The Assisted Living Waiver, explained
The Assisted Living Waiver (ALW) is a Medi-Cal program, run by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), that pays for the care portion of assisted living so eligible people can live in a licensed care home instead of a nursing facility. On the DHCS participant list on file with Covelight Care (July 17, 2026), 934 currently licensed homes participate statewide, across 16 counties — led by Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside.
What does the ALW actually pay for?
The waiver pays participating homes for care and services — help with bathing, dressing, medications, and supervision — that the resident would otherwise receive in a nursing facility. It does not pay rent: room and board remain the resident’s responsibility. For SSI recipients, California’s 2026 board-and-care payment standard is $1,626.07 per month, of which $1,444.07 is the room-and-board portion paid to the home (CDSS SSI/SSP rates, effective January 2026).
Who is eligible for the ALW?
Three tests, all set by DHCS (dhcs.ca.gov, Assisted Living Waiver program materials): you must be 21 or older, be enrolled in Medi-Cal, and be assessed as needing a nursing-facility level of care — the same care level that would qualify you for a Medicaid nursing-home bed. You must also be willing to live in a participating home in a county where the waiver operates; the current counties are listed below.
Which counties have ALW homes?
The waiver operates only in a limited set of counties. Cross-checking the DHCS participant list against the state licensing roster on file with us (July 17, 2026), 934 currently licensed participating homes appear in 16 counties, led by Los Angeles (314 homes), Orange (159), and Riverside (105). If your county is not in the table below, the state’s current participant list shows no ALW homes there.
| County | Licensed ALW homes | |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 314 | See the homes |
| Orange | 159 | See the homes |
| Riverside | 105 | See the homes |
| San Diego | 73 | See the homes |
| Fresno | 65 | See the homes |
| Sacramento | 64 | See the homes |
| San Bernardino | 57 | See the homes |
| Contra Costa | 24 | See the homes |
| Kern | 23 | See the homes |
| Alameda | 21 | See the homes |
| San Joaquin | 9 | See the homes |
| Sonoma | 7 | See the homes |
| San Mateo | 5 | See the homes |
| Santa Clara | 4 | See the homes |
| San Francisco | 3 | See the homes |
| Solano | 1 | See the homes |
For the statewide picture — every participating home, grouped by county — see assisted living on Medi-Cal in California.
How do I apply?
You enroll through a DHCS-approved Care Coordination Agency (CCA), not directly with facilities. The CCA verifies your Medi-Cal enrollment, performs the level-of-care assessment, builds your care plan, and submits the enrollment paperwork to DHCS. Start at the DHCS Assisted Living Waiver page, which lists the CCAs serving each waiver county, or ask a hospital discharge planner to connect you (DHCS program materials, dhcs.ca.gov).
- Confirm you are enrolled in Medi-Cal (or apply through your county first).
- Contact a Care Coordination Agency for your county — listed on the DHCS Assisted Living Waiver page.
- Complete the in-person level-of-care assessment and care plan with the CCA.
- Choose a participating home — browse them by county on our ALW hub; every facility page shows participation with the DHCS source and date.
- Move in once DHCS approves the enrollment.
How do I find a participating home near me?
Every facility page on this site states whether the home appears on the DHCS participant list, with the source and as-of date shown; homes that don’t appear are marked “not on file,” never “no.” Browse all 934 participating homes by county, open your county’s Medi-Cal page from the table above, or search any home by name or license number (July 17, 2026 roster).