Fresh Meadows: Medicaid home care and the non-Medicaid alternative for adults 60+

Fresh Meadows is garden apartments, attached houses, and a lot of people who bought decades ago and intend to stay. Households here are more likely than in western Queens to sit just above the Medicaid income line, which changes the first question. Instead of "how do I get an assessment," it is often "is there anything between Medicaid and paying an aide out of pocket." There is. The State's EISEP program, delivered in the city by NYC Aging as in-home services, is built for residents 60 and older who are not on Medicaid. This page covers that path and the Medicaid path side by side. Chinese- and Korean-speaking families are common in the eastern part of the neighborhood.

Approximately 11365 and 11366. Verify with USPS. County: Queens.

NY Connects, 1-800-342-9871 (Relay 7-1-1); say "Queens." The State's EISEP page names NY Connects as the number to call for the program, and NYC Aging's page names Aging Connect, 212-244-6469. Either works from Fresh Meadows. HIICAP, 1-800-701-0501, for free Medicare counseling; say "Queens." The nearest in-person NYC Aging HIICAP site is India Home in Jamaica (917-288-7600, by appointment), a bus ride down 188th Street or Utopia Parkway to Hillside Avenue.

Medicaid is HRA, citywide, 1-888-692-6116. Households near the income line sometimes hear about spend-down or pooled income trusts; this site does not advise on those, and NY Connects can say who does. HRA office locations are on nyc.gov/hra.

If the person is on Medicaid:

1. Confirm the case is active with HRA.
2. Call NYIA, 1-855-222-8350 (TTY 1-888-329-1541), to request an assessment; ask for an interpreter if needed.
3. A nurse's community health assessment, then a clinical appointment, in person or by video.
4. An outcome letter, then New York Medicaid Choice (1-800-505-5678, long term care 1-888-401-6582) for MLTC plan selection if the letter indicates it.
5. The plan's own visit and care plan; services usually begin after enrollment. Hours are the plan's call.

If the person is 60 or older and not on Medicaid:

1. Call NY Connects or Aging Connect and ask about in-home services.
2. NYC Aging's page says a case management agency contracted for the neighborhood does a phone intake, then a case manager conducts a home visit to determine eligibility and coordinate services.
3. The State's EISEP page describes the target group as people 60 and older who need help with at least one activity of daily living or two instrumental activities, and who are not eligible for the same services under Medicaid.
4. Depending on income, NYC Aging says you may be asked to pay a fee or make a suggested contribution for some services. Case management itself is not charged.

• Assuming "not on Medicaid" means "no program." The non-Medicaid path is real and often faster to start a conversation about. Call NY Connects and say the words "in-home services for someone over 60."
• Applying to both paths at once without telling either. NYC Aging's page says Medicaid recipients are not eligible for its funded home care. If a Medicaid application is pending, mention it during the intake so the case manager can advise.
• Expecting a Fresh Meadows co-op board or block association to know the current rules. Neighbors' experiences from before September 2025 no longer describe the Medicaid assessment criteria. Get it from NYIA or NY Connects.

Orientation only: NYC Health + Hospitals / Queens in Jamaica Hills to the south and Flushing Hospital Medical Center to the north are the hospitals residents most often come home from.