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MedicaidChecklist

Medicaid long-term care in California: 2026 limits, forms, and how to apply

Bennett Dixon, founder of MedicaidChecklist

By Bennett Dixon, founder of MedicaidChecklist · Every figure cited to an official source · Last verified

Long-term-care Medicaid in California — the coverage that pays for nursing-home care and, through waiver programs, care at home — runs through Medi-Cal Long-Term Care (LTC) and Medi-Cal Aged, Blind and Disabled / Medically Needy programs and Medi-Cal Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers. It is administered by California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). This page collects the published 2026 rules in one place, each figure linked to its official source.

California's published 2026 figures

Income limit (single applicant)

$1,836/mo

Being over this figure is not the end of the story — see the income-limit page for California's published pathway.

Asset limit (single applicant)

$130,000

Countable assets only; the home (below the equity cap), one vehicle, and household goods are typically exempt.

Look-back period

30 months

Deeper dives: the California income limit, the asset limit and what's exempt, and the 30-month look-back.

How to apply in California

Applying is free, directly through the state. You file the application — California accepts it through these channels:

Processing time: Up to 45 days; up to 90 days if eligibility is based on disability. If no decision within that time, you may request a State Fair Hearing.

The official forms

Medi-Cal Single Streamlined Application

Medi-Cal's main application, accepted for all Medi-Cal programs.

The main application.

official form

Additional Income and Property Information Needed for Medi-Cal(MC 604 IPS)

The non-MAGI supplement — collects the income and property detail used for aged/disabled and long-term-care determinations.

For non-MAGI applicants (65+, disabled, or long-term care).

official form

These are California's own forms, linked at the source — never substitutes.

Documents caseworkers commonly request

  • Photo ID
  • Social Security number
  • Proof of California residency
  • Proof of citizenship or immigration status
  • Proof of income (Social Security award letter, pension statements, pay stubs)
  • Bank and financial account statements
  • Property deeds and vehicle titles
  • Life insurance policies
  • Retirement account statements
  • Health insurance premium statements (Medicare, Medigap)
  • Marriage certificate (if married)

Gathering these is most of the real work — see the full document guide for why each category matters.

Rules specific to California

Asset limit eliminated in 2024, reinstated January 1, 2026

California removed all asset limits for seniors and people with disabilities on January 1, 2024, but the state reversed course for budget reasons. Starting January 1, 2026, you can have no more than $130,000 in countable assets as an individual (plus $65,000 for each additional family member). Your primary home, one vehicle, and household goods do not count. Current members must report assets at their first renewal on or after January 1, 2026.

official source

Share of cost (medically needy pathway) — no income cap for nursing home care

There is no income ceiling that disqualifies you from nursing-home Medi-Cal. Instead, if your income is above the limit, you pay a monthly 'share of cost' to the facility, calculated as your gross income minus health insurance premiums and a $35 personal needs allowance. Medi-Cal pays the rest of the nursing home bill. California does not use Miller Trusts.

official source

30-month look-back is phasing back in (2026–2028); 2024–2025 transfers are shielded

California's look-back for nursing-home applicants is a maximum of 30 months, shorter than the 60 months used by most states. Transfers made January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025 (while there was no asset limit) are permanently exempt from penalties per DHCS guidance (ACWDL 25-18). Penalties apply only to gifts made on or after January 1, 2026, and the look-back window is phasing in gradually, reaching the full 30 months around July 2028. Penalty months are calculated by dividing the gifted amount by the Average Private Pay Rate ($14,440).

official source

Protections for the spouse at home (CSRA and MMMNA)

If you are married and enter a nursing home, your at-home spouse can keep assets up to the Community Spouse Resource Allowance, $162,660 in 2026, on top of the $130,000 you may keep. Your spouse can also receive part of your income to bring their monthly income up to the maintenance needs allowance, up to $4,066.50 per month in 2026. The family home is exempt while the spouse lives there.

official source

Your home is exempt with no equity cap (until a federal cap arrives in 2028)

California does not currently apply a home equity limit for long-term care Medi-Cal. Your principal residence is exempt regardless of value as long as you state an 'intent to return' home, or a spouse or dependent relative lives there. A new federal law (H.R. 1, 2025) will impose a $1 million home equity cap for long-term care eligibility starting in 2028.

official source

The figures on this page are California's published 2026 rules, cited to the official source and last verified 2026-07-14. Eligibility decisions are made only by California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) — no checklist, calculator, or company can decide for it. Applying is always free through the state agency.

A note on limits of this page: whether and how any rule applies to a specific family is a question only the state agency — or an elder-law attorney — can answer. MedicaidChecklist publishes the rules and helps you prepare and organize the application; it does not give legal advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to move, transfer, or restructure money or property.

California guideCalifornia income limitCalifornia asset limitCalifornia look-back period

Sources

  • Asset limit of $130,000 for an individual (+$65,000 per additional family member) reinstated effective January 1, 2026 for aged, disabled, and nursing-home Medi-Cal; 30-month look-back for asset transfers before nursing facility entry; transfers made before January 1, 2026 are not counted — www.dhcs.ca.gov
  • History of the asset limit: increased to $130,000 July 2022, fully eliminated January 2024, reinstated at $130,000 effective January 1, 2026 by June 2025 state budget legislation — justiceinaging.org
  • 2026 CSRA is $162,660; transfer penalties only for transfers on/after January 1, 2026 (2024–2025 transfers shielded per ACWDL 25-18 / MEDIL I25-23); penalty = amount transferred divided by Average Private Pay Rate of $14,440; penalties apply only to nursing home entrants, max 30-month look-back — canhr.org
  • Aged & Disabled FPL program income limit is $1,836/month for an individual (138% FPL) — dpss.lacounty.gov
  • 2026 Federal Poverty Level figures for Medi-Cal issued in ACWDL 26-01; A&D FPL figures effective April 1, 2026 — www.dhcs.ca.gov
  • Long-Term Care Medi-Cal has no income limit; most of the applicant's income goes to pay the nursing facility; apply online at BenefitsCal, by phone, or in person — dpss.lacounty.gov
  • Nursing facility residents keep a $35/month personal needs allowance ($62 if on SSI); share of cost = gross income minus health premiums minus $35 — canhr.org
  • Nursing facility residents' share of cost equals all income above $35/month — www.disabilityrightsca.org
  • 2026 federal spousal impoverishment standards: maximum community spouse resource standard $162,660, maximum monthly maintenance needs allowance $4,066.50, SSI federal benefit rate $994/month (CMS Informational Bulletin, December 9, 2025) — www.medicaid.gov
  • Principal residence is totally excluded from Medi-Cal countable assets (with intent to return); no state home equity cap under 2026 reinstated asset rules — canhr.org
  • H.R. 1 (2025) imposes a $1 million home equity cap for Medicaid long-term services and supports starting in 2028 — justiceinaging.org
  • Medi-Cal applications take up to 45 days to process, or up to 90 days if based on disability — www.dhcs.ca.gov
  • MC 604 IPS (Additional Income and Property Information Needed for Medi-Cal) is used for non-MAGI eligibility determinations and replaces the MC 210 PS and MC 322 — my.dpss.lacounty.gov