It is common practice among California nursing homes to accept residents for short-term rehabilitation covered by Medicare and then tell those residents that they must leave after their Medicare days run out.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), nursing homes must allow service animals into the facility. Service animals may help people with various disabilities ranging from epilepsy to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and may offer support for people who are deaf or blind.
When a person who is married or have a registered domestic partner enters a nursing home or participates in a Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) program, the couple will benefit from Spousal Impoverishment protections that allows the spouse that is not on Medi-Cal to keep additional assets and income to prevent them from running out of money.
If a nursing home resident changes to Medi-Cal payment status, the nursing home is prohibited from transferring the resident to another room as a result of that payment change, with the exception of transferring the resident from a private room to a semi-private room.
Nursing home residents and their family members often worry about losing their rooms or their Medicare or Medi-Cal status if they leave the facility for brief periods of time.
The California Community Transitions (CCT) Project helps nursing home residents, who are able to live independently, transition back to the community.
Medi-Cal offers alternatives to nursing homes that also allow the community spouse to keep extra assets and income. Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) are designed for seniors who want to stay at home or within their community and who are at high risk for nursing home placement.
While nursing homes are required to employ medical directors to oversee the care of residents, under federal and state law residents are still legally entitled to rely on the recommendations of their own personal physicians outside the facility as well.
The California Department of Public Health has an up-to-date data dashboard that tracks COVID-19 outbreaks at skilled nursing facilities. This dashboard includes cumulative and current data on residents and healthcare workers who have tested positive for the virus.
It is well known that many people on Medi-Cal have a terrible time trying to find a nursing home that will admit them.