ALTCS (Arizona Long Term Care System)

Medicaid – ALTCS

ALTCS (pronounced ALTECS) is an acronym for the Arizona Long Term Care System. ALTCS is a branch of Arizona’s Medicaid Program that covers long term health care and living for qualifying individuals.

The application and approval process typically takes between 60 and 90 days. The following general process is how the ALTCS application process works:

1. Applicant applies for ALTCS.
2. Eligibility Review: medical and financial.
   • Medical Requirements: The applicant is needing any hands-on care to perform daily common activities such as dressing, bathing, toileting, eating, or mobility.
   • Financial Requirements: These requirements can be difficult to understand and do often require assistance in planning and preparation to protect assets. The applicant must also remain under a certain income limit.
3. If the applicant is approved, a program contractor must be selected. A program contractor is an insurance company that is contracted by the State of Arizona to coordinate and provide the ALTCS services. There are 3 program contractors:
   • Banner University Family Care
   • United Healthcare Community Plan
   • Mercy Care Plan
4. The applicant moves into Heritage Lane and residency is paid for by the chosen program contractor.

ALTCS Cost

The process for determining cost under the ALTCS program is complicated and not something Heritage Lane has any influence over. It is the Arizona State Government that sets the financial criteria and requirements. The basics of this costing structure is explained below:

Resident Responsibility = Monthly Social Security (minus) approved deductions (minus) $110
$110 is kept for monthly miscellaneous spending and called “personal needs allowance”

The remainder of rent to Heritage Lane is then compensated by the program contractor (click to learn more) which is the insurance company contracted with the State of Arizona who manages the high-level care of the resident.

ALTCS Eligibility:

The Arizona Long Term Care program is for seniors and disabled individuals that need long term care. There are two components to the application. The first is a financial assessment, determining whether or not the applicant can afford to pay for necessary care on their own. The second component is the functional and medical assessment, which determines whether a person is truly in need of long term care. Total need is determined by points with a successful application scoring 60 points or higher.