Journey guide
Hospital Discharge Without Stable Housing
This guide helps organize questions for the hospital team and receiving providers; it does not make a medical or discharge decision.
Your plan
6 steps, in the order that works. Select any step for the full instructions.
- Step 1 of 6. Ask about medical respite. More info.
- Step 2 of 6. Call your plan's care management team. More info.
- Step 3 of 6. Say you have nowhere safe to go. More info.
- Step 4 of 6. Get medication in hand. More info.
- Step 5 of 6. Arrange the transport out. More info.
- Step 6 of 6. Get a copy of the plan. More info.
How your answers changed this plan
- Moved to the front of the plan: Ask about medical respite; Call your plan's care management team.
This is the ordered plan for Hospital Discharge Without Stable Housing. Each step links to its full instructions further down this page.
Answer these to shorten your plan
Optional. Nothing is stored and no answer decides eligibility. Skipping every question gives you the full plan above.
Start here
Your first action
Do this now
Tell the treating team now that there is no stable or medically workable destination, and name the care, medication, mobility, communication, or transportation need that could fail first.
Next: Louisville Coordinated Shelter Access
Ask: The checked source publishes this line daily from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., csa@louhomeless.org, and eleven holiday closures. Ask which current shelter-access route applies and recheck the schedule. A call or referral does not confirm a bed, acceptance, placement, transportation, or a change to the discharge decision.
Situation: A hospital discharge is being planned and there is no stable or medically workable place to recover.
What you need to startUse what you have. Missing items do not block the first call.
Have ready if available
- Written discharge instructions, if available
- Medication, prescription, equipment, and referral list
- A safe phone or other contact method
- Specific mobility, accessibility, communication, and transportation needs
Missing something? Tell the treating team what is unavailable and ask what can be written down or reviewed safely before leaving.
If the first route fails
The shelter-access line is closed, does not answer, or a phone, website, or other technology fails: Tell the discharge-planning contact that the route failed and ask for another current contact. From any working phone, Kentucky 211 can be called for current resource leads; it does not reserve a bed, confirm placement, arrange a ride, or change a discharge decision.
Keep the treating-team plan open until each unresolved item has a named next contact or written fallback.
Last checked 2026-08-08 · Kentucky · official source: Kentucky 211
What remains uncertain: NOLO cannot confirm a bed, placement, ride, discharge delay, eligibility, acceptance, a schedule change beyond the published hours and closures above, or availability. Only the hospital team and each receiving service can confirm their own current decision and role.
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-08-05 · Kentucky
Programs under one organization can differ. Provider information · Methodology
Public Beta limitation
Reviewed Public Beta guidance only. Fees, timelines, eligibility, document substitutes, capacity, and provider practices are not published unless a named source has been verified. Confirm current requirements directly.
How to read checked, listed, and unknown informationA listing can stay useful without being provider confirmed.
- Checked fact or route
- NOLO matched the fact to the named source on the date shown. This is not proof of current availability or provider confirmation.
- Directory lead
- A listing that may still help remains visible with an honest status such as Possibly active or Needs verification.
- PROVIDER CONFIRMED
- Only named fields backed by linked first-party provider evidence, integrity checks, and attributed human approval may carry this state. NOLO never infers it from a website, import, likely fit, or contact attempt.
- UNKNOWN / Needs verification
- NOLO does not know the answer yet. Confirm it directly; this is not a claim that the resource or option does not exist.
Each step in full
The same steps as the plan above, with the instructions for each one.
Step 1Ask about medical respite of 6
Do this
Ask your social worker to screen for medical respite or recuperative care by name.
- Ask for it by name. It is a specific thing with a screening process, not a general request for help.
- It exists for people who are homeless and recovering from an illness or injury — recovery that cannot happen on a street or in a shelter with no daytime beds.
- Ask what the screening involves and how long it takes, so the discharge is not scheduled before the answer comes.
Move on when: a screening has been requested, or you have been told in writing why it will not be.
Why this step is here
Promoted the moment somebody says they are recovering from an illness or injury, because that is what the screening is for and it takes time the discharge clock does not allow.
What was checked, and what is still unknown (1)
- Medical respite supports people experiencing homelessness who need to recover from illness or injury but do not require a hospital stay; this definition does not establish local capacity.National Health Care for the Homeless Council — Medical Respite. Read on 2026-09-07.
