transition from welfare to work, leading to self-sufficiency.
UHC serves clients in both metropolitan and rural Fresno County. During FY 2024-25, UHC provided services to 345 participants to support employment readiness and self-sufficiency. Program services include mental health assessments, individualized mental health treatment plans, case management, therapy, and transportation services. In addition, UHC provides training to Department staff to better identify clients with potential employment barriers due to mental health issues.
If your board approves the recommended action, the existing agreement with UHC will be extended by two years through June 30, 2028, which includes one optional 12-month extension. Additional funding will be added to the budget to reflect the anticipated service levels needed to support CalWORKs participants in the extended term. This amendment also seeks to update the Summary of Services, adding language that clarifies service expectations and refines outcome measures to better reflect participant progress and program objectives.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #85, June 20, 2023
BAI #72, June 22, 2021
BAI #57, September 10, 2019
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Amendment No. 1 to Agreement with UHC
CAO ANALYST:
Ronald Alexander