Three ways to apply with Beta
Online
On Beta's ALW portal. Fill it in, save it, come back, sign it. Start an application.
By phone
Call (747) 293-5777, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.. A coordinator fills it in with you.
Or ask for a callback and a coordinator calls you within 24 hours, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m..
What to have nearby
An email address you can open on the device you are using; the code goes there. Then, if you have them:
- The county where the person wants to live
- Whether they have Medi-Cal, and what kind. ALW needs full-scope Medi-Cal with no monthly share of cost.
- Their date of birth, phone number and address
- Where they live now, and since when if it is a hospital or nursing home
- Who can make decisions with or for them
Leave out what you do not know. A coordinator fills in the rest with you on the phone. Print this list.
The six steps online
- 1
Get your code
Give your email address. Beta sends a one-time code that opens your application. You do not need a password.
- 2
Say who it is for
Yourself, or a family member or friend you are helping. Professionals referring someone in their work use the referral portal.
- 3
Answer six short steps
Your details, the applicant, contact and address, income, health and care, programs and legal. Each fits on one screen.
- 4
Read, then sign
You see what you are agreeing to first. Applying for yourself, you sign on screen. Helping someone, you send their answers and Beta collects their signature.
- 5
Keep the receipt
It says what Beta received and when. It is not a decision, a place on the waitlist or enrollment.
- 6
A coordinator calls you
within 24 hours, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., from (747) 293-5777. Then Beta sends the waitlist request to DHCS.
After you send it
The portal may offer three more things. None is required to apply.
- A priority check. Optional questions about a long hospital or nursing-facility stay, Adult Protective Services or the Long-Term Care Ombudsman. A person at Beta reviews the answers. It is a check, not a decision.
- Who Beta should call. Another number, or someone helping you. It does not change what you signed.
- Something Beta asks for. A document or a form, such as the separate telehealth consent. You get a notice, sign in and answer it there.
Coming back later
Use the applicant sign-in and ask for a new code with the same email address. If you no longer have that email, call (747) 293-5777 and a coordinator picks up where you left off.
Questions people ask
Is there a PDF application form?
No single ALW application form exists. The state's forms are filled in by your agency, with you, at each stage. If you want paper, print the one-page list of what to have ready, then apply online or by phone.
Do I apply at the county social services office?
No. The county handles Medi-Cal, not the Assisted Living Waiver. You apply for ALW through a Care Coordination Agency. If the person does not have Medi-Cal yet, apply for it at the county or on BenefitsCal as well.
Can I apply for my mother or father?
Yes. Choose the option for a family member or friend you are helping. You fill in their answers and send them to Beta. Beta then collects their own signature, or their legal representative's.
Do I need Medi-Cal first?
ALW needs full-scope Medi-Cal with no monthly share of cost, and your county decides Medi-Cal. If the person does not have it yet, or you are not sure what kind they have, start anyway and tell the coordinator. Beta's ALW team can help you check.
How long does each step take?
The application saves as you go, so you can finish it over more than one visit. A coordinator calls you within 24 hours, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Under state policy the agency screens the waitlist request within 7 calendar days, and you get written confirmation within 3 calendar days after that. The wait for an opening is set by DHCS and nobody can promise a date.
Can anyone speed up the wait?
No agency can move anyone up the waitlist. DHCS releases openings in priority order: people with at least 60 days in a nursing facility or other institution, then Adult Protective Services referrals, then Long-Term Care Ombudsman referrals, then everyone else. A coordinator tells you which group fits.
Read how the waitlist works and who gets priority. Every state form is listed by name on the ALW forms page.
Your choice
You may choose any Care Coordination Agency listed by DHCS and any assisted-living home on the state's ALW list. Applying with Beta does not change that, and you can change agencies later through the state's process.