Nursing home residents warned about giving up coronavirus relief funds

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford is warning families to be cautious amid reports of nursing homes attempting to take coronavirus relief payments from their residents.

Nursing homes cannot legally require residents on Medicaid to sign over their relief payments, according to a news release from the attorney general’s office. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, the checks are designated as tax credits that cannot be taken for federal benefits programs, such as Medicaid.

While Medicaid requires nursing home residents to contribute most of their income toward the cost of care, they may keep a small amount of personal funds, to which the relief checks apply.

After receiving “concerning reports” of nursing homes attempting to seize these funds, the attorney general’s office is advising nursing home residents who are Medicaid recipients and have forfeited their relief payments to file a complaint with the Nevada attorney general or the Federal Trade Commission. They also may call the attorney general’s hotline at 888-434-9989.

“On many fronts, we’re actively working to protect our seniors, and any confiscation of stimulus payments should be reported to my office,” Ford said in the release.

Contact Amanda Bradford at abradford@reviewjournal.com. Follow @amandabrad_uc on Twitter.