Getting Medicaid home care in Brooklyn (Kings County)

Brooklyn is Kings County on Medicaid paperwork, on the assessor's intake, and on every statewide phone tree. That single fact trips up more people here than any rule about home care. Beyond it, the Brooklyn path is the state's path: Medicaid first, then the New York Independent Assessor Program, then either services through a Medicaid managed care plan or enrollment in a Managed Long Term Care plan through New York Medicaid Choice. Brooklyn's difference is density. It has more residents already receiving Medicaid home care than most states, which means the same phone lines carry a lot of Brooklyn calls, and hospital discharge planners here speak in acronyms they assume you already know.

Adult children in Borough Park, Flatbush, or Bensonhurst arranging care for a parent who has had Medicaid for years and now needs help with bathing or getting out of bed. Patients leaving a Brooklyn hospital or rehab stay who were told "you need an assessment" and given no timeline. And older adults in Bay Ridge or Brighton Beach who own their home, are not on Medicaid, and would use a few hours of housekeeping or personal care a week if they knew the city funded it.

No Kings County Department of Social Services. The Human Resources Administration administers Medicaid for all of New York City. The Medicaid Helpline is 1-888-692-6116. HRA's long-term care page says its home care programs all require Medicaid and points home care questions to the DSS OneNumber at 718-557-1399 or a borough CASA office; the office list is on nyc.gov/hra.

NYIA covers Brooklyn like everywhere else. The New York Independent Assessor Program schedules a community health assessment with a nurse and a clinical appointment with a clinician, at home or by video. Its FAQ says a family member or caregiver may sit in, and interpreters, including sign language, are available on request. Brooklyn households that speak Russian, Yiddish, Haitian Creole, Spanish, Chinese, or Arabic should ask when scheduling, not on the day.

Minimum needs apply to new requests. For people first assessed on or after September 1, 2025, the Department of Health says personal care and consumer directed personal assistance are available "for members assessed as needing at least limited assistance with physical maneuvering with more than two ADLs," or, with a dementia or Alzheimer's diagnosis, "at least supervision with more than one ADL." People authorized before that date have what DOH calls Legacy Status. Only the assessment applies these rules; this page cannot.

Plan choice is through New York Medicaid Choice. Adults 21 and older with both Medicare and Medicaid who need community-based long-term care for more than 120 days must enroll in an MLTC plan to keep receiving it. Selection runs through the state's enrollment program at 1-800-505-5678 or the long term care line at 1-888-401-6582.

Non-Medicaid in-home help is NYC Aging. Residents 60 and older who are not on Medicaid can ask for in-home services through Aging Connect at 212-244-6469. A contracted case management agency does the intake and a home visit; NYC Aging's page says fees or suggested contributions depend on income.

The assessor's FAQ lists an identification card, a list of medications, and recent medical records. In Brooklyn, families typically also prepare:

• Medicaid number and status. If the case is in renewal, sort that out with HRA before calling NYIA.
• The county. Kings. Write it on the folder.
• Doctor names and numbers. The clinician may call them.
• A written medication list with doses and pharmacy.
• ADL notes. Bathing, dressing, moving around the apartment, using the toilet, eating, transferring from bed to chair. Note what needs hands-on help versus reminders.
• Who helps today and for how many hours, including neighbors and building staff.
• Authorized representative paperwork if someone else will speak for you: the designation form from New York Medicaid Choice, or a copy of a power of attorney or guardianship order.

Orientation only: Maimonides in Borough Park, NYC Health + Hospitals / Kings County in East Flatbush, NYC Health + Hospitals / Coney Island, NYU Langone Hospital in Sunset Park, NYC Health + Hospitals / Woodhull near Williamsburg, Interfaith Medical Center, and Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center. If you are being discharged from one of these and hear "MLTC" or "independent assessment," the steps above are what they mean.