Jane has been living in a nursing home for a few months when her health begins to improve. Physical therapy has increased her mobility, and a new combination of medications has helped her memory. She would like to leave the nursing home, but she can’t afford the moving expenses on top of the long-term care that she will still need.

Jane feels stuck, until she talks to a Medicaid Planner. They tell her about the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program. They explain how MFP is designed to help people just like her who want to leave nursing homes and return home. If you want to learn more about MFP, keep reading this article or contact our Certified Medicaid Planners.

Explaining Money Follows the Person Basics: What, Where, When and How

Money Follows the Person (MFP) is a Medicaid program that helps qualified individuals leave institutionalized settings and return to living in the community. The institution is usually a nursing home, but it can also be an assisted living residence, a memory care facility for Alzheimer’s or other dementia patients or any Medicaid-funded institution with constant supervision and on-site skilled care. And MFP beneficiaries can return to the home where they were previously living, or they can move in with a family member or friend, or a group home setting with no more than four unrelated people in the home.

MFP provides support for one year (365 days), starting from the day the beneficiary leaves the institution and returns to the community. During this time, MFP (which is a federally funded program) will provide the state with additional funds and the state will use those funds on the individual. After the year is up, the beneficiary will still be covered by Medicaid, so they will have healthcare coverage and whatever long-term care benefits would normally be available to them, but they will not receive additional support through MFP.

States that offer Money Follows the Person

As of Jan. 2024, the following 35 states and Washington, D.C. have Money Follows the Person programs relevant to seniors:

• Alabama (Gateway to Community Living)
• Arkansas
• California (California Community Transitions)
• Connecticut
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho (Idaho Home Choice)
• Indiana
• Iowa (The Partnership for Community Integration Project)
• Kansas
• Kentucky (Kentucky Transitions)
• Louisiana (My Place)
• Maine (Homeward Bound)
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota (Moving Home Minnesota)
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey (I Choose Home)
• New York (Open Doors)
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio (HOME Choice)
• Oklahoma (Living Choice)
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island (The Rhode to Home)
• South Carolina (Home Again)
• South Dakota
• Tennessee (but only for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities)
• Texas
• Vermont
• Washington (Roads to Community Living)
• Washington, D.C.
• West Virginia (Take Me Home)
• Wisconsin

Money Follows the Person Benefits

The type of benefits and the amount of coverage provided via Money Follows the Person (MFP) depends on the state. Our team of professionals will know exactly what is covered in your state and if you or your loved one can qualify for it.

In general, MFP can help seniors with their immediate transitional needs by doing things like paying for movers, covering security deposits, purchasing necessary furniture and appliances and paying utility set-up fees. In addition, states will also use MFP funds to cover long-term care benefits such as:

• Personal care assistance with the Activities of Daily Living (mobility, bathing, dressing, eating, toileting)
• In-home doctor and nurse visits
• Therapies (physical, occupational, speech, behavioral, etc.)
• Adult day care
• Home modifications for accessibility and safety
• Assistive technology
• Personal Emergency Response Systems

Some states give MFP beneficiaries extra decision-making power when it comes to their MFP benefits with Consumer Directed Care. This option allows beneficiaries to select caregivers of their choice, including family members and even spouses in some cases. It also gives them more choices when it comes to other long-term care services, as well as medications and medical equipment.

Eligibility Requirements for Money Follows the Person

To qualify for Money Follows the Person, seniors need to meet the following two requirements:

1) They must be enrolled in Medicaid.
2) They must have been living in a Medicaid-approved institution for at least 60 days.

Just because a senior is eligible for MFP doesn’t mean they are guaranteed to immediately receive benefits. The MFP program in their state may not have the funds to cover their benefits. Or the agency that provides long-term care benefits in their area may not be able to handle another client. Or maybe there is no Medicaid-approved agency in their area. In some of these cases, MFP beneficiaries may be placed on a waitlist before receiving benefits.

How a Medicaid Planner Can Help You Leave a Nursing Home with a MFP Program

Our Certified Medicaid Planners can offer insight and guidance when it comes Money Follows the Person. They know which states are likely to have waitlists and how long those waits might last. They can tell you which benefits are available in your area and what agencies provide them. They will know if you can use Consumer Directed Care and what options that might provide.

They also understand the MFP application process. Every state uses local contact agencies to handle their MFP applications, but which agencies depends on where you live. In your area it might be an Area Agency on Aging, an Aging and Disability Resource Center, an independent living center or maybe it’s the state Medicaid agency. Not only will our planning professionals at Eldercare Resource Planning know the right agency to contact in your area, they’ll know the best way to contact them, who to contact within the agency and what to say.

If you or your loved one is fortunate enough to be able to leave a nursing home and go back home, don’t let money or Medicaid rules stand in your way. Get in touch  to see if Money Follows the Person can help you live where you want with the care that you need.