Generally, if an SSI recipient enters a nursing home and Medi-Cal is paying for the cost of care, the recipient’s SSI benefit will be lowered to $50 per month. However, if the SSI recipient is going to be in the nursing home for less than 90 days, the recipient may continue to receive his or her regular SSI benefit for up to 3 full months by providing certain information to Social Security. Social Security calls this short stay exception the “Temporary Institutionalization Benefit” (TI Benefit).
To obtain the TI Benefit, the recipient must provide to Social Security the following information:
A doctor must certify in writing that he or she expects the recipient to be in the nursing home for 90 consecutive days or less.

The recipient or someone knowledgeable about the recipient’s circumstances must submit evidence that the recipient needs to pay some or all of the expenses of maintaining a home or living arrangement while he or she is in the facility.
The above information must be received by the Social Security Administration or postmarked before the recipient leaves the facility, or by the 90th day the recipient is there, whichever is earlier. Social Security will work with facilities to assist recipients in establishing eligibility for TI Benefits.
For more information on the Temporary Institutionalization Benefit, see https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0500520140.