Does the waiver pay room and board?

Ask DHCS and the care coordination agency what the waiver bills versus what the person still pays for room and board. Do not assume the monthly community fee disappears.

Is ALW the same as IHSS?

No. IHSS is in-home help in a person’s own home. The waiver is a residential alternative with its own sites and capacity.

How long is the wait list?

Capacity is limited and local. This site does not publish a live slot count or a wait time. Ask the current care coordination agency.

GlossaryWaivers

Waivers

What is the Medi-Cal Assisted Living Waiver?

Updated September 16, 2026. Reviewed September 16, 2026 against public CDSS, DHCS, Medicare.gov, VA, and CareScout 2025 California tables. County wages, hours, and wait times still change. Official .gov pages decide.

California’s Assisted Living Waiver is a DHCS home-and-community-based option that may cover some assisted living services at participating sites. Slots and wait lists are limited.

Based on public CDSS, DHCS, Medicare.gov, VA, and California Department of Insurance pages retrieved 2026-09-16. County, Medi-Cal, Medicare, VA, and insurer staff decide what actually pays. Hourly rates, hour totals, waiver slots, and wait times are local and change.

Short answer

The Assisted Living Waiver is a Department of Health Care Services home-and-community-based alternative that may cover some assisted living or similar residential services for eligible Medi-Cal members at participating sites. Ordinary Medi-Cal does not automatically pay community rent. Eligibility, a participating site, and an available slot all have to line up. DHCS and the care coordination agency decide.

Who decides

DHCS administers the waiver. Care coordination agencies and participating sites enroll people under DHCS rules. County Medi-Cal staff decide Medi-Cal eligibility. This site does not award a slot.

What to do next

Read the DHCS Assisted Living Waiver page and the longer California Home Help ALW guide. Ask whether a named community participates. Keep IHSS in view if the person could still live at home.

Three facts have to be true

Someone has to be eligible, a site has to participate, and a slot has to exist. Those facts are local and they change. The deep ALW guide walks the eligibility path, wait-list reality, and room-and-board questions without inventing a wait time.

IHSS usually ends when own home ends

CDSS does not treat a licensed community care facility as the person’s own home for IHSS. Ask the county before you give notice on the house. Care-path can help name the setting.

Questions people ask

Does the waiver pay room and board?: Ask DHCS and the care coordination agency what the waiver bills versus what the person still pays for room and board. Do not assume the monthly community fee disappears.
Is ALW the same as IHSS?: No. IHSS is in-home help in a person’s own home. The waiver is a residential alternative with its own sites and capacity.
How long is the wait list?: Capacity is limited and local. This site does not publish a live slot count or a wait time. Ask the current care coordination agency.

Official sources for this page

Official program pages: CDSS: In-Home Supportive Services, CDSS: IHSS for children, County IHSS offices, CDSS: IHSS providers, CDSS: county IHSS wage rates, CDSS: provider orientation, CDSS: Electronic Visit Verification, CDSS: Electronic Services Portal, DHCS: Medi-Cal, Apply for Medi-Cal, BenefitsCal, CDSS: hearing requests, CDSS: forms catalog, CDSS: IHSS overtime and workweek, DDS: regional centers.