Medicaid Planning in Putnam County

Florida Long-Term Care Medicaid Financial Limits

Countable Assets:
Florida’s Institutional Care Program applies financial eligibility rules to applicants seeking Medicaid coverage for qualifying institutional care. In 2026, the countable asset limit is $2,000 for a single applicant and $3,000 when both spouses apply. Countable assets are resources Medicaid includes when testing financial eligibility, although specific rules exclude some property.

Income & Qualified Income Trusts:
The 2026 monthly income cap for a single Florida Medicaid applicant is $2,982. An applicant with income above that limit must use a Qualified Income Trust, also called a Miller Trust, to qualify. This trust receives qualifying income and must be established and administered according to Medicaid requirements.

Florida Homestead Exemption:
A Florida homestead may be excluded from the countable asset calculation if the applicant intends to return home or if a spouse or dependent relative lives there. The exclusion remains subject to the applicable home equity limit, which is $752,000 in 2026. Exclusion during the applicant’s lifetime doesn’t necessarily resolve later estate-recovery questions.

Spousal Protections & Transfer Review

Florida Medicaid rules include protections for a spouse who isn’t applying for long-term care benefits. The Community Spouse Resource Allowance permits that spouse to retain a portion of the couple’s countable assets when the other spouse applies. The maximum Community Spouse Resource Allowance is $162,660 in 2026, although the amount available in a particular case depends on the household’s finances.

Five-Year Look-Back Period

Florida Medicaid reviews asset transfers made during the 60 months before an application for long-term care benefits. Gifts and other uncompensated transfers during this transfer-review period can create a penalty period in which Medicaid won’t pay for covered services.

The penalty period is calculated by dividing the value of the uncompensated transfer by Florida’s applicable penalty divisor. That divisor is $10,645 in 2026. Because the timing and character of a transfer matter, families should review previous gifts and ownership changes before filing an application.

Property & Trust Options in Medicaid Planning

Planning options may include Lady Bird Deeds, irrevocable trusts, and income strategies coordinated with eligibility rules. The appropriate tool depends on the household’s assets, transfer history, care needs, and willingness to accept limits on ownership or control. A strategy that fits one family may create unwanted consequences for another.

Lady Bird Deeds

A Lady Bird Deed allows an owner to retain the right to revoke the deed or sell the property during life. Because the owner keeps that authority, the transfer doesn’t trigger Medicaid’s five-year look-back period. Property passing under the deed is also generally outside the reach of the Medicaid Estate Recovery Program because recovery may reach only assets in the probate estate.

Irrevocable Trusts

Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts are irrevocable trusts used in long-term care planning. Once properly established, an irrevocable trust can place transferred assets beyond many creditor claims, but the grantor gives up direct control over those assets. Transfers to the trust must still be evaluated under Medicaid eligibility and look-back rules.

Special Needs Trusts

We can structure a special needs trust as a non-countable resource for government benefit purposes. The trust’s terms, funding, and beneficiary circumstances are central to that analysis. Careful coordination is necessary because benefit status doesn’t apply automatically.

The Medicaid Estate Recovery Program seeks repayment from certain assets after a Medicaid recipient’s death. Property and trust planning can affect both present eligibility and later recovery exposure, so those decisions should reflect the family’s full financial and care circumstances.