Congress Proposes Doubling Medicaid Personal Needs Allowance for Nursing Home Residents

$30 federal personal needs allowance has not changed since 1988 — 37 years frozen

$30 in 1988 has the purchasing power of roughly $83 today — the allowance has lost about 64% of its real value

Roughly 62% of nursing home residents rely on Medicaid as their primary payer

State personal needs allowances range from $30 to $200/month — some states have already acted independently

SSI recipients in care facilities face a separate federal $30/month cap — two different laws govern the same $30 limit