Payment Assistance: Maryland Medicaid

In Maryland, residents who meet certain financial and medical requiremeMnts may be qualified for nursing facility services through the state’s Medicaid program. The state serves more than 20,000 nursing home residents each year. 

To qualify for medical assistance, the potential resident or the loved one who is helping them will need to apply though the local Department of Social Services in the county where the applicant resides or where the nursing home the applicant ALREADY lives in is located. Applicants will need to provide documentation of income and resources to qualify for nursing home coverage through Medicaid. 

The applicant must also be certified as medically eligible for nursing facility services. This certification will be completed by the nursing home staff, hospital staff, or physician. To be medically eligible, an individual must have a health condition that requires full-time care under the supervision of a licensed nurse. 

For U.S. citizens or legal aliens who reside in Maryland and are 65 years old or disabled, eligibility for Medicaid is based on income and resources (assets). Income includes but is not limited to: wages, Social Security benefits, pension, and Veteran’s benefits. Resources include but are not limited to: bank accounts, stocks, bonds, trusts, annuities, property, and life insurance. The way income and resources are evaluated and the amount that you may have and still be eligible for Medicaid are established by law. An individual’s countable resources cannot be worth more than $2,500 to be eligible. 

There are eligibility exceptions that allow a spouse, disabled adult child, child under age 21, or sibling who lived with you to retain certain resources, including a home and some types of income. However, there are specific limits to how much the spouse or other eligible individual can keep and still maintain eligibility. 

For additional information, contact a nursing facility staff specialist at 410-767-1736 or visit maryland.gov.