The Admission Agreement an RCFE Hands You Alongside the LIC 602A
Table of Content
An RCFE admission agreement is the legal contract that sets the price, the refunds and the eviction terms. The LIC 602A is a medical form, not a contract.
Families often sign both in the same meeting and remember only the first one. CANHR (2026) describes the admission agreement as a legal document stating the responsibilities of both the facility and the resident, and notes that these agreements vary widely from one home to the next.
What Is the Admission Agreement, and How Is It Different From the LIC 602A?
One document reports a person's medical condition, and the other sets the money and the rules.
The LIC 602A is a California Department of Social Services form titled Medical Assessment for Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly. Its note to the medical professional explains that the licensee provides primarily non-medical care and supervision, and that the information is required by law to help determine whether the person is appropriate for that kind of facility. The form states in capital letters that these facilities cannot provide skilled nursing care. It is filed under Title 22, section 87458.
The admission agreement is the contract. California law requires it to describe the services offered and their costs, the billing and payment procedures, how and when rates are charged, how rate changes are determined, and the conditions for refunds. It also has to cover residents' rights, eviction conditions, visiting policies, complaint procedures, house rules, and how a resident's service needs are evaluated.
The facility must make blank copies of the agreement available to the public, although it may charge for copying or mailing. That matters because it means you can read a home's agreement before you are sitting in an office with a pen in your hand. A side-by-side look at the LIC 602A and the LIC 603 is useful too, since families often confuse the facility's own appraisal with the medical one.
| Question | LIC 602A | Admission Agreement |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A state medical assessment form | A private legal contract |
| Who completes it | Facility section by the licensee, medical section by a licensed medical professional | Written by the facility, signed by the resident or legal representative |
| What it decides | Whether the person is appropriate for a non-medical care facility | Price, services, refunds, rate increases, eviction terms, house rules |
| Where the rule lives | Title 22, section 87458 | Health and Safety Code 1569.884 to 1569.886, Title 22 section 87507 |
| Is it negotiable | No, it reports medical findings | Yes, costs and care terms can be clarified and negotiated |
What Are You Actually Paying For?
You are paying for a base rate plus whatever the home decides your care level adds to it.
The Base Rate and What It Covers
Basic services under California rules cover living accommodations, meals, personal assistance and care, observation and supervision. Some homes charge one flat rate for everything. Most combine a fixed rate with extra charges, which is why two residents in identical rooms can pay very different amounts.
No fee may be charged that is not clearly stated in the agreement. That single rule is the strongest tool a family has, so read the fee schedule line by line and ask what is missing from it.
Level of Care Charges
Extra charges are usually triggered by the facility's own assessment of care needs, often scored with a point system. Advocates point out that residents are frequently surprised by charges for more than one shower a week, or for having food trays brought to the room when they are sick. Specialized dementia care and hospice care commonly carry higher rates as well.
Ask to see the point system itself: the criteria, the scoring, and the assessment results used to decide a level. A home that will not show you how points are counted is telling you something about how the next increase will be explained.
If an RCFE wants to charge for a new item or service that did not exist when the agreement was signed, it must give the resident a list of the new items and charges for acceptance or refusal, and attach a signed, dated statement recording that decision.
How Much Can the Price Go Up, and With How Much Notice?
There is no cap on the amount, but there are rules about notice.
California requires at least 90 days prior written notice of an increase in any rate for services, and the notice must state the amount of the increase, the reason for it, and a general description of the added costs. Level of care changes are the exception. For those, the facility must give written notice within two business days after it begins providing services at the new level, with a detailed explanation and an itemization of charges.
Rent control does not apply. CANHR (2025) notes that California law states licensed RCFEs are not subject to rent controls imposed by state or local agencies, and that the state's position is that the Tenant Protection Act does not reach these facilities either.
Some agreements add protections the law does not require, such as no increases during the first year or a limit of one increase per year. Those clauses are worth asking for in writing before you sign, because afterwards they are simply not there.
When Can an RCFE Evict a Resident?
California recognizes only five reasons, and everything else is not a legal ground.
The five are failure to pay the agreed rate for basic services within ten days of the due date, failure to comply with state or local law after written notice, failure to follow written facility policies that are part of the admission agreement, a formal assessment showing the facility can no longer meet the resident's changing care needs, and a change in the facility's purpose. Refusing to sign a new admission agreement is not on that list.
Notice rules follow. A 30-day written notice is generally required, and it must name the reason, the specific facts behind it, the effective date, a list of resources for finding other housing and care, and information about the right to complain. A closure or a change of use requires 60 days. Even after the effective date passes, the facility has to file an unlawful detainer action and get a judgment signed by a judge to remove someone.
Two protections surprise families. A facility may not refuse to readmit a resident after a hospital stay without first completing the full legal eviction process, and a private-paying resident cannot be evicted simply for later qualifying for Supplemental Security Income. Our own walkthrough of how an RCFE eviction actually proceeds covers the change-of-condition path in more detail.
What Happens to the Deposit and the Upfront Fees?
California does not allow a security or damage deposit in an RCFE at all.
What homes charge instead is a pre-admission fee, sometimes called a community fee or an application fee, and first and last month's rent. The last month's rent must be safeguarded and separately accounted for. Any upfront fee has to be stated clearly in the agreement, and residents on SSI cannot be charged one.
