How to Apply for Nursing Home Medicaid in Florida
There are separate financial, medical, facility, and managed-care steps—one application does not finish all four.
Start here
Apply to Florida DCF for Institutional Care Program Medicaid financial eligibility and make sure the nursing facility or hospital initiates the required medical and admission steps. Florida says nursing-facility Medicaid requires DCF financial eligibility, CARES nursing-facility level-of-care approval for adults, a physician’s specification of need, and pre-admission screening.
What to have in front of you
- Identity, Florida residency, Social Security, Medicare, and insurance records
- Five years of bank, investment, property-transfer, trust, annuity, life-insurance, and other financial records when requested
- Income, pension, Social Security, spouse, and household information
- Hospital and physician records supporting nursing-facility need
- Facility admission contact, Form 3008 or other certification status, CARES and PASRR status
- Legal authority for anyone acting as representative
What to say when someone answers
“We are applying for nursing-facility Medicaid. Who is responsible for the DCF financial application, CARES level-of-care assessment, physician certification, PASRR, facility admission, and SMMC LTC enrollment—and which item is still missing?”
Small but useful: Write down the person’s name, the date, the exact next step, and when you should call again.
Do this in order
- 1
File the DCF Medicaid application promptly and identify it as long-term institutional/nursing-facility care. Keep the application date and case number.
- 2
Ask the hospital or nursing facility which staff member is coordinating CARES, physician certification, PASRR, and admission documents.
- 3
Answer DCF verification requests by the stated deadline. Asset transfers, trusts, property, spouse rules, and patient responsibility can be complex; get qualified elder-law advice when needed.
- 4
After eligibility, review the SMMC LTC welcome and plan-choice materials and confirm the facility participates with the selected plan.
What happens next
DCF decides financial eligibility; CARES decides adult medical level of care; the facility decides admission; and AHCA’s managed-care process handles plan enrollment. Approval may include a monthly patient responsibility based on income.
If the first answer doesn’t solve it
Ask each agency for the exact missing item in writing. If a discharge is approaching, tell hospital case management that placement and Medicaid steps are unresolved. Do not transfer or give away assets based on informal advice.
Official sources
- Florida Medicaid nursing facility services
- Florida CARES medical eligibility assessments
- Florida DCF—Applying for Assistance
Checked August 4, 2026. Programs, hours, funding, and waitlists can change. Confirm details directly before relying on them.