How to Qualify for Medicaid: Eligibility and Transfer Rules

Most long-term care involves assisting with basic personal needs rather than providing medical care.

Medicaid 101

There are circumstances in which transferring a house will not result in a Medicaid penalty period, and one of those is if the Medicaid applicant transfers the house to a "caretaker child."  ...

Medicaid 101

In some states (called "income cap" states), Medicaid applicants who have excess income can qualify for Medicaid only if they put the excess in a special trust, called a "Miller" trust or a "Qualified Income Trust.

Medicaid 101

In order to qualify for Medicaid, a nursing home resident's income must not be above a certain level. ...

Medicaid 101

When one spouse is in a nursing home and applying for Medicaid, planning has to take into account the possibility that the spouse who is not in the nursing home (called the "community spouse") may pass away first.

Medicaid 101

For many Medicaid applicants, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) are one of their biggest assets. If you do not plan properly, IRAs can count as an available asset and affect Medicaid eligibility requirements.

Medicaid 101

When one member of a couple moves to a nursing home, we expect that spouse will be the first to die, but this isn’t always the case. What happens if a Medicaid recipient's spouse dies first?...

Medicaid 101

Medicaid law provides protection for spouses of Medicaid applicants to make sure they have the minimum support needed to continue to live in the community while their loved one receives long-term care services.

Medicaid 101

When most of a couple's income is in the name of the spouse who is receiving Medicaid, the remaining community spouse at home may wonder what they will live on. Medicaid has created some protections for them.

Medicaid 101