What a care coordination agency does, and why you'll need one

You can't apply for the Assisted Living Waiver (ALW) on your own. The state requires you to work through a Care Coordination Agency (CCA), the state-listed organization that does the ALW paperwork and care planning with you. The agency screens your waitlist request, does the nurse assessment and writes your care plan. It helps you find a home and checks in every month after you move. The state decides eligibility. You choose which agency. Beta is one.

Request a callback

What your agency does at each stage

Before your opening is released. Your agency takes your waitlist request, screens it for the basic requirements and your priority group, and sends it to the state. DHCS policy requires the agency to screen your request within seven calendar days, and to confirm in writing within three calendar days after screening. The letter gives the date your request reached DHCS, which is your waitlist date.

DHCS keeps one master waitlist and releases openings to agencies in priority order, when the state releases capacity. DHCS Policy Letter 24-002 sets how the priority groups share each release, and the number released varies. How the waitlist works.

When your opening (the state calls it a slot) is released. Your agency confirms your full-scope Medi-Cal with no monthly share of cost with a current eligibility printout. The county decides Medi-Cal. A registered nurse from the agency does the ALW assessment and level of care. The agency writes your care plan with you. The state calls it the Individualized Service Plan (ISP). The agency helps you choose a home that takes ALW, collects the forms and sends the enrollment package to DHCS. DHCS decides ALW eligibility after the nurse assessment. What happens after a slot opens.

After you move in. Your care coordinator visits you every month, by telehealth if you choose. The coordinator checks that the services in your plan are happening and reassesses when your needs change. The coordinator works with the home and your doctors, and helps you raise a complaint or change agencies if you want to. The agency also verifies your Medi-Cal each month. Life after enrollment.

Important: An agency does not control when the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) releases a slot, cannot guarantee approval, and cannot require a home to admit anyone. You choose your agency and you can change your mind later. That freedom of choice is built into the program. Beta's ALW team can tell you which stage you're in and what we're waiting on; we can't promise a slot, a date or a placement.

Who decides what

Your agency leads the care plan and the monthly check-ins. The county decides Medi-Cal. DHCS decides ALW eligibility after the nurse assessment, and releases slots. The home decides admission and provides the day-to-day care. Your doctors treat medical conditions. How ALW works shows the full who-does-what table.

The agency's case management is separate from the home that provides your care. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman is a separate advocate for people living in licensed homes, not a licensing or enforcement agency.

How to choose an agency

Any agency on the state's list for your county can be yours. Ask the agency these five questions first.

1. Which counties do you serve, and how do I reach your intake team?
2. How do you screen a waitlist request, and how will I know where I stand?
3. How do the assessment and enrollment work, and who will I be talking to?
4. How do you help me compare homes while leaving the choice to me?
5. How do the monthly check-ins work, and what do I do if I have a complaint?

Don't choose an agency because it promises to skip the waitlist or guarantee a home. No agency can, and the promise itself is a warning sign.

Can I switch?

Yes. DHCS provides a Change of Care Coordination Agency form (DHCS 0061). The change takes effect on the date you write on the form. The form says your benefits will not be altered or interrupted by the switch. How to change your agency.

What Beta commits to

• We tell you which stage you're in, what we're waiting on, and what we can't control.
• We help you compare homes without steering you. No home gets a better word from us because of a business relationship.
• Beta coordinates ALW care in all fifteen ALW counties. See ALW by county.

Request a callback to talk with Beta's ALW team, wherever you are in the process. Referring a patient or client? Call Beta's ALW team and give the professional context by phone. Do not send records by email or web form.