Last verified: October 2026
What are Pennsylvania's 2026 Medicaid limits for nursing home care?
For 2026, Pennsylvania's income limit for the long-term care categories is $2,982 a month (300% of the $994 SSI federal benefit rate), and the resource limit is $2,000 plus an additional $6,000 resource disregard when income is at or below that level, or $2,400 when income is above it.
Medically-needy-only categories use a $2,550 semi-annual net income test instead.
Sources: PA DHS: Medical Assistance and long-term care.
What is the Medicaid look-back period in Pennsylvania?
The county assistance office reviews assets sold, transferred or given away in the 60 months before the application; the uncompensated value divided by the average daily private-pay rate sets a penalty period during which Medical Assistance will not pay for long-term care.
Gifts to grandchildren and below-market sales to family count. An elder law attorney can review transfers before you apply.
What can the spouse at home keep?
The community spouse keeps a share of the couple's countable resources equal to half, with a 2026 minimum of $32,532 and maximum of $162,660, and is not required to pay for the institutionalized spouse's care; the spouse may also receive a monthly maintenance needs allowance, with a federal minimum of $2,643.75 (effective July 1, 2025) and maximum of $4,066.50.
Sources: CMS 2026 SSI and spousal impoverishment standards.
Is the home counted for nursing home Medicaid?
The home is excluded if its equity is $752,000 or less and the applicant intends to return or lives in it, or if a spouse or dependent lives there; the house can still be subject to estate recovery later.
Apply through COMPASS, the Consumer Service Center at 1-866-550-4355, or the county assistance office. Pennsylvania expanded Medicaid for working-age adults in 2015, but that pathway is separate from long-term care Medical Assistance for older adults.
How much income does a nursing home resident on Medical Assistance keep?
A resident on Medical Assistance in a nursing home contributes most of their monthly income toward the cost of care and keeps a personal needs allowance, with allowances for a community spouse's maintenance needs and certain health insurance premiums deducted first.
The county assistance office calculates the resident's share each year; ask for that calculation in writing.
2026 Pennsylvania nursing home Medicaid: what counts and what does not
| Counts / applies | Does not count / apply | |
|---|---|---|
| Income limit | $2,982/month (NMP categories) | the ACA expansion limit |
| Resources | $2,000 + $6,000 disregard | home with equity up to $752,000 if excluded |
| Look-back | 60 months of transfers | transfers older than 60 months |
| Spouse | keeps $32,532-$162,660 of resources | liable for the spouse's care |
