Many seniors and their loved ones are afraid that if they spend any amount of time away from nursing homes, they will lose their Medicare benefits. Many times this means that families with elderly loved ones don’t spend as much time with them as they would like for fear of losing their coverage for the stay in the skilled care home. This simply is not true.

Residents of nursing homes are allowed an outside pass or a leave of absence for many purposes such as:

  • Religious services on special occasions
  • Holiday family gatherings
  • Other family celebrations
  • Trial visits to their home
  • Taking car rides

These are all listed as legitimate reasons for the elderly to leave a skilled care home and not lose their coverage.

Appropriate Billing for Time Away

While there are provisions for being allowed to take time away from a nursing home, your elderly loved one or family member can still be charge according to the terms they agreed to with the nursing home.

Any time that a resident of nursing home is returned to the facility before midnight on the same day that they left, it is legal for the resident to be charged for a full day of care even if they were gone for the majority of the day.

Some facilities may charge a “bed hold” fee if a leave lasts longer than a day. This is to hold the resident’s spot in the home.

If you have any legal questions or issues with a resident taking time away from a skilled care home, contact the experts at Stano Law Group.