Your SSI benefit might be terminated or lowered if you move to a nursing home where Medicaid pays for part of your stay. But your state might pay you supplemental benefits to help pay the cost of long-term care.
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If you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI)—a needs-based benefit for people with limited income and resources—moving into a nursing home can change how much you get each month, and sometimes whether you get anything at all. When Medicaid covers more than half the cost, your federal SSI payment drops to a small reduced amount or stops entirely. But if you pay privately for a nursing home or live in a facility Medicaid doesn't cover, the rules change, and your state may add a supplement toward long-term care costs.
Below, you'll learn how much SSI you can keep in each type of facility, which state supplements apply, and what to do when you enter or leave a nursing home.
How Much SSI Can You Receive if You're Living in a Nursing Home?
The amount of SSI that you can receive while living in a nursing home depends on whether Medicaid is paying for more than half of your cost of care. (Learn when your state's Medicaid program will pay for a nursing home.)
Who's paying for your nursing home care can affect whether you can receive SSI and how much you get, as follows.
Do Medicaid-Paid Nursing Homes Take Your Social Security or SSI Check?
If you're in a nursing home and Medicaid is paying more than half the cost of your care, you're only eligible for a small, reduced SSI benefit. Your SSI benefit will be reduced to $30 per month for individuals or $60 per month for a married couple with both spouses receiving SSI. You'll only receive a reduced payment if the nursing facility is one that can provide inpatient medical services. (20 C.F.R. §§ 416.211, 416.414.)
Some states supplement this amount and allow you to keep more of the amount. (See more about state supplements below.)
Note: Regular Medicaid doesn't pay for non-medical facilities like assisted living facilities, but some states have "Medicaid waiver" programs that do—more on this below.
Can a Private Nursing Home Take Your Social Security Check?
If you're living in a private care facility that doesn't accept Medicaid, then you can keep your SSI, although, of course, you might not be eligible for SSI if you have enough income to afford private care. But some states supplement SSI with state supplemental payments that can pay a good portion of the cost of a private facility.
SSI and Living in a Public Nursing Facility Without Medicaid
If you live in a public medical facility where Medicaid doesn't pay for more than half of your care, then you're not eligible for any SSI benefit. The general rule is that living in a public institution for a full calendar month makes you ineligible for SSI.
Can Your Spouse’s Nursing Home Take Your Social Security or SSI?
If both you and your spouse receive SSI, you can continue to receive SSI if your spouse enters a nursing home. Instead of receiving the couple rate of $1,491 per month, you will start to receive the individual rate of $994 per month.
Does SSI Pay for Assisted Living or Nursing Facilities for Children?
The rules for children who receive SSI are more generous: Children are eligible for the $30 reduced payment if they live in any nursing home, whether Medicaid or private insurance pays for more than half the cost of care.
State Supplements to SSI for Nursing Home and Assisted Living Residents
Most states give additional money to SSI recipients in the form of a supplement to the federal monthly SSI payment. For example, California pays a $32 supplement to SSI recipients who live in Medicaid-paid nursing homes and are eligible for the reduced federal $30 per month SSI payment. (Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in California 2026.) Massachusetts adds a $42.80 supplement to the $30 reduced federal SSI amount. (Massachusetts State Supplement CY 2026 Payment Levels.)
Some states pay a higher state supplement to SSI recipients who live in nursing homes that aren't paid for by Medicaid. For instance, California adds an extra $632 per month to individuals living in a non-medical out-of-home care facility to supplement the federal SSI payment, for a monthly total of $1,626 (in 2026). Massachusetts adds $293 per month, for a monthly total of $1,287 (in 2026).
As mentioned above, Medicaid doesn't typically pay for room and board costs at a non-medical facility like an assisted living facility. But because the monthly SSI amount is not enough to afford the typical cost of an assisted living facility, many states have separate programs through which they supplement the SSI payments of people in non-medical long-term care facilities. For example, in 2026, Massachusetts pays an extra $454 per month to SSI recipients living in assisted living facilities, for a total of $1,448. (Read more about long-term care facilities and assisted living in Massachusetts.)
In some states, the SSI state supplement is paid directly to the facility.
Keeping Your Full SSI Payment During a Short Rest Home Stay
If you're only going to be in a nursing home for a short time, you can keep your full SSI payment if your doctor tells the Social Security Administration (SSA) in writing that you will be there 90 days or less, and you tell the SSA that you need your SSI to preserve your permanent housing. Social Security calls this benefit a "temporary institutionalization" benefit.
Temporary institutionalization benefits are available to adults in Medicaid-certified nursing homes or public hospitals or institutions, and to children in any type of facility, including a private medical facility.
Notifying the SSA That You'll Be in a Nursing Home
SSI recipients must notify Social Security when they enter a nursing home. Usually, nursing home staff will help the SSI recipient notify Social Security, particularly if the nursing home will be billing Medicaid for its services. Nursing home staff are usually good sources of information about Medicaid and Social Security benefits for residents.
SSI recipients who have questions about their benefits can also contact their state's Medicaid agency. You can locate your state's Medicaid agency at Medicaid.gov.
If your SSI has been terminated and you disagree with the decision, you can consult a disability lawyer.
What to Do When You Leave a Nursing Home
If you're leaving a nursing home, ask the nursing home staff about SSI's "prerelease procedures" so you can get your full SSI benefit back as soon as you get home. Some long-term care facilities have an agreement with the SSA providing for prerelease applications.
Several months before you expect to leave the nursing home, let a staff member at your facility know you want to reapply for SSI benefits. The institution should then contact Social Security for you and advise the agency about whether your condition is likely to meet its requirements for approval for disability benefits. The SSA will work with the facility to gather your medical information for you. Starting ahead of time will help you get benefits faster once you leave the nursing home.
If your nursing home doesn't have a prerelease agreement with Social Security, you'll need to call the SSA to apply. Social Security will help you set up an appointment with your local SSA field office for after you've left the nursing home. Social Security’s phone number is 800-772-1213.
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