Purpose:　 Dysphagia is common in elderly patients and it can cause aspiration pneumonia. A videofluoroscopic examination (VF) or videoendoscopic evaluation (VE) is the best modality for diagnosing dysphagia. However, these methods are often difficult to use in elderly pneumonia patients with comorbidities such as dementia or physical deterioration. In 2002, the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA) was introduced to evaluate the eating and swallowing ability in first-time stroke patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of the MASA for clinical screening of dysphagia in elderly patients with pneumonia.　 Subjects and Methods:　 This study was prospectively performed between December 2014 and June 2015, and 153 pneumonia patients with a mean age of 85.4±9.9 years old were enrolled. The patients were administered the MASA within 3 days of admission. The outcome measures were the oral intake and a recurrence of pneumonia within 30 days.　 Results:　 Significant differences were observed in the mean MASA score between the patients with and without oral intake (p＜ 0.001), and between the patients with and without a recurrence of pneumonia (p＜ 0.001). The ROC curves between the MASA scores and the outcome measures were shown. The AUCs were 0.87 (oral intake), and 0.76 (a recurrence of pneumonia). The MASA cut-off values for the oral intake and recurrence of pneumonia were 113 points and 139 points. A multivariate analysis revealed an abnormal MASA score to be an independent risk factor for the recurrence of pneumonia.　 Conclusion:　 The MASA is therefore considered to be a useful screening tool for evaluating the eating and swallowing ability in elderly pneumonia patients.