Fact sheet 2026
Assisted Living Waiver in San Mateo County: 2026 fact sheet
The Assisted Living Waiver (ALW) is a Medi-Cal program that pays for care in an assisted-living or board-and-care home for people who would otherwise need a nursing home. This sheet has the San Mateo County figures as of the dates shown, with their sources. Download it as a PDF or print this page.
Who qualifies
Six things all have to be true. No single diagnosis or income figure decides it; the state's Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) decides after a nurse assessment.
- Age 21 or older.
- Full-scope Medi-Cal with no monthly share of cost.
- Care needs at the level a nursing home gives, as a nurse assesses them.
- Able to live safely in an assisted-living home, within its staff and licence.
- Willing to live in a county where the ALW operates; San Mateo County is one of the fifteen.
- Would rather live in assisted living or qualifying public subsidized housing than in a nursing home.
The six requirements, in everyday terms.
What the home may charge in 2026
| Item | 2026 figure |
|---|---|
| SSI/SSP for a person in a licensed home (non-medical out-of-home care) | $1,626.07 a month |
| The most the home may charge: $706.07 room and board plus up to $738.00 care and supervision | $1,444.07 a month |
| What the resident keeps for personal needs | at least $182.00 a month |
| What Medi-Cal pays the home for care, by tier | $95.69 to $270.80 a day |
A home may charge an SSI/SSP resident up to 10% of the room-and-board portion more for a private room. If the person has income besides SSI/SSP, the home may charge $20 more a month if the admission agreement says so. Costs and room and board has every figure with its source.
Participating homes
5 homes in San Mateo County hold an open licence and take the waiver (5 RCFEs), on the DHCS list of participating facilities checked September 18, 2026 against the CDSS licence file of October 17, 2026. A listing is not an open bed, and each home decides its own admissions. Homes on the state's ALW list in San Mateo County.
Care coordination agencies
DHCS lists 12 care coordination agencies for San Mateo County (list read October 20, 2026). Any agency on this list without a DHCS restriction note can put you on the waitlist; you choose, and you can change later. The DHCS list does not show Beta for San Mateo County as of October 20, 2026. Every agency with its phone number.
- AARP Care Coordination Agency, (805) 695-3200
- Access to Health Initiative, (888) 343-9303
- All Hours Adult Care, (844) 657-4748
- Central Coast Healthcare Services, (818) 852-7260
- Concise Home Health Services, (310) 912-3156 (DHCS: "Restricted from enrolling future ALW participants")
- I Care Hospice, (818) 238-9188
- Institute on Aging, (415) 750-4111 or (650) 424-1411
- Libertana of the Bay Area, (800) 750-1444
- New Horizons CCA, (916) 745-3754
- Star Nursing, (916) 542-1445
- True Care Home Health, (888) 944-6248
- Vigilans Home Health Services, (909) 748-7980
Where the waitlist stands
DHCS stopped taking ALW applications directly on September 3, 2024, when the program reached its maximum capacity; every new applicant joins the waitlist through an agency, and DHCS releases openings in priority order: people with at least 60 days in a nursing facility or other institution first, then Adult Protective Services referrals, then Long-Term Care Ombudsman referrals, then everyone else. DHCS's latest published file shows 15,910 people waiting and 14,831 enrolled statewide in March 2026; at a Senate hearing on August 12, 2026 DHCS said 17,886 were waiting and gave average waits of 11 to 12 months from an institution and 3 to 4 months with an APS or Ombudsman referral. DHCS does not publish a count by county. Is the ALW accepting applications?
How to apply
- Find out whether the ALW may fit: the fit check asks the six questions and saves nothing.
- Choose a care coordination agency from the DHCS list.
- Ask to be added to the state's waitlist. The agency screens the request within seven calendar days and confirms it in writing within three more.
- Wait, and stay ready: keep Medi-Cal active and your contact details current.
All ten steps are on the application process page. Beta's ALW team: (747) 293-5777, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Spanish available; apply online.
Figures as of the dates shown. Sources: DHCS, Assisted Living Waiver; DHCS list of participating facilities; DHCS list of care coordination agencies; CDSS PIN 25-19-CCLD; DHCS ALW Policy Letter 24-002; California Senate Budget Subcommittee 3 hearing, August 12, 2026. Beta ALW Care Coordination is a DBA of Beta Hospice Care Inc. This sheet does not rank homes or agencies and is not an eligibility decision.