Paying for care

Documents Needed to Apply for Medicaid Nursing Home Care

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By Nursing Home Checker · Updated Oct 15, 2026 · How guides are checked · Share

This guide covers the application itself. For who qualifies, see how Medicaid pays for a nursing home.

What documents do you need to apply for Medicaid for a nursing home?

Federal rules set a short list of required items. States can ask for other proofs. The federal items are:

• Social Security number. Federal rules require each person seeking Medicaid to give each of their Social Security numbers.
• Citizenship or immigration status. The state first tries to confirm citizenship through data, such as a match with the Social Security Administration. If it cannot, it may ask for documents.
• Permission to check bank records. Federal law requires people applying because they are aged, blind or disabled to authorize the state to get records from financial institutions. If the person refuses, the state may find them ineligible.
• Annuities. Federal law says the application must describe any annuity the applicant or the spouse at home has an interest in.
• Gifts and transfers. The state reviews transfers made in the 60 months before the first date the person is both in a nursing home and has applied for Medicaid. See how the Medicaid 5-year look-back works.
• A signature. The application must be signed under penalty of perjury. States must accept electronic and phone-recorded signatures.

Some states publish lists of proofs. For example, Texas's Medicaid handbook lists award letters, pension check stubs and bank statements showing interest or dividends as proof of income. For assets, it also lists property deeds, loans, mortgages, prepaid burial contracts, annuities and trust papers.

For example, Pennsylvania's nursing home Medicaid form also lists power of attorney or guardianship papers and vehicle registrations. For the look-back, it asks for monthly statements for the most recent two years and semi-annual statements (such as January and June) for the three years before that, plus records of accounts closed in the past five years.

For example, New York's application has a resources list for people who are age 65 or older or certified blind or disabled and have no children under age 21 living with them. It lists account statements, life insurance policies, burial agreements, and deeds for real estate other than the home. Its form says people who need nursing home care must also complete a supplement. Federal rules let a state use a separate application or extra forms for people applying based on age or need for nursing home care.

Does the state check records itself?

Yes. Federal rules have the state request income and asset data, where it finds this useful, from sources such as the state wage agency, the IRS and the Social Security Administration. A person must not be asked for more papers unless the state cannot get the information electronically, or the data it gets does not match what the person reported.

Federal rules also say the state may not deny an application based on data from these checks without first asking the person for more information. Texas's handbook notes that items sent in with the application "may help to speed up the eligibility decision."

Who can apply for Medicaid for a parent?

Federal rules say the state must accept an application from the applicant, an adult in the applicant's household, family members as defined for federal tax purposes, an authorized representative, or someone acting responsibly for an applicant who is incapacitated. An adult child who does not fit those household or tax-family groups can apply as an authorized representative, such as one named under a power of attorney or guardianship order, or as someone acting responsibly for a parent who is incapacitated.

The applicant can name a person or organization as their authorized representative. A power of attorney or a court order of guardianship counts as that written designation. An applicant can authorize the representative to sign the application, get copies of notices, and act for the applicant with the agency. Within that authorization, the representative is responsible for the applicant's duties to the same extent as the applicant, and must keep the applicant's information confidential. For example, Pennsylvania's application says a representative can be a spouse, friend, relative, person with power of attorney, or medical provider.

For nursing home admission papers, see signing as the responsible party at a nursing home.

How do you submit a Medicaid nursing home application?

Federal rules require states to accept applications online, by phone, by mail, in person, and through other common electronic means. The federal ban on required in-person interviews covers only applications decided under MAGI income rules, so a state may ask for an interview for a nursing home application.

How long does a Medicaid nursing home application take?

Federal rules generally give the state up to 45 days to decide, or up to 90 days when the application is based on disability. These are maximums, not waiting periods.

Federal rules allow a decision past these limits only in unusual circumstances, for example when the applicant or an examining doctor delays or does not take a required step, or when there is an administrative or other emergency outside the agency's control. The state must record the reason for the delay in the case file. The state must not deny an application just because it did not decide in time.

States can be faster. For example, Pennsylvania's form says its county office has 30 days to process an application, plus 15 more days if an extension is asked for to gather documents.

What if some documents are missing?

The state must give a reasonable period to send any extra information it asks for. Federal rules set no minimum number of days for these applications. For example, Pennsylvania's guide says the county office sends a list of needed papers with a due date. If citizenship or immigration status cannot be confirmed right away, federal rules give a reasonable opportunity period. During it, the state may not delay or deny benefits for a person who is otherwise eligible.

How far back does Medicaid coverage go?

For applications made before January 1, 2027, coverage must start no later than the third month before the month of application, if the person got covered care in those months and would have been eligible then.

For applications made on or after January 1, 2027, Public Law 119-21 (section 71112) shortens this. Coverage goes back to the month before the month of application for people in the Medicaid adult (expansion) group, and to the second month before the month of application for everyone else. Federal regulations had not yet been updated for this change as of October 2026.

For a nursing home resident, the look-back date for gifts is tied to the first date the person is both in an institution and has applied for Medicaid. See how the Medicaid spend down works for income and asset rules.

What if the applicant is married?

Federal law says that, when either spouse asks, the state must assess the couple's total assets as of the start of the first continuous stay in an institution, once it receives the documents. See Medicaid rules for the spouse at home and the Medicaid income limit for nursing home care.

What happens if a Medicaid nursing home application is denied?

The state must send a written notice of any decision, including a denial. A denial notice must give the specific reasons and the rules that support it, and explain the right to a fair hearing.

A person can ask for a hearing if the state denies the application or does not act on it with reasonable promptness. Federal rules allow up to 90 days from the date the notice is mailed to ask, but states may set a shorter time. For example, Pennsylvania's form gives 30 days from the date on the notice. The applicant may use a relative, a friend or a lawyer to speak for them. The hearing decision is ordinarily due within 90 days of the request. If the hearing finds the state was wrong, the state must promptly make corrective payments back to the date of the wrong action.

Where do you apply for Medicaid nursing home care?

Medicare says to contact your state Medicaid office for information on Medicaid eligibility in your state. To find a home that takes Medicaid, see nursing homes that accept Medicaid, or search nursing homes by name, city or ZIP code.