Assisted Living in North Carolina

• Age 65 or older, or blind or disabled under Social Security's rules
• North Carolina resident and U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Income and assets under the limits below
• If your income is over the limit, you may still qualify by meeting a deductible. This means you first pay a set amount of medical bills yourself, and then Medicaid pays

Apply online through ePASS, in person or by mail at your county Department of Social Services, or by phone. It can take up to 45 days to decide, or up to 90 days if your application is based on a disability. For help finding your county office, call the NC Medicaid Contact Center at 888-245-0179.

• Age 65 or older, or age 18 to 64 and disabled under Social Security's rules
• Need adult care home level of care, confirmed by a health care provider on an FL-2 form. For the special care unit rate, you need care for Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder
• Countable assets up to $2,000. People who get SSI automatically meet this limit
• Countable income low enough that the formula above leaves a payment
• North Carolina resident for at least 90 days, and a U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen
• Live in, or plan to move into, a licensed home that accepts Special Assistance

Apply at your county Department of Social Services. Someone can apply for you. Bring proof of income, bank statements, information on property, insurance, and trusts, your Social Security card, proof of age, and a state photo ID. A decision can take up to 45 days if you are 65 or older, or up to 60 days if you are younger.

• Have North Carolina Medicaid
• Have a medical condition, disability, or memory problem
• Need help with three of the five daily tasks, or with two tasks when one of them needs a lot of help or full help
• Live in your own home, a licensed adult care home, or a similar licensed setting

Ask your doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner to send a request for a PCS assessment on form DHB 3051. NC Medicaid's assessor then visits you in person to decide how much help you need and makes a service plan. For questions, call the NC Medicaid Contact Center at 888-245-0179.

• Age 65 or older, or age 18 to 64 and disabled under Social Security's rules
• Need adult care home level of care, confirmed by a doctor, but want to live at home
• Meet Special Assistance income and asset rules. Your home, personal belongings, and one car you use to get around do not count as assets
• North Carolina resident and U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen
• A case manager's assessment finds you can live safely at home with the right services

Apply at your county Department of Social Services. Someone can apply for you. A decision can take up to 45 days if you are 65 or older, or up to 60 days if you are younger.

• Age 18 or older and disabled, or 65 or older
• Need nursing home level of care, based on a medical review
• Need at least one CAP/DA service to stay safely at home
• Qualify for Medicaid for the Aged, Blind, or Disabled, or for Health Care for Workers with Disabilities, and be in NC Medicaid Direct rather than a health plan
• Depending on your income, you may have to meet a deductible

Contact a CAP/DA case management agency in your county, or call NC LIFTSS, the state's referral line, at 833-522-5429. A case manager will assess your needs and help build your service plan.

• Age 55 or older
• Need the level of care a nursing home provides
• Live in an area a PACE organization serves
• Able to live safely at home, with or without help
• Have Medicaid, Medicare, or both, or pay privately. If your income is too high for regular Medicaid, you may still qualify for PACE Medicaid

Contact the PACE organization that serves your area. NC Medicaid lists every organization, its service area, and its phone number.

• Age 65 or older, or younger with a qualifying disability or end-stage renal disease
• Part A has no monthly premium if you or your spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years

Apply online through Social Security, by phone, or at a local Social Security office. If you already get Social Security when you turn 65, you are usually signed up automatically.

• Enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B
• Live in the plan's service area

Compare plans in your ZIP code with Medicare's plan finder, then enroll online, by calling Medicare, or through the plan. Most people change plans during open enrollment, October 15 to December 7.

• Enrolled in Medicare Part A or Part B
• Not in a Medicare Advantage plan that already covers drugs

Use Medicare's plan finder to compare plans that cover the drugs you take, then enroll online, by phone, or through the plan.

• Enrolled in Medicare
• Income and assets under the limits below. The asset limit includes $1,500 per person set aside for burial

Apply online through Social Security or by phone. Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) can help you apply for free.

• North Carolina resident
• Enrolled in, or eligible for, Medicare
• Monthly income under the limits in the table below
• Assets up to $9,950 (single) or $14,910 (couple). For QDWI, up to $4,000 or $6,000

Apply the same way you apply for Medicaid: online through ePASS, or at your county Department of Social Services. For free help, call SHIIP at 855-408-1212.

Apply online, by phone, or at a local Social Security office.

• Age 65 or older, blind, or disabled
• U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or qualifying non-citizen
• Countable income below the maximum payment, and assets under the limits below

Apply online, by phone, or at a local Social Security office.