Alaska Community Living (ACL) Program

Overview

The Alaska Community Living (ACL) Program provides financial assistance for assisted living home care to eligible adults who require the protective oversight of an assisted living home.

This program is specifically for individuals discharging from the Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API), Adult Mental Health Residential (AMHR), or the Department of Corrections (DOC).

Who qualifies?

The Division of Behavioral Health will pay for a portion of the cost of assisted living care for vulnerable adults. To be eligible, a person must:

• Be a resident of the State of Alaska
• Be 18 years of age or older
• Be discharging from the Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API), Department of Corrections (DOC), Adult Mental Health Residential (AMHR), or other entity, which is reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis
• Assessed for eligibility by the Department of Health (DOH)
• Be receiving services from a Community Behavioral Health Provider
• Have a disability that is attributable to a severe and persistent mental illness, Alzheimer’s or related dementia that significantly impairs functioning and adaptive behavior
• Demonstrate a significant deficit in the daily living skills that are necessary to function without supervision or support and who, without assisted living care is subject to, or at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation by others
• Be eligible for or receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) or be non-resourced
• Have applied for financial assistance from other agencies, organizations, or programs (e.g., waiver services/programs), including Social Security and Adult Public Assistance
• Have exhausted the use of alternative resources

How to sign up

Qualified licensed Assisted Living Home providers can enter into an agreement with the Department of Health to provide eligible adult Alaska residents assisted living home services. Assisted Living Homes are not eligible to bill for services provided to ACL recipients until they have an approved Provider Agreement, beginning on the day it's approved.

Provider agreement and forms

We are currently working to ensure our forms are accessible, if you need assistance while we work through this process please contact: lisa.rosay@alaska.gov

How to use

Range of care 

Assisted living home care provides a range of services beyond room and board but does not include continuous nursing or medical care.

It includes:

• 24-hour supportive and protective services to assist with daily living activities
• General responsibility for the safety and well-being of each resident
• Programs promoting engagement, as outlined in Assisted Living Home statutes (AS 47.33) and regulations (7 AAC 75), encouraging participation in facility and community activities
• Care in a residential setting, supporting independence to the greatest extent possible for each resident

Financial assistance

The ACL program includes financial assistance with a participant contribution based on their countable income. Participants retain $100 of their monthly income as a personal-needs allowance, with the remainder going toward the cost of care. This amount is paid directly to the assisted living home.

The total daily rate for ACL services combines the participant's contribution and the ACL program’s cost-sharing. Providers may not charge participants more than the agreed-upon daily rate (see Rates). 

Applicants must demonstrate that they have explored all other payment options, including using personal resources and applying for Adult Public Assistance.

Rates

The standard daily rate for assisted living home care under the ACL program is $109.32.

Resources