Committee approves SB 433 to limit room-and-board charges for Medi‑Cal assisted‑living waiver participants

The Assembly Aging and Long-Term Care Committee voted to pass SB 433 by Senator Ruh-Sah Wahab to establish an income-based cap on residential care facility room-and-board charges for participants in the Medi‑Cal assisted living waiver and CalAIM assisted living facility transitions community support programs.

The measure, as presented by Senator Wahab, would cross-reference an existing waiver provision so that Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and the Department of Social Services (CDSS) can apply protections that preserve a $179 personal needs allowance for eligible program participants in 2025.

Supporters told the committee the change is intended to prevent displacement of low-income Medi‑Cal beneficiaries who live in licensed residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs). "Imagine living for a whole month on $179," said Hagar Dickman, director of long‑term services and supports advocacy for Justice in Aging, during her testimony in support. Dickman and other sponsors said some assisted‑living providers have increased private room‑and‑board charges for non‑SSI Medi‑Cal participants to levels…