9 Assisted Living Communities in Butte County, California

The average cost of assisted living in the county is $4,000 per month. This guide is a starting point covering the cost of assisted living care in the county, as well as financing options to pay for it. You’ll find in-depth information on 9 Assisted Living Communities in Butte County and several in surrounding areas. The Cost of Senior Care in Butte County, CA

• Assisted Living: $4,000
• Nursing Home Care: $8,456
• In-home Care: $4,433
• Adult Day Health Services: $2,134

At an average monthly price of $4,000, the cost of assisted living in Butte County matches the national average and is $500 below the state average. Prices are slightly lower in nearby cities, such as Redding ($3,900) and Yuba City ($3,679), while prices are significantly higher in areas along the Pacific coast, including Santa Rosa ($5,500) and Napa ($5,425). 

Note: Senior care cost data wasn’t available for Butte County, so data for Chico, a city located in Butte County, was used. 

Nursing facility care is usually the most expensive senior care option, and that’s especially true in Butte County where semiprivate nursing home care costs more than double what assisted living does. Both of these services include room and board, however, nursing homes also provide around-the-clock skilled nursing care for medically fragile seniors.  A homemaker service or home health aide costs $4,433 per month, while adult day health services cost $2,134. When weighing the various senior care options, it’s important to recognize that seniors who choose to remain in their own homes must pay for their care in addition to their regular day-to-day expenses. 

Medicaid is a national health plan for low-income individuals who have minimal assets. It’s jointly funded by federal and state governments and includes the following mandatory benefits: 

• Inpatient and outpatient hospital services
• Nursing facility services
• Primary physician care
• X-rays and basic lab tests
• Transportation to Medicaid-funded appointments and services

Medicaid plans are administered at the state level, and each state has the option to provide additional benefits through waivers and special programs that may cover: 

• Eyeglasses and dentures
• Prescription medications
• Case management 
• Speech therapy
• Private duty nursing 
• Hospice care
• Assistance with activities of daily living
• Respiratory therapy
• Additional disease prevention, screening and diagnostic services

California’s Medicaid program is called Medi-Cal. Seniors aged 65 and older who require long-term Medi-Cal coverage must meet income and asset limits as follows:

• $1,242 in monthly income for an individual, or
• $1,682 in monthly income for a couple applying together, and
• A maximum of $2,000 worth of countable assets per person, or 
• A maximum of $3,000 worth of countable assets per couple applying together

Unlike all other states, California excludes an owner-occupied home from Medi-Cal asset calculations, regardless of the assessed value of the home. Also excluded is one vehicle, a prepaid burial contract and most life insurance policies worth $1,500 or less. 

Community Spouse Income and Asset Allowances

When only one spouse (called the institutional spouse) in a married couple requires long-term Medi-Cal services, the income and some assets of the non-applicant, called the community spouse, are protected. The community spouse isn’t expected to contribute money towards their spouse’s care costs. 

The minimum monthly needs allowance rule allows the institutional spouse to transfer their income to their spouse and deduct the transferred amount from their income for Medi-Cal eligibility. If the income of the community spouse is below $3,161 per month (the MMMNA limit), the institutional spouse can transfer income to their spouse to raise it to the MMMNA limit. 

The community spouse resource allowance entitles the spouse to 50% of the couple’s joint assets, excluding Medi-Cal exempt assets, worth up to $126,420. 

Assisted Living Waiver

The Assisted Living Waiver is a home and community-based services waiver that provides seniors with long-term care help in an assisted living setting. It’s designed to prevent institutionalization among Medi-Cal participants who would otherwise be placed in a nursing home. 

Enrollment is statewide, however, there are currently no ALW providers in Butte County, so seniors must be willing to relocate to another county to participate in this waiver. 

ALW provides a variety of services and supports that let fragile seniors remain in an assisted living setting, such as housekeeping, personal care, skilled nursing and day programming. Seniors who currently reside in a nursing facility also qualify for transition care. 

Note: The ALW doesn’t cover the cost of room and board. 

For more information on the ALW and Medi-Cal, contact Passages, the Area Agency on Aging, at (800) 822-0109. 

Optional State Supplementation

The Optional State Supplementation program tops up Supplemental Security Income benefits to help eligible seniors aged 65 and older pay for their assisted living room-and-board costs. Individuals may receive up to $1,194.37 per month in combined SSI/OSS benefits, and couples may receive up to $2,388.74. 

To learn more about the OSS, contact the Social Security Administration at (800) 772-1213. 

VA Aid and Attendance and Housebound

The VA Aid and Attendance Benefits and Housebound Allowance are two VA benefits that provide an increased pension payment for veterans and survivors who have a permanent disability or chronic illness that doesn’t need to be linked to military service.

To qualify for either one of these programs, applicants must be eligible for the basic VA pension. Veterans who receive VA disability benefits are excluded, and successful applicants can collect either Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits. 

For the Aid and Attendance benefit at least one of the following conditions must be met: 

• Have eyesight of 5/200 or worse in both eyes when wearing prescription lenses, or

• Live in a nursing home to receive ongoing care due to physical and/or cognitive incapacity, or

• Have a visual field of 5 degrees or less, or

• Need help from a caregiver daily to perform one or more tasks of daily living

• Be restricted to bed due to a disability except to participate in medically necessary treatments

Housebound allowance applicants must either have a permanent disability or combination of disabilities that limit them to leaving their home, one disability rated at 100% and at least one additional disability rated at 60% disabling or greater.

For more information contact the Butte County Veterans Services Office at (530) 552-6608. 

Veterans and survivors can contact the Butte County Veterans Service Office for help with federal, state and local benefits and to obtain a Butte County Veteran ID card.  

Information on federal and state benefits, including VA health care, is also available at the Veterans Resource Station located at the Chico Branch Library. 

The Chico VA Clinic provides primary care, lab and pharmacy services and women’s health services.

Butte County Veterans Service Office
2445 Carmichael Dr., Chico, CA 95928
(530) 891-2759

Veterans Resource Station, Chico Branch Library
1108 Sherman Ave., Chico, CA 95926
(530) 891-2726

Chico VA Clinic
1601 Concord Ave., Chico, CA 95928-9486
(530) 879-5000

Senior Homes has an extensive directory of senior living options, with care and living providers across the United States.