You should apply for nursing home admission any time you think you might require a nursing home bed within a year or so. There is no harm to applying, because there is no application fee and the information required on the forms will have to be disclosed to the Connecticut Department of Social Services anyway if and when you apply for Medicaid (Title XIX or Title 19). And, if a bed becomes available before you need it, you can simply decline and remain on the wait list. In fact, you can apply to two or three homes to maximize the chances of having a bed when you need one. The application process should be conducted as part of a broader Connecticut elder law planning and Medicaid Asset Protection process. And, when a bed becomes available, you should review the admissions agreement with a Connecticut elder care lawyer to avoid inadvertently making family members liable.