Question
How can my family help my mother who is an a assisted living facility where they take all her SSI check for her to live there. Is there a program that could help pay some of that cost?
— Anonymous Caring.com community member
Answer
Expert Joseph L. Matthews is a Caring.com senior editor, an attorney, and the author of Long-Term Care: How to Plan & Pay for It and Social Security, Medicare, & Government Pensions: Get the Most Out of Your Retirement & Medical Benefits.
Since your mother receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI), she's eligible for Medicaid coverage in her state. In some states, Medicaid will pay most of the cost of residence in certain assisted living facilities. That's because it's a lower cost alternative for Medicaid than paying for nursing home care. So, if your mother lives in a state where the Medicaid program covers some assisted living facilities, you need to ask the facility she's now living in if it's certified to receive Medicaid coverage. If not, you can find out from the local county social service office where your mother lives, or from your mother's state Medicaid office, what Medicaid-covered assisted living facilities there are in your mother's geographic area, or elsewhere in the state.
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