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MedicaidChecklist

Medicaid long-term care in Texas: 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 Texas — the coverage that pays for nursing-home care and, through waiver programs, care at home — runs through Medicaid for the Elderly and People with Disabilities (MEPD) — Nursing Facility (Institutional) Medicaid and STAR+PLUS Home and Community Based Services (STAR+PLUS HCBS) Waiver. It is administered by Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). This page collects the published 2026 rules in one place, each figure linked to its official source.

Texas's published 2026 figures

Income limit (single applicant)

$2,982/mo

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

Asset limit (single applicant)

$2,000

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

Look-back period

60 months

Home equity cap

$752,000

Protected for a spouse at home (CSRA)

$32,532–$162,660

The community-spouse resource allowance — assets protected for a husband or wife who stays home.

Spouse-at-home income allowance

$4,066.50–$4,066.50/mo

Deeper dives: the Texas income limit, the asset limit and what's exempt, and the 60-month look-back.

How to apply in Texas

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

Processing time: Up to 45 days (up to 90 days if a disability determination is required)

The official forms

Application for Assistance – Your Texas Benefits (Medicaid for the Elderly and People with Disabilities / Medicare Savings Program)(H1200)

Texas's application for Medicaid for the Elderly and People with Disabilities — the single form for this program.

The main (and only) application form for this program.

official form

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

Documents caseworkers commonly request

  • 60 months of bank statements for all accounts
  • Proof of all income (Social Security award letter, pension statements)
  • Photo ID and proof of citizenship or immigration status
  • Social Security and Medicare cards
  • Health insurance cards and premium statements
  • Property deeds and recent tax appraisals for real estate
  • Vehicle titles
  • Life insurance policies with face and cash values
  • Pre-paid burial or funeral contracts
  • Trust documents, including any Qualified Income Trust agreement
  • Statements for retirement accounts, stocks, bonds, and annuities

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

Rules specific to Texas

Qualified Income Trust (Miller Trust) for income over the cap

Texas is an income-cap state: if your countable monthly income is over the $2,982 special income limit (2026), you can still qualify by setting up a Qualified Income Trust (QIT), authorized by 42 USC 1396p(d)(4)(B). Income deposited into the QIT each month is not counted toward the eligibility limit. The trust must be irrevocable, funded only with your income, and name the State of Texas to receive remaining funds at your death up to the amount Medicaid paid on your behalf.

official source

60-month lookback and transfer penalty

HHSC reviews all asset transfers made in the 60 months before you apply. Gifts or sales for less than fair market value during that window create a penalty period: the uncompensated value is divided by Texas's transfer-of-assets daily divisor ($262.37 per day, effective Sept. 1, 2025) to get the number of days Medicaid will not pay for long-term care. The penalty starts when you would otherwise be eligible, not when the transfer was made.

official source

Spousal Protected Resource Amount (SPRA) for the at-home spouse

When one spouse needs care and the other stays in the community, the at-home spouse keeps a Spousal Protected Resource Amount: the greater of half the couple's combined countable resources or $32,532, capped at $162,660 (2026). The at-home spouse may also receive income from the applicant spouse up to a monthly spousal allowance of $4,066.50 (2026) — Texas allows every community spouse the federal maximum maintenance allowance.

official source

Home-based care (STAR+PLUS HCBS waiver) may have an interest list; nursing facility Medicaid does not

Nursing facility Medicaid is an entitlement — anyone who qualifies financially and medically gets it, with a requirement of at least 30 consecutive days in a Medicaid-contracted facility. Medicaid-paid care at home or in assisted living goes through the STAR+PLUS HCBS waiver, which uses the same financial rules but has capped enrollment, so applicants may wait on an interest list before services start.

official source

The figures on this page are Texas's published 2026 rules, cited to the official source and last verified 2026-07-14. Eligibility decisions are made only by Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) — 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.

Texas guideTexas income limitTexas asset limitTexas look-back period

Sources

  • Special income limit $2,982 individual / $5,964 couple effective Jan. 1, 2026 (300% of SSI FBR) — www.hhs.texas.gov
  • Institutional/HCBS 2026 figures: resources $2,000 individual / $3,000 couple; substantial home equity $752,000; transfer-of-assets divisor $262.37/day (eff. Sept. 1, 2025); SPRA minimum $32,532 and maximum $162,660; spousal allowance (MMMNA) $4,066.50; personal needs allowance $75 for nursing facility residents — www.hhs.texas.gov
  • Qualified Income Trust rules and authority (42 USC 1396p(d)(4)(B)); income diverted to a QIT is not counted for institutional/waiver eligibility — www.hhs.texas.gov
  • Nursing facility program requires 30 consecutive days in a Medicaid-contracted facility; HCBS waiver uses same income limit with nursing facility level of care — www.hhs.texas.gov
  • Form H1200 is the official application for MEPD (effective 10/2025); MEPD specialist has 45 days, or up to 90 days with a disability determination, to complete the application — www.hhs.texas.gov
  • STAR+PLUS is the Texas managed care program for adults 65+ / with disabilities; STAR+PLUS HCBS waiver serves people who would otherwise need a nursing home — www.hhs.texas.gov
  • Individuals are assessed for the STAR+PLUS HCBS program when their name reaches the top of the STAR+PLUS HCBS program interest list, managed by the HHSC Interest List Management unit — www.hhs.texas.gov
  • 60-month lookback and STAR+PLUS HCBS interest list; 2026 figures cross-check (income $2,982, assets $2,000, CSRA $32,532–$162,660, home equity $752,000) — www.medicaidplanningassistance.org