Medical-card holders resident in public nursing homes or in contracted beds in private nursing homes will once again find the cost of their care deducted from their pensions.
The move follows the signing of regulations by Minister for Health Mary Harney and Finance Minister Brian Cowen yesterday which make the charges legal.
The charges will be reimposed from July 14th under the Health (Charges for In-Patient Services) Regulations, 2005.
There was consternation late last year when it emerged that elderly people were being charged for nursing-home care even though there was no legal basis for doing so. Ms Harney tried to legalise the charges retrospectively, but the move was scuppered by the Supreme Court.
An investigation by former head of Forfás John Travers found the Department of Health was aware of legal uncertainties around the charging for almost three decades but failed to stop it.
The State has been losing some €12 million a month since it stopped levying the charges last December.
After signing the regulations Ms Harney said most people accepted that those who could afford to pay should make a contribution toward the cost of their maintenance.
"After all, those that live in their own homes have to do so. The monies received by the Health Service Executive through the levying of these charges will continue to provide funding for the services being made available to older people, as well as those receiving support from the disability and mental health services," she said.