What to do if my father doesn't make enough money to get into a nursing home?

Lassie ~ The VA has social workers. You can contact those at your nearest VA facility for info on specific housing programs they offer or know about. My dad is a regular (not wartime) vet also and would qualify for some of the housing programs through the VA.

Medicaid will sometimes "forgive" a gift if the recipient pays all or some of it back.

marciasang: He can apply for Medicaid, but he must own $2K and under of COUNTABLE assets. Go to Medicaid.gov to do your research. Also, you must be prepared for the 5 year lookback (to obtain every receipt/banking records).

I am willing to bet the $$$ is long gone. If the kid who sold the house has blown thru proceeds, has no means to cover expenses now and there was no reason for the dad/family to expect dad would need a nursing home...How do scenarios like that shake out? Might be helpful to know what his needs are & what his current living arrangement is?

Kt isbterrible that xhild sold home. They should be reported to eldercarel
Caseworker law whatever
And made to give him the money they got..

Veteran care is based on income and assets. He would need to check with nearest VA office for this information. It does not matter if he served during peacetime or wartime. Start the Medicaid process now. It takes time. Your Local Office for the Aging is a great resource during the application process. Pamstegma is correct they do a 5 year look back and in my experience require proof of where the money went. In my Aunts case her home was sold and granddaughter got the money. The state required the granddaughter to be responsible for the cost of care up to the sale price of the home. She still got Medicaid and nursing home care but granddaughter is expected to come up with the $50,000 that was received from the sale.

Ungeekguy, The child who got the house and the proceeds of the sale has a legal responsibility to support his father. Look up "filial responsibility" for your state. Or look up HCRA v. Pittas, where the Pennsylvania Supreme Court awarded $93K to a nursing home and forced the son with the funds to pay up.

What if the dad is a veteran but has served only in peacetime, not in any war? Does the VA help that kind of veteran in any way?

"Dad gave home to youngest child 3 years ago who then sold it." Why? Shouldn't Dad have sold the home himself and kept the proceeds? Or the child put the proceeds in a fund for Dad? This is a bad move in any case, since the recipient of the gift has to pay capital gains tax based on the value of the house at the time the giver bought, not the value at the time of the gift. This is why financial experts say to NEVER give away a principal residence as the heirs will get a stepped-up basis at the time of death of the owner.

Uneekguy1.....Is there a way that you can get the credit cards away from your Dad? The thought of running up Debt makes me shudder...
And I will ask the same as another responded
Is your Dad a Veteran? If so he may qualify for some assistance but how much depends on when he served and where. If he served during a war, if so where he served makes a great deal of difference. Contact a Veterans Commission Service they will help you get the info you need and there is not a charge for the service. They will also help you get copies of his records if they are needed.
And begin the Medicaid process. Yes there is a look back but any help is better than none and if necessary you may also have to try to get some reimbursement back from the younger brother or at least try to get him to chip in a bit more help. And by help I mean financial or if the younger brother can take Dad in for a while until he does qualify.
If Dad does have assets that will help his living situation now would be the time to use them to make Dad's life easier rather than helping his kids lifestyle after Dad is gone. This is the "Rainy Day" that we all put money away for.

Grandma1954 is right, you need to act quickly to get the process going. Contact your local Department of Aging and Disability right away, tell them what his situation is and they help you find out what you need to apply for and how to do it. go on the medicaid website and look for a nursing home in your area that will accept him once he has medicaid. Pay attention to the ratings as they will indicate how often a place has had negative incidents or a track record of them. I strongly recommend that you go look at these places regardless of what the information says online, to find the best one you can.

marciasang..there are waiting lists for Medicare beds in Nursing Homes.
You should contact Senior Services or if he his currently getting services from any other agency you should talk to them about helping you/him get onto a wait list. You should also go to a few places and check them out and get his name on a wait list.
Often it is the result of an emergency that takes the selection process to the next stage. He may fall, go into rehab then from rehab they will try to find a bed in a facility that accepts Medicare. Or if he becomes ill and the hospital thinks he can not care for himself they will begin the process.
Much better to tour a few places and have an idea where you want to go.
Some will speed the process if you go in as a paying resident or possibly a Respite resident then switch to Medicare when all funds run out.

Are there two people asking a question here or is uneekguy1 same as original poster?

Call your local area agency on aging right away. Next call DHS and get an appointment with a caseworker. Get him on medicaid. They will let you know what to do. How much ss income does he have? Is he a vet? A bit more info will help with answers.

Is your father a veteran? There is money available for care from the VA. You are in a very tough position otherwise and, I'll let someone more knowledgeable than myself answer.

But What happens if a parent doesn't qualify and is destitute. Dad gave home to youngest child 3 years ago who then sold it. Dad is now living on credit cards and SS. Will be homeless within 2-3 months

If he is low income and few resources, Medicaid would cover him, as long as he has not given assets away. They do a 5 year look back.