Behavioral Wellness Center - Telehealth Available

The Dean’s Office, and our Offices of Graduate Medical Education, Student Affairs, and the Graduate Program in Bioscience, are all committed to ensuring that David Geffen School of Medicine medical students, graduate students, residents and fellows remain mentally healthy while completing their training program.

We invite you to explore the Behavioral Wellness Center site at medschool.ucla.edu/bwc.

What will you find?

• Appointment Request and Crisis Information- Here you’ll find details on the Behavioral Wellness Center’s confidential services, how to schedule your first appointment, and resources if you are in a crisis.
• Recommended Resources– Feeling stressed out? Want tools on the go? Access the Behavioral Wellness Center’s curated database of well-being resources.
• Responsive Design- Our fully responsive design is optimized for mobile and tablet browsing. This means that all the pages of the site will now automatically resize to fit all computer and mobile-device screens.
• Google Site Search- The new site search functionality utilizes the Google Search Appliance which makes the in-site searching experience more user-friendly.
• Social Sharing- Icons at the top right side of each page make it easy for users to share our webpages and content on social media or via an email link, while floating social media icons to the left allow for quick access to our social media sites.

Services Provided:

-Psychiatric Consultation

-Short-term individual psychotherapy

-Information about community-based services and resources

(Services rendered through BWC are covered by insurance and co-pays have been waived)

Phone:  (310) 825-9605
Email: BWC@mednet.ucla.edu
Location: 17-253L CHS (first floor of the UCLA Center for Health Sciences)

Administrative Office Hours: 8:00 AM- 5:00 PM with clinicians available for early morning, daytime and evening sessions.

Make a Telehealth Appointment

How to Apply to CalFresh for Medical Students

We’re excited you are taking the time to apply for CalFresh and get the resources you deserve to survive/thrive as a student! Please see more information below on how you may be eligible and how to apply. 

If you are in a California Dept. Social Services (CDSS)-approved Student Employment Program, you are most likely eligible for CalFresh. 

The following UCLA programs are currently listed as approved student employment programs by CDSS: Juris Doctor Program at UCLA School of Law, Medical Program at the David Geffen School of Medicine, Doctor of Dental Surgery Program at UCLA School of Dentistry, or Master's Entry Clinical Nurse Program at UCLA School of Nursing. You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to apply. And you must make under the monthly income threshold for your household size. 

If you are planning on applying for CalFresh, we highly recommend coming to our office hours so we can confirm that you submit your application and verification documents correctly. Make sure to thoroughly review the "Apply for CalFresh" and "Verification Documents" sections below, before applying. 

Click here for COVID-19 CalFresh Updates. 

Click here for COVID-19 UCLA Basic Needs Resource Guide.  

CalFresh Info:

CalFresh is California's version of SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), a federally-funded food assistance program. Many students qualify for CalFresh and can receive up to $194/month to spend on groceries. Once enrolled, participants will receive an EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card in the mail, which is reloaded monthly and functions as a debit card at participating grocery stores. 

Apply for CalFresh

You can apply anytime for CalFresh online at getcalfresh.org/s/ucla. The most important parts of the application are highlighted below.   

Here is a step-by-step video tutorial by our CalFresh team for completing the application.   

Summer Session C (8/3-8/27) Office Hours are held online, Monday 10:00am - 2:00pm and Thursday 1:00pm - 5:00pm via Zoom. Students can schedule appointments via our Calendly. If students have any other inquiries, they can email us at calfresh@cpo.ucla.edu. 

Application Notes: 

• You can apply as a one-person household, even if you have roommates, with your UCLA address as your permanent address. CalFresh is only concerned with who you regularly cook and prepare foods with. 
• Are you a college student? Please select “Yes.”
• For the "Special Requirements for Students" question, please select "I receive AB12 / AB 212, am in EOP / EOPS or in another resource or employment program that qualifies me for CalFresh*." For CalFresh purposes, your graduate program is considered an "employment program." 
• In the empty text box towards the end of the application, which asks if you have anything else to add, please copy and paste the following text: I am in a California Dept. Social Services (CDSS)-approved Student Employment Exemption Program:______ (type the name of your program). The list of approved programs can be found here on the CDSS website (https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/calfresh-resource-center/policy): Navigate to "Student Resources" > "CalFresh Student Eligibility: Improved Programs to Increase Student Employability." 
• Towards the end of the application, please select “I am in an employment or training program.” 
• Be sure to submit ALL of the necessary verification documents (see below).

Verification Documents

Please have these documents ready when you apply for CalFresh. Your application will not be approved without these documents.

• social security number
• CA ID / passport / birth certificate / driver's license
• pay stubs from last 30 days (if you are working)
• a rent or lease agreement, or Bruin Bill for housing (you only need the part of the lease that states how much you pay and your signature)  
• Financial Aid award letter, if applicable
• * screenshot of excel sheet of list of approved employment programs: download here: Navigate to "Student Resources" > "CalFresh Student Eligibility: Improved Programs to Increase Student Employability"
• *proof of enrollment in your graduate program (letter from financial aid or registrar office on official letterhead stating that you are enrolled in the program)
  • Currently enrolled medical students may obtain proof of enrollment on letterhead by logging into the myDGSOM student portal:  https://medschool.ucla.edu/current-forms

What's Next (After Submitting the Application):

Mail: DPSS sends all important information via the mail. You should receive a letter in the mail within 2 weeks after you apply for CalFresh with your case information. You can contact your caseworker via the phone number provided in this letter. You can also use your case number provided in the letter to create your Your Benefits Now (YBN) account and log in to the DPSS Mobile App, to check the status of your case and update your verification documents. 

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Phone Interview: *SUSPENDED DURING COVID-19* If you apply online, you should be contacted within 2 weeks for a phone interview. This is required to complete the CalFresh application. If you miss the call, you can call your case worker's phone number or the customer service line: 866-613-3777. Please contact us if you do not receive a phone interview within 2 weeks. 

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Approval or Denial: The CalFresh application takes up to 30 days to process. You will receive a letter in the mail stating your approval or denial for CalFresh. If you were denied and believe this to be an error, please contact us. If you are approved, you will receive more follow-up mail that contains your EBT card and your pin #. Check here for what you can purchase with your CalFresh benefits.

  

SAR-7: If you are approved for CalFresh, be prepared to fill out a recertification / SAR-7 every 6 months for renewal of your benefits. The SAR-7 can be completed online on your YBN account or through getcalfresh.org/s/ucla. It includes filling out a SAR-7 form and uploading your most recent verification documents.  

Contact Us!

The CalFresh Initiative at UCLA

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Summer Session A Office Hours: Mon. 10am-2pm; Thurs. 1-5pm via Zoom

Book an Appointment: https://calendly.com/uclacalfresh

Email: calfresh@cpo.ucla.edu

Facebook: CalFresh Initiative at UCLA

Instagram: @uclacalfresh