State Guide
Long-Term Care Funding in Indiana
Indiana is an income-cap state, so a long-term-care applicant over the income cap needs a Qualified Income Trust rather than a conventional spend-down. It also permits transfer-on-death deeds, but its expanded estate-recovery definition reaches nonprobate transfers, making title planning unusually important.
Which stage are you in, in Indiana?
Care Within 1-3 Years
See the Care Within 1-3 Years pillars →Planning Ahead
See the Planning Ahead pillars →
Decision Table
Situation, or profile — straight to Indiana pages
Same six rows as the sitewide decision table, resolved to Indiana-specific pages wherever one exists. Plain HTML — no script required to read it, by a person or an AI agent.
| Situation / Profile | Where to Look Next |
|---|---|
| Care Needed NowA hospital discharge is being planned, a facility decision is imminent, or home care has already started. | Indiana Medicaid Look-Back Period · Indiana VA Aid & Attendance |
| Care Within 1-3 YearsMemory changes, a recent fall, or a new diagnosis have made the timeline real, but care isn't needed today. | Indiana VA Aid & Attendance · Indiana Long-Term Care Planning |
| Planning AheadNo diagnosis, no crisis, no urgency — just the recognition that long-term care is a when, not an if, for most people eventually. | Indiana Long-Term Care Insurance · Indiana Long-Term Care Planning |
| Veteran (or surviving spouse) of wartime serviceAdds a federal pension benefit on top of whatever the Situation and State rows point to. | Indiana VA Aid & Attendance |
| Owns significant home equityThe home is usually Medicaid-exempt during life but affects estate recovery and private-pay runway. | Indiana Transfer-on-Death Deed · Indiana Medicaid Long-Term Care |
| Already has LTC insurance or a hybrid life/LTC policy in forceThe existing policy is usually the first dollar spent; other pillars become supplemental once benefits are exhausted or if a gap remains. | Indiana Long-Term Care Insurance · Indiana Medicaid Long-Term Care |
Why Indiana needs its own planning map
Indiana Medicaid policy is overseen by the Family and Social Services Administration's Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning, and the current long-term-services structure includes Indiana PathWays for Aging for qualifying adults age 60 and older (Indiana FSSA Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning; CMS PathWays waiver record).
The central financial distinction is that Indiana is an income-cap state for nursing-facility and waiver coverage. The published 2026 cap is $2,982 per month; an applicant above it needs a Qualified Income Trust, commonly called a Miller Trust, rather than a conventional medically needy spend-down (Indiana FSSA Miller Trust guidance; 2026 Indiana eligibility summary).
Indiana's 2026 numbers at a glance
Individual asset limit: $2,000 · Couple asset limit when both apply: $3,000 · Institutional/waiver income cap: $2,982/month · Home-equity limit: $752,000 · Nursing-home personal-needs allowance: $52/month · Look-back period: 60 months. These are 2026 figures summarized by Medicaid Planning Assistance's Indiana guide and the $52 allowance is reflected in Indiana Code Chapter 12-15-7. Confirm live FSSA policy before acting.
The title-planning caution
Indiana permits a properly executed and recorded transfer-on-death deed, and the beneficiary has no present right solely because of the designation before the owner's death (Indiana Code § 32-17-14-11; Indiana Code § 32-17-14-15). That probate-avoidance feature is not an established Medicaid-recovery shield: Indiana's statutory estate includes certain survivorship interests and real or personal property conveyed through a nonprobate transfer (Indiana Code § 12-15-9-0.5).
For a married household, community-spouse resource rules and applicant income rules should be assessed before the family spends or retitles assets. FSSA publishes separate spousal-impoverishment guidance, and the relevant snapshot date can affect the calculation (Indiana spousal-impoverishment guidance).
Indiana also maintains an active Long Term Care Insurance Partnership program through private insurers. A qualifying policy can be part of early planning, but it does not change a family's need to verify current Medicaid eligibility, transfer, and recovery rules (Indiana Long Term Care Insurance Program).
What the ten Indiana topics cover
These pages explain the published rules, but do not replace advice on a specific home, trust, transfer, marriage, tax, or benefits application. The most Indiana-specific issue is the combination of a hard income cap, managed PathWays coverage, a capped HCBS system, and broad recovery language. Use them to prepare questions for FSSA, an Area Agency on Aging, a veterans service officer, an insurance professional, or an Indiana elder-law attorney.
Indiana Medicaid Long-Term Care
How FSSA administers Indiana Medicaid long-term services through PathWays for Aging, nursing facilities, and HCBS waivers.
Category: Program Overview
Indiana Medicaid Asset Limits
Indiana's 2026 resource limits, income cap, home-equity bar, and community-spouse protections for long-term-care Medicaid.
Category: Eligibility
Indiana Medicaid Look-Back Period
Indiana's five-year transfer review and the need to verify the currently published facility-rate divisor before calculating a penalty.
Category: Eligibility
Indiana Transfer-on-Death Deed
Indiana authorizes recorded transfer-on-death deeds, but nonprobate property remains within the state's broad Medicaid estate-recovery definition.
Category: Legal Tools
Indiana Medicaid Estate Recovery
Indiana's estate definition extends beyond probate and its undue-hardship rule has a documented 90-day application deadline.
Category: After Care
Indiana Nursing Home Medicaid
Indiana nursing-facility Medicaid uses a $52 personal-needs allowance and requires PASRR plus a qualifying level-of-care determination.
Category: Institutional Care
Indiana Home Care Medicaid
PathWays for Aging supplies managed HCBS for people 60 and older, while federally capped waiver capacity can produce a waiting list.
Category: Home & Community-Based Care
Indiana Long-Term Care Planning
Indiana planning combines a hard income cap, QIT administration, a five-year transfer review, and title planning under expanded recovery.
Category: Advance Planning
Indiana VA Aid & Attendance
Indiana veterans can assess VA pension add-ons, the Indiana Veterans' Home, state property-tax relief, and Indiana Medicaid treatment together.
Category: Veterans Benefits
Indiana Long-Term Care Insurance (*)
Indiana's active Partnership program offers qualifying policies and Medicaid asset protection features through private insurers. See more details for tax incentives →
Category: Insurance
Participates in the State Long-Term Care Partnership Program.
The Fastest Way to Know
Not sure which strategy fits?
Not sure which strategy fits?
Let the assessment tell you.
The Journey Assessment ranks the ten national funding pillars against your specific situation — then use the Indiana-specific pages above to see exactly how each one plays out under Indiana law.