Project Description
The Assisted Living Waiver Pilot Project (ALWPP) is the Medi-Cal program that pays for Assisted Living, care coordination and other specified benefits provided to eligible seniors and persons with disabilities who reside in one of the Project’s three target counties: Sacramento, San Joaquin and Los Angeles.
- In the first model, Assisted Living services are provided to participants who reside in Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs). In this model, services are delivered by the RCFE staff.
- In the second model, Assisted Living services are provided to participants who reside in publicly subsidized housing. In this model, services are delivered by Home Health Agency staff.
ALWPP-eligible individuals are those who are enrolled in Medi-Cal and need the level of care provided in a nursing facility. If the individual meets both the financial and health/functional requirements of the project, then she or he can choose to enroll in the ALWPP as an alternative to receiving nursing home care.
To begin the process of enrolling in the ALWPP, interested individuals should contact a Care Coordinator in one of the three participating counties. The Care Coordinator determines if the individual is eligible for the program.
History of the ALWPP
The ALWPP was created by legislation that directed the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to develop and implement the project. A key goal of the pilot project is to enable low-income, Medi-Cal eligible seniors and persons with disabilities, who would otherwise require nursing facility services, to remain in or relocate to the community.
The Department of Health Care Services will both oversee the delivery of assisted living services and determine whether those service are being provided cost-effectively and in a manner that assures the safety and well-being of consumers.
NCB Capital Impact (formerly NCB Development Corporation), a nonprofit organization with extensive experience and expertise in the development of affordable assisted living across the nation, was selected by DHCS as its contracted consultant to help develop and implement the ALWPP.
