Parent going into a nursing home in New York? What to do about Medicaid

Figures checked against New York State Department of Health, NY State of Health and Medicare sources on November 1, 2026.

Will Medicare pay for the nursing home?

Only for a short time. Medicare covers skilled nursing or rehab after a hospital stay of at least three days in a row as an inpatient. Time under "observation" does not count. It covers up to 100 days per benefit period. For 2026, days 21 to 100 cost $217 a day, and after day 100 Medicare pays nothing.

Medicare does not pay for long-term custodial care, the everyday help with bathing, dressing and eating that most nursing home residents need. For most families, that is where Medicaid comes in.

What should we do first?

1. Find out what kind of stay it is. Ask the social worker whether this is short-term rehab or a long-term placement. The Medicaid rules are different.
2. Don't move or give away money yet. Gifts inside the 60-month look-back can cause months without coverage. Get advice first.
3. Start collecting papers now. Bank records take time to get. The list is below.
4. Plan to apply soon. Medicaid only reaches back a short time, and that window gets shorter in 2027.

What documents do we need for nursing home Medicaid?

In NYC the application goes to the Human Resources Administration (HRA), along with a state form called Supplement A. Expect to gather:

• Proof of identity, address, and citizenship or immigration status
• Medicare card and any other insurance cards (HRA now requires proof of Medicare)
• Proof of income: Social Security, pensions, annuity payments
• 60 months of records for life insurance, stocks and bonds, annuities, burial funds and trusts
• A list of accounts closed in the past 60 months, with the closing balance and where the money went
• A written explanation of each transaction of $2,000 or more
• Deeds for any property

Medicaid can review every transaction in the look-back period, so it helps to have five years of statements for each bank account too. Our look-back guide explains what Medicaid is looking for.

What if my other parent still lives at home?

New York has protections so the spouse at home is not left with nothing. These are called spousal impoverishment rules. For 2026:

• The spouse at home can keep resources equal to the greater of $74,820 or half of the couple's countable resources, up to $162,660.
• The spouse at home is allowed income up to $4,066.50 a month. If their own income is lower, part of the nursing home spouse's income can go to them.
• The spouse in the nursing home keeps a personal needs allowance of $50 a month.

Transfers between spouses are not penalized under the state's transfer rules. The home has its own rules, including a 2026 home equity limit of $1,130,000. How these apply to your family is worth going over with Ben, and with an elder-law attorney if planning is needed.

When should we apply for Medicaid?

Sooner is usually better. Right now, Medicaid in New York can cover some bills from up to three months before the month you apply. Starting January 1, 2027, NY State of Health says that window shrinks. For most older people, including anyone on Medicare, it becomes two months. Adults 19 to 64 who are not pregnant and not on Medicare get one month.

That makes waiting expensive. A family that applies in March 2027 could only get help with bills from January and February, not December.

The look-back itself is counted from the month your parent is in the nursing home and has applied. Any penalty for past gifts starts only once your parent is there, has applied and would otherwise qualify. So a gift made now, in a rush, can create a gap right when care is needed. Please talk to someone before moving money.

If your parent is going home instead, with help, see our guide to CDPAP and home care through Medicaid in NYC.

Call Ben

Ben Drew has prepared New York Medicaid applications for families for 12 years, more than 1,000 of them, from Brooklyn for families across New York City. He gathers and organizes the records, prepares the application, and answers HRA's follow-up letters. For trusts or planning, he works with an elder-law attorney; Ben is not an attorney himself.

This is general information, not legal advice.