For assisted-living facilities
ALW for RCFEs and ARFs: how participation works, what it pays, and how Beta's care coordinators work with you.
How a California RCFE or ARF participates in the Assisted Living Waiver, what the 2026 service tiers pay, and how Beta's care coordinators work with you.
If you run a licensed Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) or Adult Residential Facility (ARF) in an ALW county, this is for you. California's Assisted Living Waiver lets Medi-Cal pay a daily service rate for residents who qualify. Current 2026 assisted-living-service tiers range from $95.69 to $270.80 per day. These are provider-service reimbursement figures (California Department of Health Care Services, 2026 ALW Reimbursement Rates). Provider enrollment happens through DHCS, not Beta.
Important: Beta is a Care Coordination Agency (CCA), the state-listed organization that does the ALW assessment, care planning and enrollment paperwork with the participant. Beta is not DHCS and cannot approve your enrollment. Working with Beta does not guarantee referrals, create preferred placement or change anyone's waitlist position. "Participating" means a facility is enrolled with DHCS; it does not mean a bed is available, that Beta endorses the facility, or that admission is decided by anyone but you.
Choose your route
| Your situation | Go to |
|---|---|
| Not yet an ALW provider, enrollment requirements, readiness check and the two DHCS applications | How to Become an ALW Provider |
| Already a provider, day-to-day coordination with a Beta care coordinator | How Facilities Work With Beta |
| An ALW resident and an operational question, roles, records, change of condition, incidents, tiers, billing | Facility Operations Guide |
| A public profile to review or correct, a profile is not provider enrollment and creates no preferred-referral status | Facility Directory Standards |
Who does what
| Activity | Beta (CCA) | Your facility |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment, care plan (the Individualized Service Plan, or ISP) and monthly visit | Leads, with the participant | Supplies information, implements assigned services, reports changes |
| Residential care and supervision | Coordinates and monitors | Provides, within your license and ALW enrollment |
| Admission | Shares authorized fit information | Makes the admission decision |
| Room, board and basic-services agreement | Explains the ALW distinction | Provides and explains the agreement and charges |
| Change in condition and incidents | Reassesses and coordinates | Observes, responds, reports to licensing and the program |
| DHCS slot release | No control | No control |
The facility operations guide has the full role breakdown.
What ALW pays, and what it doesn't
DHCS publishes the service reimbursement by care tier. It covers the ALW services in the resident's care plan; it is not the resident's room-and-board payment or income. Room, board and basic services are a separate agreement between you and the resident, described under current California Department of Social Services (CDSS) guidance on the Non-Medical Out-of-Home Care (NMOHC) basic-services amount.
Explain to residents and families what you bill through ALW, what basic services include, any optional charges, deposits, absence terms and how you give notice of changes.
See current costs and room and board
What a Beta partnership is not
It is not a referral pipeline. Participants choose their facility freely; Beta does not sell waitlist priority, steer participants for payment, hide non-partner facilities, or present a paid profile as a clinical recommendation. A placement fits when the participant's preference, your license and staffing, the assessed needs, residential terms and actual capacity all line up.
Tell us about your facility
The partnership form asks for operational information only, license details, ALW status, contacts, capacity, care capabilities and limits, and your terms. Official provider resources, the DHCS enrollment page, facility roster, 2026 rates and forms, are collected in the ALW Resource Center.
Your next step
Tell Beta about your facility, or start with DHCS enrollment.
Official sourcesChecked against the official sources
Use the official sources below to confirm time-sensitive program details.
This page provides general California ALW information. It is not an eligibility decision or a promise of enrollment, and it is not a guarantee of facility placement. You may choose any Care Coordination Agency listed by DHCS and any participating facility.