Special Assistance
Special Assistance is for aged (65 and older), blind or disabled individuals or couples residing in an adult care home, family care home, rest home or other domiciliary/assisted living facility. Special Assistance helps pay the cost of living in such a facility. In addition, a recipient of Special Assistance is automatically eligible for Medicaid. If the individual leaves the adult care home they may not qualify for Medicaid because the rules for Private Living Medicaid are different than those for Special Assistance.
The Special Assistance recipient's income is used to help pay for the cost of care. The individual may keep $66 per month of their income for personal needs. The rest goes to the facility. You must apply for Special Assistance during the month you want assistance, as payments are not made retroactively.
Who Is Eligible?
In order to receive Special Assistance an individual must be:
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aged (65 and older), blind or disabled
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a U.S. citizen or qualified immigrant
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a resident of North Carolina
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have countable income of less than the income limit of $1,238.50 per month
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have countable resources of $2,000 or less. Countable resources include bank accounts, real estate, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, CDs, life insurance and vehicles. In order to be eligible for a month, your countable resources must be less than $2,000 on the first day of the month.
You should find out if you are eligible within 45 days if you are 65 or over and 60 days if you are disabled.
The Senior and Adult Services Section of Wake County Human Services monitors Wake County Adult Care Homes. If you have any complaints about the homes located in Wake County, you may call 212-7500 and ask for Senior and Adult Services.
You can apply in person at one of the Wake County Human Services locations: