ALW in Kern County: who to call, where to look, what to know.

If your family member lives in Kern County, the Assisted Living Waiver (ALW) is available here. It's a Medi-Cal program that pays for the care part of living in an assisted-living home. As of August 27, 2026, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) lists Beta as a Care Coordination Agency for Kern County: the team that helps with the paperwork, assessment and care plan.

Check whether ALW may fit

On the DHCS list you'll see us as Beta Hospice Care, the name we are listed under. ALW care coordination is a separate service.

Important: Being listed by DHCS means Beta's ALW team can do the Care Coordination Agency work in this county: the waitlist request, the nurse assessment, your care plan (the ISP) and ongoing check-ins. It doesn't mean we control when the state releases an opening (the state calls it a slot) or whether a home admits someone. DHCS keeps the master waitlist, and nobody can promise how long the wait will be. A home that takes ALW is not the same as a home with an open bed that will accept your family member. And ALW pays for care, not room and board; the person still pays for room, meals and personal expenses.

Official Kern County resources

The county offices families most often need:

The county Medi-Cal office handles Medi-Cal itself, not the ALW steps; those are the Care Coordination Agency's job. Here's what a Care Coordination Agency does.

Where to look for a home in Kern County

Kern is a big county, and "in Kern County" can mean a long drive. Before you look at any home, decide how far is too far: for you to visit, and for your family member to reach the people who treat them.

If your family member gets dialysis or another recurring treatment, start with homes near where that happens; a good home an hour from the clinic is a hard week, every week. Ask how residents get to appointments, and whether staff can handle the transfers and mobility help your family member needs.

Beta's directory shows Kern County homes that take ALW, drawn from the official DHCS roster and reviewed on the date shown. It doesn't show open beds, whether a home will accept your family member, or whether it can meet their needs; the facility guide tells you what to ask.

See Kern County homes on the state list

How to start

Nothing needs to be ready to take the first step. The first four steps are:

1. Find out if ALW may fit. Take the quick fit check; the eligibility guide has the full rules, including full-scope Medi-Cal with no monthly share of cost.

1. Choose a Care Coordination Agency (Beta can be yours). You pick the agency; it doesn't have to be us.

1. Ask to be added to the state's waitlist. Your agency sends the request to DHCS. Say so if your family member has been in a hospital or nursing facility for 60 days or more; current policy gives that group priority.

1. Wait, and stay ready. Keep Medi-Cal active and your contact details current, and tell your agency about any change. The waitlist guide explains what happens next.

All ten steps: patients and families page.

Things nobody can promise

Beta's DHCS listing is county-wide, so where in Kern County your family member lives doesn't change whether we can help, only which homes are practical. If they live outside the county now, you can still start learning; ALW requires living in a county where it operates once enrolled.

No one, including us, can tell you how long the waitlist will take: DHCS controls when openings are released. What we can do is our part, and help you stay ready.

If you're referring a patient or client

Professionals: use the secure referral form rather than ordinary email. The Referral Desk has the checklist of what to include.

Refer a patient or client

Your next step

Think ALW might fit? The quick fit check is the easiest place to begin.

Check whether ALW may fit

See Kern County homes on the state list