Albany Senior AdvisorWhat is New York's Assisted Living Program?
The Assisted Living Program, created by Social Services Law 461-l and governed by 18 NYCRR Part 494, is a Medicaid-funded package of personal care, home health and case management services delivered in approved beds inside an adult home or enriched housing program.
It exists for people who are medically eligible for nursing home placement but can be served safely in a residential setting. Medicaid pays for the services, while the resident's income, often SSI at the congregate care rate, covers room and board.
Which Albany-area residences have Assisted Living Program beds?
Only residences approved for ALP beds can offer the program, and the Department of Health's quarterly capacity report lists them.
Per the 2026 Q2 capacity report, 15 Capital Region residences hold Assisted Living Program beds, 774 in total: Promenade at University Place (169), The Eliot at Troy, LLC (95), The Pines at Heartwood (86), The Eliot at Catskill (58), Adirondack Manor HFA D.B.A Adirondack Manor HFA ALP (54), Ghent Assisted Living (49), Home Sweet Home on the Hudson (48), Danforth Adult Care Center (42), The Mansion at South Union (40), Marchand at Sharon Springs (36), Argyle Center for Independent Living (35), Home Sweet Home of Athens (24), Camphill Ghent, Inc. (18), Ingersoll Place (10), Judson Meadows (10). ALP beds fill quickly, so ask each residence how long its waiting list runs and whether current private-pay residents get priority when they convert.
Who qualifies for an ALP bed?
An applicant must be medically eligible for nursing home level of care, able to be served safely in the residence, financially eligible for Medicaid, and not in need of continual nursing or bedfast care.
The residence carries out the assessment with its home care partner. People with mild to moderate dementia can qualify if the residence can meet their needs, though an ALP bed is not a secured dementia unit.
How is the ALP different from regular assisted living?
Regular assisted living is private pay for both rent and care, while in an ALP bed Medicaid pays for the care and the resident pays room and board from income, usually at the SSI congregate care level.
The difference matters most when savings run low. A parent already living in a residence with ALP beds may be able to stay; a parent in a residence without them may need to move.
How do Capital Region families get on an ALP waiting list?
Call the residences with ALP beds directly, ask for their admission criteria and waiting list process, and start Medicaid paperwork with the county Department of Social Services at the same time so eligibility is ready when a bed opens.
The county Office for the Aging can also tell you which residences have recently had openings. A local advisor tracks this informally and can save you calls.
Side by side
| The Assisted Living Program | The Assisted Living Program is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Payment | Medicaid pays for services | A Medicaid rent subsidy |
| Where | Approved beds in specific residences | Available in every ALR |
| Who | People who meet nursing home level of care | Open to anyone on Medicaid |
| Dementia | Possible if needs can be met | A secured memory care unit |
Where this page states a rule or a dollar figure, it relies on New York statute or regulation (Social Services Law, Public Health Law, 18 NYCRR and 10 NYCRR), Department of Health GIS messages and directories, CMS, the VA or CareScout, as named in the text. How we source facts: editorial standards.
