Medicaid Not Covering the First Month in a Nursing Facility is a Myth

Over the years, nursing homes have been told by certain DSS offices that Medicaid does not cover the first month in a nursing facility. In some cases, this is revealed when the Medicaid approval does not go retroactive back to the date of admission, but rather back to the first of the month following the date of admission. Some people have heard this often enough that they assume it must be true. However, it is not true. Medicaid does not have a policy that automatically excludes coverage of the first month in a nursing facility. 

If a DSS office has recently told you that Medicaid does not cover the first month in a nursing facility, please reach out to Sam Clark, NCHCFA VP of Finance, at samc@nchcfa.org. In the email, please let him know the name of your facility and the County DSS office that told you about the Medicaid non-coverage of the first month.