Still unknown
- Whether medical respite beds exist near you, who they take, and whether there is space. NOLO confirms none of that.
Step 2Call your plan's care management team of 6
Do this
Ask what post-discharge meals, transport, and case management your current plan covers and how to request them.
- Kentucky publishes the managed-care organisations and the member numbers printed on their cards: Aetna Better Health (855) 300-5528, Humana Healthy Horizons (800) 444-9137, Passport Health Plan by Molina (844) 778-2700, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan (866) 293-1796, and WellCare of Kentucky (877) 389-9457.
- Ask the member line to put you through to care management, then ask by name for home-delivered post-discharge meals, medical transportation, and case management.
- If you do not know which plan you are in, DCBS on (855) 306-8959 can tell you. The state Medicaid card and the plan card are different cards.
Move on when: you have spoken to care management and know which of the three your plan will provide.
Why this step is here
After the clinical steps, because it wraps around a discharge that has already been arranged — and before you leave, because it is easier to arrange from a bed than from a bus stop.
What was checked, and what is still unknown (2)
- Kentucky publishes the managed-care organisations that issue their own member card alongside the state card, with member numbers for Aetna Better Health (855) 300-5528, Humana Healthy Horizons (800) 444-9137, Passport Health Plan by Molina (844) 778-2700, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan (866) 293-1796, and WellCare of Kentucky (877) 389-9457. Anthem stopped being a Kentucky Medicaid managed-care organisation on 1 January 2025, which the page says does not change a member's eligibility or interrupt coverage.Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services — Medicaid identification card. Read on 2026-09-07.
- A member who loses the state Medicaid ID card requests a replacement by contacting the Department for Community Based Services toll-free on (855) 306-8959; the card stays valid for as long as the member is Medicaid eligible.Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services — Medicaid identification card. Read on 2026-09-07.
Still unknown
- The care-management numbers are not the member numbers above, and NOLO has not verified a first-party source for any plan's care-management line. Ask the member line to transfer you.
- Which benefits any plan currently offers, and to whom.
Step 3Say you have nowhere safe to go of 6
Do this
Say it plainly and early. It is the sentence that changes what the discharge planning is for.
- Tell the treating team, including the discharge planner, social worker, physician, or nurse, and ask for the concern to be recorded.
- Describe what is actually true — no address, an unsafe address, stairs you cannot climb, nowhere to keep medication cold. The specifics are what a planner can act on.
- Ask what the hospital can arrange, and ask for the answer to be written down.
- If nobody has asked you where you are going, that is the question to raise yourself.
Move on when: the discharge planner knows there is no safe destination and has said what they will do about it.
Why this step is here
First, because every other step here depends on the hospital knowing. A discharge planned for an address that does not work is planned wrong from the start.
What was checked, and what is still unknown (1)
- The checklist recommends discussing the destination, medication list, care tasks, coverage, equipment, written instructions, and follow-up contacts with the discharge team.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Your discharge planning checklist. Read on 2026-09-07.
Still unknown
- What any hospital will arrange. NOLO does not confirm discharge practices at any facility.
Step 4Get medication in hand of 6
Do this
Filled and with you, or at a pharmacy you can actually reach, with hours you have checked.
- Ask for every discharge medication to be filled before you leave, rather than sent to a pharmacy you will have to get to.
- If it must go to a pharmacy, confirm the pharmacy is open, reachable, and has it in stock — all three, by phone, before the discharge.
- Ask what happens if a medication needs refrigeration and you have nowhere to keep it cold. That is a discharge-planning problem, not yours to solve outside.
- Ask for the days' supply, not just the prescription. A three-day supply and a three-week appointment gap is a problem to raise now.
Move on when: every medication is either in your hand or at a named pharmacy you have phoned.
Why this step is here
Before the transport, because a pharmacy stop changes the route and the timing, and after the discharge it changes nothing at all.
What was checked, and what is still unknown (1)
- The checklist recommends discussing the destination, medication list, care tasks, coverage, equipment, written instructions, and follow-up contacts with the discharge team.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Your discharge planning checklist. Read on 2026-09-07.
Still unknown
- Any pharmacy's stock, hours, or what your coverage pays. Confirm each by phone.
Step 5Arrange the transport out of 6
Do this
Book it before the discharge time, with the hospital or through your plan.
