ALW guide
Already in assisted living? How ALW may help with the cost of care
Already paying privately for assisted living? ALW may cover care services going forward. What it does and does not pay, and how to check.
If your family member lives in an assisted-living home and pays privately, the Assisted Living Waiver (ALW) may help with the cost of care. ALW pays for care services for people enrolled in the program. It does not pay room and board (the room and meals). Four things have to be true: the person meets the six ALW requirements, the state releases an opening (the state calls it a slot) to them, the home takes ALW, and it can meet the person's needs.
Important: Living in the home already doesn't create eligibility, an opening, a yes from the home or a payment, and Beta can't promise any of the four.
How the bill changes
ALW pays the home for the care services in the person's care plan. The person still pays the home each month for room and board. The state sets that amount only for residents on SSI/SSP. See current costs and room and board.
Before anything changes, get the start date, the covered services, the new monthly amount and any extra charges from the home in writing.
Does the home take ALW?
Check this first. See homes on the state list, then ask the administrator: "Are you enrolled in ALW right now?" and "Are you taking new ALW residents?" Being on the state's list is not an open bed, an admission or a care fit. A home applies to the state, which decides whether to enroll it. Working with Beta doesn't enroll a home.
Does the person qualify?
All six ALW requirements still apply. Read the six requirements. Not sure about Medi-Cal? How to check. The steps are the same as for anyone else: how to apply for ALW.
The waitlist still applies
Beta's ALW team asks the state to add the person to the waitlist in the group that matches their situation. Under current state policy, first priority goes to people in a nursing facility or other institutional setting for at least 60 days when the waitlist request is submitted. An assisted-living home is not that kind of setting. What happens when an opening is released.
Who does what
Here is who does each part when a current resident applies.
| Task | The home | Beta (your Care Coordination Agency) |
|---|---|---|
| Confirm the home takes ALW and can meet the person's needs | Answers both questions | Checks the state's list with you |
| Waitlist request, nurse assessment and care plan (the Individualized Service Plan, or ISP) | Shares records | Does all three with you |
| The state's checklist for a current resident (DHCS form 1331) | Completes its forms | Sends the package to the state |
DHCS form 1331 names the Assessment Tool, the ISP, the physician report (602/602A), the 603 form, and the Freedom of Choice, Amenity and Patient's Rights forms. Its two timing rules: the Assessment Tool goes to the state within 45 days of the nurse's signature, and the ISP within 10 days of the completed assessment.
If the home can't take ALW, or can't meet the needs
You can move to another home that takes ALW, keep paying privately, or look at other programs. The what if ALW doesn't fit page compares them. Asking about ALW doesn't commit you to staying.
If the money is running down and the waitlist hasn't moved
Tell Beta's ALW team early. No one can say when the person's turn will come. Keep the application ready with the waitlist readiness checklist. If the money will run out first, the what if ALW doesn't fit page compares the other programs, and ask the home in writing what happens to the person's place.
Tell us where the person lives and how care is paid for. We'll tell you what ALW could change.
Applying asks Beta to be your Care Coordination Agency. The state decides eligibility and releases openings.
About this informationReviewed August 27, 2026. Program details may change. View official sources and page limitations.
Written by Beta's ALW team and reviewed by Sergio B., Program Coordinator, against the official sources this page lists; facts checked through August 27, 2026. Where this page and an official source differ, the source controls.
This page gives general California ALW information. DHCS decides eligibility after the nurse assessment and releases openings. Each home decides its own admissions. Nothing here is an eligibility decision or a promise of enrollment, and it does not guarantee a place in a home. You may choose any Care Coordination Agency listed by DHCS and any participating home.
Something out of date? Tell Beta's ALW team.