Alaska raises General Relief Assisted Living Home rates to $113.13 a day

Alaska raised the daily reimbursement rate for General Relief Assisted Living Home providers from $109.32 to $113.13 per resident on July 1, 2026, a roughly 3.5 percent increase that applies to services billed on or after that date.

Governor Mike Dunleavy signed the fiscal year 2027 operating budget, House Bill 263, on June 26. The Division of Senior and Disabilities Services announced the change in an SDS e-Alert, saying it is implementing the rate increase immediately, in keeping with the legislative intent supporting the increased funding, without waiting for a formal rulemaking cycle.

What the Program Covers

The General Relief Assisted Living Home program provides a daily reimbursement rate for assisted living home services for eligible Alaskans. The new minimum daily rate of $113.13 applies to services provided on or after July 1, 2026.

The rate increase rests on budget language for now. The Department of Health said it will work later this year to draft and adopt regulations that reflect the increased daily rate.

Broader Stakes

The Alaska Commission on Aging has argued that keeping reimbursement rates adequate helps older Alaskans stay out of costlier institutional care. "These grants help seniors age in place with the least cost to the State and keep people out of more expensive care facilities," the commission said in its 2026 legislative priorities document.

Workforce advocates have raised a separate concern. The UAA Center for Human Development's Alaska Training Cooperative has noted that direct support professionals often receive low wages and limited benefits, and that underinvestment leads to high turnover and staff shortages. "Direct support professionals (DSPs) are critical to the provision of services and supports to individuals with disabilities. However, DSPs often receive low wages and limited benefits, resulting in high turnover rates and workforce shortages."

The enacted budget is available at the Alaska Office of Management and Budget website.