- Ask the hospital care coordinator what transport the hospital itself can arrange.
- Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation is arranged through a county broker and usually needs notice — see the transportation guide for the booking window.
- Say where you are actually going. A discharge to an address nobody can reach is a discharge that does not happen.
Move on when: there is a booked way out, to a named destination, at a known time.
Why this step is here
Start transport enquiries early because advance notice may be required. Confirm the final destination, pharmacy stops, and pickup with the hospital and transport provider before leaving.
What was checked, and what is still unknown
Still unknown
- Whether transport is available at the discharge time, and what your plan covers. Confirm with the coordinator and the broker.
Step 6Get a copy of the plan of 6
Do this
The transition plan, the wound-care orders, and the follow-up details, in a form you can carry.
- Ask how you can receive a safe, accessible copy of the transition plan — printed if you have nowhere to charge a phone.
- Ask specifically for wound-care orders if there are any. Ask the team to demonstrate any care task and check that you can follow the written instructions.
- Ask who the follow-up appointment is with, when, and what to do if you miss it.
- Choose a safe contact method, name who owns the next action, and write down when to check again.
- Keep a safe copy or reference number for each notice, submission, referral, and instruction so the work can resume without starting over.
Move on when: you are holding the plan, the orders, and the appointment details.
Why this step is here
Last, because it is the record of everything above — and the step that turns a discharge into something the next clinician can pick up.
What was checked, and what is still unknown (1)
- The checklist recommends discussing the destination, medication list, care tasks, coverage, equipment, written instructions, and follow-up contacts with the discharge team.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Your discharge planning checklist. Read on 2026-09-07.
Still unknown
- What any hospital's records process requires or how long a copy takes. Ask before the discharge.
Build a handoff packet for a case managerFor a worker, advocate, or outreach team preparing a referral on someone's behalf.
Case manager packet
Build a Hospital Discharge Without Stable Housing handoff
Choose the sections you can review together in under five minutes. The handoff starts with the first action and ends with a fallback. NOLO does not ask for or store a client name, answers, case notes, or checklist progress.
First action plus 4 selected sections
Document prompts are preparation—not a verified agency checklist. UNKNOWN means “confirm this,” not “no.” A source link does not confirm eligibility or current availability.
Before the appointment ends
- 1. Name the next official contact.
- 2. Choose one UNKNOWN to confirm.
- 3. Agree on a fallback if the first route fails.
Routes whose sources publish 24/7 access
These sources describe the route as available around the clock. A route may be a staffed phone, text, or chat line, a self-service form, or a local process. This is not a live check that someone will answer or that a service has capacity. Read each availability note and confirm the current route when you can.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Mental-health distress, emotional distress, suicide, or substance-use crisis — for you or for someone you are worried about.
Call or text 988988lifeline.org
Chat at chat.988lifeline.org. Text and chat are published in Spanish, and there is a Deaf and hard-of-hearing route.
988 publishes that it is available 24/7/365, free, and confidential.
Source: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — checked 2026-08-05.
Kentucky 211
Housing, food, utilities, transportation, and community services — when you need to know what exists near you tonight.
Or text your ZIP code to 898211.
Kentucky 211 answers 24 hours a day.
Source: NOLO emergency contact policy (SOURCE_OF_TRUTH §11) — checked 2026-08-05.
VA National Call Center for Homeless Veterans
Any veteran who is homeless or at risk of it. Family, friends, and case managers may call on a veteran's behalf.
Call 1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838)va.gov/homeless
VA publishes a free, confidential online chat with a trained counselor, any time of day or night.
VA publishes that this line is available 24/7.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — National Call Center for Homeless Veterans — checked 2026-08-05.
4 more routes whose sources publish 24/7 access
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Confidential support if someone is hurting you or you are helping someone who is being hurt.
Call 1-800-799-7233thehotline.org/get-help
Text START to 88788, or use the live chat. There are Spanish, StrongHearts, and video-phone routes.
The Hotline publishes phone, text, and chat routes to an advocate. It also warns that internet use can be monitored and is impossible to erase completely — if this device may be watched, use a different one.
Source: National Domestic Violence Hotline — Get Help — checked 2026-08-05.
Seven Counties Services crisis lines
Local crisis support for the Louisville area, staffed at any hour. Separate lines for adults, children, addiction recovery, and developmental-disability crisis.
