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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 2, 2026.

Income limits

Institutional long-term-care personal-needs allowance

$72.80 per month

Pathway: institutional-long-term-care; setting: nursing-facility post-eligibility income calculation; applies to: applicant (institutionalized applicant; this is an allowance after eligibility, not a gross-income ceiling); measure: allowance.

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.

Pathway: institutional-long-term-care; setting: nursing-facility services; applies to: applicant (institutionalized applicant; post-eligibility applied-income rules are distinct from gross eligibility); measure: cap.

State Medicaid agency

Income limit for specified HCBS and PACE pathways

$2,982 per month

Pathway: hcbs-waiver; setting: specified home- and community-based waiver and PACE pathways; applies to: applicant (single applicant in a pathway using 300% of the SSI federal benefit rate); measure: cap.

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

Pathway: institutional-long-term-care; setting: institutional long-term care; applies to: applicant (single institutionalized applicant); measure: cap.

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

Pathway: spousal-impoverishment; setting: institutional long-term care and qualifying HCBS waivers; applies to: community-spouse (institutionalized applicant with a community spouse; actual allowance depends on assessed resources and adjustments); measure: range.

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

Pathway: spousal-impoverishment; setting: institutional long-term care and qualifying HCBS waivers; applies to: community-spouse (institutionalized applicant with a community spouse; $811.50 shelter standard and spouse income affect the actual allowance); measure: range.

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

Pathway: institutional-long-term-care; setting: long-term-care services; applies to: applicant (applicant subject to the substantial-home-equity rule); measure: cap.

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

Sources and update policy

Methodology & sources

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

This page is educational and is not legal advice.