Income

John and Mary have not planned and Mary has to go to the nursing home. Their only assets are their house, car and personal belongings but John has income of $8,000 per month and Mary only has $800 per month from social security. Mary is eligible for Medicaid assistance but she must turn over her $800 per month less $100 for personal expenses. The house, the car and personal stuff remains with John as does all of his income because Medicaid does not consider the income of the non-institutionalized spouse. When only one spouse of a married couple applies for Nursing Home Medicaid or a Medicaid Waiver, only the income of the applicant is counted. This means the income of the non-applicant spouse does not impact the income eligibility of their applicant spouse.