Adult crisis (502) 589-4313sevencounties.org
Child crisis (502) 589-8070. Addiction recovery (502) 583-3951. Developmental-disability crisis (502) 459-5292.
Seven Counties Services publishes all four lines as available 24/7, 365.
Source: Seven Counties Services — Crisis Number Directory — checked 2026-08-05.
Kentucky protective order
Filing a petition for an emergency protective order, if someone is hurting you or threatening you.
How protective orders work (Kentucky Court of Justice)
Petitions are filed with an Office of Circuit Court Clerk; the court publishes contact details for all 120 counties.
Kentucky courts are required to provide a 24-hour access process for orders of protection in every county. The after-hours location or procedure can vary by county. Contact the local circuit court clerk, law enforcement, or a domestic-violence program to confirm the local process. The Kentucky Court of Justice also states that there are no fees or costs for filing a petition. Whether to seek an order is your decision, and an advocate can help you think it through.
Source: Kentucky Court of Justice — How to Obtain a Protective Order — checked 2026-08-05.
Legal Aid Society online application
Eviction, housing conditions, benefits, and other civil legal problems in Jefferson County and fourteen surrounding counties.
Legal Aid Society publishes an online intake application available twenty-four hours a day. Its phone intake is Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed on Fridays — so at night the form is the way in.
Source: Legal Aid Society — Frequently Asked Questions — checked 2026-08-05.
If someone is in immediate danger or having a medical emergency, call 911.
Forms, portals, and instructions by step (3)Official forms and portals placed where they become relevant, each with its owner, check date, and what it does not prove.
Documents inside the process
Forms, portals, and instructions by step
These are placed where they become relevant. NOLO does not imitate the form, collect answers, submit anything, or know whether you completed a step.
- 1
Conditional Medicaid transportation branch
Arrange Medicaid transportation for follow-up appointments
Use Kentucky's official instructions to identify your regional broker. Non-emergency medical transportation requires at least 72 hours advance notice.
- Official instructionsInstructionsSource checked
Kentucky Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation
Kentucky Medicaid’s official regional-broker starting page for qualifying covered trips.
- Who completes it
- A Medicaid member or authorized helper contacting the applicable regional route.
- Gather before opening
- Coverage and trip requirements are case-specific and controlled by Medicaid and the broker.
- Access or submission
- Contact the current regional route identified by the official page.
- Signature
- Unknown — confirm with the responsible broker and Medicaid.
What this does not prove: The page does not confirm member eligibility, a trip, broker assignment, seat, pickup, or reservation window.Official owner: Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Checked 2026-08-04. Confirm mobility, communication, attendant, and accessibility needs directly. Confirm language and interpreter options with the responsible route.
Next in the process: Apply for Medicaid or verify benefits following hospitalization
- 2
Benefits portal route
Apply for Medicaid or verify benefits following hospitalization
Use the Kentucky benefits portal to start a Medicaid application or check coverage for post-discharge medical and prescription needs.
- Application portalPortalSource checked
Kentucky Benefits application portal
The official online starting point for Kentucky benefit applications and account management.
- Who completes it
- The applicant or a person the applicant authorizes; confirm current account and assistance options in the portal.
- Gather before opening
- Requirements vary by benefit and situation; use the portal or agency instructions for the current list.
- Access or submission
- Online portal
- Signature
- Not confirmed by NOLO; follow the portal’s current attestation steps.
What this does not prove: The state may ask you to create or sign in to a kynect account.Official owner: Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Checked 2026-08-04. NOLO has not completed an accessibility conformance review of the external portal. English interface observed; confirm other language and interpreter options in the portal.
Next in the process: If no permanent address is available for discharge records
- 3
Address-continuity — confirm limits before relying on it
If no permanent address is available for discharge records
USPS General Delivery can receive medical records, insurance cards, and official notices without a permanent address for up to 30 days.
- Official instructionsOptionalSource checked
General Delivery
A way to receive mail without a permanent address. USPS publishes it as "intended primarily as a temporary means of delivery: For transients and customers not permanently located." No application form exists — it is arranged with the destination Post Office.
- Who completes it
- The person receiving mail, by contacting the destination Post Office. USPS publishes no application form for this.
- Gather before opening
- Identification: DMM 508.6.3 states a customer "can be required to present suitable identification before mail is given to the customer," and 508.6.2 lets a postmaster refuse service to someone unable to present it. What counts as suitable is decided locally — ask before relying on this.
