Assisted Living Waiver Applicant Types

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A community applicant is an individual residing in the community, which includes various applicant types such as those currently in an assisted living facility, at home, or homeless. These applicants have the lowest priority for waitlist releases, and the waitlist time for these types of applicants is currently anticipated to be a minimum of 24 - 36 months for the assisted living waiver.

An Adult Protective Services (APS) applicant is typically a community applicant, as APS generally does not open a case for individuals in a facility setting. These applicant types may have an open APS case for various reasons, including self-neglect, which refers to the inability to care for oneself, such as mismanaging medications. To explore the possibility of opening an APS case, you should contact your local APS office. Notably, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) gives higher priority on the waitlist for these types of applicants, meaning the waitlist time for the assisted living waiver is usually between 1-2 months.

An institutional applicant is a person who is residing in a skilled nursing facility, hospital, or other medical settings, but it's important to note that assisted living or memory care does not qualify as a medical setting. To be classified as this type of applicant, the individual must be in the medical setting for at least 60 consecutive days. The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) gives priority on the waitlist to these applicant types, which typically results in a waitlist time of about 10-12 months, especially for those seeking the assisted living waiver.

An Ombudsman referral applicant is one of the applicant types who has a medical assessment and discharge notice indicating they are eligible for a lower level of care and qualify for the Assisted Living Waiver (ALW) program but cannot afford assisted living. To obtain a referral, you will need to contact the Ombudsman. DHCS prioritizes these applicants on the priority waitlist, which typically results in a wait time of 1-2 months.