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New York's Assisted Living Program (ALP), Explained

ALP is Medicaid-funded care inside a qualifying Adult Home or Enriched Housing setting -- not a freestanding HCBS waiver, and not room and board.

HomeState RulesNew York's Assisted Living Program (ALP), Explained
Short answer

New York's Assisted Living Program (ALP), governed by 18 NYCRR Part 494, pays for care services -- personal care, home health aides, nursing, therapy, medical supplies, adult day health care and RN case management -- inside a qualifying Adult Home or Enriched Housing Program setting. It is administered through NYSDOH and the facility's own Medicaid enrollment, not a separate application process like a standalone waiver.

What it covers

Personal care, room and board, housekeeping, home health aides, personal emergency response systems, nursing, physical/occupational/speech therapy, medical supplies, adult day health care, and RN case management -- delivered inside the licensed facility.

Whether a specific community offers it

Not every Adult Care Facility offers ALP, and ALP capacity within a participating community can be limited. Ask directly: does this community hold an ALP agreement, and is a bed currently available under it?

Questions families ask

What are New York's 2026 spousal impoverishment protections?

For 2026, New York's Community Spouse Resource Allowance runs from a state minimum of $74,820 up to a federal maximum of $162,660 (the community spouse keeps the greater of the state minimum or half of countable resources, up to the federal max), with a Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance of $4,066.50/month, per NYSDOH GIS 26 MA/03.

What is the NYC-region MLTC special income standard, and does it apply to Staten Island?

Yes -- the NYC-region MLTC special income standard for housing expenses is $1,790/month, effective January 1, 2026, per NYSDOH GIS 26 MA/03. This applies to Staten Island because Richmond County is part of the New York City region for MLTC purposes, distinct from Long Island's separate $1,701 figure.

What does assisted living cost on Staten Island?

There is no published Staten Island-specific figure. The 2025 CareScout Cost of Care Survey publishes a New York STATE median of $7,110/month for a private one-bedroom assisted living unit -- a statewide figure, not a New York City or Staten Island number, and local pricing in the city likely runs higher.

What does a nursing home cost in New York State?

The 2025 CareScout Cost of Care Survey puts New York's semi-private nursing home room at $15,528/month ($511/day) and a private room at $16,729/month ($550/day) -- state medians, not Staten Island or New York City-specific figures.

Is there a published memory care cost figure for New York?

No. The CareScout Cost of Care Survey does not survey memory care as a separate pricing category, in any state, in any year. Any memory care price quoted online is an estimate, a self-reported average, or an extrapolation from assisted living data -- not a genuine survey figure.

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