New Jersey Nursing Home Medicaid

Last updated: August 21, 2026 Jurisdiction: New Jersey

Nursing-facility coverage sits inside MLTSS

New Jersey provides long-term services through NJ FamilyCare Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS). DMAHS says MLTSS uses managed-care organizations to coordinate all services and can provide comprehensive services in a nursing home as well as in a person’s home, assisted living facility, or community residential setting (New Jersey MLTSS overview).

For an adult, clinical eligibility is nursing-facility level of care. New Jersey describes that as hands-on assistance with three or more listed activities of daily living, or cognitive deficits requiring supervision and cueing with three or more such activities; financial eligibility remains a separate requirement (New Jersey MLTSS clinical criteria).

The Division of Aging Services calls the process for attaining Medicaid approval for long-term care Pre-Admission Screening, or PAS, and says Long Term Care Field Office counselors administer it statewide. PAS is a care-needs assessment process for people applying for Medicaid-reimbursed long-term care in nursing facilities or home- and community-based alternatives (New Jersey PAS overview; New Jersey Community Choice).

Admission screening and financial eligibility are different

New Jersey also uses the federal Pre-Admission Screening and Resident Review, or PASRR, process for every applicant to a Medicaid-certified nursing facility before admission, regardless of who will pay. PASRR is distinct from the Medicaid financial determination, so completing a screening does not itself establish Medicaid payment (New Jersey PASRR guidance; New Jersey PASRR Level I tool).

The 2026 MLTSS application guide states an applicant generally must have no more than $2,000 in total resources and that the applicant’s local County Social Service Agency reviews the financial information. DMAHS’s 2026 chart lists the institutional/MLTSS Medicaid cap at $2,982 per month and explains the availability of Qualified Income Trust treatment under separate state QIT rules for qualifying income above the cap (2026 MLTSS application guidance; DMAHS 2026 income standards; DMAHS QIT guidance).

Personal-needs allowance

The New Jersey Long-Term Care Ombudsman reports that the current monthly personal-needs allowance for Medicaid-eligible nursing-home residents is $50. The Ombudsman’s 2026 materials describe proposed legislation to increase that amount to $140, so the proposal should not be reported as the current allowance without confirmation of enactment (New Jersey Long-Term Care Ombudsman; Ombudsman June 2026 update).

Current nursing-home PNA: $50/month for a Medicaid-eligible resident, according to the New Jersey Long-Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO PNA information).

Admission contracts, patient liability, income deductions, and pending-application bills deserve careful review. For broader MLTSS eligibility, see New Jersey Medicaid Long-Term Care.

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Nursing-facility coverage sits inside MLTSS

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