Medicaid for nursing home and home care in Kansas

Who qualifies

You must be 65 or older, blind or disabled, live in Kansas, and need the level of care a nursing facility gives. Then KanCare looks at your income and assets.

How income works in Kansas

KanCare's long-term care income standard for 2026 is $2,982 a month, three times the SSI payment. KanCare then works out how much of your income you keep each month (your "protected income level"). The rest goes toward your care. This is called your client obligation. In a nursing home you keep $62. On a home care waiver or PACE at home you keep up to $2,982, because you still pay rent and food. Money for a spouse at home can be taken off first. Ask the Clearinghouse how your share is figured.

If your income is too high for regular KanCare and you do not need long-term care, the spenddown may apply. Your income over $994 a month works like a deductible. Once your medical bills reach that amount, KanCare pays the rest for that period.

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What counts and what does not

• Income: Social Security, pensions, and other money you get each month count. KanCare uses your gross amounts.
• Assets: Bank accounts, cash, stocks, and other property you could turn into cash count.
• Your home: Your home does not count while you or your spouse live there. But if your equity in the home is over $752,000, you cannot get long-term care unless your spouse or certain relatives live there.
• Gifts: KanCare looks at gifts or sales for less than full value in the past five years. They can cause a period when KanCare will not pay for your long-term care. The penalty is figured by dividing what you gave away by the average daily nursing facility rate, $308.25 from July 2026.

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What a spouse at home can keep

If you are married and your spouse stays at home, the rules protect some of your money for them.

If your spouse's own income is low, part of your income can go to them before your share of care is figured. If your spouse has high housing costs, the amount can be higher, up to the highest monthly amount. A dependent family member living with your spouse may also get an allowance based on $902 a month. The lower figures change each July and the others each January.

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The programs

Nursing facility care

KanCare pays the nursing home after your monthly share. It also covers the doctor visits, drugs and other care that Medicare does not pay.

Frail Elderly (FE) waiver

The FE waiver pays for care at home for people 65 and older who need nursing-home-level care. Services can include attendant care, adult day care, medication reminders, personal emergency response, nursing visits, home telehealth, and assistive technology.

There is a waiting list. Starting July 6, 2026, new applicants who meet the rules are placed on the list in the order they were assessed. Some people can ask to skip it, including people in a crisis, people moving out of a nursing home, people moving from another waiver, and some PACE members. The Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) is the single place to start.

PACE

PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) is for people 55 and older who need nursing-home-level care and can live safely at home with PACE support. One team gives all your medical and long-term care. It is offered in 23 Kansas counties. For general questions, call KDADS at 785-268-3600.

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How to apply

1. For home care, call the ADRC first at 1-855-200-2372 (1-855-200-ADRC), Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The ADRC checks whether you need nursing-home-level care and puts you on the FE waiver list if one applies.
2. Fill out the KanCare application for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (form KC-1500). This is the right form for nursing home care, home care waivers and PACE. You can apply online at kancare.ks.gov or on paper.
3. Sign it. An unsigned application is not valid. Write "N/A" for questions that do not apply rather than leaving them blank.
4. Send it to the KanCare Clearinghouse. Fax: 1-800-264-6285. Keep a copy.
5. Send proof when asked. You do not have to send proof with the application. The Clearinghouse will ask by mail. Put your name, date of birth or case number on everything you send.

Questions: KanCare Clearinghouse, 1-800-792-4884, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free interpreters are available.

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After you apply

• Watch your mail. The Clearinghouse sends notices and requests for proof by mail. Answer by the date on the letter.
• Appeal a denial. You can ask for a state fair hearing if you are denied, if your share of cost is wrong, or if your application is delayed. Your request must reach the agency within 33 days of the date the notice was mailed. You can ask in person, by phone, or in writing, including by fax or email. Requests made after business hours count as received the next business day. An administrative law judge at the Office of Administrative Hearings decides.
• Keep coverage during an appeal. If you already have KanCare, ask for a hearing within 15 calendar days of the date on the notice (or before the change takes effect, if that is later) to keep your coverage while you wait.
• Problems with a KanCare health plan. If your plan denies a service, ask the plan to review it first. You can ask for a state fair hearing after that.
• KanCare Ombudsman: 1-855-643-8180 (Relay 711). It helps people who cannot solve a problem with KanCare.

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Things people miss

• Applying for SSI does not sign you up for KanCare. In Kansas you must apply for KanCare separately.
• The FE waiver list is in order of assessment. Call the ADRC as soon as you think you may need home care.
• Home care leaves you more income. On a waiver you keep up to $2,982 a month to live on, far more than in a nursing home.

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Free help

• ADRC: 1-855-200-2372, for long-term care options and the FE waiver.
• SHICK (free Medicare counseling): 1-800-860-5260.
• KanCare Clearinghouse: 1-800-792-4884.
• KanCare Ombudsman: 1-855-643-8180.

For what Medicare does and does not pay, read paying for a nursing home and Medicare Part A. For other programs, see all benefits in Kansas.

Phone numbers: Free help lines for Kansas agencies

Check what you may qualify for