Protect This House!
Want to Keep Your Home If You Ever Need Nursing Home Medicaid? Say These Words.
Q: If I go into a nursing home and apply for Medicaid, can I keep my home?
A: Yes — if you say the magic words. "I intend to return home."
It might sound too simple — but this statement could be the key to preserving your most valuable asset.
Here’s What You Need to Know
Medicaid has a specific rule about how it treats your home when you apply for long-term care coverage. Normally, Medicaid expects you to “spend down” your assets to qualify. But your primary residence can be exempt — as long as you say you intend to return home.
It doesn’t matter if you’re:
93 years old and in intensive care
Living in a facility permanently
Told by a doctor that you probably won’t go back
Temporarily staying with a family member
Even if your home has been partially destroyed
If you say you intend to return — that’s enough.
Why It Works: Medicaid’s Rule on Intent
According to official guidance from the Social Security Administration (POMS SI 01130.100), your subjective intent is all that matters. Your age, health, and even your actual ability to return home are not considered.
As long as your statement isn’t self-contradictory — for example, saying both “I want to go home” and “I think I should stay here” — then your home stays protected during your lifetime.
Bottom line: If you ever apply for Medicaid to cover nursing home care, make sure to say — clearly and consistently — “I intend to return home.”
But Be Warned: This Only Protects the Home While You’re Alive
Once you pass away, Medicaid can try to recover the cost of your care from your estate — and yes, that includes your home unless you’ve done proper planning.
To truly protect your home for your spouse, children, or heirs, you need a plan in place before it’s too late.
Want to learn how to protect your home both during your life and after you’re gone?
Contact us to discuss Medicaid planning strategies that work.
