Medicaid & Nursing Homes
Medicaid Nursing Home Look-Back Period (2026) | 5-Year Rule
How the 60-month Medicaid look-back works, penalty periods, and what transfers can disqualify nursing home coverage.
The federal Medicaid look-back period is 60 months (5 years) before your application date. States review asset transfers — gifts to children, below-market home sales, large charitable donations — that were made for less than fair market value.
If a penalized transfer is found, Medicaid may refuse to pay for nursing home care for a calculated number of months.
Exceptions and planning
- Transfers to a spouse are generally exempt
- Disabled child or caregiver child exceptions may apply
- Paying off legitimate debt is not a penalized transfer
- Consult an elder law attorney before restructuring assets
State-specific application
All states use the 60-month look-back for nursing home Medicaid. Use our state pages for local application steps and ADRC phone numbers.
- 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
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