Is Merrill Gardens at West Covina licensed?

California's Department of Social Services lists it as licensed, licence 198603348, residential care facility for the elderly (rcfe), since October 1, 2020 (state file as of October 8, 2026).

How many residents can Merrill Gardens at West Covina care for?

Its licence is for 150 residents.

Has Merrill Gardens at West Covina been cited by the state?

The state file lists 0 Type As and 1 Type B citation counts across 15 visits on file.

Merrill Gardens at West Covina, West Covina CA: Inspections

The record in brief

California's licensing agency has 15 visits to Merrill Gardens at West Covina on file since October 2021: 6 inspections, 6 complaint visits and 3 other visits. The most recent was on August 4, 2026.

Those visits led to 0 Type A citations and 1 Type B citation (the state's two levels of deficiency), 1 cited regulation section in all.

The state looked into 6 complaints covering 10 allegations: 1 substantiated, 0 inconclusive, 9 unsubstantiated and 0 unfounded.

State visits and citations

Each column is one visit by California's Community Care Licensing Division, oldest on the left. The file does not say which visit produced which citation, so the citations are listed below as the file gives them.

Inspection10/21

Complaint12/22

Inspection02/23

Complaint06/23

Complaint08/23

Complaint09/23

Inspection10/23

Other10/23

Complaint11/23

Other12/23

Inspection09/24

Inspection09/25

Other10/25

Complaint03/26

Inspection08/26

InspectionComplaint visitOther visit

Kind of visit	Visits	Type B citations
Inspections	6	0
Complaint visits	6	1
Other visits	3	0
All visits	15	1

A Type A deficiency is a violation of the regulations or the Health and Safety Code that, if not corrected, poses a direct and immediate risk to the health, safety or personal rights of people in care.cdss.ca.gov

A Type B deficiency is a violation that, without correction, could become a risk to the health, safety or personal rights of people in care, or a recordkeeping violation that would affect their care or the protection of their resources.cdss.ca.gov

The licensee must be told in writing of every licensing deficiency, and each one can cite the section of law or Title 22 regulation it is based on.cdss.ca.gov

Regulation sections cited1 citation

§
Health and Safety Code section 1569.269(a)(21)

Plan of correction date in the file: September 25, 2023

Title 22 is California's licensing regulations for these homes; 1569 sections are the state's Health and Safety Code. The state's own facility search shows each visit report in full: CDSS Care Facility Search (facility number 198603348).

Complaint investigations

Each row is one complaint the state investigated, with what it found for each allegation in it.

Date in the file	Substantiated	Unsubstantiated	Type B
April 13, 2026	0	2	0
November 15, 2023	0	1	0
October 17, 2023	1	0	1
August 31, 2023	0	3	0
July 18, 2023	0	2	0
January 4, 2023	0	1	0

Community Care Licensing decides complaints on a preponderance of the evidence standard: the evidence must show it is more likely than not (more than 50%) that the allegation is true.cdss.ca.gov

A complaint allegation is substantiated when the preponderance of the evidence standard is met.cdss.ca.gov

An allegation is unsubstantiated when the investigation shows there is not enough evidence to prove a violation occurred.cdss.ca.gov

An allegation is unfounded when the evidence shows it could not have happened, is false, or has no reasonable basis.cdss.ca.gov

Memory care

California does not issue a separate memory care licence, and the state's roster does not mark which homes care for residents with dementia. Ask the home how it cares for residents with dementia, and check the citations above.

California's updated dementia care rules for RCFEs took effect January 1, 2025. They aim to support person-centered care and let residents age in place in the least restrictive setting they know as home.cdss.ca.gov

The dementia care standards, once kept in one regulation section, are now spread across several sections so they support care for all residents.cdss.ca.gov

The rules now address resident behaviors whatever the diagnosis, focusing on individual needs, and whether a resident may have items such as cleaning solutions or sharp objects depends on their own needs and appraisal.cdss.ca.gov

Costs

California does not publish what assisted living homes charge, and Merrill Gardens at West Covina has no rate on file with us. Ask the home for its full rate sheet, including care level fees and any one-time community fee, before you sign.

An RCFE must give residents or their representatives at least 90 days' written notice of a rate increase, with the amount and the reasons, including a description of the added costs. Increases due to a change in the resident's level of care are an exception.ahum.assembly.ca.gov

When the rate goes up because a resident's level of care changes, the RCFE must give written notice within two business days after it starts providing the new level of care.ahum.assembly.ca.gov

Who runs it

Licensee in the state file: Shi-III Mg Dev Gp, LLC; Merrill Gardens, LLC.

Other assisted living nearby

Country View Assisted Living
W. Covina, under 1 mi · 136 residents · 46 visits
Covina Court Senior Living LLC
Covina, 2.3 mi · 90 residents · 19 visits
Springville
Baldwin Park, 3.4 mi · 43 residents · 20 visits
Regency Grand at West Covina
West Covina, 3.8 mi · 160 residents · 18 visits
San Gabriel Valley Training Center
La Puente, 3.9 mi · 12 residents · 12 visits
Kendall Guest Home 2
El Monte, 3.9 mi · 9 residents · 11 visits

Nursing homes nearby

For care beyond what assisted living provides. Each has a federal inspection record on this site.

West Haven Healthcare
West Covina, under 1 mi · 4 of 5 CMS stars
West Covina Medical Center D/P SNF
West Covina, under 1 mi · 4 of 5 CMS stars
Clara Baldwin Stocker Home for Women
West Covina, under 1 mi · 4 of 5 CMS stars
West Covina Healthcare Center
West Covina, under 1 mi · 3 of 5 CMS stars
Victoria Care Center
Baldwin Park, under 1 mi · 5 of 5 CMS stars

If you have a concern

NursingHomeClear cannot take or act on complaints. California's Community Care Licensing Division investigates complaints about licensed homes, and the long-term care ombudsman is a free, confidential advocate for residents.

California's long-term care ombudsman programs advocate for residents of skilled nursing facilities and of 8,105 residential care facilities for the elderly.aging.ca.gov

California long-term care facilities must post the local ombudsman's number and the statewide hotline, 1-800-231-4024, which takes calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Ombudsman services are free and complaints are confidential.aging.ca.gov

Common questions

Is Merrill Gardens at West Covina licensed?: California's Department of Social Services lists it as licensed, licence 198603348, residential care facility for the elderly (rcfe), since October 1, 2020 (state file as of October 8, 2026).
How many residents can Merrill Gardens at West Covina care for?: Its licence is for 150 residents.
Has Merrill Gardens at West Covina been cited by the state?: The state file lists 0 Type As and 1 Type B citation counts across 15 visits on file.

Sources

Licence, capacity, visits, citations and complaint findings: California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE), Download Data, downloaded October 8, 2026.
Something wrong on this page? Ask for a correction. We fix errors in our copy of the data; findings themselves can only be changed by the state.
NursingHomeClear is independent, takes no fee from any home, and does not refer or place residents. This page reports state records; it does not rate, recommend or endorse any home, and it is not medical or legal advice.