Free to useNot a home care agencyNot the government

New York · Help at home

Help at home in New York, in the order it actually happens.

In short: Medicaid home care in New York starts with an active Medicaid case, then an independent NYIA assessment, then a plan that sets the hours. Adults 60 and older without Medicaid have a separate door through NYC Aging or the county Office for the Aging. This site lays out the steps in order, with the free official numbers first.

Start: which path am I on?Read the step-by-step walkthrough

Free, and nothing is requested or arranged. You can also call NY Connects at 1-800-342-9871, free for any age, on Medicaid or not (Relay 7-1-1). HIICAP handles the Medicare side at 1-800-701-0501.

A smiling older woman looks up from a book in a bright living room, her adult daughter smiling behind her. — Not a decision about anyone’s care. The walkthrough covers each step.Photograph by cottonbro studio, Pexels License.

Start here

Which one sounds like you?

The numbers that shape the path

Two appointments, one line, one age, and a free call.

Each figure is cited to the New York program it comes from. None of them is a decision about anyone’s care.

2 visits
The NYIA assessment is two appointments: a nurse, then a clinician. It decides whether you can get home care, not how many hours.: 120 days
Needing more than 120 days of community-based long-term care is what points a Medicaid member toward Managed Long Term Care.: 60+
Without Medicaid, adults 60 and older can ask NYC Aging or the county Office for the Aging about in-home services.: $0
What NY Connects and HIICAP cost. Both are public lines that sell nothing.

Program rules change. Your NYIA letter, your plan’s care plan, and notices from HRA or the State control; confirm on the official sites linked below.

The short version

Medicaid home care, in the order it happens

Three steps most families go through. The full walkthrough covers each one, including the letters you get along the way.

01
Medicaid first
Home care through Medicaid needs an active Medicaid case. In New York City that runs through HRA; elsewhere, through your county. Without Medicaid, adults 60 and older can ask NYC Aging or the county Office for the Aging instead.
02
The NYIA assessment
The New York Independent Assessor Program schedules two appointments and sends an outcome letter. For new applicants it applies the Minimum Needs test. It decides whether you can get home care, not how many hours.
03
A plan authorizes hours
Your Medicaid managed care plan, or a Managed Long Term Care plan chosen through New York Medicaid Choice, does its own care plan and sets the hours. That is where the service actually starts.

Read the full walkthrough The Minimum Needs test Who to call for what

Help where you live

Your borough, your county name, and what happens after you call

The programs are the same across New York. The practical parts change by borough: which county goes on the form, how HRA and NYC Aging work from where you live, and the mistakes families in your area tend to make.

All boroughs and neighborhoods

Longer reads

The steps, one at a time

All posts

October 12, 2026 · 5 min read

MLTC plan says you no longer meet Minimum Needs? What the disenrollment letter means in New York

In short: if a reassessment finds that an MLTC member without Plan Legacy no longer meets New York's Minimum Needs Requirement, the plan must start an involuntary disenrollment. The member…

Straight answers

Questions families ask first

Does the NYIA letter mean hours are approved?

No. The NYIA outcome letter says whether you can get Medicaid home care. It is not an authorization. Your Medicaid managed care plan, or a Managed Long Term Care plan chosen through New York Medicaid Choice, does its own care plan and sets the hours. That is where the service actually starts.

What if the person does not have Medicaid?

Adults 60 and older can ask NYC Aging or the county Office for the Aging about in-home services with a sliding contribution (EISEP). NY Connects is the free statewide door for long-term services and supports at any age, on Medicaid or not.

Who does the assessment, and can our own doctor do it instead?

The Medicaid assessment must be done by NYIA’s independent nurse and clinician, in two appointments. Your own doctor can send information, but cannot replace the NYIA assessment.

What is the Minimum Needs test?

Since September 1, 2025, a new adult applicant for Medicaid personal care, CDPAP, or an MLTC plan must be assessed as needing hands-on help with three or more daily activities such as bathing, dressing, or using the bathroom. With a dementia or Alzheimer’s diagnosis confirmed on state form DOH-5821, the bar is supervision with two or more. People already getting services or in an MLTC plan before that date keep the old rules, and PACE has its own rules. Only the NYIA assessment applies the test.

Official resources

Where the official answers live

Every fact on this site comes from these government programs. We link to them. They do not endorse this site, and this site is not the government.

These are government websites. We link to them. They do not endorse this site.

Guided help, free

Not sure which path you are on? Leave your information and we will help you sort out next steps.

A few questions about Medicaid status, age, and where you are in the process. You get a plain-language summary of which path you described. Held by this site only, never sent to any plan or agency.

You can also call NY Connects, New York’s free line for long-term services and supports: 1-800-342-9871. Free, any age, on Medicaid or not. They do not sell services. Relay 7-1-1 HIICAP: 1-800-701-0501.

Get a plain-language summary

Help at home in New York, in the order it actually happens.

Which one sounds like you?

My parent has Medicaid and needs help at home

No Medicaid, but they are 60 or older

The NYIA assessment is coming up

I have a letter and do not know who to call