- Access or submission
- Contact the destination Post Office to determine the authorised facility and its ZIP code before mail is sent; Collect in person at that one authorised facility
- Signature
- None published for arranging it. Identification can be required when mail is collected.
What this does not prove: Two limits decide whether this works. Identification can be required, so it may not solve an address problem for someone also missing ID. And DMM 508.6.4 states each piece is held "for no more than 30 days" — shorter than a 60-day benefits or appeal deadline, so a notice can be returned to the sender before it is ever collected.Official owner: United States Postal Service. Checked 2026-08-06. Not evaluated by NOLO. Collection is in person at a single authorised facility, which is itself an access constraint worth planning around. Not verified by NOLO; ask the local Post Office what language assistance is available.
Next: continue with the guide's fallback and agency questions.
What NOLO cannot promise
- NOLO does not decide eligibility.
- NOLO does not submit applications, renewals, appeals, or documents.
- NOLO cannot guarantee approval, a timeline, an appointment, or a fee waiver.
- NOLO is not a legal or benefits advisor.
- NOLO is not affiliated with any agency named on a journey page.
- This guide does not make a legal, medical, safety, eligibility, or discharge decision.
- A search result does not confirm funding, capacity, acceptance, or availability.
Documents and what replaces them (2)Every document this journey covers, what each one proves, and the accepted substitutes.
Documents and recovery questions
Anything marked “confirmed” below has a named source and a check date. Everything else is a question worth asking, not a rule — ask before relying on it.
Written discharge instructions
Written discharge instructions
They record the treating team’s current care and follow-up instructions.
If it is missing
Ask the hospital how to receive an accessible copy and whom to contact about missing or unclear instructions.
Possibilities to ask about
- Ask the receiving provider which discharge record it needs; do not send medical records to NOLO.
Official details not yet verified — ask the agency for current instructions · checked 2026-08-01 · Kentucky
Medication, prescription, equipment, and referral list
Medication, prescription, equipment, and referral list
Each item may require a separate handoff or confirmation.
If it is missing
Ask the treating team to correct the list and identify the contact responsible for each unresolved item.
Possibilities to ask about
- Ask the treating or receiving professional what written record can be reviewed safely.
Official details not yet verified — ask the agency for current instructions · checked 2026-08-01 · Kentucky
If something is blocking you (4)What commonly stops people here, and what has worked around it.
If something is blocking you
A referral was sent but no receiving program has confirmed acceptance.
Things to try
- Ask who will verify acceptance and what the written fallback plan is if the referral is declined or unavailable.
A proposed shelter or location may not support the person’s care or mobility needs.
Things to try
- Describe the specific need to the hospital team and proposed provider and ask each to confirm its role.
There is no safe phone, mailing route, or place to keep discharge records.
Things to try
- Tell the discharge team before leaving and ask what accessible contact, copy, and follow-up arrangement it can document.
The normal route stalls, gives conflicting instructions, or cannot confirm the next step.
Things to try
- Record who said what, when, and through which channel.
- Ask what escalation or alternate channel exists, then keep a separate fallback route open.
Things that may help today
- Ask the treating team what safe interim plan it can document if no receiving placement is confirmed.
- Use the emergency panel for immediate medical danger and continue housing navigation as a separate track.
Where to go — official routes (2)Named offices and services, each with its own source, check date, and published limits.
Verified official route
Coordinated Shelter Access (Louisville)
The Coalition for the Homeless operates Coordinated Shelter Access, Louisville's front door for emergency shelter reservations. Its published route is (502) 637-2337, daily from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., or csa@louhomeless.org. The office at 1300 S. 4th Street #250 is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Coalition publishes that Coordinated Shelter Access is closed on New Year's Day, MLK Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day, and that on those days a person should go directly to a single-adult emergency shelter — it also states that family shelters do not accept walk-ins. This route does not establish that a bed is available.
Open the verified official sourceLast checked 2026-08-05 · Kentucky · official source: Coalition for the Homeless (Louisville) — Get Help
Official details not yet verified
The routes above are the ones NOLO has checked against a named source. Other Kentucky and Louisville routes for this situation are not verified yet — confirm them with the responsible agency or provider.
No official link is published until it is verified. Ask the agency for current instructions.
