What to gather for ALW, and what can wait.

You don't need a full folder to get started with the Assisted Living Waiver (ALW). For a first conversation, a name, date of birth, county and a rough idea of Medi-Cal status is enough. Later, we'll ask for a few documents, most of which you already have. Here's what to have for the first call, what to gather when your opening comes, and which forms Beta's ALW team fills out with you.

Apply for ALW

For the first call

Don't put off calling because a record is missing. It helps to know these things; none of them need to be on paper yet.

• The person's full name and date of birth
• Where they live now, home, hospital, nursing home, or an assisted-living home, the county, and the dates of any recent hospital or nursing-home stay
• Their Medi-Cal status, and whether there's a monthly share of cost, if you know
• A short description of the help they need with daily tasks, moving around, memory and safety

• Who can speak or sign for them, if anyone, and the best phone number and email for you
• Which counties they'd be willing to live in, and whether they want assisted living instead of a nursing home

Important: Please don't send a Social Security number, a full medical chart or ID numbers by ordinary email or through a web form. A first inquiry never needs them. If we need records later, we'll tell you the safe way to share them. In an emergency, call 911.

When your opening comes

When the state releases your opening (it calls it a slot), things move quickly, so this is the folder to build while you wait. Next to each item is why it's needed.

• Government ID, if available, to confirm identity on the forms
• Medi-Cal card details and the most recent county eligibility notice, to confirm full-scope Medi-Cal with no monthly share of cost
• Medicare, health-plan and SSI/SSP or other benefit letters, for the room-and-board plan, since ALW doesn't pay room and board
• Power of attorney, conservatorship or advance directive papers, if they exist, so the right person can sign
• Current medication list and the doctor's contact details, so the home can confirm it can manage them
• Recent hospital discharge summary or nursing-home face sheet (the one-page summary the facility keeps), for the nurse assessment
• Mobility, equipment, memory and supervision information, so the care plan reflects real life
• Contacts for any home health, hospice or behavioral-health services already involved, so nothing is duplicated
• Room preferences, accessibility needs, and what matters culturally, socially and for family visits, for choosing a home

A folder prepared months ago is still useful, but Medi-Cal status, medications, doctors and contact details often need a refresh when the slot arrives. Keep originals safe and share copies only when your coordinator asks.

Forms Beta completes with you

You won't be asked to find or fill out the official state forms on your own. Your Care Coordination Agency (CCA), the state-listed organization that does the ALW paperwork with you; Beta is one, completes them with you when the time comes.

They include the ALW assessment and level-of-care documentation, your care plan (the ISP), the participant-rights and choice-of-agency acknowledgments, the facility's forms and physician report, and any transition checklist for your starting point. Beta checks the current DHCS form versions, so please don't sign an old copy you find online.

If you're coming from a nursing home, or already live in an assisted-living home

Those two starting points have their own state checklists and timing rules. See leaving a nursing home for ALW or already living in an assisted-living home.

Referring a patient or client?

Professionals have a separate list of what a useful referral includes and how to send records safely. See the professional referral checklist.

Your next step

Apply for ALW, no documents needed yet. Already on the waitlist? The readiness checklist tells you what to keep current.

Apply for ALW

Print the Readiness Checklist