A quiet but important bill is moving through the New Jersey Legislature. It could change daily life for thousands of nursing home residents across the state.
Bill A2691, paired with Senate Bill S1576, would raise the monthly personal needs allowance for Medicaid-eligible nursing home residents. Seawind Health Advocacy Group supports this bill and encourages families across Ocean and Monmouth Counties to learn more and speak up.
What Is the Personal Needs Allowance
The personal needs allowance, often shortened to PNA, is the small monthly amount nursing home residents on Medicaid are allowed to keep for themselves. Nearly two-thirds of nursing home residents in New Jersey rely on Medicaid. Their income, including any Social Security benefits, goes directly to the facility to help cover care costs. What remains is the PNA. Right now, that amount is just $50 a month.
Fifty dollars has to cover everything a resident needs outside of medical care. That includes clothing, shoes, haircuts, a phone bill, hobby supplies, and basic toiletries. It also covers small comforts, like an occasional meal that isn’t institutional food. For most residents, $50 barely stretches through the month.
What Bill A2691/S1576 Would Change
Assembly Bill A2691 and Senate Bill S1576 would raise the personal needs allowance from $50 to $140 a month. The bill also builds in a yearly cost-of-living adjustment, tied to the same formula used for Social Security increases. That means the allowance would keep pace with rising costs going forward, rather than staying frozen for years at a time.
This legislation has bipartisan sponsorship. As of this year, A2691 was reported out of the Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee with amendments and moved to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. S1576 was introduced in the Senate and referred to the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. Both bills still need full votes in each chamber and a governor’s signature to become law.
Why the Current Allowance Falls Short
New Jersey ranks among the most expensive states in the country to live in. Yet its personal needs allowance lags well behind most of the nation. More than thirty other states, along with the District of Columbia, already provide a higher monthly allowance than New Jersey does. Residents living on $50 a month here often have less spending power than residents in far less expensive states.
This gap affects dignity as much as it affects finances. A personal needs allowance is meant to give residents some independence and choice within a highly structured environment. When that amount hasn’t kept pace with basic costs, small freedoms disappear. A haircut becomes a luxury. New shoes become a wait-and-see decision.
How This Affects Families in Ocean and Monmouth Counties
Families in Ocean and Monmouth County often reach a point where a loved one needs nursing home care. That transition brings enough stress on its own, without also worrying about whether a parent or spouse can afford basic personal items. Raising the personal needs allowance would ease one small but meaningful piece of that burden for local families.
Nursing home residents themselves have led the push behind this bill. Groups like NJ Nursing Home Residents United have circulated petitions and met with legislators directly. Their voices, backed by families and advocates across the state, have carried this legislation further than similar past efforts.
How to Support the Bill
Residents and family members can play a role in moving this bill forward. Contacting your state senator and assembly member is one of the most direct ways to help. Ask them to support S1576 and A2691, and to bring both bills to a full floor vote. You can find your legislators and their contact information through the New Jersey Legislature’s official district lookup tool.
Families can also reach out to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman’s Community Engagement Program for updates on the bill’s progress and ways to get involved.
How Seawind Health Advocacy Group Can Help
Legislative advocacy is one piece of a much larger effort to protect the dignity of nursing home residents. Stevie Kiziukiewicz, an independent board-certified patient advocate, works directly with families across Ocean and Monmouth County on the day-to-day realities of long-term care. That includes helping families understand Medicaid eligibility, track long-term care insurance activation, and manage the transition into a care facility with clear communication and support.
If your family is weighing a nursing home placement, or already has a loved one in care, Seawind’s care coordination services can help you understand what to expect and how to advocate for your family member’s needs. Stevie also assists families throughout Ocean County and Monmouth County with the financial and administrative pieces that often accompany long-term care decisions.