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Medicaid Planning · Massachusetts

Massachusetts Long-term-care Medicaid eligibility

Long-term-care Medicaid eligibility rules for Massachusetts.

Published: Not yet published. Last checked: September 5, 2026.

Income limits

Institutional long-term-care personal-needs allowance

$72.80 per month

Applies to the applicant under the institutional long-term care pathway for nursing-facility post-eligibility income calculation. This is an allowance. Details: institutionalized applicant; this is an allowance after eligibility, not a gross-income ceiling.

Source: MassHealth 2026 program financial guidelines, January standards [state-medicaid-agency] — Cited annual figures effective January 1, 2026

Institutional gross-income eligibility rule

Source unavailable. Check with the state Medicaid agency.

Applies to the applicant under the institutional long-term care pathway for nursing-facility services. This is a cap. Details: institutionalized applicant; post-eligibility applied-income rules are distinct from gross eligibility.

State Medicaid agency

Income limit for specified HCBS and PACE pathways

$2,982 per month

Applies to the applicant under the home- and community-based services waiver pathway for specified home- and community-based waiver and PACE pathways. This is a cap. Details: single applicant in a pathway using 300% of the SSI federal benefit rate.

Source: MassHealth 2026 program financial guidelines, January standards [state-medicaid-agency] — Cited annual figures effective January 1, 2026 Additional authority: CMS 2026 SSI and spousal-impoverishment standards [cms] — Income, resource, CSRA, maximum MMMNA, and home-equity figures effective January 1, 2026

Asset limits

Institutionalized-applicant resource limit

$2,000

Applies to the applicant under the institutional long-term care pathway for institutional long-term care. This is a cap. Details: single institutionalized applicant.

Source: MassHealth 2026 program financial guidelines, January standards [state-medicaid-agency] — Cited annual figures effective January 1, 2026

Community spouse resource allowance (CSRA)

Community-spouse resource allowance

$32,532 minimum to $162,660 maximum

Applies to the community spouse under the spousal impoverishment pathway for institutional long-term care and qualifying HCBS waivers. This is a range. Details: institutionalized applicant with a community spouse; actual allowance depends on assessed resources and adjustments.

Source: MassHealth 2026 program financial guidelines, January standards [state-medicaid-agency] — Cited annual figures effective January 1, 2026

Monthly maintenance needs allowance (MMMNA)

Community-spouse monthly maintenance-needs allowance

$2,705 minimum to $4,066.50 maximum

Applies to the community spouse under the spousal impoverishment pathway for institutional long-term care and qualifying HCBS waivers. This is a range. Details: institutionalized applicant with a community spouse; $811.50 shelter standard and spouse income affect the actual allowance.

Source: MassHealth 2026 program financial guidelines, July standards [state-medicaid-agency] — Current minimum maintenance-needs and shelter figures effective July 1, 2026 Additional authority: CMS July 2026 spousal-impoverishment update [cms] — Minimum maintenance-needs and shelter amounts effective July 1, 2026

Home-equity limits

Home-equity limit

$1,130,000

Applies to the applicant under the institutional long-term care pathway for long-term-care services. This is a cap. Details: applicant subject to the substantial-home-equity rule.

Source: MassHealth 2026 program financial guidelines, January standards [state-medicaid-agency] — Cited annual figures effective January 1, 2026

Sources

Methodology & sources

Checked at least annually and whenever the state or CMS publishes new long-term-care eligibility figures.

General information, not legal advice.