How Medicaid Can Cover Moving Expenses in DC, MD, and VA

While we do not have direct experience with clients using Medicaid to cover moving expenses, we have heard in states outside the DC area that certain eligible people have been able to get assistance through Medicaid to cover the expenses of moving. Theoretically, this could help cover your cost of hiring a mover to meet you for your furniture appointment at A Wider Circle, take your items home, and unpack them for you. It may even cover your cost of renting your own moving truck. While A Wider Circle cannot provide any direct assistance in any of these programs, we have done some research to get you started (info was current as as of summer 2025):

For residents of:

Who is eligible?

Links/contacts for more details:

DC resident, 60 years old or older OR an adult 18 years old or older with disabilities. Moving out of a Medicaid- approved nursing home or senior center into their own home, home of a relative, or a small group home. And eligible for the DC Elderly and Disabled Persons Medicaid Waiver (EPD).

You can call the DC Department of Aging and Community Living at (202) 724-5626 or you can send an email to dacl@dc.gov. For more information, start by reading Money Follows the Person: What It Is, How It Works. Waivers are needed for those who require a Nursing Facility Level of Care. See also Level of Care Required to Be Eligible for Medicaid Long Term Care.

DC resident with a disability, moving from an institution to independent living. Some services can be paid through the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) – One Time Transitional Service.

See the “HCBS” section at: Who to Contact if You Need Help with Rent, Security Deposit, Moving Expenses, and Utilities. You can also review Housing Supportive Services and the Home and Community-Based Services Waiver Program pages.

Former foster care youth under age 26 may be eligible for moving cost services if they were receiving foster care services and Medicaid in Maryland on their 18th birthday. Former foster care youth do not have to meet Medicaid income limits and qualify based on their status as former foster care youth.

Apply for Medicaid through marylandhealthconnection.gov or through the Enroll MHC app; by visiting a local connector entity, health department, or department of social services; Download the free mobile app, or by calling 1-855-642-8572 (TTY: 1-855-642-8573). Once connected, speak to Medicaid for information about moving assistance.

Options for seniors moving into community-based living

Maryland’s Increased Community Services Program, or ICS, assists nursing home residents 18+ years old in transitioning back home or into their communities (i.e., assisted living residence). ICS is not an entitlement program; meeting eligibility requirements does not equate to immediate receipt of program benefits. The number of participant slots is limited, and when they are full, a waitlist for program participation forms.

Maryland Medicaid Increased Community Services (ICS) Program: Benefits & Eligibility

An applicant must require a Nursing Facility Level of Care (NFLOC) to be eligible for CFC services. The assessment tool used to make this level of care determination is the interRAI Home Care (HC).

Community First Choice (CFC) Program from Maryland Medicaid / Medical Assistance

You are eligible for Money Follows the Person, if:

You are a resident of Virginia, currently live in a Nursing Facility (NF), Long Stay Hospital (LSH), or Intermediate Care Facility for Individuals with Mental Retardation (ICF/MR), have lived in a long-term care facility for at least six (6) successive months, including hospitalization periods, have been eligible for Medicaid for at least one (1) month at the time of transition, Qualify for a PACE program or one of the five (5) following waiver programs:

Elderly or Disabled with Consumer-Direction (EDCD) Waiver
Individual and Family Developmental Disabilities Support (IFDDS) Waiver
HIV/AIDS Waiver
Mental Retardation (MR) Waiver
Technology Assisted (Tech) Waiver

Move to a “qualified residence” in the community. A qualified residence is:

A home that an individual or his or her family member owns or leases
An apartment with an individual lease, with lockable entrance and exit, that includes living, sleeping, bathing and cooking areas
A residence, in a community-based residential setting, in which no more than four (4) unrelated individuals reside

For Flexible Funding, you may be eligible if:

You are age 18 or older, have a developmental disability, and be either:

Transitioning from a nursing facility, ICF, training center, group home or other congregate setting and qualify for a DD waiver OR
Receiving DD waiver services (BI, FIS or CL) OR
On the DD waiver waitlist – meet the criteria for an eligible family (household composition cannot include parents, grandparents or guardians)

Virginia Money Follows the Person Brochure– offers assistance in paying for upfront housing expenses. Qualifications and other benefits are also provided in the link, as well as who to contact.
Virginia Flexible Funding Homepage
Flexible Funding 2.0 Guidelines January 1, 2022
You can use Funding Option #1: Support to Obtain Housing to cover expenses covered under Initial Housing Transition Services and Supports (IHTSS), which includes moving costs.