Seniors who need ongoing assistance with everyday activities sometimes find the cost of an assisted living community is more than they can afford. Fortunately, if other resources aren’t available, such as private long-term care insurance, Arizona has programs that can make this type of care more accessible to those who qualify — programs such as ALTCS.
What Is ALTCS?
ALTCS (pronounced ALL-tecs) is a health insurance program within Arizona’s main Medicaid program, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), that’s specifically for long-term care services. Through ALTCS, Arizona residents who don’t have the financial resources to pay for assisted living on their own may be eligible for assistance from the state.
What does ALTCS stand for? The acronym is short for Arizona Long Term Care System.
ALTCS has contracts with these health insurance plans to provide covered services:
- Banner-University Family Care
- Mercy Care Plan
- UnitedHealthcare Community Plan
Like other health insurance plans, the health plans contracted with ALTCS have their own provider networks consisting of hospitals, physicians, and other medical professionals and services. They also have contracts with assisted living communities throughout the state.
What Does ALTCS Cover?
In addition to the medical services AHCCCS covers, ALTCS benefits and services include:
- Adult day care health services
- Assisted living facility
- Attendant care (assistance with personal care tasks, as well as light housekeeping, meal preparation, and transportation)
- Case management
- Dental services (limited to $1,000 per year)
- Home-delivered meals
- Home health services (such as home health aide, nursing, and therapy)
- Hospice
- Nursing facility
How Much Does ALTCS Pay for Assisted Living?
The amount ALTCS contributes toward the cost of residing in an assisted living community is determined by the contract ALTCS has with a specific assisted living community.
Not all assisted living communities have a contract with ALTCS, so you need to ask any communities you’re interested in whether they accept ALTCS.
Eligibility Requirements for ALTCS Arizona Long-Term Care
To qualify for ALTCS, you must be a resident of Arizona and a U.S. citizen. You must also be at least 65 years old, blind, or disabled. The program has two additional types of eligibility requirements: financial and medical.
ALTCS medical qualifiers are similar to eligibility requirements for assisted living communities. These include but are not limited to:
- Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia
- Challenges performing activities of daily living (such as bathing, dressing, getting in and out of bed, and moving around the home)
- Difficulty preparing meals and eating
- Limitations that make it difficult to maintain the home
Medical records supporting these physical or cognitive limitations will facilitate the ALTCS application process and increase the chances of approval.
ALTCS financial requirements are stringent because the program is funded by Medicaid — in other words, by Arizona and the federal government. The program’s funds are limited, so they are allocated to those who need them most.
Income limits:
The income cap to be eligible for ALTCS is updated annually. For 2025, the maximum gross monthly income a senior can have to be eligible for ALTCS is $2,901. That’s before deductions are made for Social Security premiums or taxes on pensions. For a couple, the monthly income cap is $5,802.
Note: If your monthly income exceeds the ALTCS limit, there may be options you can take advantage of, such as an income-only trust (also called a Miller Trust), that would enable you to meet the ALTCS financial requirements.
Asset limits:
The ALTCS program limits cash assets to $2,000 (or $4,000 for a couple). Other types of assets would likely be counted as resources that could be converted to cash and would be included in that $2,000 limit, such as:
- Life insurance policies (other than those for burial expenses)
- Property other than the home you live in
- Retirement funds (IRAs, 401ks, etc.)
- Stocks, bonds, and similar investments
Your dwelling, one vehicle, personal effects, and household items are usually considered exempt assets.
How Long Does It Take To Get Approved for ALTCS?
Once an application has been submitted, it generally takes between 45 and 90 days to be processed. In some cases, an application may be approved more quickly. If an option like a Miller Trust is involved, it could take longer than 90 days to process the application.
Because both types of eligibility requirements must be met, and because the application can be complicated, there’s a fairly high rate of denials. The good news is you can get professional assistance with completing the application, and you can reapply after a certain amount of time has passed (usually 30 days) if you’re not approved the first time.
Two caseworkers are involved in the approval process — one who determines medical eligibility and one who determines financial eligibility. The interview for medical eligibility is usually conducted by a registered nurse or social worker in the applicant’s home; it is not a medical exam.
Does Medicare Cover Assisted Living?
Although in certain circumstances Medicare will pay for limited stays in a rehabilitation or skilled nursing facility, it does not cover assisted living. Stays that are covered by Medicare are typically limited to a maximum of 100 days per year.
Note: Veterans and their spouses may be eligible for long-term care benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs in addition to those available through ALTCS.
Does ALTCS Pay for Memory Care?
In general, the same ALTCS guidelines that apply to assisted living also apply to memory care.
Assisted Living and Memory Care at Park Senior Villas
The continuum of care Park Senior Villas offers in each of our four Arizona locations includes both assisted living and memory care, in addition to behavioral care and respite care for caregivers.
All residents at Park Senior Villas benefit from:
- Personalized care plans developed with input from their families and physicians
- A variety of activities designed to encourage engagement at whatever level is appropriate for each resident
- Delicious, wholesome meals prepared in the kitchen at each villa and served family style to promote social interaction (residents can eat in their rooms if they prefer)
- Plenty of family involvement, not just at special events but in regular, everyday activities, too
- Low resident-to-caregiver ratios for both assisted living and memory care
Contact us to learn more about the affordable senior care options available at Park Senior Villas. We’ll gladly set up a time for you to visit any of our four locations.
