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cleo1730 Asked February 2020

Best way to place someone in NH who will eventually be on Medicaid?

I am looking for long-term care for my mom. I have enough money to pay for her care for 3 months; then she will have to be on Medicaid. The nursing home she is currently in does not have a bed, so they are looking for another place for her. Most places want to see private pay first-getting your foot in the door, so to speak. I am extremely worried I won't find a decent place for her in time. I just had a home leave me a message about care, but the reputation of the place is not good. Do I go ahead and place her, or gamble on waiting to hear from someone else?

cleo1730 Feb 2020
Florida DD I totally agree. I think this is exactly the situation

cleo1730 Feb 2020
The current nursing home just called and said that even though i have paid for this month that they have found placement for her at another nursing home and that since they need the skilled room she is in, she has to go. So i guess i will have to take her to a substandard place. They arent even giving me time to pursue other options. I thought by paying I would at least have a month to look at something. The other thing is that when I went to her original discharge meeting, they had her listed as a one-on-one. So when I was talking to nursing homes and told them that they refused to take her. I don't think she's the one and one and when I went back and asked the nurse administrator she said oh no she's not the one on one. I think this is why I'm having so much trouble with placement
JoAnn29 Feb 2020
If you have private paid, I would ask for a refund.

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JoAnn29 Feb 2020
Don't put Mom in a place that is not a good fit just to move her out again. Does the present NH know you have enough money for 3 months of private pay? I may make that known.

Here's what I did for my Mom. In NJ you have 90 days from the date of application to spend down, get all the info needed to fit the criteria and find the applicant a NH/LTC. In April I applied for Medicaid. Mom was placed in a LTC facility on May 1st, paying privately for May and June. By June I had supplied all the info the caseworker needed, called him, he confirmed receipt and put in for Medicaid to start July 1st.

The best way is to pay as much as you can privately. Doing this also brought me under the 2k cap Mom was allowed. Actually, she had $184 in the bank.
FloridaDD Feb 2020
I think OP may be better off using the 3 months of private pay in a NH where that will be sufficient.
Isthisrealyreal Feb 2020
I would go check the facilities personally.

I depended on reviews and when I was transferring my dad I was handed a questionnaire used for ratings and the questions were slanted to create good reviews, which were all false.

I don't trust reviews after that experience.

Daughterof1930 Feb 2020
Are you pleased with the care at the current NH? If so, the director will usually have a good idea of when a bed may open up. Sounds grim I know, but when my mom was in care they always seemed to know when a bed was coming and have a general idea of how long it might be. Also, I’d go visit the one with the bad reputation. It helps to see for yourself. Maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Ratings aren’t everything and nothing replaces a visit. Or it could help confirm some things you definitely don’t want in a place. I’d also visit other places, when you show a face and active interest to them, they are more likely to remember you and your need if a place becomes available. I wish you the best in your search
FloridaDD Feb 2020
I suspect what the current NH is saying is that there are no Medicaid beds available, and they will NEVER open up for people with only 3 months of private pay

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