New Orleans Senior AdvisorHow does someone get into a nursing home in Louisiana?
A person qualifies medically for a Louisiana nursing facility by meeting the level-of-care criteria, having an order from a Louisiana-licensed physician, and being screened before admission for a history of mental illness or developmental disability under federal rules; the Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS) makes the level-of-care determination for every admission to a Medicaid-certified home, whatever the payer.
Families can apply directly to the nursing home of their choice or call Louisiana Options in Long-Term Care at 1-877-456-1146 (TDD 1-877-544-9544), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to apply for pre-admission certification. After a hospital stay, the hospital's case manager usually starts the process.
Does it matter who pays when OAAS decides level of care?
No: OAAS determines level of care for all individuals before admission to a Medicaid-certified nursing facility regardless of payer source, so a family paying privately still goes through the same determination.
That consistency helps later. A resident who enters paying privately and runs out of money already has a level-of-care determination on file when the Medicaid application goes in. Medicaid will send a “Ways to Apply” letter when a person is admitted to a nursing home; apply promptly, because Medicaid cannot decide eligibility for someone who does not apply.
How many nursing homes are in the New Orleans area?
LDH's October 2026 report lists 37 licensed nursing homes in the six parishes; CMS rates 35 of them, 16 with four or five stars overall (Care Compare data as of October 1, 2026).
Orleans Parish holds the largest share, including several long-established faith-based and nonprofit homes; Jefferson and St. Tammany follow. Each certified home has its own page on this site with CMS ratings, the latest inspection, staffing and turnover. See the full nursing home list.
What should a family check before choosing a Louisiana nursing home?
Check certification first (a home must be Medicaid-certified for Medicaid to pay), then the CMS inspection record and staffing, then the emergency plan and the last evacuation's host site, and finally whether the home has a long-stay bed available, which is different from a short-term rehab bed.
Ask how the $45 monthly Personal Care Needs Allowance is handled for Medicaid residents, whether there is a resident and family council, and who the nurses are on nights. CMS ratings are relative within Louisiana; read the inspection details behind them.
What does Louisiana Medicaid leave a nursing home resident each month?
A Louisiana Medicaid nursing home resident keeps a Personal Care Needs Allowance of $45 a month for personal items the facility fee does not cover, up from $38 on July 1, 2025, and some residents also receive a state-funded Optional State Supplement that rose from $8 to $15 the same day.
Most of the resident's other income goes toward the cost of care, with allowances for a spouse at home under the federal spousal impoverishment rules. See nursing home Medicaid in Louisiana.
At a glance
| Louisiana nursing home admission requires | It does not require | |
|---|---|---|
| Level of care | An OAAS determination for every Medicaid-certified admission | Medicaid eligibility first |
| Doctor | An order from a Louisiana-licensed physician | A specialist referral |
| Screening | Pre-admission screening for mental illness or developmental disability | A psychiatric diagnosis |
| Payment | A payer: private, insurance, Medicare or Medicaid | Private pay before Medicaid |
Sources include LAC 48:I.Chapter 68 (adult residential care providers), the Louisiana Department of Health's Health Standards Section and Office of Aging and Adult Services pages, the Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs, CareScout and VA rate tables as cited above; see our editorial standards.
