ADAP in California — AIDS Drug Assistance Program eligibility and enrollment
The number
California AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) supports 32,500 people living with HIV in California, with an income cap at 500% of the federal poverty line.
Ryan White Part B
California Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS
State ADAP
California AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP)
Income cap 500% FPL
State PrEP-DAP
PrEP Assistance Program (PrEP-AP)
California AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) eligibility + enrollment
California AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) serves 32,500 people, with an income eligibility cap at 500% of the federal poverty line. In California that means your gross annual income can be up to $76,255 for a household of one (at 2025 HHS poverty guidelines) and you still qualify. ADAP is the 'payer of last resort' for HIV medications: it covers people with no insurance, fills the gap for people on Medicare Part D, and pays co-pays for people on commercial insurance.
What ADAP covers: all FDA-approved antiretroviral medications on the state formulary (every ADAP covers the WHO-recommended first-line regimens), plus many opportunistic-infection prophylaxis drugs, lab work in states where the ADAP pays for labs directly, and in some states hepatitis B and C treatment. California AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP)'s formulary is published on the state health department website and is updated at least annually.
How to enroll: a case manager at a Ryan White Part B or Part C clinic completes the application with you. You'll need proof of HIV diagnosis (a lab report or physician letter), proof of California residency, proof of income (pay stubs, tax return, benefit letter), and documentation of insurance status. Decisions typically return within two weeks; medications are dispensed through participating pharmacies at no cost once you're enrolled. Recertification is annual.
The state HIV info line is 1-800-367-2437; the case-management team can match you to the nearest Ryan White clinic for same-week intake. Long-time Black residents name APLA Health and San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) — Strut as the local institutions that show up consistently — both are listed below.
APLA Health. APLA Health (formerly AIDS Project Los Angeles) operates seven FQHC sites across Los Angeles County and is the largest Ryan White provider in California, with dedicated Black health-equity programming through its Black Treatment Advocates Network.
San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) — Strut. SFAF's Strut clinic in the Castro runs one of the nation's highest-volume PrEP programs; SFAF also operates the Black Brothers Esteem program, the Bay Area's Black-men-centered peer support and HIV prevention initiative founded in 1991.
For Black families in California
Of the 146,000 people living with HIV in California, a disproportionate share are Black residents — 19% of the new diagnoses each year, same proportion or higher of the cumulative prevalence. ADAP is what keeps many of those residents virally suppressed, because the alternative — paying retail for daily antiretrovirals — would run roughly $30,000-$40,000 a year. If your income has you worried about whether you qualify, call the state HIV line first. Ryan White case managers know the eligibility rules better than most insurance navigators and will pull you through the application rather than bouncing you to paperwork.
Named HIV testing + PrEP sites in California
APLA Health — Gleicher/Chen Health Center
Los Angeles, CA • 1-213-201-1600
APLA Health — Baldwin Hills Clinic
Los Angeles, CA • 1-213-201-1600
San Francisco AIDS Foundation — Strut Clinic
San Francisco, CA • 1-415-581-1600
Rafiki Services — Black Coalition on AIDS
San Francisco, CA • 1-415-615-9945
Los Angeles LGBT Center — McDonald/Wright Building
Los Angeles, CA • 1-323-993-7400
AIDS Healthcare Foundation — Hollywood Testing
Los Angeles, CA • 1-323-860-5200
AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA Oakland) — East Bay Getting to Zero
Oakland, CA • 1-510-873-0040
Alameda County Public Health Department HIV Testing
Oakland, CA • 1-510-267-3230
Family Health Centers of San Diego — Ryan White Clinic
San Diego, CA • 1-619-515-2300
San Ysidro Health — HIV Specialty Clinic
San Diego, CA • 1-619-662-4100
Where to get help in California
- California HIV info line: 1-800-367-2437 — staff can find the nearest free testing site, schedule PrEP, or help enroll you in ADAP.
- California Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS landing page: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DOA/Pages/OAMain.aspx.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in California: every FQHC offers sliding-scale HIV testing and has certified application counselors on staff. See our FQHC directory for the state at /clinics/ca/.
- State health data for California: for state-level HIV mortality, maternal health, and life-expectancy context by race, see /health/california/.
- California Medicaid: Medicaid is the largest single payer of HIV care in most states. See /medicaid/california/ for eligibility + enrollment.
- NASTAD ADAP Monitoring Project: nastad.org/adap-monitoring-project — the current national ADAP eligibility + formulary reference.
References & primary sources
- California Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DOA/Pages/OAMain.aspx.
- CDC HIV Surveillance Report 2022: cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports/hiv-surveillance.html. Source for state-level new diagnoses and race-stratified counts.
- HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantee list: ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/grants/part-b.
- NASTAD ADAP Monitoring Project 2024 Annual Report: nastad.org/adap-monitoring-project. Source for ADAP income cap + enrollment + PrEP-DAP data.
- AIDSVu state profile: aidsvu.org/state/california/.
- Kaiser Family Foundation, The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program fact sheet: kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-ryan-white-hivaids-program.
Data refreshed: