Can you own a home and get Medicaid in NY?

Asked by: Guiseppe Pfannerstill DDS  |  Last update: November 20, 2025
Score: 4.2/5 (74 votes)

New York Medicaid Home Exemption Rules For home exemption, the Medicaid applicant or their spouse must live in their home. If there is no spouse in the home, there is a home equity interest limit of $1,097,000 (in 2025). Home equity is the value of the home, minus any outstanding debt against it.

What assets are exempt from Medicaid in NY?

The following exempt resources are not counted for purposes of Medicaid eligibility:
  • Your primary residence. Your family home is exempt if it's occupied by you, your spouse, or a minor or disabled child. ...
  • Your car. ...
  • Burial allowance. ...
  • Irrevocable Burial Trust. ...
  • Personal property. ...
  • The first $20 of income.

Can you own a home and get food stamps in NY?

Yes as long as you qualify for them, meaning income and low amount of savings and have over 70% or your income as living expenses. (rent or mortgage (which you wouldn't have if you own a home) otherwise property taxes, property insurance, a assume any HOA fees too, eclectic, gas, water utilities.

Can Medicaid take your home in NY?

The state never directly "takes" anyone's home. However, the family home may need to be sold to settle long-term care debts after the homeowner's death. Under federal law, the state must attempt to recover the benefits paid to a Medicaid recipient from their estate after the recipient's death.

Is a house protected from Medicaid?

Note: California stands apart from the other states. CA eliminated their Medicaid (Medi-Cal) asset limit effective 1/1/24. Medi-Cal applicants and beneficiaries can have unlimited assets and still be eligible for Medi-Cal. They could sell their home and it have no impact on their eligibility.

Medicaid Eligibility - Medicaid Income and Asset Limits – 2024

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How do I protect my assets from Medicaid in NY?

A popular strategy to protect your resources and still become eligible for Medicaid long term care benefits is by establishing a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT). When you transfer your assets in a MAPT, Medicaid will not count the money in the trust toward its resource limit.

What happens to a house when the owner goes into a nursing home?

Neither the nursing home nor the government will seize your home to cover expenses while you are living in care. However, if you run out of funds to pay for the care you need, your estate's assets may be taken after your death to cover those costs.

How to avoid nursing home taking your house?

7 Ways to Protect Your Home From Being Taken
  1. Purchase Long-Term Care Insurance. ...
  2. Sell or Transfer Assets. ...
  3. Create a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust. ...
  4. Choose Home Health Instead. ...
  5. Form a Life Estate. ...
  6. Purchase a Medicaid-Compliant Annuity. ...
  7. Pay With Your Life Insurance Policy.

How to avoid Medicaid estate recovery in NY?

Crucially, since New York, unlike most other states, only allows Medicaid to go after probate assets, by avoiding probate, you avoid Medicaid's estate recovery. The asset protection trust will allow you to continue to reside in the trust even though the trust is technically the new owner.

What is it called when Medicaid takes your house?

To compensate for multi-billion dollar Medicaid expenses, the federal government established the Medicaid Estate Recovery Program (MERP). This program requires states to recoup Medicaid payments made to benefit recipients 55 years and older. This also includes payments for assisted living.

How much money can you have in the bank to qualify for SNAP in NY?

What if I have savings? Most households applying for SNAP no longer have to pass a savings/resource test in order to get SNAP benefits. This means that the household's assets (stocks, savings and retirement accounts, etc.) are not considered when determining eligibility.

Does NY SNAP check your bank account?

When applying for food stamps do they check your bank accounts? When applying for food stamps, you will be required to submit proof of your monthly income and liquid assets, but the agency you apply through will not look directly into your bank accounts to verify.

Can you hide assets to qualify for Medicaid?

Purposely not disclosing asset information in order to gain Medicaid eligibility is illegal. It is fraud, and consequences for hiding assets can be severe, including jailtime and hefty fines. Furthermore, persons should not gift assets as a means to “hide” them and qualify for Medicaid.

Does NY Medicaid have asset limits?

The medically needy asset limit is $31,175 for an individual and $42,312 for a couple. 2) Pooled Income Trusts – Persons who are disabled in NY and have income over Medicaid's income limit can become income-eligible by depositing their “excess” income into a Pooled Income Trust.

Do you have to pay back Medicaid in NY?

The general rule is that any Medicaid paid after age 55 is subject to payback and the rules are complicated. A good Medicaid Lawyer can guide you and save a lot of money.

How do I protect my assets from Medicaid look back?

By transferring your assets into an irrevocable trust, you effectively remove them from your ownership, thereby protecting them from Medicaid's asset requirements. However, it's important to note that once assets are transferred to an irrevocable trust, you no longer have control over them.

Do you have to pay back Medicaid if you inherit money?

California stands apart from the other states. In CA, Medicaid (Medi-Cal) recipients can gift inheritance, which is considered “income”, the month in which it is received. Furthermore, Medi-Cal recipients have no asset limit, and therefore, can have unlimited assets and still be eligible for long-term care benefits.

Can Medicaid take a jointly owned home?

Medicaid generally cannot take a jointly owned home with rights of survivorship when one of the owners passes away, as the property automatically transfers to the surviving owner without becoming part of the deceased's estate.

What happens to my assets if I go into a nursing home?

The “government” never takes your assets to pay for your nursing home care costs. Nor will a “nursing home” ever seize your assets to pay for its bills.

Do you have to sell your house if you go into a nursing home?

Generally speaking, you are not required to sell your home in order to qualify for Medi-Cal to pay your nursing home expenses.

How to protect your assets from the government?

The two most common ways to protect assets are:
  1. Choosing a protective business structure: It is not easy for the IRS to obtain property from an LLC or other corporation. ...
  2. Establishing legal trusts: Though usually related to estate planning, trusts legally shift ownership of assets whenever you decide.

What happens to your bills when you go into a nursing home?

If you have existing unpaid medical bills, and go into a nursing home and receive Medicaid, the program may allow you to use some or all of your current monthly income to pay the old bills, rather than just to be paid over to the nursing home, providing you still owe these old medical bills and you meet a few other ...

Can a nursing home take your inheritance?

With the passage of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, state Medicaid officials have the power to recoup any covered funds from your estate after you pass away. This means that unshielded assets could be lost for future generations unless proper steps are taken beforehand in preparation for nursing home care.

Can my elderly parents give me their house?

Parents can make an outright gift of a home to an adult child. Any gift that exceeds the 2024 annual exclusion of $18,000 will be subject to gift tax and require that a gift tax return be filed.