Molina Healthcare, Inc. California Layoffs 2026: What Employees Should Know

What the filing says

These are the details as Molina Healthcare, Inc. reported them to the state. The EDD publishes every notice, and these figures come from the state's report as retrieved on Sep 10, 2026.

How much notice the law requires

California's WARN Act requires 60 days of advance written notice before a covered mass layoff, and its only statutory exception is a physical calamity or an act of war — far narrower than federal law's three. Who is covered and how the thresholds are counted is in our California WARN Act guide.

Molina Healthcare severance: what to check before you sign

A severance offer is not the notice pay the WARN Act describes. Severance you were already promised — in a contract, a handbook, or a union agreement — cannot be used to satisfy that obligation, though Labor Code section 1402 does let an employer reduce a back-pay award by voluntary payments it was never required to make. A release may also give up more than you expect. Justin reviews severance agreements before workers sign. What to check before you decide is in our full guide to the California WARN Act.

Two things worth doing this week either way. File for unemployment now — WARN money does not reduce it, and the filings here run through Apr 5, 2026, so you do not have to wait for your last day. And keep every document, including the notice itself and anything showing when it arrived.

What your notice was required to include

Timing is only half of what Labor Code section 1401 asks for. The notice itself has to contain specific things, and California added most of this list for notices issued on or after January 1, 2026. This notice falls after that date. If you kept your copy, read it against the full six-item checklist in our WARN Act guide — everything federal law requires, whether transition help is being coordinated, working contact details for your workforce board and for the employer itself, and CalFresh information.

Source: Labor Code section 1401, as amended by SB 617, effective January 1, 2026. A notice missing something from that list is not automatically a violation with a remedy attached — whether a gap matters depends on the employer, the action, and what else happened.

Questions people are asking

Where a layoff can raise a legal question

A layoff is lawful on its own, and nothing below is a statement about Molina Healthcare. These are the places California law can still come into play, depending on the facts of your own situation.

• The severance you were asked to signA release can give up claims you did not know you had, and the terms are sometimes negotiable.
• How you were selectedA reduction in force still cannot be used to cut someone for a protected reason such as age, disability, pregnancy, or a complaint they made.
• Your final paycheckCalifornia sets when final wages are due at termination, and unpaid time or accrued vacation can carry penalties on top of the wages.
• The length of the notice periodWhere a notice period turns out to fall short of what the law required, the question usually belongs to everyone in the same position rather than to one person.

General information about California law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.

What has been reported

Press coverage of this layoff, summarized and attributed. This is reporting rather than the filing itself, and we did not independently verify it.

Becker's Payer Issues included this cut in its roundup of health insurers reducing staff in 2026, reporting that Molina Healthcare laid off 156 employees at its Long Beach headquarters in April.

Becker's noted the reduction follows other recent cuts at the company, including 268 layoffs tied to the closure of its Henrico, Virginia office after a contract loss there in 2025.

Sources: Becker's Payer Issues (opens in a new tab)

What the numbers show

• The 156 affected positions are in Long Beach.
• The shortest gap between notice and last day here is 53 days, against a statewide median of 61 days across every notice on file.
• By headcount it sits in the top 25% of the 630 employer layoffs tracked here.
• The 156 workers leaving Molina Healthcare, Inc. re-enter a job market where Los Angeles County unemployment stood at 5.3% in June 2026, above the 5.2% statewide rate (Bureau of Labor Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

These are counts and comparisons drawn from the published filings, not findings about Molina Healthcare.

Free job-search help near Long Beach

America's Job Center of California is the state's no-cost network for laid-off workers: help filing and keeping unemployment benefits, federally funded retraining, and résumé and interview coaching. Your WARN notice may name one; this is the closest to the site in this filing.

• Long Beach Workforce Innovation Network Youth Career Services Center (opens in a new tab)

  508 W Willow Street, Long Beach, CA 90806 · 562-570-4700

  Comprehensive center (full services on site) · about 2.6 miles from the Long Beach site

Locations and hours change — confirm before visiting, or find another center with the EDD's center locator (opens in a new tab). Directory: U.S. Department of Labor, Jul 31, 2026; distances are straight-line from the address in the filing.

