Congregate Living Health Facility (CLHF)
Initial Application Packet
A State license is required to operate as a Congregate Living Health Facility (CLHF) in California. A CLHF means a residential home with a capacity of no more than 18 beds (except a facility operated by a city and county for the purposes of delivering services may have a capacity of 59 beds), that provides inpatient care, including the following basic services: medical supervision, 24-hour skilled nursing and supportive care, pharmacy, dietary, social, recreational, and at least one type of the following services:
- (A) Services for persons who are mentally alert, persons with physical disabilities, who may be ventilator dependent.
- (B) Services for persons who have a diagnosis of terminal illness, a diagnosis of a life-threatening illness, or both. Terminal illness means the individual has a life expectancy of six months or less as stated in writing by his or her attending physician and surgeon. A "life-threatening illness" means the individual has an illness that can lead to a possibility of a termination of life within five years or less as stated in writing by his or her attending physician and surgeon.
- (C) Services for persons who are catastrophically and severely disabled. A person who is catastrophically and severely disabled means a person whose origin of disability was acquired through trauma or nondegenerative neurologic illness, for whom it has been determined that active rehabilitation would be beneficial and to whom these services are being provided. Services offered by a congregate living health facility to a person who is catastrophically disabled shall include, but not be limited to, speech, physical, and occupational therapy.
The primary need of congregate living health facility residents shall be for availability of skilled nursing care on a recurring, intermittent, extended, or continuous basis. This care is generally less intense than that provided in general acute care hospitals but more intense than that provided in skilled nursing facilities, pursuant to Health and Safety Code (HSC), section 1250.
CLHF standards are found in HSC section 1267.13. In addition to these standards, CLHFs are required to conform to the Title 22 California Code of Regulations (CCR), Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) regulations, except for those sections or portions of sections specified in HSC section 1267.13(n). The requirements in subsection 1267.13(n) were determined to be specific to SNFs; therefore, a CLHF is exempt from compliance with these sections.
To apply for an Initial license, you must complete the required application packet.
How to Apply
An applicant must submit a completed application packet to the Centralized Applications Branch (CAB). The application packet contains the required forms in one location. The provider checklist identifies the required forms and supporting documents needed to apply for licensing and certification. The provider instructions are a resource to guide you through the process. The Sample Application Packet is a visual aid that displays a sample of the completed forms contained in the application packet.
Please refer to the following links to get started:
Where to Submit Applications
Submit completed application packets to the CAB at the address listed below. Do not send any completed application packets, forms, or supporting documents to the local CDPH, District Office.
California Department of Public Health
Licensing and Certification Program
Centralized Applications Branch
P.O. Box 997377, MS 3207
Sacramento, CA 95899-7377