Medicaid for nursing home and home care in Minnesota

Who qualifies

You must live in Minnesota, be 65 or older (or blind or disabled), and a MnCHOICES assessment must show you need the level of care a nursing facility gives.

If your income is higher, MA may still help through a spenddown, which works like a deductible: you pay part of your care costs each month and MA pays the rest.

What counts and what does not

• Not counted: your home (if equity is under the limit, or a spouse or certain relatives live there) and usually one car.
• Counted: bank accounts, stocks, and other savings.
• Home equity: if your equity is over $752,000, MA will not pay for long-term care unless your spouse or certain relatives live in the home.
• Account check: adults 65 and over must let the state's Asset Verification Service check their financial accounts electronically.

Back to the page menu

If you are married

When one spouse needs long-term care and the other stays at home, Minnesota protects the spouse at home.

If the spouse at home has less income than the minimum, part of the other spouse's income can go to them. The amount can be higher when housing costs are high; Minnesota compares shelter costs with a basic shelter allowance of $812 a month (July 2026-June 2027) and uses a utility allowance of $690 (from October 1, 2026).

Back to the page menu

What each program pays for

Nursing home care

MA pays the nursing facility after you pay your share. You keep $132 a month for clothing and personal needs. If you plan to return home, ask your county about the home maintenance allowance, which Minnesota sets at $1,330 a month (July 2026-June 2027).

Gifts and transfers. If you gave away money or property for less than it was worth, MA may refuse to pay for long-term care for a time. The penalty is figured by dividing the value given away by the statewide average monthly nursing home payment, $11,869 (July 2026-June 2027).

Elderly Waiver (EW)

The Elderly Waiver pays for services that help you live at home or in the community instead of a nursing home. Services include adult day services, customized living (help in an assisted living setting), homemaker and chore services, respite for caregivers, home-delivered meals, emergency response systems, transportation, and equipment and supplies. If you are in Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO) or Minnesota Senior Care Plus (MSC+), your health plan provides your Elderly Waiver services.

Alternative Care (AC)

Alternative Care is for people 65 or older who need nursing-home-level care and would qualify for MA within 135 days of entering a nursing home, but are not on MA now. It pays for many of the same home services. You may pay a monthly fee based on your income and assets. The fee is up to 30% of the cost of your services, and the highest fee applies if you have $10,000 or more in assets.

PACE

Minnesota does not have a PACE program at this time.

Back to the page menu

How to apply

1. Ask for a MnCHOICES assessment. Contact your county or Tribal human services office, or call Minnesota Aging Pathways at 1-800-333-2433.
2. Fill out the MA application. Use the MHCP Application for Certain Populations (DHS-3876) if everyone in your home is 65 or older, blind or disabled.
3. Add the long-term care form. Include the Application for Payment of Long-Term Care Services (DHS-3531).
4. Send both to your county or Tribal office.
5. Answer requests. Your county will ask for proof of income and assets, and will run the Asset Verification Service check.

Coverage can start the first day of the month you apply, and can go back up to three months before that if you qualified then.

Back to the page menu

After you apply

• Report changes in income, assets or where you live to your county.
• Renew when your county asks.
• Appeal: your notice explains how to ask for a state fair hearing and the deadline. Act quickly.
• Estate recovery: after death, Minnesota may seek repayment from the estate of people who got MA at 55 or older, usually only when there is no surviving spouse, no child under 21, and no child with a disability.

Back to the page menu

Common mistakes

• Assuming income is too high. A spenddown or the Special Income Standard rules may still work.
• Forgetting the spouse's protections. The spouse at home can keep up to $162,660.
• Not trying Alternative Care. If you are not on MA yet, AC may pay for help at home now.
• Skipping the assessment. The MnCHOICES assessment decides if you need this level of care.

Back to the page menu

Free help

• Minnesota Aging Pathways (formerly the Senior LinkAge Line): 1-800-333-2433, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or live chat at mn.gov/aging-pathways. Counselors help with long-term care planning, Medicare and local services.
• Your county or Tribal human services office for applications and MnCHOICES assessments.

See also paying for a nursing home, Medicare and all benefits in Minnesota.

Phone numbers: Free help lines for Minnesota agencies

Check what you may qualify for