Other layoffs filed in Los Angeles County around the same time

166 employers have WARN notices on file in Los Angeles County, covering 19,350 workers. These filed within about a quarter of this one.

• Snap Inc.320 workers
• Phillips 66298 workers
• Lodging Dynamics Hospitality Group, LLC278 workers
• Saks & Company LLC231 workers
• L.A. Care Health Plan225 workers
• FormFactor, Inc.220 workers

Listed because they appear in the same county in the same public data. No connection between these employers is implied.

California wage claims filed against Molina Healthcare

California employers face claims under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), which lets an employee sue for civil penalties over Labor Code violations on behalf of the state. The state publishes every filing. 4 PAGA cases naming this employer are on that record, including the settlements below.

These are outcomes in other people’s cases, obtained by other lawyers, taken from the state’s public filing record. They are not results of this firm, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. What any individual recovers depends on their own hours, pay records, and dates.

• Court-approved settlement · 2023

  $2,250,000

  Current and former hourly non-exempt employees of Molina Healthcare in California settled claims for unpaid wages, meal and rest break violations, and other wage-and-hour violations. The settlement was approved by the court, which found it fair, reasonable, and adequate. The employer denied any wrongdoing or liability.

  Covered All current and former hourly non-exempt employees employed by Defendants in California at any time from January 29, 2017 to December 31, 2021. The settlement resolved class claims as well as PAGA penalties.

  Attorneys' fees

  $750,000

  To the state (LWDA)

  $75,000

  Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles · 21STCV03598 · Molina Healthcare denied liability; a settlement is not an admission.

• Proposed settlement · 2025

  $1,800,000

  A class and PAGA settlement was reached in a lawsuit against Molina Healthcare. The affected employees are current and former California employees, both non-exempt and exempt (for expense reimbursement). The lawsuit alleged that Molina violated California labor laws by failing to pay overtime, minimum wage, and meal/rest break premiums, and by not providing accurate wage statements or reimbursing business expenses. The settlement resolves these claims without admission of liability and provides for a gross settlement amount of $1,800,000.

  Covered all non-exempt California employees of Defendant during the PAGA Period, as well as all exempt California employees of Defendant during the PAGA Period for the expense reimbursement claim only. The settlement resolved class claims as well as PAGA penalties.

  Attorneys' fees

  $600,000

  To the state (LWDA)

  $45,000

  United States District Court, Central District of California · 2:23-cv-09145-WLH-JPR · Molina Healthcare denied liability; a settlement is not an admission.

• Proposed settlement · 2017

  $900,000

  Current and former non-exempt hourly employees who worked at College Medical Center in Long Beach are covered by a proposed class action settlement. The settlement agreement alleges that the employer failed to pay overtime and minimum wages, failed to provide meal and rest periods, failed to pay wages upon termination, and failed to issue proper wage statements. The employer denies any wrongdoing and contends it fully complied with the law. The settlement is subject to court approval.

  Covered all current and former non-exempt, hourly-paid employees who worked for Defendant Molina Hospital Management, Inc. at College Medical Center (2776 Pacific Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90806) at any time during the Settlement Period, including all non-exempt hourly employees who executed arbitration agreements with Defendant. The settlement resolved class claims as well as PAGA penalties.

  Attorneys' fees

  $300,000

  To the state (LWDA)

  $3,750

  Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles, Central Civil West · BC591325 · Molina Healthcare denied liability; a settlement is not an admission.

A PAGA case is not a class action, and there is nothing to opt out of. A PAGA settlement resolves civil penalties owed to the state — most of which the state keeps — and it does not necessarily resolve your own unpaid wages, missed break premiums, or final-paycheck penalties. If you worked here and were not paid correctly, that is a separate question worth asking about. How California wage claims work.