How soon after after entering a nursing home do they start to take your social security check?

If you are on Medicaid, or are “Medicaid Pending”, you are required to do a copay of your income from Day 1 of admission.
The income copay is all & whatever monthly income that you receive less a smallish PNA (personal needs allowance which ranges from $35 -115 mo & this depends on your state). So if your in TX the PNA is $60 & if you only get SS$ of $1500 mo, that means $1440 co pay to NH. Your income details was in application filled out & provided on. Medicaid will / should send you a letter with your acceptance & copay amount. If “Medicaid Pending”, copay is still due even if application still being processed.

Only if a CS (community spouse) or existing legal dependent of the now-NH resident can income copay (to NH) get changed.

if your NH billing cycle has copay due by 5th of month & your elder does NOT get SS / pension / retirement on 3rd but instead later on in the month, the copay is due as per NH contract. If this is you, speak with the NH ASAP as to if copay can come in later.

Is your question more abt how to deal with bills, property, car?

What does your Medicaid paperwork say? Did you make the NH the Medicaid “payee”? If not SS won’t pay them directly, you’ll get a bill and pay it with the SS money. Whatever you do, don’t spend the SS money on anything until you get this clarified.

No one ever “took” my mother’s SS check, to the best of my recollection. We paid for her care from the first day she was a resident.

Have I misunderstood the information you’re looking for?