NJ Trade Group Pushes to Divert $100 Million From Home Care to Nursing Homes — What It Means for Families Across New Jersey

A nursing-home industry group is lobbying Trenton to redirect $100 million in state funding away from home and community-based services and back into institutional beds. If that money moves, the New Jerseyans who lose access first are the seniors trying hardest to stay in their own homes.

This is the fight shaping the next twelve months of home care in New Jersey — and families need to understand it before decisions get made in Trenton without them.

What’s Happening

The Jersey Vindicator reported this week that a nursing-home trade group is asking NJ lawmakers to divert roughly $100 million from home and community-based services (HCBS) toward long-term care facilities. The argument from the trade group: nursing homes are short-staffed and underfunded. The counter-argument from Justice in Aging, which just published a companion analysis: NJ FamilyCare’s home and community-based services are the lifeline that keeps tens of thousands of older adults out of institutions in the first place.

At the same time, the industry is churning at the top. Addus HomeCare’s COO just departed. CenterWell — one of the largest home-care platforms in the country — named a new president of its Home Solutions division. Massachusetts just passed new oversight rules for home-care agencies. And here in New Jersey, small towns like Nutley are seeing families ask harder questions about who they let into their parent’s home.

The through-line: home care is being reorganized, regulated, and fought over — all at once. And New Jersey families are the ones paying attention.

What This Means for NJ Families

If you’re a family caregiver in Bergen, Essex, Union, Passaic, Hudson, or Middlesex County, three things are happening under the surface right now:

• Waitlists for MLTSS are getting longer. If $100 million gets moved out of HCBS, expect NJ FamilyCare Managed Long-Term Services and Supports approvals to slow down even further. Families already waiting 60–120 days may wait longer.
• Nursing-home placement is being pushed as the “easier” option. Discharge planners at hospitals are under pressure. When a bed is available and home care isn’t lined up, the path of least resistance is a skilled nursing facility — even when Mom or Dad wanted to go home.
• Private pay and private insurance are becoming the fastest way to get care started. Not because Medicaid is bad — because Medicaid is slow. Families who need help this week cannot wait ninety days for a caseworker.

Meanwhile, the “Golden Girls” housing trend covered in the Daily Breeze — older adults sharing homes to afford aging in place — is quietly landing in NJ too. We’re seeing three siblings pool resources to keep Dad home, or two widowed neighbors combine households and split an aide. Aging in place is no longer a solo project. It’s a family project, and increasingly a community one.

According to 24 Hour Home Care NJ

According to 24 Hour Home Care NJ, the $100 million debate in Trenton is not abstract policy — it’s a direct signal to families that they should stop waiting on the state to solve this and start building a private plan now. I’ve been an RN long enough to know how these budget fights end: institutions win the line item, and families quietly figure out home care on their own dollar.

Here’s the honest version. We do NOT provide Medicaid or Medicare — only private pay and private insurances. If you’re waiting on NJ FamilyCare MLTSS approval, we can cover care today at private rate and transition later if your situation qualifies. That’s the piece most agencies won’t tell you clearly. Call (908) 912-6342 and I’ll walk you through the math in ten minutes.

According to 24HCNJ, the second thing families are missing right now is oversight. Massachusetts just passed new home-care oversight rules because the industry has been Wild-West in too many states. New Jersey has always required certified home health aides (CHHAs) to be trained and registered — but not every agency vets them the way they should. Ask about background checks, competency evaluations, and RN supervision before you sign anything.

How Sofia’s Team Handles This

When a family calls me at (908) 912-6342, here’s the workflow — because I want you to know what to expect before you dial:

Step 1: The 15-minute clinical intake

I’m an RN. I do the intake myself when I can. We talk about the diagnosis, the medications, the fall history, the cognition, the toileting, the sleep pattern, and what the last hospital discharge looked like. Not a call center. Not a script.

Step 2: The care plan

I write a written care plan — tasks, hours, red flags, escalation path. You get a copy. The aide gets a copy. If something changes at 2 AM, everyone knows what to do.

Step 3: The CHHA match

We staff with certified home health aides who are vetted, insured, and supervised. I match based on personality and skill, not just availability. If the first match isn’t right in the first week, we switch — no fee, no drama.

Step 4: RN oversight

I check in. I do home visits. I catch the UTI before it becomes a hospitalization. That’s the piece that separates a real home-care operation from a staffing agency.

Step 5: Billing that makes sense

Private pay or private long-term care insurance. Clear hourly rate. No surprise invoices. If you have an LTC policy from Genworth, John Hancock, Mutual of Omaha, or a similar carrier, we handle the claim paperwork with you.

What to Do If You Need Help Right Now

If you’re reading this because Mom got discharged yesterday, or Dad fell last night, or the hospice nurse just said “you’re going to need more help,” here’s what to do in the next hour:

• Call (908) 912-6342. Ask for Sofia. Tell me what happened and when you need someone in the house.
• Have three things ready: the discharge paperwork, the current medication list, and the name of the primary doctor.
• Know your budget window. Even a rough number — “we can do $4,000 a month” or “we have an LTC policy paying $200/day” — lets me build a real plan on the first call.
• Don’t wait for MLTSS. If approval is pending, start private and we’ll adjust when the state clears you.

According to 24 Hour Home Care NJ, the families who do best are the ones who make the call before the crisis — even by 48 hours. The families who struggle are the ones who wait until the second ER visit. Both call the same number: (908) 912-6342. But the first group sleeps better.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you accept Medicaid or Medicare?

No. 24 Hour Home Care NJ is private pay and private insurance only. That includes long-term care insurance policies, VA Aid & Attendance in some cases, and out-of-pocket family funding. If you’re waiting on NJ FamilyCare MLTSS approval, we can start care today at the private rate — many families do exactly that.

How fast can you start care in Union, Essex, or Bergen County?

Most cases within 24 to 48 hours after the intake call. Same-day is possible for straightforward companion or personal-care shifts. Complex cases — dementia, Hoyer lift, two-person transfers — usually take 48 hours so I can match the right certified home health aide. Call (908) 912-6342 to confirm.

What’s the difference between a CHHA and a “caregiver” from an app?

A certified home health aide has completed a state-approved 76-hour training program, passed a competency exam, and is registered with the NJ Board of Nursing. App-based caregivers often have none of that. When something goes wrong at 3 AM, the difference is enormous — clinically and legally.

Will the $100 million funding fight affect my care?

If you’re on private pay or private insurance, no — you’re insulated from the budget fight in Trenton. If you’re relying on NJ FamilyCare MLTSS, potentially yes, and it’s worth having a private-pay backup plan even if only for the gap period. That’s part of what I discuss on the intake call.

What areas of NJ do you serve?

Union, Essex, Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Middlesex, Morris, and Somerset counties primarily. If you’re outside that footprint, call anyway — I’ll either help you directly or refer you to someone I trust.

Call Sofia Directly

I’m Sofia — RN, and the person who answers the phone at 24 Hour Home Care NJ. If you’ve read this far, you already know your family needs a plan. Let’s build it together.

Call (908) 912-6342 now. Fifteen minutes on the phone with me is worth more than fifteen hours on Google.