How to apply for Medi-Cal in San Diego County

Applying for Medi-Cal is free, and San Diego County gives you four ways to do it. Here they are in the County's own words, plus who may qualify and the numbers to call.

1. Online at BenefitsCal: fill out the application, upload copies of your documents, and see if you might qualify for CalFresh too.
2. Online through Covered California: one application for Medi-Cal or subsidized health insurance.
3. By mail: ask for an application at 1-866-262-9881 or 2-1-1, then mail it and your documents to County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, APPLICATIONS, P.O. Box 939044, San Diego, CA 92193-9005.
4. In person at a County Family Resource Center. In North County: North Coastal, North Inland, Fallbrook and Ramona. Not every center offers every program, so call first.

Questions: the County's Access line, 1-866-262-9881. To reschedule an interview: 1-833-246-6948.

Source: County of San Diego, How to Apply for Medi-Cal.

• Adults 19 to 64 with income at or below 138% of the federal poverty level.
• Anyone under 19, or 65 or older; people who are blind or disabled; pregnant; diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer; or in a skilled nursing or intermediate care facility.
• A parent or caretaker relative of a child under 21.
• People getting SSI/SSP, CalWORKs, refugee assistance, or foster care or adoption assistance.

For people 65 and older, Medi-Cal also has an asset limit: the 2026 Medi-Cal asset limit.

Source: County of San Diego, Medi-Cal eligibility.

Nobody can charge you for Medi-Cal itself. The County says that if you're asked for payment or suspect fraud, call the County Fraud Hotline, 1-800-421-2252, or the State Medi-Cal Fraud Hotline, 1-800-822-6222.

Free help exists: County staff at 1-866-262-9881 and 2-1-1. If you'd rather have someone sit with you or a parent, PJ can do the hands-on part: set up the BenefitsCal account, scan and upload the pay stubs and ID, keep track of the interview date and the letters. That's Family Assist, $30 an hour, for his time only; he never charges for Medi-Cal itself and doesn't decide eligibility. Text PJ.

More: apply for CalFresh (same BenefitsCal account) · low-cost clinics near you · what does this letter mean? · what can a parent get? · IHSS. Checked October 13, 2026.

• The County first tries to renew you without paperwork. If it can't, a renewal packet comes in the mail. Send it back, with what it asks for, by the date in the letter.
• Moved? The County says to call 866-262-9881 with your new address, or you may not get the packet and could lose Medi-Cal.

Source: San Diego County HHSA, Medi-Cal renewal facts, read October 11, 2026. Stuck on a website? The help desk.

Need a human?

This page is built every morning from public data by SideGuy, run by PJ, a local in Solana Beach. If something looks off, or you want a hand with your plans, text PJ at 858-461-8054. A real person answers.

Local help, free to read: make your fix plan · senior benefits checkup · lower your SDG&E bill · Medicare Extra Help · every 2027 Medicare plan · is my medication recalled? · the next 90 days. Plans start as low as $25. Your parent lives here and you don't? The Parent Check-In Plan, $25 a month.