Medicaid home care in Queens, from NYIA to an MLTC plan

Queens is Queens County on every form, and the way into Medicaid home care here is the same as in the rest of the state: an assessment by the New York Independent Assessor Program, then either services authorized through a Medicaid managed care plan or enrollment in a Managed Long Term Care plan. What is particular to Queens is the scale. It is the largest borough by land, the assessments happen at home or by video across neighborhoods that speak more than a hundred languages, and the in-person counseling sites that NYC Aging lists are concentrated in Jamaica, Corona, Astoria, and Sunnyside rather than spread evenly.

Three kinds of households use this page. Families in places like Flushing, Rego Park, or Jamaica who are trying to arrange an aide for a parent who already has Medicaid. People being discharged from a Queens hospital who have been told to "set up home care" and were handed a phone number with no explanation. And adults 60 and older who are not on Medicaid, often living in a co-op or a two-family house in Bayside or Fresh Meadows, who need a few hours of help a week and do not know that a non-Medicaid program exists.

Medicaid is citywide. The Human Resources Administration handles Medicaid for Queens the same way it does for the other four boroughs. There is no Queens Medicaid office phone line. HRA's Medicaid Helpline is 1-888-692-6116, and its long-term care page routes home care questions to the DSS OneNumber at 718-557-1399 or to a borough CASA office; the office list lives on nyc.gov/hra and changes, so we do not print addresses.

The assessment is statewide. Once Medicaid is active, the New York Independent Assessor Program schedules two appointments: a community health assessment with a nurse, then a clinical appointment with a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. The program's own FAQ says appointments happen at your home, a relative's home, or a facility where you are staying, in person or by video. Interpreters are available in any language if you ask when you schedule.

Choosing a plan is through New York Medicaid Choice. If the assessment finds that you meet the requirements for Managed Long Term Care, plan selection goes through the state's enrollment program, not through the assessor and not through any agency. The long term care line is 1-888-401-6582.

Non-Medicaid help is through NYC Aging. For residents 60 and older who are not on Medicaid, NYC Aging funds in-home services (the city's version of EISEP). Its page says a case management agency contracted for your neighborhood does a phone intake and a home visit, and that depending on income you may be asked to pay a fee or make a suggested contribution. The door is Aging Connect at 212-244-6469 or NY Connects.

The assessor's FAQ says to have your identification card, a list of the medicines you take, and any medical records from recent hospital stays or doctor visits. Families in Queens typically also find it useful to have ready:

• Medicaid status. Your Medicaid number and whether the case is active. NYIA will not schedule without it.
• Your doctors. Names and phone numbers, because the clinician may call your doctor to learn more.
• A medication list. Written out, with doses, including anything over the counter.
• Notes on daily activities. The nurse asks about getting around the home, dressing, and bathing, and about equipment like a wheelchair or special bed. Write down honestly what needs help on a typical day and on a bad day.
• Who helps now. The nurse asks about support from family or friends.
• An authorized representative, if you want one. The program accepts a designation form, or a copy of a power of attorney or guardianship order. The form comes from New York Medicaid Choice at 1-800-505-5678.

None of this promises an outcome. It only makes the two appointments go smoothly.

For orientation only, not recommendations: NYC Health + Hospitals / Elmhurst, NYC Health + Hospitals / Queens in Jamaica Hills, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Flushing Hospital Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens in Flushing, Long Island Jewish Forest Hills, Mount Sinai Queens in Astoria, and Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens. Discharge planners at any of them will usually mention NYIA or an MLTC plan; the pages above explain what those words mean.