Paying for care
- Where you are
- What you need
- 3Your guidance
You've made it — here's the guidance for your situation.
Senior care is one of the largest expenses families face, and most people don't plan for it until they need it. Understanding the payment landscape early creates more options.
Private pay
Using savings, retirement accounts, investment accounts, or home equity. This is the most common starting point and gives the most flexibility in choosing care.
Long-term care insurance
If your parent has a policy, locate it now. Understand the elimination period (how long before benefits kick in), the daily benefit amount, and how to file a claim. Policies vary significantly.
Veterans benefits — Aid & Attendance
An add-on to the VA pension for veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities; wartime service and the pension's income and net-worth limits apply. A VA-accredited representative, claims agent, or attorney can help with the application.
Washington Medicaid (Apple Health)
Covers long-term care — including adult family homes, assisted living, and nursing facilities — for those who qualify financially and medically. For long-term care, countable assets must generally be $2,000 or less for a single person, and gifts made in the five years before applying can cause a penalty period. Planning ahead with an elder law attorney can help families navigate Medicaid rules.
Medicare
Covers short-term skilled nursing and rehabilitation after a formal inpatient hospital stay of at least three days (up to 100 days, with a $217-a-day coinsurance for days 21–100 in 2026) — not long-term custodial care. Understanding this distinction prevents costly surprises.
Next step: Real Property Planning's guides explain the financial picture, and Real Property Planning's Find a Professional page lists independent professionals you can contact directly.
Find a ProfessionalYour next questions
Should we sell the house to pay for care?
How a parent's home is sold to fund senior living in Washington, step by step, and what it means for taxes and Medicaid.
Will Medicaid pay, and what happens to the house?
Apple Health long-term care in Washington: eligibility, the home exemption, spend-down and the five-year look-back.
Could a reverse mortgage pay for care instead?
How reverse mortgages work for Washington seniors, and what happens when the borrower moves into care.
What will care cost?
Washington cost-of-care calculators for in-home care, assisted living, memory care, adult family homes and nursing homes.