Ohio Medicaid asset limit for long-term care (2026)

By Bennett Dixon, founder of MedicaidChecklist · Every figure cited to an official source · Last verified 2026-07-14

Ohio's published 2026 asset limit for a single long-term-care Medicaid applicant is $2,000. The limit applies to countable assets, and what counts is as important as the number.

2026 asset limit (single applicant)

$2,000

Home equity cap

$752,000

The home is typically exempt below this equity figure — and exempt regardless while a spouse lives in it.

Protected for a spouse at home (CSRA)

$32,532–$162,660

Married couples: the community-spouse resource allowance protects a share of the couple's assets for the spouse who stays home.

How the limit works here

$2,000 in countable resources for an individual ($3,000 for a married couple when both spouses are applying), per OAC 5160:1-3-05.1. Exempt assets include the home (below the equity cap, or with a spouse or dependent child living there), one vehicle, household goods, and certain burial arrangements.

Ohio rules that change the asset picture

Protections for the spouse at home (CSRA and MMMNA)

When one spouse enters a nursing home, Ohio's rules let the at-home ('community') spouse keep a protected share of the couple's countable assets: half of the assets as of the 'snapshot' date, subject to a floor of $32,532 and a ceiling of $162,660 in 2026. The community spouse may also receive part of the applicant's income if their own income is below the minimum monthly maintenance needs allowance, between $2,705 (floor effective July 1, 2026) and $4,066.50 per month under the federal standards Ohio follows. The home is exempt while the community spouse lives in it.

official source

Home equity cap for long-term care

The home is normally an exempt asset, but Medicaid will not pay for long-term care services if the applicant's equity in the home exceeds $752,000 (2026). This cap does not apply when the applicant's spouse, child under 21, or blind or disabled child lives in the home.

official source

Estate recovery after the recipient's death

Ohio's Medicaid estate recovery program, administered by the Ohio Attorney General on behalf of ODM, seeks repayment of long-term care costs from the estate of a recipient who was permanently institutionalized or age 55 or older. Recovery is delayed while a surviving spouse is alive or while a child under 21 or a blind or disabled child survives, and heirs may request an undue-hardship waiver within 30 days of the claim notice. Applicants are informed of the program through form ODM 07400 at application.

official source

How this compares to other states

Asset limits vary between states far more than income limits do — this is the figure to check for your own state, not a national article.

State	Asset limit (single applicant)	Year
California	$130,000	2026
Michigan	$9,950	2026
New York	$33,038	2026
Ohio	$2,000	2026
Pennsylvania	$8,000	2026
Texas	$2,000	2026

Full table with context: Medicaid asset limits by state.

The figures on this page are Ohio's published 2026 rules, cited to the official source and last verified 2026-07-14. Eligibility decisions are made only by Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) — 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.

Ohio guide Ohio income limit Ohio look-back period

Sources

2026 special income level (SIL) for institutionalized/HCBS waiver individuals is $2,982/month (300% of the $994 2026 SSI federal benefit rate); 2026 spousal impoverishment standards: CSRA minimum $32,532, maximum $162,660, MMMNA cap $4,066.50; 2026 home equity limit $752,000 (ODM MEPL 191, 2026 COLA) — dam.assets.ohio.gov
Federal 2026 spousal impoverishment standards: MMMNA maximum $4,066.50; CSRA $32,532 to $162,660; minimum home equity limit $752,000 — www.medicaid.gov
Aged/blind/disabled Medicaid resource limit is $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a married couple (OAC 5160:1-3-05.1) — codes.ohio.gov
Transfers of assets for less than fair market value within the 60-month look-back period are presumed improper and result in a restricted Medicaid coverage period (OAC 5160:1-6-06) — codes.ohio.gov
The restricted Medicaid coverage period is calculated by dividing the value of improperly transferred assets by the monthly average private pay rate (APPR) for nursing facility services (OAC 5160:1-6-06.5) — codes.ohio.gov
Patient liability calculation subtracts a personal needs allowance of $75 (plus up to $65 more from earned income), health insurance premiums, and spousal/family maintenance allowances before the remainder of income is paid to the facility (OAC 5160:1-6-07) — codes.ohio.gov
The community spouse resource allowance is the greater of one half of the couple's combined countable resources (up to the CMS maximum) or the CMS minimum, determined as of the snapshot date; the institutionalized spouse may keep $2,000 (OAC 5160:1-6-04) — codes.ohio.gov
Ohio's Medicaid estate recovery program recovers correctly paid benefits from the estates of permanently institutionalized individuals and individuals age 55 or older; recovery is barred while a surviving spouse or a child under 21 or blind/disabled child is alive; undue hardship waivers are available (ORC 5162.21; OAC 5160:1-2-07) — codes.ohio.gov
Form ODM 07400 informs applicants of the estate recovery program; the Ohio Attorney General's Medicaid Estate Recovery Unit presents claims to estates — dam.assets.ohio.gov
Cross-check: 2026 nursing home Medicaid limits for a single Ohio applicant are $2,982/month income and $2,000 in assets; a Qualified Income Trust is the pathway for applicants over the income limit; the community spouse may keep up to $162,660 — www.medicaidplanningassistance.org