ORANGE COUNTY, CA – Assemblyman Tri Ta announced today that Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 951 which will improve the quality of life for individuals with autism or other lifelong behavioral health conditions, as well as their caregivers.
AB 951 prohibits insurance companies from requiring patients to undergo repeated re-diagnoses for pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) and autism as a condition of keeping their insurance coverage. Many families are currently forced to submit to annual or biennial testing to reconfirm diagnoses that are already well established, creating unnecessary stress and disruption for both patients and their loved ones.
“Once someone receives a lifelong diagnosis, there’s no justification for insurance companies to repeatedly retest what we already know to be true,” said Assemblyman Ta. “I’m grateful to the Governor and my colleagues in the Legislature for supporting this common-sense reform to ease the burden on some of our most vulnerable families.”
“As a medical provider specializing in autism and behavioral disorders, I welcome the passage of Assembly Bill 951 into law. The process of unnecessary repeated testing and re-diagnosis places significant emotional and logistical strain on patients and their families. By removing this duplicative requirement, AB 951 ensures that individuals can continue receiving essential care without interruption, while improving quality of life for both patients and caregivers,” said Dr. J. Thomas Megerian, Clinical Director of the Thompson Autism and Neurodevelopmental Center at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
The law takes effect January 1, 2026.