Apply for long-term-care Medicaid generally through Wake County's Department of Social Services, and apply for CAP/DA specifically by contacting a local CAP/DA case management entity serving Wake County; the CAP/DA program is administered overall by the NC Division of Health Benefits/NC Medicaid within NCDHHS. The NC Medicaid Contact Center (888-245-0179) can help direct families to the correct local starting point.
The detail behind the program
CAP/DA applications in North Carolina run through two connected but distinct tracks: the underlying Medicaid financial and categorical eligibility determination, handled by county DSS, and the CAP/DA-specific care-needs assessment and case management, handled by a designated CAP/DA case management entity operating in that county. For a Raleigh family, this means the practical first calls are to Wake County DSS to start or confirm Medicaid eligibility, and to the local CAP/DA case management agency serving Wake County to begin the level-of-care assessment that determines waiver eligibility. Because waiver programs like CAP/DA can carry waitlists depending on funded slots, starting both processes as early as possible — even before the point of urgent need — is generally advisable.
Related questions
- Will NC Medicaid pay for the room-and-board cost of an assisted living community in Cary?
- What exactly does the CAP/DA Medicaid waiver cover for a parent aging in place in Apex?
- Is CAP/DA the same thing as Medicaid paying for assisted living in Wake County?
- What is State/County Special Assistance, and is it a Medicaid waiver?
- Did North Carolina's 2023 Medicaid expansion change anything about nursing home coverage for my father in Durham?
- What are the asset limits to qualify for nursing facility Medicaid in North Carolina in 2026?
- What's the income limit to qualify for nursing home Medicaid in North Carolina?
