NC's nursing facility Medicaid Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) is $70 per month for an institutionalized individual, or up to $140/month combined for a married couple sharing a room in the same facility. Nursing facility Medicaid residents generally must apply nearly all of their remaining monthly income toward the cost of care beyond this allowance, per the NC DHHS MA-2270 policy manual.
The detail behind the program
The Personal Needs Allowance is a detail families are often surprised by: once a parent qualifies for nursing facility Medicaid, nearly all of their monthly income — Social Security, pension, and any other income — is redirected to pay toward the cost of their nursing home care, with only $70 a month left for the resident's own discretionary spending (haircuts, snacks, clothing, phone bills). This is meaningfully different from Special Assistance or in-home Medicaid programs like CAP/DA, where the income-and-spending picture works differently because there's no facility-based cost of care absorbing most of the income. Families should plan around this $70 figure specifically, and be aware that a married couple sharing a room can retain a combined $140/month rather than $70 each.
Related questions
- Will NC Medicaid pay for the room-and-board cost of an assisted living community in Cary?
- What exactly does the CAP/DA Medicaid waiver cover for a parent aging in place in Apex?
- How do I actually apply for CAP/DA if my mother lives in Raleigh?
- Is CAP/DA the same thing as Medicaid paying for assisted living in Wake County?
- What is State/County Special Assistance, and is it a Medicaid waiver?
- Did North Carolina's 2023 Medicaid expansion change anything about nursing home coverage for my father in Durham?
- What are the asset limits to qualify for nursing facility Medicaid in North Carolina in 2026?