Official details not yet verified — ask the agency for current instructions · checked 2026-08-01 · Kentucky
Preparation and practice guidanceGeneral advice that applies to most appointments and calls, not only to this journey.
Practitioner and helper guidance
Preparation ideas for the person and anyone helping
Separate medical readiness, transportation, and destination confirmation in the discharge tracker.
One confirmed item does not establish that the entire transition is workable.
Do not publish or promise local medical-respite capacity or admission criteria.
The research package explicitly identifies those facts for direct Louisville provider verification.
Record consent, the receiving contact, and whether the handoff was accepted.
Sending information or a referral does not confirm receipt, fit, placement, or care continuity.
Separate documents, client statements, agency instructions, and unconfirmed assumptions in the record.
Clear labels let the next helper reuse what is known without turning an inference into a fact.
End each handoff with a named owner, safe contact method, next check date, and fallback.
A referral is easier to resume when responsibility and the failed-route response are visible.
Practitioner guidance from field experience — not agency policy. Checked 2026-08-01 · Jurisdiction-neutral.
Medical discharge planning and housing navigation
This comparison does not recommend one option.
Treating-team discharge plan
- Documents
- Ask what information this route currently requires.
- Cost
- Unknown — confirm before choosing this route.
- When it may matter
- Use this for medical readiness, medication, equipment, and follow-up decisions.
- When it may not
- Do not use it when it creates a safety or care risk.
Housing and shelter search
- Documents
- Ask what information this route currently requires.
- Cost
- Unknown — confirm before choosing this route.
- When it may matter
- Use this to explore a safe destination without treating it as medical care.
- When it may not
- Do not assume this route is available or appropriate.
The treating team makes medical decisions; housing providers decide their own capacity and fit.
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-07-28 · Jurisdiction-neutral
Appointment strategy
- 1.Ask whether an appointment is required before you travel.
- 2.Ask how walk-ins are handled and whether arriving early changes the process.
- 3.Confirm the location, hours, and documents again on the day you plan to go.
- 4.Ask what safe contact method will be used for changes, cancellations, or follow-up.
- 5.Before ending, ask who to contact and what to do if the appointment or referral cannot proceed.
Scheduling links and phone numbers are pending verification.
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-07-28 · Jurisdiction-neutral
Day of the appointment or visit
At the office
- 1.Arrive early when practical, especially if you are walking in.
- 2.Ask for a realistic wait estimate.
- 3.Ask whether the office uses text messages, callbacks, or another queue-notification system.
- 4.Ask whether you can leave briefly and return without losing your place.
- 5.Prepare for a potentially long day.
- 6.Write down the name or department that gave each instruction, the date, and the next action.
Bring for the wait
- A charger
- Water and snacks where permitted
- Medications you may need during the wait
- All paperwork together in one folder
- Something to do while you wait
- A safe way to take notes and store confirmation or reference numbers
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-07-28 · Jurisdiction-neutral
Before you travelA final check of documents, opening hours, and the receiving contact.
Avoid a wasted trip
- 1.Recheck the location, hours, appointment rules, and current document instructions before leaving.
- 2.Keep originals and copies organized, and ask before handing over the only copy you have.
- 3.At the counter, explain what is missing and ask what replacement or workaround evidence can be reviewed.
- 4.Ask what was received, what is still missing, how status can be checked, and what happens if the normal route fails.
- 5.Keep a safe copy, receipt, confirmation, or reference number for anything you submit.
Ask before leaving the counter: “Is there anything else that could prevent this application from being approved today?”
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-07-28 · Jurisdiction-neutral
Related resources
The core guidance is ready while resource matches load.
- Use the emergency information at the top of this page for urgent options.
- Dial Kentucky 211
- Report a missing resource
What requires an agency or provider
- Medical readiness, level of care, medication, equipment, and follow-up decisions
- Referral acceptance, respite or shelter capacity, admission criteria, and accessibility
- Transportation, pharmacy, coverage, and receiving-provider coordination
Take this with you
The referral packet is a one-page version built to print and hand over: numbers to call and when they answer, what to bring, what to ask, what to do if it does not work, and where each checked fact came from. It has blank lines to write on.
Open the referral packetYou can also print this full page with your browser’s print command. It keeps the preparation steps, recovery questions, day-of plan, and before-you-leave question while removing site navigation.