Assisted Living Waiver
How the ALW waitlist works, and what you can do while you wait
Yes, California's Assisted Living Waiver has a waitlist. Who goes first, what happens when an opening is released, and how to stay ready while you wait.
Current wait, as DHCS last stated it
Average time to enroll, by group, as the Department of Health Care Services told the California Senate on August 12, 2026.
- 11–12months on averageMoving out of a nursing facility or other institution
- 3–4months on averageReferred by Adult Protective Services or the Long-Term Care Ombudsman
- No averageDHCS gave no figureApplying from home. What decides the wait from home
Averages, not promises. Beta last checked DHCS's ALW page and enrollment dashboard for a newer figure on October 16, 2026 and found none; this block changes the day one appears. How the figures are read.
The average wait to enroll in the Assisted Living Waiver (ALW) is 11 to 12 months for people moving out of a nursing facility or other institution, and 3 to 4 months for people referred by Adult Protective Services (APS) or the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, according to what the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) told a California Senate hearing on August 12, 2026. Everyone else waits longer, and DHCS releases openings in its priority order.
DHCS gave no ALW average for people applying from the community, and an average is not a promise for any one person. DHCS keeps one master waitlist and releases openings in priority order. People with at least 60 days in a nursing facility or other institutional setting come first. Next come people with an APS referral, then people with a Long-Term Care Ombudsman referral, then everyone else.
How long is the wait?
DHCS gave these averages to the California Senate on August 12, 2026. They are the average time to enroll, by group.
| Group | Average time to enroll, as DHCS stated it |
|---|---|
| People moving out of a nursing facility or other institution | 11 to 12 months |
| People referred by APS or the Long-Term Care Ombudsman | 3 to 4 months |
| People applying from the community | DHCS gave no ALW figure |
At the same hearing, DHCS said 17,886 people were on the ALW waitlist and 14,495 were enrolled. Read the hearing transcript, or read what DHCS told the Senate. See every month of DHCS waitlist counts.
These are averages, not promises. One person's wait depends on their priority group, how many people are ahead of them, how much capacity the state releases, and whether they are ready when their turn comes. Beta's ALW team can tell you what stage you're in. We can't tell you a date.
Important: The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) keeps the master ALW waitlist and controls when openings (the state calls them slots) are released to Care Coordination Agencies. A slot is not a bed: getting a slot doesn't mean a particular home has a room or will admit you. Beta can screen your request and keep your case ready; Beta cannot create a slot, change the state's priority rules, promise a release date, or guarantee approval or placement.
How long if you apply from home?
DHCS has given no average for people who apply from the community, so this page does not state one. What is known: DHCS releases openings in priority order, and its current policy letter sets each release at 50% to people leaving an institution, 25% to APS referrals and 25% to Ombudsman referrals, with community requests filled only when openings remain. Within the community group, requests are filled in the order DHCS received them, so the date a request is placed matters. The wait then depends on how many people are ahead, how much capacity DHCS releases, and whether the person is ready when a slot is offered. The two things a person can do are to be placed on the list now and to stay ready. Beta's ALW team can say what stage a request is in; nobody can give a date.
Who goes first?
DHCS ALW Policy Letter 24-002 (dated October 7, 2024) lists the priority groups in this order:
| Order | Who |
|---|---|
| 1 | People who have been in a nursing facility (a nursing home) or other institutional setting for at least 60 days when the waitlist request is submitted |
| 2 | People whose urgent need is documented by Adult Protective Services (APS) |
| 3 | People whose urgent need is documented by the Long-Term Care Ombudsman |
| 4 | Everyone else living in the community, in the order their requests were received |
The same letter sets the split for each release: 50% of openings to the institutional group, 25% to APS referrals and 25% to Ombudsman referrals. Community requests get openings only when some remain. Those shares can change. Policy Letter 26-001 (June 22, 2026) limits Ombudsman referrals to nursing-facility residents who meet its criteria.
A genuine APS or Ombudsman referral places a person in a priority group, but it is not a shortcut anyone can request, and this website cannot tell you which group you're in. That takes a person reviewing your situation. Being in a priority group is also not the same as being eligible: you still have to meet all six requirements when your turn comes.
What happens after you ask to be added
Your Care Coordination Agency (CCA) is the state-listed organization that does the ALW paperwork with you. Beta is one. Once the agency receives your request, DHCS policy requires it to screen your request within seven calendar days. It must then confirm in writing within three calendar days after screening. Those deadlines cover the screening and the letter, not a slot or approval.
What happens when your opening is released
When DHCS tells your agency an opening is available, the clock starts. Current policy generally gives the agency 60 days from that date to submit a complete application or tell DHCS you're no longer interested. In that window you confirm Medi-Cal, do the nurse assessment and the care plan (the Individualized Service Plan, or ISP), choose a home, and sign the forms. Read what happens after a slot opens.
How to stay ready
Most of the wait is out of your hands. These things are in yours.
- Keep your contact details, and your representative's, current with your agency, and answer its calls and letters promptly.
- Keep Medi-Cal active and sort out any share-of-cost problem now.
- Tell your agency if the person enters or leaves a nursing home or hospital, or if health or safety changes.
- Keep ID, Medi-Cal and care records in one folder.
- Know how the room and board will be paid, since ALW does not cover it.
Use the waitlist readiness checklist for the full list.
If we can't reach you after your opening is released, one missed call does not cost you the opening by itself. Before closing your request for no contact, current policy requires the agency to make at least three attempts: once a week over three weeks, at different times and on different days. Even so, call back when you see a missed call.
A note for Orange County
A temporary emergency rule change (an "Appendix K" amendment) runs from May 21, 2026 to May 21, 2027. It applies only to ALW applicants and participants affected by the Orange County chemical-spill emergency, and it is not the normal process. See what's changed in ALW.
Request a callback. A coordinator calls you back to talk through your waitlist request and what comes next.
About this informationUpdated October 27, 2026. Reviewed 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.