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

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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?

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).

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