Short answer
If private funds run out, the options generally are a Medicaid HCBS waiver for care inside a licensed community, Medicaid nursing facility coverage, or moving to a community that holds a waiver provider agreement. Confirm your state's specific programs before relying on this.
Ask before you move in, not after
This is the single most consequential question families skip. A community that does not hold a Medicaid waiver provider agreement will ask your parent to leave when private funds are exhausted — often with short notice, at the point when moving is hardest.
Ask directly: do you hold a Medicaid waiver provider agreement, and how many current residents use it? A community can technically hold an agreement and still have no waiver capacity available.
How families pay for care. Wisconsin's two Medicaid long-term-care pathways are Family Care (managed care) and IRIS (self-directed); room and board is generally not covered by either, and Wisconsin has not adopted ACA Medicaid expansion. Read the full explanation →
The local long-term care ombudsman. All four core counties are covered by the single statewide Wisconsin Board on Aging and Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, 1-800-815-0015. Read the full explanation →
