Plain-language ALW guide
You've been offered an ALW slot. Here's what happens in the next 60 days.
You have been offered an ALW slot. What Beta needs from you in week one, what we do meanwhile, and what a slot does and does not promise.
When the state releases an opening (a slot) to your family member, Beta's ALW team has about 60 days to send the state a complete application. That means the assessment, the care plan and your choice of home. Week one depends on you.
Contact Beta About a Released Slot
Important: A slot is not final approval, a Medi-Cal decision, a care tier, a bed at a particular home, a private room, a particular city, or a move-in date. Those come from the official steps that follow, and Beta can't promise how any of them will turn out.
What we'll need from you in the first week
Do these as soon as you can.
- Call us back the same day if you can, with the best number and person to reach.
- Check Medi-Cal is active, full-scope, with no monthly share of cost. Not sure? Here's how to check.
- Tell us where the person is now, which county, and who signs for them (power of attorney or conservator).
- Book the assessment. Pick a time, and have someone there who knows the person's daily needs.
- Gather a current medication list and any recent hospital or doctor paperwork.
- Start thinking about the home: which county, what kind of room, and how room and board will be paid.
The 60-day window
Under current state policy, once the state notifies a Care Coordination Agency (CCA) of a slot, the agency generally has 60 days to submit a complete application package or tell the state the person is no longer interested.
This is not a 60-day promise of move-in, and don't count on an extension; any flexibility comes from the state's current policy or a formally declared emergency.
What Beta is doing meanwhile
Your Beta care coordinator is working on four things.
- Assessment and care plan. A nurse assesses whether the person needs the level of care a nursing home gives, and we build the care plan (the ISP) with you. Understand the assessment
- Finding a home. We help you find homes that take ALW and share the assessment with the ones you pick, with your permission. A home may say no, be full, or need more information. Search participating facilities
- The document package. Medi-Cal proof, the assessment and care plan, state forms, the home's physician report. Open the document guide
- The money conversation. The monthly room-and-board amount, what the person keeps for personal needs, and any extra charges. See current costs and room and board
Tell us right away if…
Some changes can stop the clock or cost the slot: a hospital stay, Medi-Cal going inactive, a change of representative, or the person changing their mind. Full list: after enrollment page.
Once the state approves enrollment and the home confirms admission, use the move-day checklist on the nursing-home transition page.
Sharing information safely
If a call about a slot doesn't feel right, hang up and call the number on our Contact page. Please don't send medical records or ID numbers by ordinary email; we'll give you a secure way to send them.
Your next step
Contact us as soon as you've read this, then start on the week-one list.
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.