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Nursing Home vs. Assisted Living

New York licenses nursing homes under 10 NYCRR Part 415, entirely separate from assisted living's ACF/ALR framework.

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Short answer

New York licenses nursing homes under a completely separate rule chapter (10 NYCRR Part 415) from assisted living (10 NYCRR Part 1001 for ALR/EALR/SNALR, 18 NYCRR Parts 487-494 for the base ACF types). Nursing homes carry federal CMS star ratings; assisted living communities in New York do not.

What actually gates the decision

A resident who needs 24-hour licensed nursing care, not just personal-care assistance, generally needs a nursing home rather than assisted living, regardless of how a specific ALR/EALR/SNALR community markets its capabilities. Ask any assisted living community directly what its admission and retention limits are.

Medicare's skilled-nursing benefit only covers a limited rehabilitation stay after a qualifying inpatient hospital admission -- it is not a way to pay for long-term nursing home placement, in New York or anywhere else.

Questions families ask

Is there a separate published cost for memory care in New York?

No. CareScout's Cost of Care Survey, the primary published cost benchmark used on this site, does not survey or publish a distinct memory care cost category in either its 2024 or 2025 New York State data tables. CareScout only publishes figures for Assisted Living Community, Nursing Home (semi-private and private), Adult Day Health Care, and in-home care categories.

Is there a Long Island-specific senior care cost figure, or only a statewide number?

Only a statewide figure is published. CareScout confirms that its publicly downloadable National and State Data Tables report, the source for the cost figures cited throughout this site, provides state-level and national medians only. CareScout's underlying survey does collect metro-area (MSA-level) data that feeds its separate interactive online cost calculator, but that breakout is not included in the downloadable state tables.

Who is the Long-Term Care Ombudsman for Suffolk County, and what do they do?

Suffolk County's regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman Coordinator is Elizabeth Maxim, sponsored by Family Service League (FSL), 1444 Fifth Ave., Bay Shore, NY 11706, phone 631-470-6755. The Ombudsman Program advocates for residents in Suffolk County skilled nursing homes, assisted living, adult homes, and family-type homes for adults, and operates as part of the statewide Long Term Care Ombudsman Program housed within the NY State Office for the Aging.

Who is the Long-Term Care Ombudsman for Nassau County?

Nassau County's regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman Coordinator is Mary Clare Campion, sponsored by Family and Children's Association, located at 377 Oak Street, Fifth Floor, Garden City, NY 11530, phone 516-466-9718. Like Suffolk's coordinator, this office is part of the statewide Long Term Care Ombudsman Program administered under the NY State Office for the Aging.

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