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Nursing Home vs. Assisted Living

Two different Minnesota license chapters -- 144A for nursing homes, 144G for assisted living -- and two different levels of medical care.

HomeComparisonsNursing Home vs. Assisted Living
Short answer

Minnesota licenses nursing homes under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 144A and assisted living under Chapter 144G -- two entirely separate license chapters with different staffing and medical-care requirements. Nursing homes provide 24-hour licensed nursing care and carry federal CMS star ratings; assisted living does not.

Why nursing homes have CMS star ratings and assisted living does not

Nursing homes are federally certified providers under Medicare/Medicaid, which is why CMS Care Compare publishes a star rating for every one. Assisted living in Minnesota is licensed at the state level only, with no equivalent federal certification or star-rating system.

What pushes a resident out of assisted living

A resident whose medical needs exceed what an assisted living facility's service plan and staffing can safely provide -- ongoing skilled nursing needs, complex wound care, or a level of medical instability the facility is not licensed or staffed for -- typically needs to transition to a nursing home instead.

Questions families ask

Does an assisted living facility in Minnesota need a separate food service license?

No. Under Minn. Stat. 144G.10, subd. 3, facilities licensed as assisted living under Chapter 144G are not separately required to hold a boarding-establishment, food-and-beverage, hotel/motel, or restaurant license under Minnesota's general lodging and food code, Chapter 157. MDH's assisted living survey process covers that ground instead.

Who regulates home care agencies that send caregivers into a senior's home in the Twin Cities?

Home care providers in Minnesota are licensed and regulated by MDH, and complaints against a licensed home care agency go to the same Office of Health Facility Complaints line as facility complaints: 651-201-4200 (metro) or 1-800-369-7994 (greater Minnesota). No separate, dedicated home-care-only complaint hotline exists.

What is the Elderly Waiver and what does it cover?

The Elderly Waiver (EW) is Minnesota's Medicaid home- and community-based services waiver for seniors 65+ who are Medical Assistance eligible and assessed via MnCHOICES as needing a nursing-facility level of care. It covers personal care assistance, homemaker services, home health aide, case management, adult day services, respite care, home-delivered meals, and — inside licensed assisted living — 'customized living' or '24-hour customized living' service packages, but it never pays room and board.

What is Alternative Care and how is it different from the Elderly Waiver?

Alternative Care (AC) is a Minnesota state-funded program — no federal Medicaid match — for seniors who need Elderly-Waiver-equivalent services but aren't yet financially eligible for Medical Assistance. It uses largely the same service array and cost cap as EW and is designed to delay or prevent a Medicaid spend-down or nursing home placement, while EW itself requires the person to already be MA-eligible.

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