DHCS to the Senate on the ALW waitlist, August 2026

What changed

On August 12, 2026, the California Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 3 on Health and Human Services held a hearing. Tyler Sadwith of the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) gave these figures for the Assisted Living Waiver (ALW):

In his words, the "average length to enrollment for the institutional transition population is eleven to twelve months." Read the hearing transcript ↗.

The hearing also mentioned a wait of about two years. That figure was for people applying from the community to the HCBA waiver, a different Medi-Cal program. It is not an ALW figure.

These are the figures as DHCS stated them at the hearing. They do not come from the DHCS monthly enrollment and waitlist file, so Beta keeps them apart from the monthly series. When Beta checked on October 16, 2026, that file still ended at March 2026, with 15,910 people waiting and 14,831 enrolled.

Who it affects

Anyone on the waitlist or thinking about applying, and the professionals who advise them.

What it means for your family

• If your family member is moving out of a nursing home or other institution, DHCS's average was 11 to 12 months to enroll.
• If Adult Protective Services or the Long-Term Care Ombudsman made a referral, the average was 3 to 4 months.
• If you are applying from home, DHCS gave no ALW average. Community requests get openings only when some remain after the priority groups.
• An average is not a promise. Some people wait less and some wait longer.

What to do

You cannot shorten the wait, but you can be ready when your turn comes. Keep Medi-Cal active, keep your contact details current with your agency, and answer its calls. Read how the waitlist works and who goes first. See every month of DHCS waitlist counts.