What happens when the money runs out in a care home?
Plan before it happens: ask each home, in writing, whether it will take SSI or Medi-Cal later, and apply for Medi-Cal early. If the bill does go unpaid, the home must give written notice, and go to court to remove a resident who stays.
Checked against Title 22, the Health and Safety Code, DHCS, CDSS and SB 164How we check
- If the bill goes unpaid
- The home may give 30 days’ written notice once the rate for basic services is 10 days late. To remove a resident who stays, it must go to court.
- SSI and Medi-Cal
- No law we read makes a home accept them later. Ask each home before moving in, and get the answer in writing.
- Medi-Cal’s waiver
- Pays for care in participating homes in 15 counties; 15,910 people were waiting in March 2026.
Sources: Title 22 §87224 · Health and Safety Code §1569.683 · DHCS
Find homes on the waiver list near you
This guide covers licensed care homes for older adults (RCFEs). Nursing homes follow federal rules: once Medicaid covers a resident there, the home may charge only what Medicaid allows. 42 CFR §483.15(c)(1)(i)(E)
Checked against Title 22, the Health and Safety Code, DHCS, CDSS and SB 164How we check
What can a home do when the bill goes unpaid?
A home may give written notice to leave when the rate for basic services goes unpaid 10 days past its due date. The notice must give at least 30 days. Title 22 §87224(a)
A notice is not an eviction. Every notice must say this, in the law’s own words:
“The following statement: “In order to evict a resident who remains in the facility after the effective date of the eviction, the residential care facility for the elderly must file an unlawful detainer action in superior court and receive a written judgment signed by a judge. If the facility pursues the unlawful detainer action, you must be served with a summons and complaint. You have the right to contest the eviction in writing and through a hearing.””
Call the long-term care ombudsman as soon as a notice arrives: 1-800-231-4024, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Read your rights when a home asks a resident to leave.
Will the home take SSI or Medi-Cal when the savings end?
Not necessarily. A home does not have to accept a particular resident. Title 22 §87464(d) No law we read makes a home take the SSI rate or the Assisted Living Waiver when a private-pay resident’s savings end.
So ask each home before the move, and keep the answer in writing: in the admission agreement, or a letter from the home.
“If my family member’s savings run out, will you accept the SSI rate or the Assisted Living Waiver, and will you put that in writing?”
The waiver pays only in participating homes, in 15 counties. A home on the waiver list may still have no waiver opening. How the Assisted Living Waiver works.
When should we apply for Medi-Cal?
Before the money runs out. The county takes time to decide, and the waiver has a waitlist: 14,831 people were enrolled and 15,910 were waiting in March 2026.
In 2026, Medi-Cal for people 65 and older counts savings up to $130,000 for one person, plus $65,000 for each other person in the household. W&I Code §14005.62(a)(1), to July 2027
A 2026 law lowers that to $21,000 for one person and $31,000 for two, no sooner than July 1, 2027. W&I Code §14005.62(a)(1), from July 2027 People already on Medi-Cal meet the new limit at their first renewal after that date. W&I Code §14005.62(b), from July 2027
When one spouse needs long-term care, the spouse at home can keep up to $162,660 of the couple’s savings in 2026. The county works out the exact amount.
Giving money or property away can delay Medi-Cal’s long-term care coverage. The Health Consumer Alliance says gifts made on or after January 1, 2026 may bring up to 30 months without it. Ask the county before moving money.
What does SSI/SSP pay in a care home?
SSI/SSP pays $1,626.07 a month in 2026 to a person who lives in a licensed care home. A home that accepts it may charge $1,444.07 for basic services: room, board, care and supervision. Title 22 §87101(b)(1) The resident keeps at least $182 for personal needs.
SSI is for people 65 or older, blind or disabled, with little income and savings: in 2026, savings of no more than $2,000 for one person. Social Security decides who gets it.
A home may not ask an SSI/SSP applicant for a deposit or an admission fee. Health and Safety Code §1569.651(a) What else the law says about SSI in a care home.
What if a move is needed?
If a move is needed, look first at homes on the waiver list, and ask each one the question above. We can ask the homes you choose whether they have room and whether they take the way you plan to pay, and email you each answer.
Homes on the waiver list near you
Type a ZIP code or a city. You’ll see the 53 nearest, closest first.
Or see them by county:
- Los Angeles County (336)
- Orange County (196)
- Riverside County (120)
- Fresno County (87)
- San Diego County (87)
- Sacramento County (69)
- San Bernardino County (62)
- Kern County (33)
Or we ask the homes about availability, price and the care you describe, and email you each answer.
Check availabilityNo home pays to appear here. Nothing on this page is ranked by quality, popularity or payment.
Who helps for free?
- The long-term care ombudsman: a notice to leave, or problems with a home. 1-800-231-4024, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- The county’s Medi-Cal office: applications and what counts as savings. Your Area Agency on Aging can point you to it.
- HICAP: Medicare and long-term care insurance questions. 1-800-434-0222.
Questions families ask · 5
Can a care home evict someone who cannot pay?
It may give 30 days’ written notice when the basic rate is 10 days late. A notice is not an eviction: if the resident stays, the home must go to court, and the resident can contest it.
Does Medicare pay when the savings run out?
No. Medicare does not pay to live in a care home at any point. Medi-Cal and SSI/SSP are the programs to look at.
Must a home keep a resident who switches to SSI?
No law we read requires it. Ask before moving in, and get the home’s answer in the admission agreement or a letter.
Can a home ask an SSI applicant for a deposit?
No. A home may not ask an SSI/SSP applicant for a deposit or an admission fee.
How early should we apply for Medi-Cal?
Before the money runs out. The county takes time to decide, and the Assisted Living Waiver has a waitlist.
Ask the money questions before the move. The answers are easier to get, and to keep, in writing.
Next, step 3 of 6: Find homes and check them
Homes on the waiver list near you
Or we ask the homes about availability, price and the care you describe, and email you each answer.
Check availabilityFree for families. No home pays to appear here. Nothing on this page is ranked by quality, popularity or payment.