The monthly waitlist series
The month-by-month counts come from the DHCS enrollment and waitlist file. Each row is copied from the DHCS PDF. The series runs from January 2019 to March 2026. All months were re-read from the file on October 15, 2026.
Nothing is estimated. If DHCS did not publish a count for a month, the month stays empty. The counts are statewide.
A note on the DHCS page, as read on November 4, 2026: its link labelled "through April 2026" opens the monthly dashboard of a different program, the HCBA waiver, not an ALW file. The newest ALW file Beta has found ends in March 2026. If you find a newer ALW file, email info@alwbeta.com.
- California DHCS, ALW Year to Date Enrollment and Waitlist, January 2019 through March 2026 (PDF, uploaded July 2026) ↗
- California DHCS, ALW Enrollment and Waitlist (PDF) ↗
- DHCS, earlier enrollment and waitlist file (2019 to 2024) ↗
See the series, the chart and the downloads.
The Senate hearing figures
On August 12, 2026, DHCS gave newer counts at a hearing of the California Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 3 on Health and Human Services: 17,886 people on the ALW waitlist and 14,495 enrolled. Beta read the transcript on October 16, 2026.
These are a separate source. They are not added to the monthly series, the chart or the downloads. A wait of about two years mentioned at the hearing was for a different program, the HCBA waiver, so this site does not use it for ALW.
Read the hearing transcript ↗ Read what DHCS told the Senate.
County figures
DHCS does not publish waitlist counts by county. The county pages count what the state does list by county:
- Homes: the DHCS list of participating ALW facilities ↗, checked September 18, 2026.
- License details for those homes: the CDSS Community Care Licensing record ↗, file of October 17, 2026.
- Agencies: the DHCS list of Care Coordination Agencies ↗, read October 20, 2026.
How figures are updated
Each data page shows the date its figures were last checked. Beta does not promise a schedule. When DHCS posts a newer file, the new months are copied from that file, and the page shows the new date and the file's address. Program updates are dated posts and are listed on program updates.
Corrections
If a figure does not match its source, email info@alwbeta.com. We check it against the source. If the page is wrong, we fix it and record the fix on the corrections page.
Licence
You may reuse the waitlist series and the facility roster with attribution, under CC BY 4.0 ↗. The figures are DHCS's. Please also name DHCS as the source.
How to cite
The monthly series:
ALW waitlist tracker, Beta, from DHCS enrollment and waitlist files, alwbeta.com/data/waitlist
The hearing figures (cite the hearing, not this site):
California Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 3 on Health and Human Services, hearing of August 12, 2026, transcript, https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279907
Please add the date you read the page.