Resources, spouses, transfers, and the home
The basic 2026 resource figures are $2,000 for a single applicant and $3,000 for a couple when both apply. When one spouse applies, Indiana's public spousal-impoverishment information gives the community spouse a July 2026 protected-resource range of $32,532 to $162,660, subject to the snapshot and calculation rules (Indiana community-spouse guidance).
Indiana's transfer review is 60 months. A proposed gift, trust funding, below-market sale, new joint ownership, or retained interest should be analyzed before it happens, with documentation of value and payment (FSSA transfer material). A primary home can have special eligibility treatment, but the published 2026 home-equity figure is $752,000 and the household facts matter (Indiana home-equity explanation).
Indiana's title and recovery interaction
Indiana permits TOD deeds, yet its recovery definition includes nonprobate transfers and certain survivorship interests (Indiana TOD deed statute; Indiana estate definition). This is a distinctive reason not to equate probate avoidance with Medicaid protection. It also makes title reports, deeds, beneficiary designations, and recovery exposure part of the same planning conversation.
A sound plan identifies the likely care setting, collects five years of records, projects income and patient liability, confirms the current FSSA policy, and obtains Indiana-specific legal advice before a transfer or deed is signed.
Indiana's Partnership long-term-care insurance program may also be relevant for a household that planned early, but the policy must be verified as Partnership-qualified and its benefits coordinated with Medicaid rules. Planning should be updated after a major health, income, marital, or title change (Indiana Long Term Care Insurance Program).
Before acting, obtain current written policy and individualized legal advice; household facts can change the answer even when a general rule appears clear (FSSA OMPP).
Indiana planning priority: coordinate QIT eligibility, the 60-month transfer review, the home, and broad estate-recovery scope; none should be analyzed in isolation (
FSSA estate recovery).
Not mutually exclusive. Most families combine two or three funding pillars — this one rarely stands alone.
The
Journey Assessment ranks all ten pillars against your specific situation and
recommends the top three.