Refunds of pre-admission fees above $500 follow a schedule. The published refund schedule (2025) sets it out as 100% if the person never enters and no appraisal was done, 80% if an appraisal was done but the person does not move in, 80% if the resident leaves during the first month, 60% during the second month, and 40% during the third month.
After a death, the facility may not charge fees once all of the resident's personal property has been removed from the unit, and prepaid amounts covering time after the property is out must be refunded within 15 days. Moving belongings out quickly is the practical step that protects the money.
What Rights Does the Agreement Have to Spell Out?
Assisted living resident rights are not optional extras; the agreement has to describe them.
The required contents include a description of residents' rights, the right to execute advance directives such as a power of attorney for health care, theft and loss policies, the complaint and grievance procedure, the availability of telecommunication devices for residents who are deaf or hard of hearing, and the licensing agency's authority to inspect the facility and review records.
A few assisted living resident rights are worth checking against the document in front of you. A facility cannot require a resident to use a particular pharmacy or medical supply provider. It cannot retaliate against a resident for requesting an inspection or filing a complaint. Advocates also warn that more agreements now include arbitration language, which can remove the right to bring a lawsuit later.
Staffing sits behind all of it. Knowing how many training hours California actually requires gives you a second question to ask on a tour, after you have read what the contract promises.
How Does the Assisted Living Waiver Lower the Cost?
The Assisted Living Waiver splits the bill: the resident pays room and board, and Medi-Cal pays for the care.
CANHR (2026) reports that in 2026, for a participant with monthly SSI income of $1,626.07, the room and board rate is $1,444.07, and Medi-Cal pays facilities across five levels of care at daily rates running from $93 for tier 1 to $264 for tier 5. Facilities cannot negotiate those rates or the services delivered.
Eligibility is narrow. A participant must have full-scope Medi-Cal with no share of cost, be 21 or older, and require a nursing facility level of care, which a contracted care coordination agency confirms with a standardized assessment. The program runs in 15 counties, and not every home in those counties participates.
The waitlist is the hard part. The program hit capacity years ago, and waits are long enough that families usually need a plan for the months in between. Some bridge that gap with home equity, and advisors such as Senior Home Transitional Services work on that side of it. Our article on what happens when a senior cannot afford assisted living lays out the other routes.
What to Check Before You Sign
Take the agreement home, read every attachment, and write your questions down before you answer any of theirs.
Start with the fee schedule, the level of care criteria, the rate increase notice period, the refund conditions, and the eviction clause. Then read the house rules, since restrictions on leaving the building, set bedtimes, or fixed meal times shape daily life more than most families expect. Make sure anyone signing on the resident's behalf is not quietly becoming a legally responsible party for the fees.
Getting outside eyes on it helps. An attorney or consumer advocate can review the contract, and a placement advisor such as 123 Senior Placement sees many agreements across a county and can flag the ones with unusual terms. The licensing agency and the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program are both free to call.
The medical side moves on its own track. The LIC 602A still needs a licensed medical professional to complete it, and families who cannot get to an office often arrange a visit from a doctor at home instead. You can also request the LIC 602A assessment directly when a move-in date is already set.
FAQ
Can the facility change the admission agreement after we sign?
Any change has to be in writing, signed and dated by both parties. A verbal statement from an administrator does not amend the contract, and neither does a new version left in a mailbox.
Does a new owner get to replace our agreement?
No. A new owner takes the facility subject to the existing admission agreement, and cannot take adverse action against a resident who declines to sign a new one.
Can a family be required to pay extra for a resident on SSI?
No. Families cannot be required to supplement the SSI rate as a condition of placement. Voluntary contributions are possible, but they sit outside the agreement and nonpayment cannot be used as grounds for eviction.
How much notice does the resident have to give to leave?
Usually 30 days in writing, although some agreements ask for 60. The shorter notice period is worth negotiating before signing, since the longer one costs a month of rent on the way out.
Is the LIC 602A kept on file at the facility?
Yes, the completed assessment becomes part of the resident's record there. Families should keep their own copy, since it is often needed again if the person later moves to a different home.
What if the facility will not give us a blank copy of the agreement?
It is required to make blank copies available to the public, though it may charge for copying or postage. A refusal is worth reporting to the licensing agency and is also a signal about the home.
Sources Used
Assisted Living Waiver (ALW) – CANHR (2026)
Can an RCFE Evict a Resident? Discharge, Change of Condition, and the New LIC 602A – LIC602
Eviction Protections for RCFE Residents – CANHR (2026)
LIC 602A and LIC 603: Two Appraisals, Two Signers – LIC602
Physician Report for Community Care Facilities
Rate Increases and New Charges: What's Permitted? – CANHR (2025)
RCFE Training Requirements: How Many Hours California Actually Demands – LIC602
RCFEs: Admission Agreements – CANHR (2026)
Refunds in Residential Care Facilities – CANHR (2025)
What Happens When a Senior Can't Afford Assisted Living – and Where the LIC 602A Fits – LIC602
Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 22, § 87458 - Medical Assessment – State Regulations | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute
Know Your Rights as a California Tenant - English – Consumer Alert
