ALW application: what to have ready

There is no single application form for California's Assisted Living Waiver (ALW). You apply through a Care Coordination Agency, the state-listed organization that fills in the state's forms with you and sends your waitlist request to the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Beta is one of those agencies. Applying does not decide eligibility, hold a place on the waitlist or pick a home.

Have these nearby

Leave out anything you do not know. A coordinator fills in the rest with you on the phone.

The county where the person wants to live
Their Medi-Cal type. ALW needs full scope with no monthly share of cost, and the county's eligibility notice shows which they have
Their date of birth, phone number and address
Where they live now, and since when if it is a hospital or nursing home
Who can make decisions with or for them, and that person's phone number
An email address you can open, if you apply online; the one-time code goes there

Do not send a Social Security number or medical records by ordinary email.

Three ways to apply with Beta

Online: alwbeta.com/apply/online. Fill it in, save it as you go and sign it on Beta's secure portal, at no charge.
By phone: (747) 293-5777, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. A coordinator fills it in with you.
Callback: alwbeta.com/callback. Leave a name and number and a coordinator calls you within 24 hours, Monday to Friday.

What happens after

A coordinator calls you within 24 hours, Monday to Friday, to fill in anything missing.
Beta screens the waitlist request within 7 calendar days and sends it to DHCS. You get written confirmation within 3 calendar days after screening.
DHCS keeps one waitlist and releases openings in priority order. No agency can move anyone up or promise a date.
When an opening is released, Beta arranges the nurse assessment, the care plan, the choice of home and the enrollment paperwork with you.

You may choose any Care Coordination Agency listed by DHCS and any assisted-living home on the state's ALW list.

Sources

The current version of this page is at alwbeta.com/resources/alw-application-checklist.