How much time does an employer have to pay an employee after work has been completed and hours submitted?

From the time an employer's payroll cycle closes, they have up to 10 days to give the employee a check. A portion of Labor code 204 a) states the following:
Labor performed between the 1st and 15th days, inclusive, of any calendar month shall be paid for between the 16th and the 26th day of the month during which the labor was performed, and labor performed between the 16th and the last day, inclusive, of any calendar month, shall be paid for between the 1st and 10th day of the following month.
Since this is a legal matter and I am not an attorney, contact the EDD or your attorney to clarify exeptions or updates. 2 good resources are: http://www.ca.gov/ and http://www.edd.ca.gov/ I hope this helps, iMifflin.

How many hours must your employee work in order to qualify for medical benefits?

The insurance carrier governs how many hours (at a minimum) must be worked in order for the employee to qualify. I believe most carriers have a minimum requirement of 20 hours per week; however, the employer has the freedom to increase that. As a dental consultant in California, I commonly see office policy stating that employees must work a minimum of 30 hours in order to qualify for medical benefits, but this varies per practice. Consult with your benefit representative for more feedback. I hope this helps, iMifflin