Cal. Health & Safety Code § 123822

All claims for services provided under this article shall be submitted to the state fiscal intermediary for payment no later than January 1, 1999. The State Department of Health Services shall work in cooperation with the counties to develop a timeline for implementing the centralized billing system. If a department review of those counties participating in the centralized billing system demonstrates that as of January 1, 2000, any county has incurred increased costs as a result of submitting claims for services to the state fiscal intermediary, that county may be exempt from this section.