Has anyone gone through the process of moving their loved one on Medicaid to another state?

Hello NoMansland. Each state is different. I would start with your state Health Department. Does she happen to be a veteran or the spouse of a veteran? There are some financial benefits there. Getting an Eldercare attorney involved may not be necessary if she has already spent down her assets and you or someone has Power of Attorney.

My best advice is to get a GOOD Eldercare lawyer in the state you’re planning to move her to. It’s too much to navigate and you need to be sure you’re thinking of everything that needs to be done. Medicaid is always complicated and lengthy. Have a consultation and see if it’s even an option. It’s worth spending the money on a lawyer to figure out what would have to be done. I wish you the best.

We looked in to this but were stopped in the beginning due to finding out her income put her over the new states income guidelines. My mom was no longer eligible for everything she received here in IL. That made it impossible to do especially bc of her dementia.

I have done this!
I did a lot of planning and preparation before making the move from Minnesota to Arizona 5 years ago with my husband who is non-ambulatory and has vascular dementia as a result of a stroke.
You will need to notify the Medicaid office in Florida of the exact date she is leaving the state. You can do this on the day or the day after she leaves. They will terminate her medicaid services. Keep in mind, she can be out of state for up to 30 days without losing her benefits, if she were to return.

Next, call the department of health and human services in the county which you plan on moving her to. Explain the situation and let them know you plan on applying for medicaid for her as soon as she arrives in the state.

The trickier part, which I did not have to deal with, is getting her admitted to a new nursing home. A doctor's order or referral may be needed. I'm not sure.
So, check that out in advance as well. You can set up a meeting with an admissions director at a few different facilities to get your questions answered and to check the place out and select the most favorable for your mother.
Is there a family member with whom she could stay in the short term, if a bed is not available in a facility? Have a plan B in case everything doesn't go as planned. She may have to live with you or some other arrangement for a while.
Are you prepared for that?
If there is a bed available, you may have to get her admitted right away and pay out of pocket, pending medicaid approval in your state. Does she have assets to pay the costs? Did she buy a home in Florida? That could be sold or rented out for income to help ease costs during the transition.

Each state has their own Medicaid program with their own income qualifications and guidelines. Also be sure you find a new facility that accepts Medicaid as payment. Not all do. Get help from an elder attorney or a social worker in the state you are moving your lived one to. It's a pretty sure bet that you'll have to make a big financial outlay initially. I wish you the best

NoMansLand: Igloo572 offers expert advice. Thank you, Igloo.

Be very careful about moving to another state. Each state has different income thresholds. I moved my brother (disable) from FL to NJ and it has been a nightmare! His income is too high to meet the NJ Medicaid threshold. FL has a higher income limit. Been 10 months working through the government bureaucracy!!

The issue is exactly as you posted…. Each States Medicaid administered uniquely. And for your situation it will mean 2 different Medicaid programs 1. Medicaid as health insurance and as her health insurance currently is done as a “dual” that is for those on Medicare and Medicaid and 2. the separate LTC Medicaid program which is the one that pays for custodial care costs, like room&board, in a NH. Both will require she does whatever needed to be considered a legal resident of your State.

Usually the whole processes are so daunting that it is flat not feasible unless the family has the ability to private pay cover the costs for safe transportation from the NH to wherever she is going into in your State and then private pay for maybe 2-3 months in the new NH as that’s probably the amount of time needed to get whatever needed to make her a legal resident in the new State IF you are already an existing POA with full authority and you already have the ability to do banking for her. If she is pretty cognitive and competent all on her own to some degree (or can appear to be, lol) doing what needed will be way waaaaaay easier.

If she has NOT made current NH her representative payee for her SSA income, this too will make things easier. As the new NH know they can get her SSA income for the required Share of Cost as of day 1 of her move in. BUT If she has, buckle up buttercup, as SSA does not accept POA. She would have to initiate. Then old NH would have to e..v..e..n..t..u..a…l..l..y do a payback of her monthly SSA they received till the switch over is done by SSA.

FWIW MediCARE is not going to pay ambulance or any other transfer costs for this as it is a by choice move. Transpo could be super expensive if at all medically dependent for care, e.g. O2, specialized medications, 2 person transfer, etc. so that she actually needs to have a RN or a CNA or an aide accompany her on the treck. Ideally hire a staffer from her current NH to do this as she knows them and they know her. Then you pay for their flight back.

HOWEVER, as a thought, is where she is located at all in 1 of the FL counties now declared a post Hurricane federal disaster zone???? If so, I’d try to see if FL is doing waivers with other States to take an existing eligible on FL LTC Medicaid as a transfer custodial care resident to a similar Nh with an open LTC Medicaid bed in your State. This was done after Hurricane Katrina. Mainly was LA to TX NH (my MIL had this as her NH evacuated to Houston along with seemingly most of NOLA). But some went up to other States. Federal $ went for doing this, probably was via FEMA $. For TX, it was right after month 6, that letters started going out from State of TX to the evacuees. LSS they had to make a decision as to whether staying and then filling out the TX paperwork or moving back. MIL stayed and she had no assets back in NOLA, so all good. Fwiw for some who had a home back in LA, they had to move back because they still had a home in Louisiana, and they had no plans on putting it up For Sale, so home as considered a nonexempt asset for a TX Medicaid application so they’d be ineligible. Email the administrator of the NH she is in, and FL LTC Medicaid in Tallahassee as well to ask if anything like this is happening. The Nh may be ok physically but often there are staffing problems, so jettisoning residents is a good thing. Fwiw the window for doing a lot of the programs after a disaster is super narrow.

You will have now to research the Medicaid rules for your own state.
Give them a call and ask for a counselor you can speak to about moving Mom from Medicaid in another state. Hopefully, given she has already qualified in one state, there's a way for some reciprocity in getting her qualified upon moving.

Is there a social worker available in the facility where your mom is currently. She may give you guidance.
I do know that we frequently get questions here about moving elders to another state, but I have not seen a lot of ANSWERS from those who have actually done it. And that sad fact is that EACH STATE is different in terms of their Medicaid rules; therefore even if someone has done this state to state move, it won't mean a while lot to your individual move.

Sure wish you luck. Hope you will let us know what you find out as that is the hope of this Forum, that we can learn and inform as well as ask. Again, good luck.

I would say your best course would be to ask this question of places in the area you wish to move your LO to. Ask them if they have knowledge of moving to one state from another while on Medicaid. They will be better equipped to handle your questions.

I know when I was touring places for my MIL I did look in NJ while she lives in NY. The facilities told me they would handle the process I would just need to get the required documents.