Medicaid & Nursing Homes
How to Qualify for Medicaid Nursing Home Care (2026)
Step-by-step guide: financial test, level-of-care assessment, look-back review, and choosing a Medicaid-certified nursing home.
8 min readUpdated 2026-06-19
Qualifying for Medicaid nursing home care combines financial screening, medical necessity, and choosing a facility that accepts Medicaid reimbursement. Start 3–6 months before a planned move when possible — crisis admissions still qualify but leave less time for asset planning.
Qualification checklist
- Income at or below your state's Medicaid LTC limit (or use spend-down)
- Countable assets within limits after exemptions
- No disqualifying transfers during the 60-month look-back
- State level-of-care assessment approves nursing-facility need
- Facility has a Medicaid bed available
Free screening tools
Use our Medicaid eligibility checker and state-specific pages before applying. Compare CMS star ratings for nursing homes in your city to find quality Medicaid-certified facilities.
- Texas
- Florida
- California
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Ohio
- Illinois
- Georgia
- Arizona
- North Carolina
- Michigan
- New Jersey
- Washington
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Colorado
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Missouri
- Tennessee
- South Carolina
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- New Mexico
- Nevada
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Utah
- Vermont
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
- District of Columbia
Need help finding care near you?
Our free matching service connects families with assisted living and memory care options in their area — email first, no spam calls.
Get Free Matches