New York does not have a separate memory care license. Dementia and cognitive-impairment care is addressed through the Special Needs Assisted Living Residence (SNALR) certification, an additional certification layered onto an existing Assisted Living Residence license under 10 NYCRR Part 1001. Families should verify a facility's actual SNALR certification on NYS Health Profiles rather than relying on a memory care sign or brochure.
What this means in practice
It's common on Long Island to see memory care or memory care neighborhood used as a marketing phrase without it corresponding to any specific state license, because legally there isn't one. What New York actually regulates is the Special Needs Assisted Living Residence (SNALR) certification, which a community must apply for and be approved to hold on top of its base Assisted Living Residence license, and which requires services delivered according to an Individualized Service Plan for residents with dementia or other cognitive impairments. A building can brand a wing as memory care without that wing's operator holding SNALR certification, so the only way to confirm the claim is to look the facility up directly on NYS Health Profiles and check which ACF certifications it holds, rather than taking a tour guide's description at face value.
Related questions
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